This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-32791448
The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Ramadi battle: IS militants 'round up enemies' in Iraq | Ramadi battle: IS militants 'round up enemies' in Iraq |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Islamic State militants are cementing their hold on Ramadi - the Iraqi city they captured on Sunday, reports say. | Islamic State militants are cementing their hold on Ramadi - the Iraqi city they captured on Sunday, reports say. |
| Militants were going door-to-door looking for government sympathisers and throwing bodies in the nearby Euphrates river, residents were quoted as saying. | Militants were going door-to-door looking for government sympathisers and throwing bodies in the nearby Euphrates river, residents were quoted as saying. |
| Thousands of Iranian-backed militiamen are gathering east of Ramadi ahead of a bid to retake the city. IS militants are reportedly heading towards them. | Thousands of Iranian-backed militiamen are gathering east of Ramadi ahead of a bid to retake the city. IS militants are reportedly heading towards them. |
| The United Nations has warned of a humanitarian crisis as thousands flee. | The United Nations has warned of a humanitarian crisis as thousands flee. |
| It says some 25,000 people have left the city, only 105km (65 miles) west of Baghdad, in recent days, adding to a flood of people already displaced from the area. Many were sleeping in the open. | It says some 25,000 people have left the city, only 105km (65 miles) west of Baghdad, in recent days, adding to a flood of people already displaced from the area. Many were sleeping in the open. |
| The UN says it is trying to meet the needs of those displaced, but funds are low and its stocks have almost gone. | The UN says it is trying to meet the needs of those displaced, but funds are low and its stocks have almost gone. |
| The loss of Ramadi, the capital of the western Anbar province, is a blow for both the Iraqi government and US strategy in the area, say the BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut. | The loss of Ramadi, the capital of the western Anbar province, is a blow for both the Iraqi government and US strategy in the area, say the BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut. |
| Retaking it is a massive challenge to the Iraqi government, which has had to appeal to the Shia militias despite the risks of a sectarian backlash from sending them deep into the Sunni heartland, our correspondent says. | Retaking it is a massive challenge to the Iraqi government, which has had to appeal to the Shia militias despite the risks of a sectarian backlash from sending them deep into the Sunni heartland, our correspondent says. |
| Police and military made a chaotic retreat from the city, which has been contested for months, after days of intense fighting. | Police and military made a chaotic retreat from the city, which has been contested for months, after days of intense fighting. |
| Nafiseh Kohnavard: On a bomb run against IS | |
| Homes torched | Homes torched |
| Reports from Ramadi described deserted streets, with residents making hurried trips out of their houses to search for food. | Reports from Ramadi described deserted streets, with residents making hurried trips out of their houses to search for food. |
| IS militants were breaking into the homes of policemen and pro-government tribesmen, said residents who spoke to Associated Press news agency. | IS militants were breaking into the homes of policemen and pro-government tribesmen, said residents who spoke to Associated Press news agency. |
| Homes and shops owned by pro-government Sunni militiamen were looted or torched, the residents said on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. | Homes and shops owned by pro-government Sunni militiamen were looted or torched, the residents said on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. |
| Some 3,000 Shia militiamen are said to be "on stand-by" at al-Habbaniyah military camp, some 20km east of Ramadi, in preparation for an attempt to recapture the city. | Some 3,000 Shia militiamen are said to be "on stand-by" at al-Habbaniyah military camp, some 20km east of Ramadi, in preparation for an attempt to recapture the city. |
| On Tuesday Anbar police chief Kadhim al-Fahdawi told AFP news agency a large number of well-prepared troops were positioned in Husaybah, which is closer to Ramadi. | On Tuesday Anbar police chief Kadhim al-Fahdawi told AFP news agency a large number of well-prepared troops were positioned in Husaybah, which is closer to Ramadi. |
| He said this area - deep in Iraq's Sunni heartland - would be the "starting point" for operations, but that much planning remained to be done. | He said this area - deep in Iraq's Sunni heartland - would be the "starting point" for operations, but that much planning remained to be done. |
| "The military operation to liberate Ramadi and Anbar will not start until all the requirements are met," Mr Fahdawi said. | "The military operation to liberate Ramadi and Anbar will not start until all the requirements are met," Mr Fahdawi said. |
| The Shia militias, known as the Popular Mobilisation (al-Hashd al-Shaabi), were key to the recapture from IS of another city, Tikrit, north of Baghdad, in April. | The Shia militias, known as the Popular Mobilisation (al-Hashd al-Shaabi), were key to the recapture from IS of another city, Tikrit, north of Baghdad, in April. |
| But although their presence was welcomed by some Sunni leaders, some Ramadi residents said they feared them as much as the Islamic State fighters. | But although their presence was welcomed by some Sunni leaders, some Ramadi residents said they feared them as much as the Islamic State fighters. |
| "If the Shia militias enter Ramadi, they will do the same things being done by Daesh [IS]," Abu Ammar, an Anbar native who owns a grocery store in Ramadi, told AP. | "If the Shia militias enter Ramadi, they will do the same things being done by Daesh [IS]," Abu Ammar, an Anbar native who owns a grocery store in Ramadi, told AP. |
| "In both cases, we will be either killed or displaced. For us, the militias and IS militants are two faces of the same coin." | "In both cases, we will be either killed or displaced. For us, the militias and IS militants are two faces of the same coin." |
| The US will have to decide whether it will use its air power in support of the Iranian-backed militias, he says. | The US will have to decide whether it will use its air power in support of the Iranian-backed militias, he says. |
| The US has not given a uniform response to the capture of Ramadi, with the Pentagon suggesting it is not tactically significant, while the state department describes it as a setback. | The US has not given a uniform response to the capture of Ramadi, with the Pentagon suggesting it is not tactically significant, while the state department describes it as a setback. |
| But the eight sorties flown over Ramadi by US forces in the past day suggest it is a pressing concern, says the BBC's Jon Sopel in Washington. | But the eight sorties flown over Ramadi by US forces in the past day suggest it is a pressing concern, says the BBC's Jon Sopel in Washington. |
| Anbar province covers a vast stretch of the country west from Baghdad to the Syrian border, and contains key roads that link Iraq to both Syria and Jordan. | Anbar province covers a vast stretch of the country west from Baghdad to the Syrian border, and contains key roads that link Iraq to both Syria and Jordan. |
| IS reportedly controls more than half of Anbar's territory. | IS reportedly controls more than half of Anbar's territory. |
| Troubled history of Anbar province | Troubled history of Anbar province |