The Iraqi army has withdrawn from its last base in the city of Hit in
Anbar province following weeks of fighting with the ISIL, leaving the
group in full control, security sources have said.
Hundreds of troops were pulled out of the base and relocated to help protect the Asad air base, the AFP news agency quoted a police colonel in the provincial capital of Ramadi as saying.
"Our military leaders argued that instead of leaving those forces exposed to attacks by ISIL, they would be best used to shore up the defence of Asad air base," he said.
"Hit is now 100 percent under ISIL control."
Asad, northwest of Hit, is one of the last still under government control in the western province. It is surrounded by desert and a tougher target for ISIL fighters.
Other security officials said military aircraft picked up senior officers from the Hit base, and the rest of the force drove in a convoy to Asad.
Al Jazeera's Imran Khan, reporting from the Iraqi capital Baghdad, said that ISIL's takeover put nearby towns including Amiri under threat.
"Amiri is a very key town, that is where the main supply line from Anbar province into Baghdad and the rest of the south of the country goes from," he said.
Source: Al Jazeera and agencies
13/10/14
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Related:
Hundreds of troops were pulled out of the base and relocated to help protect the Asad air base, the AFP news agency quoted a police colonel in the provincial capital of Ramadi as saying.
"Our military leaders argued that instead of leaving those forces exposed to attacks by ISIL, they would be best used to shore up the defence of Asad air base," he said.
"Hit is now 100 percent under ISIL control."
Asad, northwest of Hit, is one of the last still under government control in the western province. It is surrounded by desert and a tougher target for ISIL fighters.
Other security officials said military aircraft picked up senior officers from the Hit base, and the rest of the force drove in a convoy to Asad.
- An Iraqi officer and Sunni militia fighters told the Reuters news agency that ISIL looted three armoured vehicles and at least five tanks, and then set the camp ablaze.
Al Jazeera's Imran Khan, reporting from the Iraqi capital Baghdad, said that ISIL's takeover put nearby towns including Amiri under threat.
"Amiri is a very key town, that is where the main supply line from Anbar province into Baghdad and the rest of the south of the country goes from," he said.
- Up to 180,000 people have been displaced by fighting in and around Hit, the UN office for humanitarian affairs said on Monday.
- During a visit to Baghdad on Monday, the British foreign minister Phillip Hammond said ISIL would only be defeated by "heavy work on the ground" by Iraqi forces.
Source: Al Jazeera and agencies
13/10/14
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180,000 flee IS advance in Anbar, UN says...
ReplyDeleteAs many as 180,000 people have fled fighting between Iraqi forces and Islamic State (IS) militants in and around the city of Hit in western Anbar province, the UN says.
The civilians - many of whom were already displaced - have headed east towards the war-torn city of Ramadi.
The UN says the refugees are in need of food, blankets and medical supplies.
IS captured Hit earlier this month in an advance across Anbar that has alarmed Iraqi leaders.
Analysts say seizing Anbar would enable IS to establish a supply line to launch possible attacks on the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.................http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29606089
13/10/14