Iraqi army official: families stranded by security entrenchments in Anbar

Ramadi (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi army: Military entrenchments used defense lines against Islamic State militants in Anbar have resulted into a siege on 40 families west of Ramadi, a municipal official was quoted saying.

Adnan Fayhan, head of al-Wafaa precinct, said trenches and security barriers erected by the army forces in the area, 35 kilometers west of Ramadi, have caused more than 40 families to be stranded inside. “Those are shepherds who had run out of water and food,” Fayhan added.

The official urged Iraqi army forces to remove the “siege” on the stranded families and to facilitate their movement outside the area to procure their needed supplies.

Islamic State militants have held the towns of Annah, Rawa and Qaim, on Anbar’s western borders with Syria, since 2014, holding thousands of civilians there. Security reinforcements have reportedly been sent recently near those towns preparing for an attack against the group.

On Saturday, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi issued a statement congratulating the nation for the recapture of Akashat region, west of Anbar, in a “snap operation” which he said left hundreds of militants dead.

Iraqi Army

While the Iraqi government said late August that its next target of anti-IS military action was Kirkuk’s Hawija, some officials were quoted saying that parallel operations in western Anbar could also be carried out.