Iraq

Israeli arms seized from militants: Iraqi Cmdr.

350126_Iraq-RamadiA senior Iraqi commander says weapons seized from al-Qaeda-linked militants in the Arab country are advanced Israeli-made arms.

Fadhel Jamil al-Barwari, who is the commander of the prominent Golden Battalion, has made the remarks on his Facebook page, adding that all arms that have been confiscated from the terrorists since 2006 are Israeli-made.

The commander, who is from al-Barwari clan in an area between the city of Duhok and the Iraqi border in Kurdistan region, has also vowed to eliminate the foreign-backed militants.

Barwari established the Special Forces group for countering terrorism in the year 2003. The group, along with the Iraqi army, is currently fighting militants from the al-Qaeda-linked militant group of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in the western province of Anbar.

The commander of the brigade has stressed in an official announcement that he will employ new missiles in fighting against the militants.

Violence erupted in Anbar on December 30, 2013, when the army removed an anti-government camp in the city of Ramadi. Iraqi authorities said the camp had been used as “headquarters for the leadership of al-Qaeda.”

The bloodshed later spread to Fallujah and militants moved in and seized the city and parts of Ramadi.

In a statement on Saturday, the governor of Anbar province, Ahmed al-Dulaimi, gave militants controlling the city of Fallujah one week to surrender as government troops are making headway against al-Qaeda-linked forces in the area.

While he gave militants a week to lay down their arms and promised them amnesty, he noted that the Iraqi officials would not negotiate with the so-called ISIL, which is comprised of “killers and criminals.”

The Iraqi army, allied with Sunni tribesmen, has cleared most parts of Ramadi. Army’s operation in Fallujah has been postponed due to concerns over the safety of civilians.

Human Rights Watch in a recent statement condemned the ISIL for committing crimes against humanity that include crimes against civilians and military troops.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says clashes have displaced over 140,000 people in the Anbar province.

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