18 December 2014

In Haditha township, an ISIL 36-vehicle convoy attempted to penetrate into the town, but coalition warplanes attacked the convoy, killing most of the ISIL gunmen.

Meanwhile a clash at Haditha's southern entrance at Haqlaniya erupted when ISIL gunmen attacked, only to be faced by fierce resistance. The Haditha Municipal leader, Abdul-Hakeem Al Jughaifi, has stated that the gunmen were trying to reach the Haditha Dam, but this was also thwarted by coalition airstrikes. He also warned that the attempt was planned to seize the dam and blow it up.

In Ramadi, the southern districts are relatively calm, but there were heavy clashes in the city's northeastern sector. The gunmen had seized some parts of the area and laid mines along the access routes into the area. Military engineers assisted by local tribesmen have now cleared the mines. Explosives had also been planted at a number of mosques, but a major effort is underway to defuse those explosives.

Meanwhile Iraqi air support has killed three ISIL commanders in those areas.

In Fallujah, the level of clashes between security forces outside the city and ISIL gunmen within it has escalated. The city's general hospital announced today that 4 residents have been killed and 11 wounded, most of whom were women and children.

In Baghdadi which is still completely blockaded, reports say that U.S. military officers and advisers are helping, from the Ayn Al-Asad Base, in advising the security forces. Meanwhile, 3 small children have died because there is no more baby milk available in the town.