Iraqi Military Tells Civilians of IS-Held City to Leave

“The situation in Anbar is better and ISIS has started to use other war tactics such as suicide attackers and planting explosives”. Four soldiers who were guarding the route were among the dead.

Another blast struck pilgrims in the city’s northern Shaab neighbourhood, killing at least six and injuring 17 others, police said. They were the first attacks on Shia pilgrims in Baghdad before Arbaeen, which is often marked by violence despite tight security measures to protect the pilgrims, the AP reported.

Arbaeen is the 40th day after the death of Imam Hussein, Prophet Muhammad’s grandson and the third holy figure for the Shiite Muslim sect. No groups immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks.

On Monday, Iraq’s military told civilians to leave the IS-held city of Ramadi, 115 kilometers (70 miles) west of Baghdad, indicating that an operation could soon be underway to retake the city.

A security source told the BBC leaflets had been dropped by airplanes, warning residents the military meant to storm the city inside the next 24 hours.

The battle that is shaping up threatens to turn into a drawn-out siege, with thousands of residents caught in the middle as the forces try to wear down the militants since they took over the capital of western Anbar province in May.

Before this month, Iraqi Kurdish forces backed by US-led coalition air strikes recaptured the northwestern town of Sinjar in an important operation from IS.