The United Nations High Commission for Refugees warned that residents are fleeing the areas in and around the cities of Ramadi and Falluja in numbers that rival those at the height of the sectarian war ended six years ago. They believe over 140,000 Iraqis have been displaced. Although many of these Sunni families would like to head north, those roads are closed off to them. Many are instead seeking refuge in Shi’ite regions such as the city of Karbala.
At least 19 people were killed and 86 more were wounded today. Most of the wounded were injured during shelling in Anbar province.
In Anbar:
Four people were killed and 32 more were wounded in an overnight mortar attack in Falluja. Five people were killed and 14 more were wounded in a government artillery operation.
Shelling in Ramadi killed two people and wounded 30 more this morning.
Two soldiers were killed and four more were wounded in a clash in Zubwaa.
Outside of Anbar province:
Several bombs killed three people, including a girl, at the home of a councilman in Tikrit.
Gunmen wearing military uniforms killed a woman and her daughter in Basra.
Two I.E.D.s in Balad left one soldier dead and four injured.
A Sahwa leader was gunned down in Abbasi.
In Mosul, two ISIS militants were killed.
Two policemen were injured when they entered a booby-trapped home in the Hamrin area.
In Baghdad, the army sealed off the Sunni Adhamiya district after arresting several prominent leaders.
