Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has promised to uproot al-Qaeda-linked militants operating in Fallujah as Iraqi forces gear up for a major operation in the city.
Iraqi army has put off attacking teh al-Qaeda-held city of Fallujah citing fear of civilian casualties, as fighting and missile strikes in nearby Ramadi killed 29 people.
The United States will speed up delivery of missiles and surveillance drones to Iraq as the Baghdad government battles a resurgence of Al-Qaeda linked militants, a Pentagon spokesman says.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki called on residents of Fallujah Monday to expel "terrorists" holding the city to spare it from an assault by the army, state television reported.
Iraq is preparing a "major attack" to retake militant-held Fallujah, a senior official said Sunday, spelling a new assault for the city, west of Baghdad.
A series of car and roadside bombs have exploded in commercial areas of Iraq’s capital, Baghdad, killing at least 19 people, local police and medical sources said.
US Secretary of State John Kerry has said Washington will help Baghdad fight al-Qaeda-linked militants, but it is not planning to send troops back to the Arab country.
Iraqi Sunni tribesmen and Shias have joined the army in the fight against al-Qaeda-linked militants in the western province of al-Anbar.
Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has pledged to eradicate “all terrorist groups” in the western province of Anbar.
Iraqi security forces and tribesmen on Friday killed a leading militant with links to al-Qaeda in the western province of Anbar, reported state-run broadcaster al-Iraqiya.