DHAKA: The fight to control Iraq’s biggest province, Anbar, has intensified, with air attacks by the military killing dozens of people and the army preparing an assault on a city controlled by al-Qaeda linked fighters.

Missile strikes on Ramadi, the provincial capital, killed 25 people on Tuesday, according to an Iraqi defence ministry spokesman, while Fallujah remained deserted as residents fled the violence and the army ready to launch an operation to regain control of it.

"It is not possible to assault (Fallujah) now’ due to concerns about civilian casualties, Staff Lieutenant-General Mohammed al-Askari, a defence ministry spokesman, told media, reports Al Jazeera.

Attacking the Sunni-majority city would be extremely politically sensitive, as it could inflame already-high tensions between members of Iraq’s Sunni Arab minority and the Shia-led government.

It would also be a major test for Iraqi security forces, which have yet to undertake such an operation without the backing of US forces.

Parts of Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, west of Baghdad, and all of Fallujah were seized by al-Qaeda-linked fighters last week.

It is the first time al-Qaeda-linked fighters have exercised such open control in major cities since the height of the insurgency that followed the 2003 US-led invasion.

BDST: 2051 HRS, JAN 07, 2014
Edited by Robab Rosan, Current Affairs Editor