Iraqi Forces Recapture Portions of Ramadi

Iraqi forces recaptured large portions of the Ramadi, the capital of Anbar Province, from the Islamic State yesterday and are moving to bolster the areas captured with law enforcement officers and more troops. Iraqi forces have recaptured a major military headquarters and the city center. “It’s a major victory today. Now we are in the center,” an Iraqi commander told the Washington Post. “It’s only a matter of time before we announce the liberation of the city.” Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said yesterday that government troops will retake the rest of the city within days. Iraqi forces anticipate that the remaining Islamic State-held districts are fortified with booby traps.

The governor of Anbar Province is urging civilians remaining in the city to flee, but Islamic State fighters have reportedly warned civilians that those caught escaping “will be considered apostates” and killed. One resident who escaped the city likened it to “living inside a sealed casket.”

Battles for Mokha and Taiz Continue in Yemen

Intense fighting over the city of Mokha between Houthi rebels and pro-government forces left dozens dead and wounded yesterday. The clashes included ground forces and airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition. Mokha is located on Yemen’s western coast along a road that provides access to the flashpoint city of Taiz, where at least seven members of an Emirati-backed mercenary force were recently killed. The mercenaries included six Colombians and one Australian.

Headlines

• The U.S. government is reviewing reports of a possible Iranian medium-range missile test last month that may have violated a U.N. resolution to determine whether action needs to be taken at the U.N. Security Council, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power said.

• Syrian rebel groups began a series of meetings today coordinated and hosted by Saudi Arabia to prepare a united message for international negotiations; Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to Russia next week to discuss Syria in advance of the resumption of international talks in January.

• Syrian rebels and civilians were allowed to leave the besieged district of Waer in the city of Homs today to be evacuated to rebel-controlled regions under the terms of a local ceasefire.

• The number of foreign fighters operating in Iraq and Syria has more than doubled over the past 18 months and now includes between 27,000 and 31,000 foreign individuals from 86 countries, according to a new report from security firm The Soufan Group.

• Anti-Muslim and anti-refugee campaign rhetoric in the U.S. presidential race harms the effort to resettle refugees in the United States, a spokesperson for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees told press, saying that “it would be a shame if this were halted at a time when we actually need the world to step up and to help the victims of the terrorism.”

Arguments and Analysis

“Taking Stock: The Arming of Islamic State” (Amnesty International)

“Over the past decade successive Iraqi governments have made large purchases of arms, starting with tens of thousands of small arms and ammunition from China and later from the USA. Over 30 countries have supplied the Iraqi army with further military equipment, despite the fragility of the Iraqi armed forces. In 2014, IS captured several key military bases in Iraq, looting exposed military stocks and sending another slew of weapons across the region, further fuelling the conflict. Iraq has become an emblematic case of the grave dangers of arms accumulation and proliferation and the irresponsible trade in weapons and munitions. While the ready availability of arms and ammunition has supplied a variety of armed groups and militias in the region, including scores of Shi’a militia groups accused of systematic violations of human rights, this report focuses specifically on IS.”

“Jordan: Syrians Held in Desert Face Crisis” (Human Rights Watch)

“In early 2015, the authorities allowed people reaching the border to swiftly move onto the transit sites further inside Jordan. But since then, aid workers say, Syrians have again remained stuck there for months and border guards have only allowed a few dozen a day to reach the transit sites. They say there is no system to identify the most vulnerable. Aid workers say that in mid-November, the number of people arriving in the berm area significantly increased, and that on November 26, the authorities blocked all entry. On December 7, small groups were allowed to move to transit sites. A satellite image of the northern side of the berm at Rukban, taken the morning of December 5, revealed more than 1,450 tent structures, indicating the likely presence of thousands of Syrians. Satellite imagery taken in April showed only 175 such structures in the area. Aid agency staff say the increasing numbers stuck at the berm are making hygiene and sanitation worse, and that children are suffering from diarrhea, vomiting, and acute malnutrition. They fear that plunging winter temperatures will trigger additional serious health problems and possibly death, especially among children and the elderly.”

-J. Dana Stuster

AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images