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Iraqi security forces conduct mass arrests in Anbar

November 24, 2016 at 11:07 am

The Iraqi security forces carried out a mass arrest campaign on Wednesday against dozens of civilians in Anbar province, in western Iraq. A police source told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that more than a hundred people were arrested in the cities of Ramadi and Fallujah on suspicion of belonging to the militant group Daesh.

The source said that the security forces have imposed tight security measures in Amiriyat Al-Fallujah, 30 km south of Fallujah city. Several people were detained on suspicion of being involved in recent security breaches in the town.

The director of Anbar’s emergency brigades, General Khaled Al-Dulaimi, said that as many as 80 people were arrested in Ramadi alone. He explained that the government’s security operation in the city led to the capture of several wanted men.

Meanwhile, a member of Anbar Council of Elders, Fadel Al-Issawi, has criticised the indiscriminate arrests, claiming that most of the arrests were made on false and malicious charges. He warned that Daesh could exploit the arrest campaign in the liberated towns in order to establish a foothold in those areas. The local official stressed the need to “deal professionally” with the people who havereturned to their homes after two years of displacement.