Iraq On The Brink Of Civil War As Al Qaeda Forces Capture The Cities Of Fallujah And Ramadi

Al-Qaeda Force Captures Fallujah Amid Rise In Violence In Iraq -- Washington Post

BEIRUT — A rejuvenated al-Qaeda force asserted control over the western Iraqi town of Fallujah on Friday, raising its flag over government buildings and declaring an Islamic state in one of the most crucial areas that U.S. troops fought to pacify before withdrawing from Iraq two years ago.

The capture of Fallujah came amid an explosion of violence across the western desert province of Anbar in which local tribes, the Iraqi security forces and al-Qaeda militants have been fighting one another for days in a confusingly chaotic three- way war.

Elsewhere in the province, local tribal militias claimed they were gaining ground against the al-Qaeda militants who surged into urban areas from their desert strongholds earlier this week after clashes erupted between local residents and the Iraqi security forces.

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More News On The Success Of Al Qaeda In Seizing Two Major Iraqi Cities

Iraq Fighters, Qaeda Allies, Claim Falluja as New State -- New York Times
Al Qaeda sweep in Iraq cities revives battleground -- FOX News/AP
Al-Qaeda Fighters Take Control of Fallujah as Iraq Army Attacks -- Bloomberg Businessweek
More than 100 die as Iraq battles Al-Qaeda -- Daily Star/AFP
Death toll in Iraq shows resurgent al Qaeda -- CNN
Al-Qaeda in Iraq terrorists seize parts of two major cities -- Examiner
Al Qaeda-linked insurgents, with ties to Syria, fight for control of Iraqi cities -- Christian Science Monitor
Iraq reels from the worst violence in five years as Al Qaeda fights off government forces to cling on to seized cities -- Daily Mail
Videos of Fighters and Air Raids in Iraq's Anbar Province -- New York Times
Iraq's Army And Tribes Are Battling Al Qaeda Right Now For The Future Of The Country -- Suadad al-Salhy, Business Insider/Reuters

My Comment: Make no bones about it .... this is a major military and strategic victory for Al Qaeda .... it also tells me that Iraq is now on the brink of an all out sectarian civil war.