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| Iraq forces start fightback against IS in Ramadi | Iraq forces start fightback against IS in Ramadi |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Iraqi forces and Shia militias have begun moving against Islamic State militants near Ramadi, officials say. | Iraqi forces and Shia militias have begun moving against Islamic State militants near Ramadi, officials say. |
| The action was concentrating on the town of Husaybah, east of Ramadi. | |
| Shia militias began gathering for a counter-offensive after IS fighters captured Ramadi last Sunday. Militants moved out to face them off. | |
| Ramadi - capital of Anbar province - is only 110km (70 miles) west of Baghdad. Its fall was seen as a major embarrassment for the government. | Ramadi - capital of Anbar province - is only 110km (70 miles) west of Baghdad. Its fall was seen as a major embarrassment for the government. |
| About 500 people died in the city, and more than 40,000 - a third of the population - have fled in the past week. | |
| "Military operations to liberate Husaybah, 7km (4.5 miles) east of Ramadi, have begun," a police colonel told AFP news agency. | |
| Witnesses also said they had seen troops move out of their base at Habbaniyah, about 20 miles (30km) from Ramadi. | |
| About 3,000 Shia fighters had arrived in Habbaniyah to prepare the attack to retake Ramadi. | |
| The UN says it is trying to reach the civilians displaced from Ramadi by the advance of IS. | |
| The largest concentration is at the Bzebiz bridge over the Euphrates, which links Ramadi with the capital Baghdad, and has been closed by the authorities to prevent those fleeing from entering the city. | |
| There are reports of children dying of dehydration in the heat, UN Deputy Humanitarian Co-ordinator for Iraq Dominik Bartsch told the BBC. | |
| It is unclear why the Bzebiz bridge was closed, though there have been concerns that militants could mingle with the displaced and infiltrate the capital. | |
| Very little information is available about those still in Ramadi, Mr Bartsch said. | |
| "We hear stories of reprisals, of shootings, of individual persecution of civilians who have remained in the city." | |
| On Friday, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq warned that fighting IS was no longer a "local matter", and called on the international community to act. | On Friday, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq warned that fighting IS was no longer a "local matter", and called on the international community to act. |
| An international coalition has been carrying out air strikes against the militants in Iraq and Syria for months. | An international coalition has been carrying out air strikes against the militants in Iraq and Syria for months. |