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Anbar overwhelmed by insurgent attacks

IS militants have launched a multi-pronged offensive, reversing tentative gains by pro-government forces and sinking the province deeper into chaos.
Tribal fighters battle militants from the so-called Islamic State group in the town of Amriyat al-Fallujah in Anbar province on Nov. 5, 2014. (STRINGER/Reuters)

BAGHDAD - Insurgents led by the so-called Islamic State (IS) group are gaining ground in a multi-pronged offensive in Anbar province, undeterred by Iraqi and U.S.-led coalition air strikes that local officials said have been insufficient.

Tribal leaders fear an upcoming assault could wrest control of areas still held by local pro-government forces. Gazi al-Jigaifi, a leader of the Jigaifi tribe in Haditha, said there are reports of thousands of fighters and heavy weaponry massed in Rawa and at the Albu Kamal border in Syria, across from Qaim, preparing to take Haditha.

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