Iraqi Government Employees Return To Work In Ramadi

Aid being distributed in Ramadi and Fallujah on January 10

Iraqi government employees have returned to work under tight security in Ramadi.

But militants on January 12 continue to hold some parts of the city, the capital of restive Anbar province, and of another Anbar city, Fallujah.

The signs of stabilization in Ramadi come after Al-Qaeda-linked militants gained control of parts of Ramadi and Fallujah last week and police and allied tribal fighters have slowly made progress in retaking the occupied neighborhoods.

A local health official in Anbar on January 11 said fighting there has killed at least 60 people over the past two weeks.

The violence erupted in the western province after the December 28 arrest of a Sunni lawmaker sought on terrorism charges and the dismantling of an antigovernment Sunni protest camp in Ramadi.

Based on reporting by Reuters, BBC, and AFP