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Maliki’s call for unity conference in Anbar may be too late

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki recently called for a conference to solve the Anbar crisis, which might be futile if the tribal and political differences are not settled first.
Un Muayad, (L) a Ramadi resident fighting alongside tribal fighters, fires her rifle during clashes with the al Qaeda-linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Ramadi May 19, 2014. Muayad has been fighting against the Al-Qaeda branch since the the beginning of the uprising in her city, where a relative of her husband was killed by the ISIL. More than 420,000 people have already escaped the two main cities of western Anbar province, Falluja and Ramadi, in fighting since the start of the year. Res
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Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s call on May 28 for holding a conference to resolve the Anbar crisis did not come as a surprise. However, the residents of Anbar felt that this call came late.

In his weekly speech, Maliki called on “Anbar tribes and all those who confronted al-Qaeda and Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) militants to attend an expanded conference that achieves national unity far from disputes.”

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