Officials and residents in Anbar have repeatedly accused the Iraqi government of dumping barrel bombs on the cities of the province. They even started documenting evidence showing the use of this weapon, which has been used extensively by the Syrian regime against its opponents over the past two years.

The Iraqi army is counting on the air force to retake control of the cities dominated by armed militias affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) and a few tribal groups.

On Aug. 7, an altercation erupted in the Iraqi parliament between Shiite parliamentarian Hanan al-Fatlawi and Sunni parliamentarian Liqa Wardi over the topic of barrel bombs. While Wardi, of the Union of National Forces led by former parliament speaker Osama al-Nujaifi, condemned the army for using barrel bombs, Fatlawi, a parliament member for the State of Law Coalition, accused the union of making false accusations against the army, and some parliament members of sympathizing with IS. The government denied the use of barrel bombs in its war against terrorism, but witnesses in Anbar province confirmed the contrary to Al-Monitor.

Sheikh Mohammed al-Bajari, a member of the interim local council of Fallujah, said the battles fought by the army and security forces in Anbar lack ethical and professional standards. He told Al-Monitor over the phone, “The army continues to collectively punish civilians,” and pointed out, “The military aircraft bombed residential neighborhoods in the city of Fallujah using barrel bombs, which resulted in enormous devastation and killed dozens of innocent citizens.”