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Armed groups on rise in Anbar

The Anbar crisis is escalating to the point where people have lost their faith and trust in the army and government as sectarian fighting intensifies.
Mourners react during a funeral of an Iraqi soldier, who was killed during clashes in Ramadi, in Najaf, 160 km (99 miles) south of Baghdad, January 10, 2014. Militants of the al Qaeda-linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which is also fighting in neighbouring Syria, took control of Falluja and parts of nearby Ramadi on January 1 with the help of sympathetic armed tribesmen. The prospect of an imminent Iraqi army assault on Falluja receded on Friday as negotiators tried to work out a deal unde
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The escalation of the Anbar crisis, including both the developments on the ground and the political repercussions, has resulted in some Iraqis adopting a hostile position toward the state and its institutions, creating a tribal and sectarian bias among the citizens.

The clashes between the government forces and the armed groups in the desert and cities of Anbar have had adverse social and economic effects on the troubled province since the beginning of 2013.

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