Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) retains its control over the Iraqi city of Fallujah after a solid weekend of military operations, and with threats of even bigger offensives to come, locals who are able to are fleeing the city.

 

AQI took over Fallujah and part of Ramadi last week, and has been clashing with both national security forces and local tribesmen ever since. So far, there is no sign of them giving up either territory.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has vowed that the military will forcibly end “disunity” in Fallujah, but the troops have so far been unable to fight them off, and officials say a “major attack” is coming soon.