BREAKING NEWS: Iraq

Iraq is falling apart and heading towards towards civil war, ten years after the American invasion

Fallujah no longer under control of Iraqi govt

Iraqi troops have reportedly lost control of the city of Fallujah after intense fighting with al-Qaeda supporters and Sunni tribe men.

Radio NZ,

5 Janaury, 2013

A a security source told the BBC on Saturday that fighters linked to Al-Qaeda now control the south of the city. Tribesmen allied with al-Qaeda hold the rest of Fallujah.

Late on Saturday, eyewitnesses said pick-up trucks mounted with anti-aircraft guns were in evidence on the streets of Fallujah.

The BBC says the fighting began after government troops broke up a protest camp set up by Sunni Arabs in the city of Ramadi on Monday.

Sunnis are angered by what they perceive as discrimination by the Shia government of Prime Minister Nouri Maliki.

The fighting in Fallujah and Ramadi has pitted government troops against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which is affiliated with al-Qaeda, and Sunni tribesmen.