Iraq closes key bridge used by families fleeing Anbar

11/07/2015| IslamWeb

Iraqi authorities have shut down a bridge between Anbar and Baghdad used by displaced people.

Aid agencies said the Bzebiz bridge between the town of Amariyat al-Fallujah and the capital was shut down on Wednesday, leaving dozens of families stranded on the Anbar side and prompting demands from provincial officials to reopen the crossing.

Al Jazeera's Jane Arraf, reporting from Baghdad, said officials had allowed 100 families to cross for "humanitarian reasons", but the bridge remained closed.

The head of Anbar's provincial council, Sabah Kerhout, told Al Jazeera that families were now taking a longer route through Habbaniyah, which lies about 105km west of Baghdad.

Kerhout said the journey took a more remote path than the existing route and that less help was available to those displaced.

He said provincial officials have asked the government to reopen the bridge but Iraq tightly controls access between Anbar and Baghdad for what it says are security reasons.

The closure of the bridge comes amid attempts by Iraqi forces to regain control of parts of Anbar controlled by ISIL.
Iraqi troops and allied tribal forces had on Friday secured control of Saqlawiya district north of Fallujah.

PHOTO CAPTION

Displaced Iraqis fleeing Anbar [AP]

Al-Jazeera