Iraqi forces elite preparing Sunday the assault on Falluja, in the hands of Islamic State (EI), which is also facing a major offensive in neighboring Syria, while growing fears for civilians caught in the fighting in both countries.
On the other hand, the head of the Syrian opposition, Mohamed Alush, negotiator said Sunday his resignation, prompted by the failure of the negotiations and the continued bombing the regime of Bashar al-Assad on the rebels despite the truce areas.
Aluch denounced the "inability of the international community to implement its resolutions, especially with regard to the humanitarian aspect, the lifting of sieges, entry aid, the release of prisoners and respect for the truce".
In Syria, more than 6,000 civilians, mostly women and children, fled in 24 hours on the progress of EI in the province of Aleppo and took refuge in Kurdish-controlled areas, according to the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights (OSDH).
For the first time since the start on Monday of the offensive against Fallujah by Iraqi government troops, they were deployed in the vicinity of the city, located 50 km west of Baghdad, military officials reported.
Elite anti-terrorist forces (CTS), police in Al Anbar and local tribal fighters "are tightening the noose around Fallujah and H-hour wait to give the assault," a commanding officer joint operations.
The participation of elite Iraqi forces marks a new phase in the offensive against Fallujah, the first city to fall into the hands of EI in January 2014.
In the north, Kurdish peshmerga forces launched the Sunday attack to regain control of areas east of Mosul and thus increase the pressure on the EI in this city, the country's second main jihadist bastion in Iraq.
"The peshmerga forces, supported by the international coalition launched a ground offensive to retake the EI various locations in the region of Al Jazir, east of Mosul," said the Security Council of the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan.