Iraqis shut gates of Baghdad to desperate families fleeing terror: Over 20,000 trapped in no man's land at the mercy of advancing ISIS horde after the fall of Ramadi
- Thousands are stranded between ISIS-held Ramadi and the city of Baghdad
- Refused entry to Iraqi capital because of concerns they could be militants
- ISIS has reportedly taken control of a village between Ramadi and Fallujah
- Indicates the terror group are moving eastwards towards the Iraqi capital
- Meanwhile Iran-backed Shia militias are said to be moving to head off ISIS
- Homeless families 'face danger from all sides', Human Rights Watch said
Over
20,000 innocent Iraqis are stranded in a deadly no man's land between
ISIS militants in Ramadi and potential safety in Baghdad 60 miles to the
east, where they are cruelly being refused entry.
The
terror group slaughtered over 500 people over the last few days to
seize control of Ramadi - their biggest military victory in over a year -
before holding a a twisted celebratory parade on its blood-stained
streets.
The
thousands who were forced from their homes are now living in the open -
many without shelter and dwindling aid - in small towns like Amiriyat
Fallujah on the outskirts of Baghdad.
Iraq's
military will not allow them to cross the Euphrates river and into the
city because it can not confirm they are not ISIS militants, aid
agencies in Baghdad have told MailOnline.
The
country's army amassed around Ramadi yesterday, and Iranian-backed
Shi'ite militias have also marched towards the city in a bid to
recapture it. But counter-terrorism analysts say this move could result
in an all-out sectarian bloodbath with the Sunni fanatics.
Stranded: Many Iraqi civilians are now
stuck outside the Iraqi capital Baghdad (pictured) because the army can
not verify they are not ISIS militants
Innocent: It is claimed this baby was
delivered in the open air to a Sunni woman who was one of thousands not
allowed to cross the Bzabz bridge - a key entry route to Baghdad less
than 40 miles away
Danger: These innocent civilians
stranded around 45 miles south of Baghdad in Musaib risk being caught in
the crossfire if ISIS advance further east towards the capital
Exodus: The desperate Iraqi families
(pictured) who fled Islamic State's violent attack on Ramadi are now
stuck in a deadly no man's land between the city and Baghdad, where they
are being refused entry
Safety: These former Ramadi citizens
have so far only reached the town of Habaniyah where 3,000
Iranian-backed Shi'ite militias have been stationed as they prepare to
head off ISIS moving further east
Getaway: Some traveled by foot while others hastily boarded pick-up trucks to escape the wrath of ISIS in Ramadi
Heartbreaking: Over 1,000 families
(pictured outside Baghdad) escaped Ramadi, where ISIS slaughtered over
500 and left the city in ruins
Homeless: They have been forced to live in the open without shelter and with aid quickly dwindling, aid agencies have said
Escape: Thousands
of civilians who fled Ramadi (pictured) have 'nowhere to run, nowhere
to hide,' Human Rights Watch told MailOnline
Displaced: Thousands of families are stranded on the outskirts of Baghdad (pictured) after being refused entry into the capital
Surrounded: ISIS has effectively
'surrounded' Baghdad after its conquest in Ramadi and the thousands of
displaced Iraqi citizens living in the no man's land in between are
vulnerable to attack if the militants march east
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Meanwhile
reports that ISIS has seized yet another village between Ramadi and its
controlled territory in Fallujah indicates they are moving east towards
Baghdad.
It
means those stuck on the Baghdad's peripheries are vulnerable to
attacks should the terror group keep advancing towards the city,
according to the DARY Humanitarian Organisation in the city.
Its
President Alaa Obiead told MailOnline: 'There were more than 8,000
people fleeing violence and fear of being killed by Islamic State and I
expect that figure has now reached more than 20,000.
'I
can also confirm that other people are trapped in their homes in
downtown Ramadi because of the control of Islamic State there.
'A
lot of people from Anbar are stuck in Amiriyat Fallujah without shelter
because of the closure of the only bridge leading to the capital,
Baghdad.
Helpless
families are refused entry into the city - which has gone into military
lock down - because soldiers can not verify they are actually civilians
or the ISIS fighters who destroyed their home, he says.
And
these civilians 'face dangers from all sides and many have nowhere to
run, nowhere to hide,' the Emergencies Division of Human Rights Watch
has told MailOnline.
Government
forces and allied Sunni tribesmen repelled another Islamic State attack
on a small town between two of its controlled cities in Anbar province
today, a tribal leader claimed.
ISIS
began their offensive on Kahldiya - between Ramadi and Fallujah - just
before midnight last night and took a small village on its outskirts,
Sheikh Rafie al-Fahdawi said.
Destruction: ISIS displaced tens of thousands from Ramadi (pictured) after violently seizing control of the city
Carnage: ISIS have taken full control
of the Iraqi city of Ramadi after security forces fled the area
following a series of suicide car bombings (pictured)
Wrecked: A triumphant ISIS militants poses next to a destroyed tank - which bares the flag of Iraqi's military
Murdered: A Sunni tribal leader said many tribal fighters (pictured) died trying in vain to defend the city
Insurgency: The city where ISIS
militants fired rocket propelled grenades contains sacred Shi'ite
shrines which - if destroyed - would force the militia to take on ISIS
head on, experts have said
Spoils of war: A propaganda video
posted by ISIS suggested the terror group seized a cache of automatic
weapons, grenades and rocket launchers after taking control of Ramadi
It indicates that ISIS are moving eastwards towards Baghdad and poses a serious threat to those stuck between the two cities.
Mr
Obiead added: 'The situation portends a great disaster if the Iraqi
armed forces and coalition forces delay the battle with ISIS for a short
time.
'Their
lives are in danger as long as Ramadi and all other regions of Anbar
are a war zone and under the control of ISIS which has so far killed
more than 700 civilians after they took control of large areas of Anbar.
Their
lives are in danger as long as Ramadi and all other regions of Anbar
are a war zone and under the control of ISIS which has so far killed
more than 700 civilians after they took control of large areas of Anbar
Alaa Obiead, DARY Humanitarian Organisation
'Especially since the humanitarian situation is very difficult because of the absence of international aid to them.'
Mutilated
bodies scattered the streets of Ramadi - the 'Gateway of Baghdad' -
where ISIS militants held a twisted victory parade after taking the key
city.
ISIS
released images of militants celebrating, children wielding automatic
weapons and a fleet of pick-up trucks carrying its jubilant fighters
through the blood-stained streets of Ramadi.
3,000
Shi'ite fighters yesterday launched a counter-offensive to recapture
the city by amassing at the Habbaniya army base - around 20 miles east
of Ramadi.
Islamic
State's success in Ramadi, despite months of United States-led
airstrikes, marked a new low for the defeated Iraqi army which retreated
from the city this weekend.
A
Pentagon spokesman said there would always be 'ebbs and flows' in
Iraq's fight against ISIS , adding: 'It’s a difficult, complex, bloody
fight, and there will be victories and setbacks.'
Army
Col. Steve Warren also claimed Iraqi security forces and coalition
partners will retake the city which is now 'largely under control' of
the terror group.
Celebration: Hundreds of ISIS fighters
carrying the notorious black flag of jihadi groups celebrate in the
blood-stained streets of Ramadi (pictured)
Sick: One twisted image released
through Islamic State's social media channels shows a small child
carrying what appears to be a mortar shell in Ramadi - after their
victory in the city
Innocence lost: ISIS has released
pictures showing its militants - and young followers (pictured) -
celebrating the capture of Ramadi as Shi'ite militias prepare a
counter-offensive to retake the city
Parade: After slaughtering 500 people
and forcing over 8,000 from their homes, ISIS triumphantly drive through
Ramadi (pictured) in a fleet of pick-up trucks
Villains: If ISIS (pictured) take
Baghdad, 'there would be massacres to the scale we haven't seen since
the Mongol empire in the 13th Century.' an expert claimed
Iraq's
President Haider al-Abadi immediately turned to the Shi'ite militia
groups backed by Iran, which together have become the most powerful
military force in Iraq since the national army first collapsed last
June.
This
could turn into an all-out sectarian war between the Shia militias and
Sunni fanatics ISIS, according to the Middle East director of
counter-terrorism think-tank RUSI.
Gareth
Stansfield told MailOnline: 'We're in for a very long summer of
fighting in Iraq. Taking Ramadi will... make the Shia militia in Baghdad
even more radicalised and more dangerous.
'And this is what ISIS wants, it wants it to come out and have sectarian scrap which forces all the Sunnis to go towards ISIS.
'If
they had any opportunity to enter Baghdad, they would do. But it will
be more and more difficult for them to do it because Baghdad is a
military stronghold of the Shia militia.'
The
1,296 families who were forced to flee the city are among a staggering
2.8 million who have been internally displaced in Iraq since the
beginning of 2014, the International Organisation for Migration says.
Displaced
families went to Amiriyat Fallujah to the east but have not been
allowed to cross the Euphrates and enter Baghdad province, it claims.
The
United Nations agencies are rushing to offer humanitarian assistance
to people fleeing Ramadi but the thousands of ration packs distributed
are only sufficient for three days.
They
have admitted that vital stocks for the tens of thousands homeless
people who escaped death and destruction in Ramadi are running low and
funds are running out.
The UN has
said: 'Funding for these life-saving programmes is nearly exhausted. By
June, 56 health programmes will be forced to close... In July, the food
pipeline will break.'
'Nothing is more important right now than helping the people fleeing Ramadi,' its Humanitarian Coordinator has said.
Lise
Grande added: 'Thousands of people had to sleep in the open because
they didn't have places to stay. We would be able to do much more if we
had the funding.'
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