Sameer N. Yacoub
In this Thursday, Jan. 23, 2014 photo, mourners pray over the coffin of Haitham Abdo Rahman, 38, who was killed in a bombing, before his burial at the cemetery in Fallujah, Iraq. Islamic militants controlling a mainly Sunni area west of Baghdad are so well-armed that they could occupy the capital, members of Iraq's al-Qaida branch - known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant - have taken over parts of Ramadi, the capital of the largely Sunni western province of Anbar. (AP Photo)
January 24, 2014 - 5:46 AM
BAGHDAD - A United Nations official says more than 140,000 Iraqis have fled parts of Anbar province over clashes between security forces and al-Qaida militants.
The spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Peter Kessler, described it as "the largest" displacement witnessed in the country since the sectarian violence of 2006-2008.
He added that more than 65,000 people fled the conflict in the cities of Ramadi and Fallujah just in the past week alone.
Since late December, members of Iraq's al-Qaida branch — known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant — have taken over parts of Ramadi, the capital of the largely Sunni province of Anbar. They also control the centre of the nearby city of Fallujah.
News from © The Associated Press, 2014