Iraqi Authorities Close Bridge Linking ISIL-Controlled Anbar to Baghdad

The Bzebiz bridge between Baghdad and the town of Amiriyat al-Fallujah in Anbar province has been closed by the Iraqi authorities, according to reports from aid agencies, as the government seeks to control the flow of people coming from Anbar amid fighting between the Islamic State and security forces.

Provincial officials in Anbar have requested the government reopen the bridge, which is the main entry point from Anbar to Baghdad and is used by refugees fleeing conflict in Anbar stemming from the Islamic State and its fight with the country's security forces. 

Iraqi authorities previously closed the bridge in May, as concerns grew about the possibility of Islamic State militants sneaking into Baghdad among the flow of refugees displaced from Anbar.

The closure prevented refugees from entering Baghdad via the city of Ramadi, the provincial capital of Anbar, which in May fell to the Islamic State, forcing tens of thousands of refugees to flee. 

According to figures from the International Organization for Migration, in the first two weeks of May, more than 133,000 people were displaced from the area around Ramadi as a result of fighting between militants and pro-Government troops.

Anbar province is the largest governate in Iraq and is largely under the control of the Islamic State. Earlier this week, Shiite militia Asaib Ahl al-Haq announced it had gained some territory in the province from the Islamic State and was preparing to launch an attack on its control over the city of Fallujah, which fell to Islamic State militants in January 2014.