Mourners grieve over the coffin of Iraqi soldier Layth Ahmed, who was killed in Ramadi.
Iraq’s prime minister has urged the city of Fallujah to expel al Qaida militants to avoid an all-out battle possibly signalling an imminent military move to retake the former insurgent stronghold.
Nouri al-Maliki’s message came as dozens of families were fleeing Fallujah, 40 miles west of the capital, Baghdad, fearing a major showdown.
Iraqi government troops have surrounded the city, which lies in the western Sunni-dominated Anbar province and which was overrun by al Qaida fighters last week.
Along with Fallujah, al Qaida fighters last week also took control of most parts of the provincial capital of Ramadi.
Iraqi troops have since been trying to dislodge militants from the group, known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL, from the two cities.
On Sunday, fighting in Anbar killed at least 34 people, including 22 soldiers.
The recent gains by al Qaida in Iraq have been a blow to the country’s Shiite-led government, as sectarian violence has escalated since the US withdrawal.
US Secretary of State John Kerry said Washington was “very, very concerned” by the fighting but would not send in American troops.
