BAGHDAD — Tribal leaders in the besieged city of Fallujah warned al-Qaeda-linked fighters to leave to avoid a military showdown as the government pushed Wednesday to regain control of mainly Sunni areas west of Baghdad.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki hinted of a possible pardon for supporters of al-Qaeda’s local branch, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL, if they abandon the fight. “I call on those who were lured to be part of the terrorism machine led by al-Qaeda to return to reason,” he said.
The warning came as gunmen attacked an Iraqi army barracks in a Sunni area north of Baghdad, killing 12 soldiers.
The United Nations and the Red Cross, meanwhile, said Fallujah and nearby areas were facing humanitarian concerns as food and water supplies start to run out.
