BAGHDAD — Residents started to trickle back to the besieged city of Fallujah on Friday as militants and government forces both appear to be preparing for a long standoff. Al-Qaeda-linked fighters and tribal gunmen are camped on the outskirts of the city, with Iraqi army and police stationed nearby.
A tense calm has settled over the city, although sporadic street fighting rattled Ramadi and surrounding areas in Sunni-dominated Anbar province.
Defense Ministry spokesman Mohammed al-Askari said Friday that the government’s patience would not last forever.
“If there is no other solution, then the security forces and allied tribal fighters will enter these cities,” al-Askari said.
Clashes broke out again Friday, this time between Iraqi special forces and militants in the village of al-Bubali, between Fallujah and Ramadi.
