UN chief arrives in Baghdad after deadly attacks

PanARMENIAN.Net - The UN chief has arrived in Baghdad as an unprecedented standoff is underway between Iraqi troops and al Qaeda-linked militants in western Anbar province, the Associated Press reports.

Ahead of Ban Ki-moon's visit on Monday, Jan 13, the Iraqi government said the UN Secretary-General will discuss a number of "regional issues, especially the crisis in Syria" next door.

Iraqi security forces and allied Sunni tribesmen in Anbar have been battling al Qaeda fighters from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant but have yet to recapture the city of Fallujah and also part of the provincial capital, Ramadi.

The extremist militants, emboldened by fellow fighters' gains in the war in neighboring Syria, have tried to position themselves as the champions of Iraqi Sunnis angry at the Shiite-led government over what they see as efforts to marginalize them.