BAGHDAD – The Iraqi army launched a major operation on Sunday on the crisis-hit city of Ramadi, swathes of which have for weeks been controlled by anti-government fighters, officials said.



Troops were backed by helicopter cover and imposed a ban on movement within the city, military spokesman Mohammed Al-Askari told state television.



A police lieutenant colonel in Ramadi city, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the operation had begun.



“The Iraqi army launched a large operation with helicopter cover against Daash, Al-Qaeda and terrorists in Ramadi,”

Askari said, according to Iraqiya TV, referring to terms frequently used by Iraqi security forces to describe militants.



The police officer said those taking part in the operation included policemen, tribal fighters, and SWAT forces. He said helicopters were also firing on targets in the sprawling militant-held Malaab neighborhood in the center of the city.



An AFP journalist confirmed seeing helicopters firing on targets in Malaab.



Diplomats including UN chief Ban Ki-moon have urged Baghdad to pursue political reconciliation to undercut support for militancy, but with an election looming in April, Iraqi political leaders have not wanted to be seen to capitulate and have focused on wide-ranging security operations.



The operation will seek to take back momentum from anti-government fighters, who have expanded their hold on Ramadi in the past week after police and allied tribesmen trumpeted gains there earlier this month.



A large section of Ramadi and all of Falluja, both former insurgent bastions close to Baghdad, fell from government control late last month.



It was the first time anti-government fighters have exercised such open control in major cities since the height of the insurgency that followed the US-led invasion of 2003.



Fighting originally erupted in the Ramadi area on December 30, when security forces cleared a year-old Sunni Arab protest camp.



It spread to Falluja, and militants moved in and seized the city and parts of Ramadi after security forces withdrew.



Amman on Sunday said it would host US training for Iraqi forces, after an American defence official said Washington was waiting for an agreement with Jordan or another country to go ahead with the programme.



Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told The Washington Post in an interview published on Thursday that Baghdad specifically needed US "counter-terrorism" training.



The US defence official said Washington was also preparing to ship "several thousand" M-16 and M-4 assault rifles as well as ammunition to Iraq, after having already provided missiles to Maliki’s government. And on Saturday the White House said that Vice President Joe Biden had spoken to Maliki to discuss Washington’s support for Iraq’s fight against jihadists.



"The two leaders agreed on the importance of the Iraqi government’s continued outreach to local and tribal leaders in Anbar province," the White House said.



Violence also struck elsewhere in Iraq on Sunday, with nine people killed in restive cities north of Baghdad, a day after a wave of bombings in the capital killed 25. – AFP