Taking Ramadi is going to be a hell of a lot easier than Falluja where al-Qaeda is growing in strength.

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi government forces and allied tribal militias launched an all-out offensive Sunday to push Al-Qaeda-linked forces from a city west of Baghdad, a military official said.

Since late December, members of an Al Qaeda offshoot — known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant — have taken over parts of Ramadi, the provincial capital of the largely Sunni western province of Anbar. They also control the center of the nearby city of Fallujah, along with other non-Al-Qaeda groups that also oppose the Shiite-led government.

The officer said fierce clashes were taking place, but gave no details.

Hours after the offensive was announced, Iraq’s Prime Minister vowed to continue fighting “terrorism,” but left the door open for any political solution.

“Our battle is firstly to beat and eliminate terrorism,” Nouri al-Maliki said in a speech in the southern city of Nasiriyah. “Though we welcome any solution, any proposal and any political meeting that should realize the priority of destroying terrorism, Al Qaeda, its formations and its allies,” al-Maliki added.

Meanwhile, things are going the opposite direction in Fallujah with ISIS sneaking in Grad missiles and anti-aircraft guns.

BAGHDAD — Al Qaeda and other insurgent groups have tightened their grip on Fallujah, defying the Shiite-led Iraqi government’s efforts to persuade local tribesmen to expel them from the Sunni Muslim city, residents and officials say.

Despite an army siege, fighters and weapons have been flowing into the city, where United States troops fought some of their fiercest battles during their 2003-11 occupation of Iraq.

In an embarrassing setback for a state that has around a million men under arms, the Al Qaeda-linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) and its tribal allies overran Fallujah and parts of the nearby city Ramadi on January 1.

Instead, scores more fighters have sneaked into the city along with an array of weaponry ranging from small arms and mortars to Grad missiles and anti-aircraft guns, according to security and local officials, residents and tribal leaders.

“Our sources in Fallujah indicate that militant numbers have increased to more than 400 in the last few days and that more anti-aircraft guns were received,” said a senior local official who declined to be named. His figure could not be confirmed.