Jim Michaels

USA TODAY

Tensions have eased in parts of Anbar province%2C officials there say

White House officials have urged caution

Al-Qaeda-affiliated rebels have seized parts of Fallujah and Ramadi

Tribes and government forces appear to be making headway against al-Qaeda militants, avoiding for now a large Iraqi army offensive into Sunni cities that risked triggering a broader civil war, officials said Thursday.

"The situation is better," said Qasim Abed, a former governor of Anbar province and member of the provincial council there. Abed said stores in Ramadi are opening and police are trickling back to their posts.

Fallujah remains more tense, but tribal forces are making progress against militants inside the city, he said.

U.S. officials have urged Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to exercise caution in his dealings with the crisis in order not to fuel more sectarian strife.

Vice President Biden spoke to al-Maliki this week, encouraging his "outreach to local, tribal and national leaders," according to a White House statement.

He also praised al-Maliki's decision to provide benefits to tribesmen killed or injured in the fight against militants. Tribal forces are fighting al-Qaeda militants with the support of the Iraqi army.

The United States has expedited some weapons sales to Iraq and boosted intelligence-sharing to the al-Maliki government as a sign of support for its fight against extremists.

The crisis was triggered last week when al-Qaeda militants stormed through Fallujah and Ramadi, taking over police stations and raising their black flag from government buildings.

The violence came amid growing tensions between Sunnis and the Shiite-dominated government.

The towns are in Anbar province, a mostly Sunni area where residents have been staging protests against the al-Maliki government.

Even if a large-scale offensive is avoided, sectarian tensions in the region remain high and could boil over even if al-Qaeda is forced out.

The tribes generally oppose militant extremists, but in the past some have allied themselves with al-Qaeda as a hedge against the al-Maliki government.

The latest crisis has also heightened rivalries among Sunni tribes. Some have allied themselves with the government in the fight against al-Qaeda, and others have fought government forces.

Sunnis remain divided about what to do now, analysts said.

"This issue now is inter-tribal tension over what to do," said Sterling Jensen, an analyst at the National Defense University's Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies.

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