Iraqi troops prepare for “Final Assault” on IS in Fallujah
Iraqi Army claims that it has begun an an operation to march on Falluja, a strong hols of the IS.
The city was under the control of the jihadists since 2014 and the government launched a concerted effort to retake the city, just last week.
Around 50,000 civilians are trapped inside,, with a few hundred families scrambling out of the city. The UN claims that here are reports of people starving to death there, and of being killed for refusing to fight for IS
State forces including members of an elite counter-terrorism unit are infiltrating the city on several fronts according ot an official statement. IS fighters have been reported to have retalliated with the use of suicide and car bombings.
Militia leaders involved in the assault have said that there will be a likely be a pause before the attack on the city center in order to let more civilians escape.
Located in the Iraqi province of Al Anbar, located roughly 69 kilometers (43 mi) west of Baghdad the city housed more that 300,000 before it was seized by first al-Qaeda and then by IS in 2014. The city’s location is strategical jewel that has control the main highway from Baghdad to both Jordan and Syria and has been renowned for Sunni defiance, becoming a symbol of resistance to US forces in violent battles in 2004. The city also holds a massive historic and cultural significance housing more than 200 mosques in city and surrounding area
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