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The strikes came as Shi’ite militias and Iraqi forces are fighting with Islamic State militants in Falluja, their stronghold only west of the capital.

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Falluja, which lies about 50 kilometers (32 miles) west of Baghdad, is a bastion of the insurgency that fought the US occupation of Iraq and the Shi’ite-led authorities that replaced former Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein, a Sunni.

Counter-terrorism forces, backed by Shi’ite militias on the ground and coalition airstrikes, are moving into the city on several fronts.

As the day progressed, Iraqi forces retook the village of Nuaimiya, just south of Falluja, closing in on the city itself, al-Iraqi TV reported.

The Iraqi army says it has begun an operation to storm Falluja, a bastion of so-called Islamic State (IS) where 50,000 civilians are trapped.

NPR’s Alison Meuse reports that global aid groups have seen hundreds of civilians fleeing, but they represent only a fraction of those still trapped in the city.

In a televised speech to parliament, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said the “current second phase of the Fallujah operation” will last less than 48 hours, after which the offensive to recapture the city will begin.

The involvement of the elite CTS marks the start of a phase of urban combat in a city where in 2004 United States forces fought some of their toughest battles of the Vietnam War.

The last battalion from Iraq’s special forces arrived at dawn Sunday at the Tariq Camp outside Fallujah, said Maj.

The Iraqi army launched its operation to recover Falluja a week ago, first by tightening a six-month-old siege around the city 50 km (30 miles) west of Baghdad.

It launched a direct assault to retake the city from Islamic State (IS) militants and help protect the nearby capital Baghdad from suicide bombings.

At least eight people have been killed by suicide vehicle bombing that targeted an army checkpoint in Baghdad, said the Iraqi officials.

They said a auto bomb in the northern Shiite district of Shaab killed 12 and injured more than 20.

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A separate explosion in Sadr city killed another two and wounded 10. One bomb killed eight civilians and three soldiers.

Iraq from IS gains to the battle for Fallujah