The offensive to retake Falluja is part of Baghdad’s campaign to reverse IS’s capture of wide tracts of northern and western Iraq.
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In an update issued on Thursday, the Norwegian Refugee Council, an aid group working with refugees and internally displaced people in Iraq, said 41 families have fled from the outskirts of Fallujah in the past day, bringing the number of escaped families to 114. The Iraqi government said that recapturing the city is key to stopping a spate of Islamic State attacks in the capital that have killed hundreds over the past few months.
Meanwhile, heavy clashes took place on Thursday morning between IS militants and the army who are covered by warplanes and artillery in Jughafi and Sajar areas north of Fallujah, during which more than 30 IS militants were killed, the source said, adding that four soldiers were also killed. “In Ramadi, we encountered an enemy that chose to stand and fight”, he explained.
Some in Fallujah, a predominantly Sunni city, were reported to have welcomed the takeover of the city by ISIL as an alternative to what they considered their marginalisation at the hands of Shia-dominated government.
Lt. Gen. Mohammed al-Askari, a senior adviser at the Iraqi Defense Ministry, said the presence of civilians would shape decisions about troop movements and the use of fire support as state forces press into the city.
The government has put available exit routes for those civilians trapped in the city, but just a few have been able to escape through them.
The UN says it has reports of people dying of starvation and being killed for refusing to fight for IS. The UN has established humanitarian teams and supplies on the ground to provide people with food, water and shelter.
The army has not yet reached the city and is battling the militants in surrounding villages, according to military statements that reported progress on several fronts, with the backing of a Sunni tribal force and Shi’ite militias.
Iraqi troops, backed by volunteer forces, launched a major operation on May 22 to liberate the city.
This week, as the fighting intensified, food and water are becoming even harder to find, residents told the AP by phone and the internet.
“Hunger was our main motive to flee, as well as the constant fear of Isis (Islamic State)”.
“He waited until night and used an old bridge to try and cross the river, but still he got caught by Daesh”, Ahmed said, using an Arabic acronym for IS.
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“Saving an innocent human from harm is more important and greater than targeting the enemy”, his representative, Ahmed al-Safi, said in a sermon at a mosque in the holy city of Karbala, according to independent website Alsumaria News.
