Humanitarian workers were clamoring on Sunday for resources to cope with the tens of thousands of displaced Iraqis who fled Fallujah as the government pushed to wrest the city from the hands of “Islamic State” (IS) militants. The operation inside the city of Fallujah was being conducted by the Iraqi army, regional and federal police forces as well as special anti-terrorism units.
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Iraqi forces battled Islamic State militants in pockets of Fallujah on Monday, days after the government declared the city’s liberation.
“Iraqi forces are still advancing despite the strong clashes”, he added.
Troops have also been sent to the southern outskirts of Mosul, another ISIL-held city in northern Iraq, where the army announced a military offensive on Saturday. More than 82,000 civilians have evacuated Fallujah, an hour’s drive west of Baghdad, since the campaign began and up to 25,000 more are likely on the move, the United Nations said.
Abadi vowed on Friday that Mosul, the country’s second city and Islamic State’s last remaining major urban hub in Iraq, would be liberated “very soon”.
The aid community has been overwhelmed by the influx of people and many were sleeping in the open, in the scorching summer sun and waiting for a tent at one of the displacement camps. “They left Fallujah with nothing”, said Lise Grande, U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq.
In Syria, where humanitarian issues have been equally dire, government forces advanced to within a few miles of the Islamic State-occupied Tabqa air base, the Associated Press reported. Shiite militias remained outside Fallujah and have not taken part in the recent battles.
“Food is scarce”, said Um Ahmed, who is still living in Fallujah with her family.
The conflict in Iraq has forced more than 3.3 million people to flee their homes.
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“We were shocked by the number of displaced people and we weren’t prepared to receive them”, he said. More than 40% of the displaced are from Anbar province.
