An American commander is contradicting the claim by Iraqi military leaders that the city of Fallujah has been “liberated” from the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL/IS), claiming, instead, that only one-third of the city has been cleared of an ISIS presence, and the rest is littered with traps and bombs for incoming soldiers.
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Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory over the jihadists on Friday after troops reached the city center, following a four-week US -backed assault.
Iraqi forces in Fallujah were aided by the USA -led coalition, which launched 17 airstrikes in and around the city over the past week.
Other parts of the city are “contested”, with clashes underway between Iraqi forces and Islamic State fighters, said U.S. Army Col. Christopher Garver, spokesman for the coalition in Baghdad. “Following the announcement by the Iraqi Defence Minister that four army members have been arrested, we call on the Iraqi authorities to ensure that there is no impunity for the very grave violations and abuses that have been reported”, the spokesperson said. That said, it is unusual for the Pentagon to publicly contradict Iraqi claims of sweeping victories, even when they are clearly made up.
Iraqi pro-government forces, tribesmen and popular mobilization forces stormed the Iraqi city causing 84,000, expected to rise to around 150,000 in the near future, people to flee the city.
“The militants in Jolan are offering some resistance but we’re pushing back and we’ve killed a number of them”, he said.
A bastion of the Sunni insurgency against USA forces following the 2003 invasion, it was seen as a launch-pad for bombings in Baghdad.
The U.S. State Department announced an additional $20 million in aid to the refugee agency in response to appeals for emergency aid in Fallujah.
Thousands of families have nothing to eat and nowhere to sleep.
“Over the coming months, humanitarian costs could climb to over $2 billion as potentially a million people are displaced from Mosul as military operations liberate Iraq’s second largest city”, it added.
More than 85,000 people have fled Fallujah and the surrounding area since a Government military offensive to retake the city from extremists began a month ago, on May 23.
Most of the displaced are from Iraq’s minority Sunni community, raising concerns among officials that US -backed military gains against Islamic State will not bring stability to Iraq more than 13 years after a USA -led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein, a Sunni.
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IS militants still control the northern Golan neighborhood as well as other scattered pockets, where they are largely surrounded. More than 40 percent of the displaced are from Anbar province.
