“These come out of months of besiegement whereby no essential, no basic, supplies have been coming through to the city centre of Fallujah, or the outskirts even. Food, medicines, water – drinking water”.
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The exodus has overwhelmed camps for the displaced run by the government and aid groups.
Already, more than 80,000 civilians have fled the city following a four-week battle with Iraqi and coalition forces working to drive back the Islamic State, according to the United Nations.
A separate military official said most of the remaining militants were foreigners who were not able to hide among residents or sneak into other parts of the country. “They have nothing and they need everything”. The group still controls Iraq’s second largest city, Mosul, in the north. On Friday, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory after special forces entered the city center, capturing government buildings and the central hospital.
“The situation is deteriorating by the day and people are going to die in those camps unless essential aid arrives now”.
Despite the searing Iraqi summer heat, many of those who have escaped are sleeping out in the open as refugee camps are now full. “This is a colossal crisis”, Karl Schembri from the Norwegian Refugee Council told Times of Malta.
Colonel Christopher Garver, spokesman for the US -led coalition against IS, said on June 21 that a third of Fallujah had been “cleared” of militants. The government made appeals for funding from worldwide organisations and relies heavily on local religious networks.
NRC said dozens of families remained inside Fallujah, including the most vulnerable civilians, pregnant women, the sick and elderly. A bastion of the Sunni insurgency against US forces following the 2003 invasion, it was seen as a launchpad for bombings in Baghdad.
The advance was the latest development in an operation that began last month to retake the city from ISIS after nearly two years under militant control.
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The participation of Shi’ite militias in the battle alongside the army, however, has raised fears of sectarian killings.
