Brig. Haider al-Obeidi says “there were fewer civilians in Ramadi, therefore airstrikes are now less than during Ramadi operation”.
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Sabah al-Nouman, spokesman for the Iraqi counterterrorism forces leading the advance into Fallujah from the south, reportedly said that Iraqi forces were not advancing slowly, but “with caution” to avoid the explosives.
Iraqi military forces prepare for an offensive into Fallujah to retake the city from Islamic State militants in Iraq, Friday, June 3, 2016.
On Wednesday, counter-terrorism units paved the way for a move into Fallujah by breaking through a sand berm built by Islamic State forces in Nuaimiya, on the city’s southern outskirts, said Fallujah’s exiled mayor, Eissa al-Issawi.
The city was the heart of the Sunni insurgency against US forces in the mid-2000s that eventually gave birth to al-Qaida in Iraq.
Near the front, one of Badr Organization’s fighters spoke of the forces’ progress in Fallujah’s outlying areas.
UNICEF renewed calls for safe corridors to be opened to allow Fallujah’s civilian population to escape. Last week he said the militias would take part in encirclement operations but leave the army to storm the city. The battle for Fallujah, now two weeks old, is shaping up unlike others in the Iraq…
The US-led coalition against IS supports the operations in Fallujah and in Manbij, where it said its aircraft carried out 18 air strikes over the same period.
But they have so far been unable to reach the city centre and battle IS fighters in the streets of one of their historical strongholds. That will make it harder to differentiate between friend and foe.
Lise Grande told UN Radio that civilians trapped inside the city, risk being turned into human shields while agencies were doing all they could to protect non-combatants.
Commanders said another factor slowing the operation is the resistance they are meeting from jihadists fighters.
Caroline Gluck, senior public information officer of UNHCR, said around 12,000 people have fled the conflict area since May 23 when the government offensive started. Such an arrangement is unlikely to happen because it would require negotiations between both sides.
A staff member of Fallujah’s main hospital said it received reports of 32 civilians killed on Monday.
Former national security adviser Mowaffaq al-Rubaie said “I believe the Hashd al-Shaabi should have, and is having, a pivotal role in the liberation of our occupied territories”. A total of 1,459 Iraqis were wounded last month, it said.
CBS News’ Charlie D’Agata explains why Iraqi forces are struggling to recapture Fallujah from ISIS.
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And an uptick in suicide vehicle bombings throughout the capital Baghdad has killed hundreds over the past several weeks, shattering public faith in Abadi’s ability to secure areas beyond ISIS control. Fallujah, in Anbar province, is the terrorist group’s major outpost closest to the capital Baghdad.
