Iraqi forces push ISIS out of Fallujah

Rss@dailykos.com (darksyde) · Saturday, June 18, 2016, 10:09 pm

Last month the Iraqi government kicked off a campaign to knock ISIS out of Fallujah, the notorious Sunni insurgent stronghold about 45 miles northwest of Baghdad. On Friday, Iraqi forces, backed up by US air power, finally drove through to the heart of the city and declared victory. But for civilians caught inside, the battle for Fallujah was nothing less than a nightmare, with hostile, sectarian forces all around them:

In a televised address, Abadi said that some “pockets” of resistance remained in the city, but that it was largely under the control of Iraqi security forces. … The Islamic State has been “broken” in the city, said Col. Abdelrahman al-Khazali, a police spokesman.

But the gains also compounded a growing humanitarian crisis in the surrounding province of Anbar, as thousands of civilians who had been trapped inside the city took advantage of the Islamic State’s collapsing grip to flee. Aid agencies working with the displaced said they were struggling to provide even basic assistance. Tents had run out, and food and water supplies were dangerously low.

For weeks during the offensive, ISIS would not allow civilians to leave, and shot on sight anyone who defied them. Adding to the confusion and carnage, Shia counter-terrorism forces have been accused of torturing and executing dozens of desperate Sunni refugees fleeing the besieged city. The Shia militias claim they are simply separating and detaining militants who tried to blend in with refugees making a run for safety. The Iraqi government has launched investigations into the allegation.

Similar offensives to retake ISIS-held territory have unfolded in nearby cities and in Syria. With Fallujah now in friendly hands, all eyes now turn to Mosul, the only big city in the country still fully controlled by ISIS.

http://feeds.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/7ZW9IhO1LtI/-Iraqi-forces-push-ISIS-out-of-Fallujah