End of the Liberation Operation of Fallujah by the Iraqi Army

On Sunday, July 6, Iraqi forces recaptured the last area held by militants of the 'Islamic State' group in the city of Fallujah, and the operation commander announced the end of the battle after approximately five weeks. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had declared over a week ago the victory of the Iraqi army over the 'Islamic State' militants in Fallujah. However, clashes continued within the city, located 50 kilometers west of Baghdad, the capital of Iraq. During the Fallujah operation, Iraqi forces were supported by airstrikes from the international coalition led by the United States. Major General Abdulwahab al-Saadi, the commander of the Fallujah operation, stated in an interview with Iraq's official television, 'We are now in the Jolan area of Fallujah and announce that the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service has cleared this area, thus we inform the people of Iraq that the Fallujah operation has ended.' The Jolan area was the last stronghold of the 'Islamic State' militants, who showed fierce resistance. Major General al-Saadi, standing among several Iraqi army soldiers, mentioned that 'a small number' of militants are still holed up in some buildings. He added that at least 1,800 'Islamic State' militants were killed during the recapture of Fallujah, with the rest fleeing. The liberation operation of Fallujah began on May 24. Al-Abadi stated last week that the recapture of Fallujah from the 'Islamic State' militants paves the way for Iraqi forces to advance towards the city of Mosul, the main base of this group in Iraq. The battle for Fallujah forced over 85,000 residents to flee to camps established by the government around the city. The United Nations reported receiving accounts of mistreatment of some civilians fleeing the city by Shiite militants allied with the Iraqi government. Commanders of these Shiite militants, known as 'Hashd al-Shaabi,' denied these reports. The 'Islamic State' militants had declared their capture of Fallujah in February 2014, about six months before announcing the establishment of their caliphate in the territories they controlled in northern Syria and Iraq.