Iraq: ISIS Members Hide Among Civilians Fleeing Fallujah

Iraqi police say they have arrested over 500 members of the self-proclaimed Islamic State who were attempting to escape Fallujah by hiding among civilians. The steady advance of the Iraqi army and armed forces to reclaim the city is now in its third week. Thousands of Fallujah's civilian citizens have been trying to flee the city in recent days through a route secured by government armed forces. The police chief of Anbar province, where Fallujah is located, stated on June 15, "We have arrested 546 individuals." According to this police official, many of the escapees used fake documents and took advantage of the opportunity presented by the movement of civilians. Young boys and men are separated and searched when the Fallujah war refugees reach the police and army forces. Some are allowed to leave hours later, while others undergo further inspection and investigation. The United Nations stated on June 9 that approximately 90,000 civilians are likely trapped in Fallujah, which is still under the control of Islamic State fighters. AFP reports that this number was around 50,000 until the previous week. Iraqi armed forces have opened a safe route for evacuating civilians in the southwest of the city since last Saturday. The presence of civilians in the city and concerns about their use as "human shields" have caused the advance against the fighters to face limitations and obstacles. Estimates suggest that between 1,000 to 2,500 ISIS fighters are present in Fallujah. On Monday, the Iraqi government announced the arrest of several suspects accused of human rights violations in Fallujah. Saad al-Hadithi, the Iraqi government's spokesperson, provided this information to the media but did not give further details, and it is unclear if any of the detainees are from the army or government-backed militias. Fallujah was the first major city in Iraq to fall to extremists during the advances of the Islamic State in 2014. In another report from Iraq, the U.S. military has for the first time used Apache helicopters in northern Iraq to attack Islamic State positions. In this context, Human Rights Watch has urged the Iraqi government to investigate "human rights violations" in the Fallujah operations. Two suicide bombings in Baghdad left at least 25 dead. The U.S. and Iraq have not confirmed the injury of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.