Iraqi Officials: We Have Removed Part of the Outskirts of Fallujah from ISIS Control

With the start of the Iraqi army's operations to retake the city of Fallujah from the Islamic State (ISIS) forces, Iraqi officials reported on Tuesday military clashes in the Al-Karma area and the recapture of several agricultural areas around Fallujah. Meanwhile, reports indicate heavy shelling of Fallujah by government forces and the commencement of airstrikes by the Iraqi army against ISIS targets within the city since early Tuesday. According to the Associated Press, Colonel Mahmoud Al-Marzai, who is leading the Fallujah operations, stated on Tuesday that his forces have succeeded in removing three agricultural areas in the outskirts of Fallujah from ISIS control and that ground battles are ongoing in the Al-Karma area. Al-Karma is a town located 16 kilometers northeast of Fallujah and is considered the main supply center for ISIS forces in Fallujah. At the same time, Reuters reports the beginning of ground clashes between opposing forces in the Al-Hayakal area located in the southern outskirts of Fallujah. According to Agence France-Presse, Haider al-Abadi, the Prime Minister of Iraq, who was present in the operations command room on Tuesday morning, announced that special forces, soldiers, police forces, Shiite militias, and armed tribal supporters of the government are participating in this ground operation. Reports also indicate that this operation is supported by airstrikes from the U.S.-led coalition. The city of Fallujah has long been besieged by Iraqi army forces, but the heavy siege of this city intensified days ago when Shiite militias moved their military equipment to the outskirts of Fallujah. On Sunday, ahead of the operation to retake Fallujah, the Iraqi government asked the residents of the city to temporarily leave, and if they could not do so, to place white flags on their rooftops to prevent accidental attacks by the army. According to Reuters, by Tuesday, approximately 20 families attempted to leave Fallujah, but only half of them managed to exit the city; the other half faced obstruction from ISIS or died due to roadside bomb explosions. Sources from inside Fallujah also told Al Jazeera that ISIS has instructed civilians to go to the outskirts of the city but does not allow them to exit the urban perimeter. Before the fighting began, Fallujah had a population of 300,000, and the current number of civilians in the city is reported to be over 75,000. The UN food agency has been unable to provide aid to these civilians since September. Fallujah is one of the key cities under ISIS control, and the operation to retake this city begins while Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city, remains under ISIS control. Iraqi officials have long been planning to retake Mosul, but the planning process has been slow. Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, has faced a series of suicide bombings by ISIS in vehicles over the past week, resulting in more than 200 deaths. According to Al Jazeera, Iraqi government officials believe that the logistical base for preparing these bombs and vehicles is located in Fallujah.