Iraqi forces entered Fallujah, one of the last and largest Iraqi cities still controlled by ISIS, on Monday, while tens of thousands of people trapped in the area find themselves in the cross-hairs of warring factions vying for control of the ancient city.
As U.S. News & World Report reports , Iraqi special forces, with air support from U.S. and Coalition forces, moved into the southern portions of the city and immediately encountered fierce resistance from ISIS, who have had nearly two years to firmly entrench themselves in the city.
BREAKING: Iraqi forces have entered #ISIS -held #Fallujah – AFP citing commanders https://t.co/anw85lAXcc pic.twitter.com/ae7B4pj6it
— RT (@RT_com) May 30, 2016
Speaking to Al Jazeera , Lieutenant-General Abdelwahab al-Saadi explained the Fallujah offensive in general terms.
“Iraqi forces entered Fallujah under air cover from the international coalition, the Iraqi air force and army aviation, and supported by artillery and tanks… There is resistance from [ISIS].”
Iraqi officers, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that ISIS operatives in Fallujah, firmly entrenched in tunnels they’ve been digging for years, responded with snipers and suicide bombers driving explosive-laden cars. Iraqi forces were able to stop the suicide bombers before they could deploy.
“Our forces came under heavy fire, they are well dug in trenches and tunnels.”
Progress into Fallujah is expected to be slow, as ISIS, in addition to being firmly entrenched in tunnels dug throughout the city, have strewn improvised bombs throughout the area as well, bombs which must be painstakingly identified and detonated before they can do any harm.
Iraqi forces did suffer some casualties, though how many is not clear. Al Jazeera’s Omar Al Saleh reports that at least 10 Iraqi security forces and members of allied militias were killed and at least 25 more were injured, although Saleh’s report has not been independently verified.
At least 30 civilians have also been killed in the fighting, according to the Huffington Post .
About 50,000 civilians remain trapped in Fallujah, with very few able to escape the city. Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), called on both sides of the fighting to allow civilian refugees the chance to flee the war-torn city.
“A human catastrophe is unfolding in Fallujah. Warring parties must guarantee civilians safe exit now, before it’s too late and more lives are lost.”
Those who do make it out can expect little improvement in their lives, according to Nasr Muflahi, NRC’s Iraq director. Refugee camps throughout Iraq are already strained beyond capacity, and their ability to handle more is questionable at best.
“Our resources in the camps are now very strained, and with many more expected to flee we might not be able to provide enough drinking water for everyone. We expect bigger waves of displacement the fiercer the fighting gets.”
Thousands of civilians flee raging battle for #Falluja in Iraq https://t.co/UEMDWjSjdu pic.twitter.com/aBXY9pReAP
— UN Refugee Agency (@Refugees) May 31, 2016
Those civilians trapped inside Fallujah face an ever-worsening crisis. Food and water are limited, few have power, and hospitals that aren’t in ruins are strained beyond capacity. And ISIS is not letting anyone flee, according to one Fallujah resident who asked not to be identified.
“There is some food. We have vegetables, enough to survive. But there is no rice and sugar, the price for a kilo [about 2.2 pounds] of rice here reached $48. ISIL is on alert on the outskirts of the city. Its fighters have set up checkpoints and prepared ambushes, which prevent people from leaving.”
Outside of Fallujah, ISIS is expected to step up its attacks in other Iraqi cities in the coming days and weeks in an attempt to draw coalition forces away from the front lines.
[Photo by Chris Hondros/Getty Images]
