BAGHDAD: Iraqi forces faced tough resistance
from the militant Islamic State (IS) group on Tuesday as they attempted to
enter the centre of Fallujah, where there were mounting fears for thousands of
trapped civilians.
A
day after announcing a push into the militant stronghold, forces led by Iraq’s
elite counter-terrorism service had some way to go before retaking the city.
After
thrusting towards Fallujah from three directions on Monday, their biggest
advance was from the south, where they pushed into the suburb of Naimiyah.
Lieutenant
General Abdelwahab al-Saadi, the overall commander of the Fallujah operation,
said IS fighters mounted a fierce counter-attack on the area early on Tuesday.
“There
were around 100 fighters involved, they came at us heavily armed but did not
use car bombs or suicide bombers,” he said. Saadi said Iraqi forces in the
area, which also include police and army units, were eventually able to repel
the attack, killing 75 militants. He did not give a figure for losses on the
pro-government side.
Officers
said US-led coalition and Iraqi air support was instrumental in repelling the
attack and added that ground forces had now resumed their advance.
Fallujah,
which lies on the Euphrates River west of Baghdad, was lost from government
control months before IS swept across large parts of Iraq in June 2014 and is
an emblematic bastion for the militant group.
Iraqi
forces have been sealing off Fallujah for months and those still in city — IS
fighters and civilians alike — have nowhere to go.
Anbar
capital Ramadi was almost levelled when Iraqi forces retook it a few months ago
but many more civilians — most estimates say around 50,000 — are trapped inside
Fallujah.
