A senior military figure has announced the liberation of former ISIS stronghold, Falluja. On 26 June, Lieutenant General Abdul-Wahab al-Saadi, head of the counter-terrorism forces in the operation, revealed that troops had entered the Golan neighbourhood in the north-west of the city, ending ISIS’ control of Falluja. Last week saw Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi similarly hail the recapture of Falluja, a claim that proved premature. Al-Saadi argued that the city was now “fully liberated” and said that 30% of the city had been destroyed in the operation. The capture of Falluja is part of an offensive to retake Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city. The military’s attention is now expected to shift to Mosul, the country’s other main city that remains under ISIS’ control.
A senior military figure has announced the liberation of former ISIS stronghold, Falluja. On 26 June, Lieutenant General Abdul-Wahab al-Saadi, head of the counter-terrorism forces in the operation, revealed that troops had entered the Golan neighbourhood in the north-west of the city, ending ISIS’ control of Falluja. Last week saw Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi similarly hail the recapture of Falluja, a claim that proved premature. Al-Saadi argued that the city was now “fully liberated” and said that 30% of the city had been destroyed in the operation. This contrasted with the comments of Iraq’s defence minister, Khaled al-Obaidi, who said that 90% of the city is habitable. The military’s attention is now expected to shift to Mosul, the country’s other main city that remains under ISIS’ control.