00:26Iraq: Army liberate Fallujah from IS militants, DefMin confirms
Iraqi Defence Minister, Khaled al-Obeidi, stated on Sunday that several cities including Fallujah had been liberated from the so-called Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL), during a press conference in the city of Nineveh, south of Mosul.
"After the fall of Mosul around 40 percent of the Iraqi territory was occupied. I believe that the ISIL controlled no more than 15 percent of the whole territory even before the liberation of Fallujah, Kubaysah and Hit. At the current moment after the liberation of these territories the ISIL controls even less, between 10 and 15 percent, not more," he said.
The Iraqi military initially launched the operation to liberate the IS-held city of Fallujah on May 23, following an announcement by the Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi. Iraqi security forces repeated calls for civilians in Fallujah to flee on May 22, but locals said they were unable to escape. Up to 75,000 civilians were trapped inside the city, caught between IS militants and armed forces, including the Iraqi army and armed Shia groups.
Fallujah, about 40 miles (78 kilometres) west of Baghdad, was the first Iraqi city to be taken by the Islamic State in January 2014. Now that Fallujah is liberated from IS, the Iraqi forces are to launch an offensive in the country's second largest city of Mosul, reports say.
Video courtesy of Iraqi Defence Ministry
00:26Iraqi Defence Minister, Khaled al-Obeidi, stated on Sunday that several cities including Fallujah had been liberated from the so-called Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL), during a press conference in the city of Nineveh, south of Mosul.
"After the fall of Mosul around 40 percent of the Iraqi territory was occupied. I believe that the ISIL controlled no more than 15 percent of the whole territory even before the liberation of Fallujah, Kubaysah and Hit. At the current moment after the liberation of these territories the ISIL controls even less, between 10 and 15 percent, not more," he said.
The Iraqi military initially launched the operation to liberate the IS-held city of Fallujah on May 23, following an announcement by the Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi. Iraqi security forces repeated calls for civilians in Fallujah to flee on May 22, but locals said they were unable to escape. Up to 75,000 civilians were trapped inside the city, caught between IS militants and armed forces, including the Iraqi army and armed Shia groups.
Fallujah, about 40 miles (78 kilometres) west of Baghdad, was the first Iraqi city to be taken by the Islamic State in January 2014. Now that Fallujah is liberated from IS, the Iraqi forces are to launch an offensive in the country's second largest city of Mosul, reports say.
Video courtesy of Iraqi Defence Ministry