Sunday 26 June 2016

Iraqi Official: Fallujah 'Fully Liberated'

Iraqi forces have liberated the city of Fallujah from Islamic State fighters following a month-long military operation to seize control, according to a senior Iraqi official.

Lieutenant General Abdul-Wahab al-Saadi said Sunday Fallujah is now "fully liberated" after Iraqi forces took control of the Julan neighborhood, the last area of the city still held by IS.

On Saturday, Iraqi Special Forces continued their work in Fallujah after announcing most of the city had been retaken a day earlier.

Iraqi Prime Minster Haider al-Abadi, on Friday — sure the city would be freed of IS militants — said "Daesh will be defeated," using the Arabic acronym for IS.

People have been pouring out of Fallujah in recent days as the fighting raged. Many of them were living in the open because refugee camps are full.

For several weeks, U.S. intelligence officials have described the IS group as being "at its weakest point since its rapid expansion."

U.S. President Barack Obama said during a recent news conference the group is "under more pressure than ever" and that IS has been losing it key leaders.

"So far, we’ve taken out more than 120 top ISIL leaders and commanders. ISIL continues to lose ground in Iraq. ... All told, ISIL has now lost nearly half of the populated territory that it once controlled in Iraq -- and it will lose more," Obama said earlier in the week.

But analysts said although the loss is "significant," the group could still survive.

"The ISIS messaging machine will likely find ways to continue attracting recruits and encouraging lone wolf attacks despite the loss of Fallujah," said Patrick Martin, Iraq analyst at the Institute for the Study of War.

Fallujah is 50 kilometers west of Baghdad.

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