Fighting in the Iraqi city of Fallujah has displaced at least 30,000 people in three days, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said Sunday, warning that a humanitarian disaster was unfolding. 
 
Iraqi forces achieved a breakthrough on Thursday, taking over the centre of Fallujah while the Islamic State group retreated to areas in the North of the city. 
 
That allowed thousands of civilians who had been used as human shields to flee the city, a key jihadist stronghold West of Baghdad that had been besieged for months. 
 
&quot;The estimated total number of displaced from Fallujah in just the last three days is now at a staggering 30,000 people,&quot; the NRC said in a statement. 
 
The aid group, which runs displacement camps around Fallujah, said another 32,000 people had already been displaced since the start of the government offensive against the IS bastion nearly a month ago. 
 
It said it believed dozens of families were still inside Fallujah, including the most vulnerable civilians such as pregnant women, the sick and the elderly. 
 
The aid community has been overwhelmed by the influx of people and many were sleeping in the open, in the scorching summer sun and waiting for a tent at one of the displacement camps. 
 
&quot;We implore the Iraqi government to take charge of this humanitarian disaster unfolding on our watch,&quot; NRC`s Iraq director Nasr Muflahi said in the statement. 
 
NRC said it could no longer provide the required assistance, with water rations drying up fast. 
 
It cited the case of a newly-opened camp in Amriyat al-Fallujah that houses 1,800 people but has only one toilet for women. 
 
&quot;We need the Iraqi government to take a leading role in providing for the needs of the most vulnerable civilians who have endured months of trauma and terror,&quot; Muflahi said. 
 
Fallujah was the first city to fall out of government control in January 2014, as the jihadists began to establish a foothold on parts of the country. 
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Around 3.4 million people have since been forced from their homes by conflict across the country. More than 40 per cent of them are from Anbar, the province in which Fallujah is located. 
(AFP)

The Norwegian Refugee Council also said another 32,000 had already been displaced since start of anti-IS campaign one month ago

Fighting in the Iraqi city of Fallujah has displaced at least 30,000 people in three days, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said Sunday, warning that a humanitarian disaster was unfolding. Iraqi forces achieved a breakthrough on Thursday, taking over the centre of Fallujah while the Islamic State group retreated to areas in the North of the city. That allowed thousands of civilians who had been used as human shields to flee the city, a key jihadist stronghold West of Baghdad that had been besieged for months. "The estimated total number of displaced from Fallujah in just the last three days is now at a staggering 30,000 people," the NRC said in a statement. The aid group, which runs displacement camps around Fallujah, said another 32,000 people had already been displaced since the start of the government offensive against the IS bastion nearly a month ago. It said it believed dozens of families were still inside Fallujah, including the most vulnerable civilians such as pregnant women, the sick and the elderly. The aid community has been overwhelmed by the influx of people and many were sleeping in the open, in the scorching summer sun and waiting for a tent at one of the displacement camps. "We implore the Iraqi government to take charge of this humanitarian disaster unfolding on our watch," NRC`s Iraq director Nasr Muflahi said in the statement. NRC said it could no longer provide the required assistance, with water rations drying up fast. It cited the case of a newly-opened camp in Amriyat al-Fallujah that houses 1,800 people but has only one toilet for women. "We need the Iraqi government to take a leading role in providing for the needs of the most vulnerable civilians who have endured months of trauma and terror," Muflahi said. Fallujah was the first city to fall out of government control in January 2014, as the jihadists began to establish a foothold on parts of the country. ? Around 3.4 million people have since been forced from their homes by conflict across the country. More than 40 per cent of them are from Anbar, the province in which Fallujah is located. (AFP)

Iraqi forces breakthrough in Fallujah against Islamic State has displaced 30,000 in three days, says NGO

Tens of thousands of civilians stranded inside Islamic State-controlled Falluja are at risk of disease outbreaks as Iraqi government forces press their assault to retake the city, a World Health Organization (WHO) official said on Thursday. 
 
Islamic State has tightened control over civilian movement in central Falluja, where an estimated 40,000 people are stuck with little water or food, as commandos from an elite counter-terrorism force inch closer to the city&#39;s main government building more than three weeks after the offensive began. 
 
The ultra-hardline militants, who by US estimates have lost almost half of the northern and western territory they seized when Iraqi forces partially collapsed in 2014, have used residents as human shields to slow the military&#39;s advance and thwart an international air campaign backing them. 
 
Falluja, an hour&#39;s drive west of Baghdad, is seen as a launchpad for Islamic State bombings in the capital, making the offensive a crucial part of the government&#39;s campaign to improve security, although US allies would prefer to concentrate on IS-held Mosul, Iraq&#39;s second largest city in the far north. 
 
Children inside Falluja have not received immunisation since the militants took control in 2014, said Ala Alwan, WHO&#39;s regional director for the eastern Mediterranean, who visited displacement camps in Amiriyat Falluja, a town southeast of Falluja. 
 
&quot;The low level of immunity coupled with poor hygiene conditions raises the risk of disease outbreaks, such as measles,&quot; he said in a statement, and hundreds of pregnant women were also in urgent need of reproductive health services. 
 
Poor sanitation could also spread infectious diseases like cholera and skin diseases in addition to exacerbating chronic illnesses, Alwan said during a field visit where some displaced people complained about a shortage of electricity. 
 
Iraq suffered a major cholera outbreak last year with more than 1,800 cases including six deaths. 
 
Aid groups providing food, water and other supplies to escapees lack access to the city itself. Falluja was besieged by government forces for around six months before the current advance began, prompting the United Nations and rights groups to warn of an imminent humanitarian crisis. 
 
The number of people displaced from Falluja has reached 53,000, according to UN statistics. Alwan said they also struggled to access health services due to inadequate funds. 
 
&quot;The major problem is a lack of funding, life-saving funding that is absolutely required to prevent disease outbreaks,&quot; he told reporters during his visit. 
 
The humanitarian community this year requested $861 million to assist 7.3 million Iraqis in need across the country, but so far it has only received 31 per cent of this amount.&nbsp; 
 
WHO has set up a healthcare centre and mobile clinics to serve displaced people, and is operating disease early-warning sites across Anbar province, where Falluja is located, to detect and respond to possible outbreaks, Alwan said. 
 
&quot;We have huge concerns about communicable diseases and preventing epidemics, but the good news is that we have no major outbreaks,&quot; he added. 
 
Iraq said on Monday it had made arrests as it investigates allegations that Shi&#39;ite Muslim militiamen helping the army recover Falluja had executed dozens of Sunni Muslim men fleeing the city, whose population is mainly Sunni. 
 
The role of militias in the battle of Falluja alongside the Iraqi army had already raised fears of sectarian killings. 
 
Falluja is a historic bastion of the Sunni insurgency against US forces that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein, a Sunni, in 2003, and the Shi&#39;ite-led governments that followed. 
 
Enemies of Islamic State have launched major offensives against the jihadists on other fronts, including a push by US-backed forces against the city of Manbij in northern Syria. 
 
They amount to the most sustained pressure on IS since it proclaimed a religious caliphate in 2014. 
(Reuters)

Children inside Falluja have not received immunisation since IS took control in 2014. 40,000 are stuck with little water and food

Tens of thousands of civilians stranded inside Islamic State-controlled Falluja are at risk of disease outbreaks as Iraqi government forces press their assault to retake the city, a World Health Organization (WHO) official said on Thursday. Islamic State has tightened control over civilian movement in central Falluja, where an estimated 40,000 people are stuck with little water or food, as commandos from an elite counter-terrorism force inch closer to the city's main government building more than three weeks after the offensive began. The ultra-hardline militants, who by US estimates have lost almost half of the northern and western territory they seized when Iraqi forces partially collapsed in 2014, have used residents as human shields to slow the military's advance and thwart an international air campaign backing them. Falluja, an hour's drive west of Baghdad, is seen as a launchpad for Islamic State bombings in the capital, making the offensive a crucial part of the government's campaign to improve security, although US allies would prefer to concentrate on IS-held Mosul, Iraq's second largest city in the far north. Children inside Falluja have not received immunisation since the militants took control in 2014, said Ala Alwan, WHO's regional director for the eastern Mediterranean, who visited displacement camps in Amiriyat Falluja, a town southeast of Falluja. "The low level of immunity coupled with poor hygiene conditions raises the risk of disease outbreaks, such as measles," he said in a statement, and hundreds of pregnant women were also in urgent need of reproductive health services. Poor sanitation could also spread infectious diseases like cholera and skin diseases in addition to exacerbating chronic illnesses, Alwan said during a field visit where some displaced people complained about a shortage of electricity. Iraq suffered a major cholera outbreak last year with more than 1,800 cases including six deaths. Aid groups providing food, water and other supplies to escapees lack access to the city itself. Falluja was besieged by government forces for around six months before the current advance began, prompting the United Nations and rights groups to warn of an imminent humanitarian crisis. The number of people displaced from Falluja has reached 53,000, according to UN statistics. Alwan said they also struggled to access health services due to inadequate funds. "The major problem is a lack of funding, life-saving funding that is absolutely required to prevent disease outbreaks," he told reporters during his visit. The humanitarian community this year requested $861 million to assist 7.3 million Iraqis in need across the country, but so far it has only received 31 per cent of this amount. WHO has set up a healthcare centre and mobile clinics to serve displaced people, and is operating disease early-warning sites across Anbar province, where Falluja is located, to detect and respond to possible outbreaks, Alwan said. "We have huge concerns about communicable diseases and preventing epidemics, but the good news is that we have no major outbreaks," he added. Iraq said on Monday it had made arrests as it investigates allegations that Shi'ite Muslim militiamen helping the army recover Falluja had executed dozens of Sunni Muslim men fleeing the city, whose population is mainly Sunni. The role of militias in the battle of Falluja alongside the Iraqi army had already raised fears of sectarian killings. Falluja is a historic bastion of the Sunni insurgency against US forces that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein, a Sunni, in 2003, and the Shi'ite-led governments that followed. Enemies of Islamic State have launched major offensives against the jihadists on other fronts, including a push by US-backed forces against the city of Manbij in northern Syria. They amount to the most sustained pressure on IS since it proclaimed a religious caliphate in 2014. (Reuters)

WHO- civilians in Islamic State occupied Falluja at risk of disease

Iraqi forces raised the national flag over the main government compound in Fallujah on Friday, top commanders said, a breakthrough in the nearly four-week-old offensive against the Islamic State group&#39;s bastion. 
 
They met limited resistance from IS fighters, who were fleeing the city, the commanders told AFP, leaving the organisation on the brink of losing one of the most emblematic strongholds in its two-year-old &quot;caliphate&quot;. 
 
It is the latest setback for the jihadists who have also lost territory in neighbouring Syria and in Libya in recent weeks, although US Central Intelligence Agency director John Brennan warned on Thursday that they remain a formidable force with global reach. 
 
&quot;The counter-terrorism service and the rapid response forces have retaken the government compound in the centre of Fallujah,&quot; the operation&#39;s overall commander, Lieutenant General Abdulwahab al-Saadi, told AFP. 
 
Raed Shaker Jawdat, Iraq&#39;s federal police chief, confirmed the advance. 
 
&quot;The liberation of the government compound, which is the main landmark in the city, symbolises the restoration of the state&#39;s authority&quot; in Fallujah, he said. 
 
Saadi said the Iraqi flag was raised above government buildings in the compound and claimed that &quot;Iraqi forces have now liberated 70 percent of the city.&quot; 
 
In the deserted, recently reconquered neighbourhoods of the insurgent bastion known in Iraq as the &quot;City of Mosques&quot;, elite forces were consolidating positions, stocking up on food and weapons. 
 
Dozens of bodies of dead IS fighters were left to rot under blankets amid the rubble of homes destroyed by air strikes, rockets or controlled explosions of the hundreds of bombs the jihadists themselves laid across the city. 
 
- &#39;Little resistance&#39; - 
The government lost control of Fallujah in 2014, months before IS took second city Mosul and swept across large parts of the country. 
 
Fallujah, which lies just 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of Baghdad, is one of IS&#39;s key historical bastions and its loss would leave Mosul as the only major Iraqi city under its control. 
 
The US-led coalition, which has carried out air strikes in support of the Fallujah operation, had initially favoured focusing efforts on recapturing Mosul. 
 
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who was facing huge political pressure over the reform of his own government when he declared the launch of the Fallujah operation, has vowed to defeat IS nationwide by the end of the year. 
 
In the hours running up to the latest push into the heart of Fallujah, Iraqi forces retook several neighbourhoods in quick succession. 
 
&quot;This operation was done with little resistance from Daesh,&quot; Saadi said, using an Arabic acronym for IS. 
 
After months of military operations aimed at completely sealing off the city, IS had been expected to fight to the death in a protracted suicide holdout but recent developments suggest the siege was porous. 
 
&quot;There is a mass flight of Daesh to the west that explains this lack of resistance. There are only pockets of them left and we are hunting them down,&quot; Saadi said. 
 
Security officials said many IS members had managed to slip out of the city by blending in with fleeing civilians in recent days, in some cases paying off security forces. 
 
&quot;The top leaders are mostly gone and those left behind to defend the city are not their best fighters, which explains their performance,&quot; said a security officer speaking on condition of anonymity. 
 
Tens of thousands of civilians have been forced from their homes since the start of the operation last month. 
 
- Aid groups overwhelmed - 
The first to escape IS rule were those living in rural outlying areas, in the early phase of the operation which saw a myriad different Iraqi forces seal the siege of the city. 
 
Residents of the city centre had been trapped in dire conditions for days but recent advances have allowed large numbers to escape. 
 
The Norwegian Refugee Council, which runs camps for the displaced near Fallujah, said the sudden influx meant relief was drying up fast. 
 
&quot;Thousands of civilians from Fallujah are right now heading towards displacement camps in a dramatic development that is overwhelming emergency aid provision and services,&quot; it said. 
 
With IS on the retreat in the city, a window has opened for civilians to leave but the journey remains dangerous, with several cases of fleeing civilians killed or wounded by the explosion of roadside bombs. 
 
There were an estimated 50,000 people in the city when the operation was launched but it is unclear how many remain now. 
 
Civilians have been used as human shields by IS and those who managed to flee face the risk of sectarian-motivated abuse by elements of the pro-government forces. 
 
Fallujah is a Sunni Muslim city and the involvement of Shiite militia groups in the operation had raised fears of sectarian revenge attacks.&nbsp; 
(AFP)

Government HQ reclaimed in city lost to IS in 2014

Iraqi forces raised the national flag over the main government compound in Fallujah on Friday, top commanders said, a breakthrough in the nearly four-week-old offensive against the Islamic State group's bastion. They met limited resistance from IS fighters, who were fleeing the city, the commanders told AFP, leaving the organisation on the brink of losing one of the most emblematic strongholds in its two-year-old "caliphate". It is the latest setback for the jihadists who have also lost territory in neighbouring Syria and in Libya in recent weeks, although US Central Intelligence Agency director John Brennan warned on Thursday that they remain a formidable force with global reach. "The counter-terrorism service and the rapid response forces have retaken the government compound in the centre of Fallujah," the operation's overall commander, Lieutenant General Abdulwahab al-Saadi, told AFP. Raed Shaker Jawdat, Iraq's federal police chief, confirmed the advance. "The liberation of the government compound, which is the main landmark in the city, symbolises the restoration of the state's authority" in Fallujah, he said. Saadi said the Iraqi flag was raised above government buildings in the compound and claimed that "Iraqi forces have now liberated 70 percent of the city." In the deserted, recently reconquered neighbourhoods of the insurgent bastion known in Iraq as the "City of Mosques", elite forces were consolidating positions, stocking up on food and weapons. Dozens of bodies of dead IS fighters were left to rot under blankets amid the rubble of homes destroyed by air strikes, rockets or controlled explosions of the hundreds of bombs the jihadists themselves laid across the city. - 'Little resistance' - The government lost control of Fallujah in 2014, months before IS took second city Mosul and swept across large parts of the country. Fallujah, which lies just 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of Baghdad, is one of IS's key historical bastions and its loss would leave Mosul as the only major Iraqi city under its control. The US-led coalition, which has carried out air strikes in support of the Fallujah operation, had initially favoured focusing efforts on recapturing Mosul. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who was facing huge political pressure over the reform of his own government when he declared the launch of the Fallujah operation, has vowed to defeat IS nationwide by the end of the year. In the hours running up to the latest push into the heart of Fallujah, Iraqi forces retook several neighbourhoods in quick succession. "This operation was done with little resistance from Daesh," Saadi said, using an Arabic acronym for IS. After months of military operations aimed at completely sealing off the city, IS had been expected to fight to the death in a protracted suicide holdout but recent developments suggest the siege was porous. "There is a mass flight of Daesh to the west that explains this lack of resistance. There are only pockets of them left and we are hunting them down," Saadi said. Security officials said many IS members had managed to slip out of the city by blending in with fleeing civilians in recent days, in some cases paying off security forces. "The top leaders are mostly gone and those left behind to defend the city are not their best fighters, which explains their performance," said a security officer speaking on condition of anonymity. Tens of thousands of civilians have been forced from their homes since the start of the operation last month. - Aid groups overwhelmed - The first to escape IS rule were those living in rural outlying areas, in the early phase of the operation which saw a myriad different Iraqi forces seal the siege of the city. Residents of the city centre had been trapped in dire conditions for days but recent advances have allowed large numbers to escape. The Norwegian Refugee Council, which runs camps for the displaced near Fallujah, said the sudden influx meant relief was drying up fast. "Thousands of civilians from Fallujah are right now heading towards displacement camps in a dramatic development that is overwhelming emergency aid provision and services," it said. With IS on the retreat in the city, a window has opened for civilians to leave but the journey remains dangerous, with several cases of fleeing civilians killed or wounded by the explosion of roadside bombs. There were an estimated 50,000 people in the city when the operation was launched but it is unclear how many remain now. Civilians have been used as human shields by IS and those who managed to flee face the risk of sectarian-motivated abuse by elements of the pro-government forces. Fallujah is a Sunni Muslim city and the involvement of Shiite militia groups in the operation had raised fears of sectarian revenge attacks. (AFP)

Iraqi forces enter Fallujah with little resistance from IS

Moroccan authorities have arrested an Italian national who was planning to carry out attacks on targets in the kingdom, said the interior ministry in a statement on Monday. 
 
Morocco, a Western ally against Islamist militancy, announced that it has broken up militant cells accused of plotting attacks inside and outside the kingdom. 
 
The suspected Italian national, who lives in Belgium, was arrested on June 8 when he landed in the eastern city of Oujda, based on intelligence report showing his alleged ties to the Islamic State group and involved in a plan to attack targets in Morocco, said the statement 
 
In 2014, he tried to travel to Syria or Iraq but failed, despite guidance from an Islamic State member, and returned to Belgium 
 
Authorities said the suspect has already visited Morocco in 2015, sent by Islamic State, and identified targets in Casablanca, Morocco&#39;s biggest city. 
 
Moroccan security officials provided information that helped their European counterparts in fighting militancy, especially during the recent Paris attacks. 
 
Thousands of fighters from Morocco and other Maghreb nations, such as Tunisia, have joined Islamist militant forces that is in conflict in Iraq and Syria, and also in Libya. Some are threatening to return home to carry out attacks and recruit more jihadis, says&nbsp;security experts . 
 
Moroccan officials estimate that 2,000 Moroccan fighters have joined armed groups in Syria and Iraq, including Islamic State and the al-Qaeda linked Nusra Front, and about 200 have been jailed on their return home. 
 
The North African state has suffered bomb attacks by suspected Islamist fighters, most recently in 2011 in Marrakesh.

According to authorities, the suspect had visited Morocco in 2015, backed by IS, and identified targets in Casablanca

Moroccan authorities have arrested an Italian national who was planning to carry out attacks on targets in the kingdom, said the interior ministry in a statement on Monday. Morocco, a Western ally against Islamist militancy, announced that it has broken up militant cells accused of plotting attacks inside and outside the kingdom. The suspected Italian national, who lives in Belgium, was arrested on June 8 when he landed in the eastern city of Oujda, based on intelligence report showing his alleged ties to the Islamic State group and involved in a plan to attack targets in Morocco, said the statement In 2014, he tried to travel to Syria or Iraq but failed, despite guidance from an Islamic State member, and returned to Belgium Authorities said the suspect has already visited Morocco in 2015, sent by Islamic State, and identified targets in Casablanca, Morocco's biggest city. Moroccan security officials provided information that helped their European counterparts in fighting militancy, especially during the recent Paris attacks. Thousands of fighters from Morocco and other Maghreb nations, such as Tunisia, have joined Islamist militant forces that is in conflict in Iraq and Syria, and also in Libya. Some are threatening to return home to carry out attacks and recruit more jihadis, says security experts . Moroccan officials estimate that 2,000 Moroccan fighters have joined armed groups in Syria and Iraq, including Islamic State and the al-Qaeda linked Nusra Front, and about 200 have been jailed on their return home. The North African state has suffered bomb attacks by suspected Islamist fighters, most recently in 2011 in Marrakesh.

Morocco arrests Italian suspected of Islamic State ties

The US-led coalition fighting Islamic State said on Friday that it could not confirm a report by an Iraqi TV channel that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been wounded in air strikes. 
 
A spokesman of the coalition, Colonel Chris Garver, said in an email that he had seen the reports but had &quot;nothing to confirm this at this time&quot;. 
 
Al Sumariya TV cited local sources in Iraq&#39;s Nineveh province that Baghdadi and other Islamic State leaders were wounded on Thursday in a coalition air strike on one of the group&#39;s command headquarters close to the Syrian border. 
 
The channel has good connections with Shi&#39;ite politicians and Iraqi forces engaged in the battle against Islamic State. 
 
There have been several reports in the past that Baghdadi, whose real name is Ibrahim al-Samarrai, was killed or wounded after proclaiming himself caliph of all Muslims two years ago. 
 
The ultra-hardline Sunni group is under increased pressure in both Iraq and Syria, and the territory under its control has shrunk significantly since 2014, limiting the potential for its leaders to move around or seek shelter. 
 
The U.S. earlier this year announced an intensification of the war on Islamic State with more air strikes and more American troops on the ground to advise and assist allied forces. 
 
The U.S.-led coalition has regularly flown raids out of Erbil, the capital of Iraq&#39;s Kurdistan region, in operations aimed at killing and capturing Islamic State leaders. 
 
A Kurdish intelligence official and an Arab from the Baaj area west of Mosul said the U.S.-led coalition had conducted such a raid there earlier this week. The coalition did not confirm this raid. 
 
Kurdish Peshmerga forces are positioned in an arc around the north and east of Mosul while the Iraqi army is trying to capture Falluja, the group&#39;s stronghold near Baghdad. 
 
The Iraqi army is also assembling tanks and troops in south of Mosul, for an offensive planned later this year to retake the largest city under the control of the militants. 
 
In Syria, Russian- and Iranian-backed Syrian government forces and U.S.-backed Syrian opposition and Kurds are separately trying to advance on Raqqa, the group&#39;s capital in Syria

Al Sumariya TV had cited local sources in Iraq's Nineveh province as saying Baghdadi had been wounded on Thursday in a coalition air strike

The US-led coalition fighting Islamic State said on Friday that it could not confirm a report by an Iraqi TV channel that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been wounded in air strikes. A spokesman of the coalition, Colonel Chris Garver, said in an email that he had seen the reports but had "nothing to confirm this at this time". Al Sumariya TV cited local sources in Iraq's Nineveh province that Baghdadi and other Islamic State leaders were wounded on Thursday in a coalition air strike on one of the group's command headquarters close to the Syrian border. The channel has good connections with Shi'ite politicians and Iraqi forces engaged in the battle against Islamic State. There have been several reports in the past that Baghdadi, whose real name is Ibrahim al-Samarrai, was killed or wounded after proclaiming himself caliph of all Muslims two years ago. The ultra-hardline Sunni group is under increased pressure in both Iraq and Syria, and the territory under its control has shrunk significantly since 2014, limiting the potential for its leaders to move around or seek shelter. The U.S. earlier this year announced an intensification of the war on Islamic State with more air strikes and more American troops on the ground to advise and assist allied forces. The U.S.-led coalition has regularly flown raids out of Erbil, the capital of Iraq's Kurdistan region, in operations aimed at killing and capturing Islamic State leaders. A Kurdish intelligence official and an Arab from the Baaj area west of Mosul said the U.S.-led coalition had conducted such a raid there earlier this week. The coalition did not confirm this raid. Kurdish Peshmerga forces are positioned in an arc around the north and east of Mosul while the Iraqi army is trying to capture Falluja, the group's stronghold near Baghdad. The Iraqi army is also assembling tanks and troops in south of Mosul, for an offensive planned later this year to retake the largest city under the control of the militants. In Syria, Russian- and Iranian-backed Syrian government forces and U.S.-backed Syrian opposition and Kurds are separately trying to advance on Raqqa, the group's capital in Syria

US-led coalition can't confirm report that Islamic State leader Baghdadi wounded

The Iraqi army began an operation today to storm Falluja, the Islamic State group&#39;s stronghold near Baghdad, a military officer told a Reuters TV crew near the front line.

A military unit is trying to advance in the city, he said as explosions and gunfire could be heard in Falluja&#39;s southern Naimiya district.

The Iraqi army, supported by Iranian-backed Shi&#39;ite militia, began the operation to recapture Falluja on May 23, first by tightening its siege around the city, 50 km (30 miles) west of Baghdad, and has now begun a direct assault.

In January 2014, Falluja became the first Iraqi city to fall under the control of the militants, six months before they declared a caliphate over territory seized in Iraq and Syria.

Iraqi army has launched a military assault on the city of Falluja--the first Iraqi city to be captured by the Islamic State in January 2014--to recapture it.

The Iraqi army began an operation today to storm Falluja, the Islamic State group's stronghold near Baghdad, a military officer told a Reuters TV crew near the front line. A military unit is trying to advance in the city, he said as explosions and gunfire could be heard in Falluja's southern Naimiya district. The Iraqi army, supported by Iranian-backed Shi'ite militia, began the operation to recapture Falluja on May 23, first by tightening its siege around the city, 50 km (30 miles) west of Baghdad, and has now begun a direct assault. In January 2014, Falluja became the first Iraqi city to fall under the control of the militants, six months before they declared a caliphate over territory seized in Iraq and Syria.

Iraqi army starts operation to recapture IS-held city of Falluja

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