After kilometres of a perfectly built road crossing along an empty and harsh desert Iraqi environment, a small checkpoint appears.&nbsp;

&ldquo;Documents! Where are you going?,&rdquo; an official says. &nbsp;

&ldquo;Mahkmour.&rdquo; The small town is roughly a hundred kilometres south of Mosul. Its hospital, which receives several injured by firearms on a daily basis, will be one of the many structures close to the southern frontline of the Mosul offensive. &nbsp;

&ldquo;No, you can&rsquo;t go to Mahkmour. Speak with the commander,&rdquo; says roughly, a soldier pointing towards an old house on the top of a hill.

The post seems to represent the current Iraqi situation, a place where war has become constant. Military life has become so routine and normal that soldiers care little to exhibit an image of order and discipline. Their rooms are not as the ones we usually imagine: tidy, clean, modular. Probably they were, but after spending years in the same checkpoint in the middle of Iraq, aesthetic becomes less important day by day. Beds are slightly sloppy, evidence of one of the many early and hasty wakening. Shoes are everywhere and weapons - mainly AK-47 - lie on the beds and under the pillows. Walls are not well painted and the floors not too clean. It resembles a long-term jail but without the family pictures, drawings, books or posters, nothing which helps to understand the identity of the people living there. Everything looks impersonal, only imperfections personalise the place: an open packet of cigarettes on the bed, a sun cream tube on a pillow, a movie ticket on the floor, an ashtray full of cigarettes&rsquo; butt on the end of a rifle.&nbsp;

The whole atmosphere is the one of a place where nobody wants to be, but it is forced to.

The commander sits in the operational room, his fatigue is open and worn in a casual way, it is slightly bigger than his size. He does not speak a single word of English, only German which he learned when training in Koln. A young Peshmerga soldier approaches the window, he speaks French and is willing to help. &ldquo;I studied French at the university of Mosul before Daesh came,&rdquo; he says. The university has now been shut down, he decided to voluntarily join the Peshmerga army after he was forced to flee Mosul with his family. &nbsp;

&ldquo;Why are you going there?&rdquo;, asks the commander swatting a fly in a swift motion.&nbsp;

&ldquo;We want to visit the hospital close to the frontline and understand how things are going there.&rdquo;

The atmosphere is calm, almost dozy due to the noon heat. The commander looks at us with the expression of a man who found on his way an annoying event which he would have preferably avoided, but now is forced to manage. Several phone calls later the hospital manager agreed to pick us up and take us to Doctor Saman, who prefers not to disclose his surname.

&ldquo;Fighting is going on in many areas between Mahkmour and Mosul and everyday we have to heal firearms injuries and send the patients to the bigger hospital in Erbil&rdquo;. The hospital is clean, but small, too small for the number of injured who could arrive once the official operations to liberate Mosul starts.&nbsp;

&ldquo;I think the doctors are not enough for this situation of war. I think the equipment here is not enough. I think that even the medication we have in order to stabilise a patient, especially in case of emergency, from the frontline is not enough. I am asking the Kurdistan Regional Government to provide us with further medication, further staff,&rdquo; says doctor Saman.

&ldquo;How many doctors you have here?&rdquo;

&ldquo;We do not have resident doctors. We have rotating doctors coming for a six-day-a-month shift from the capital city (Erbil) and two medical assistants.&rdquo;

The situation in Mahkmour&rsquo;s medical facility does not differ from the several others in the area. These structures were mostly built for small towns, and meant to be primary media points with the function of stabilising a patient and send him or her to larger, better-equipped hospitals.&nbsp;

The city lies close to what will most likely be the battle of Mosul&rsquo;s southern frontline. It won&rsquo;t be easy to manage the impact of the major ground operation in Iraq, that has been constantly battered since the last four years.&nbsp;

Every time a patient with bullet injuries arrives, doctors have to inform the national security agency, the Asayish which comes in to assess if the patient is a possible Islamic State terrorist.

&ldquo;As a doctor there is not even a need to ask this question. My job is to save everyone so even if I have to heal a Daesh terrorist I do it, then the security will do the rest.&rdquo;

A car with three members of the Asayish reaches us in the hospital parking and does not abandon us from that moment onwards, primarily to control our movements. This is something else which happens in war torn areas: limitations.

There are places where you can&rsquo;t go, things you can&rsquo;t do, words you can&rsquo;t say, streets you can&rsquo;t walk. This is what war does beside claiming lives: it is pervasive, it pauses normality. Whatever the topic, war and its consequences will sooner or later appear. Speaking with a barber while shaving you discover he fled Mosul, the fruit seller at the corner lost his brother in Sinjial against Daesh one year ago, the neighbour&rsquo;s son left his studies to join the army and fight. Casual interlocutors over a tea or a cigarette have always a war story to tell.

It invades minds and movements and becomes a constant, unwanted guest in the majority of conversations and considerations.

(WION) 
&nbsp;

Four years of fighting and destruction have left hospitals scant, and Iraqis impassive to war

After kilometres of a perfectly built road crossing along an empty and harsh desert Iraqi environment, a small checkpoint appears. “Documents! Where are you going?,” an official says. “Mahkmour.” The small town is roughly a hundred kilometres south of Mosul. Its hospital, which receives several injured by firearms on a daily basis, will be one of the many structures close to the southern frontline of the Mosul offensive. “No, you can’t go to Mahkmour. Speak with the commander,” says roughly, a soldier pointing towards an old house on the top of a hill. The post seems to represent the current Iraqi situation, a place where war has become constant. Military life has become so routine and normal that soldiers care little to exhibit an image of order and discipline. Their rooms are not as the ones we usually imagine: tidy, clean, modular. Probably they were, but after spending years in the same checkpoint in the middle of Iraq, aesthetic becomes less important day by day. Beds are slightly sloppy, evidence of one of the many early and hasty wakening. Shoes are everywhere and weapons - mainly AK-47 - lie on the beds and under the pillows. Walls are not well painted and the floors not too clean. It resembles a long-term jail but without the family pictures, drawings, books or posters, nothing which helps to understand the identity of the people living there. Everything looks impersonal, only imperfections personalise the place: an open packet of cigarettes on the bed, a sun cream tube on a pillow, a movie ticket on the floor, an ashtray full of cigarettes’ butt on the end of a rifle. The whole atmosphere is the one of a place where nobody wants to be, but it is forced to. The commander sits in the operational room, his fatigue is open and worn in a casual way, it is slightly bigger than his size. He does not speak a single word of English, only German which he learned when training in Koln. A young Peshmerga soldier approaches the window, he speaks French and is willing to help. “I studied French at the university of Mosul before Daesh came,” he says. The university has now been shut down, he decided to voluntarily join the Peshmerga army after he was forced to flee Mosul with his family. “Why are you going there?”, asks the commander swatting a fly in a swift motion. “We want to visit the hospital close to the frontline and understand how things are going there.” The atmosphere is calm, almost dozy due to the noon heat. The commander looks at us with the expression of a man who found on his way an annoying event which he would have preferably avoided, but now is forced to manage. Several phone calls later the hospital manager agreed to pick us up and take us to Doctor Saman, who prefers not to disclose his surname. “Fighting is going on in many areas between Mahkmour and Mosul and everyday we have to heal firearms injuries and send the patients to the bigger hospital in Erbil”. The hospital is clean, but small, too small for the number of injured who could arrive once the official operations to liberate Mosul starts. “I think the doctors are not enough for this situation of war. I think the equipment here is not enough. I think that even the medication we have in order to stabilise a patient, especially in case of emergency, from the frontline is not enough. I am asking the Kurdistan Regional Government to provide us with further medication, further staff,” says doctor Saman. “How many doctors you have here?” “We do not have resident doctors. We have rotating doctors coming for a six-day-a-month shift from the capital city (Erbil) and two medical assistants.” The situation in Mahkmour’s medical facility does not differ from the several others in the area. These structures were mostly built for small towns, and meant to be primary media points with the function of stabilising a patient and send him or her to larger, better-equipped hospitals. The city lies close to what will most likely be the battle of Mosul’s southern frontline. It won’t be easy to manage the impact of the major ground operation in Iraq, that has been constantly battered since the last four years. Every time a patient with bullet injuries arrives, doctors have to inform the national security agency, the Asayish which comes in to assess if the patient is a possible Islamic State terrorist. “As a doctor there is not even a need to ask this question. My job is to save everyone so even if I have to heal a Daesh terrorist I do it, then the security will do the rest.” A car with three members of the Asayish reaches us in the hospital parking and does not abandon us from that moment onwards, primarily to control our movements. This is something else which happens in war torn areas: limitations. There are places where you can’t go, things you can’t do, words you can’t say, streets you can’t walk. This is what war does beside claiming lives: it is pervasive, it pauses normality. Whatever the topic, war and its consequences will sooner or later appear. Speaking with a barber while shaving you discover he fled Mosul, the fruit seller at the corner lost his brother in Sinjial against Daesh one year ago, the neighbour’s son left his studies to join the army and fight. Casual interlocutors over a tea or a cigarette have always a war story to tell. It invades minds and movements and becomes a constant, unwanted guest in the majority of conversations and considerations. (WION)

Life in Mosul: Iraq's medical facilities fear humanitarian disaster as another battle approaches

The Islamic State is likely to mustard gas as the Iraqi forces advance to re-take Mosul, IS group&#39;s last main stronghold in Iraq, a Pentagon spokeman said on Monday. 
 
&quot;We can fully expect that as this road towards Mosul progresses, ISIL is likely to try to use it again,&quot; Jeff Davis was quoted as saying by AFP.&nbsp; 
 
Davis said that IS&#39;s ability to weaponise mustard agent has been rudimentary. Their mustard gas is typically a powder bound together with tar. The gas is more of an irritant than lethal, Davis said. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s not generally in a lethal concentration. It&#39;s more of an irritant than anything else, but again, not something we view as militarily significant,&quot; he said, noting that the gas form of mustard agent used in the First World War was far more lethal, Reuters reported. 
 
&quot;We recognise this is real. They&#39;re dead set on it. They would love to be able to use chemical weapons against us, against the Iraqis as they move forward. We are making every effort to make sure that we&#39;re ready for it.&quot; 
 
Davis added that Iraqi soldiers have been given training and have practiced to be in a situation of exposure to the IS chemical weapon. The United states has provided more than 50,000 gas masks to the Iraqi forces, he said. 
 
&quot;We want to make sure that the Iraqi security forces and the Peshmergas (Kurdish fighters) have the ability to detect this and to defend against it,&quot; Davis said. 
 
A rocket was launched, with a possible chemical agent, against US soldiers at a base near Qayyarah, a northern town in Iraq. The Pentagon suspects that the IS group used mustard gas in the attack last week. 
 
Hundreds of US troops are working to prepare an airfield for an Iraqi offensive to recapture the city of Mosul neat the base, Reuters reported. 
 
Iraqi security forces, backed by US-led coalition air power, are in the final weeks of preparing operations ahead of an assault to recapture Mosul, according to AFP.&nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

According to the spokesman, the IS group's mustard gas is 'not generally in a lethal concentration' but more of an irritant

The Islamic State is likely to mustard gas as the Iraqi forces advance to re-take Mosul, IS group's last main stronghold in Iraq, a Pentagon spokeman said on Monday. "We can fully expect that as this road towards Mosul progresses, ISIL is likely to try to use it again," Jeff Davis was quoted as saying by AFP. Davis said that IS's ability to weaponise mustard agent has been rudimentary. Their mustard gas is typically a powder bound together with tar. The gas is more of an irritant than lethal, Davis said. "It's not generally in a lethal concentration. It's more of an irritant than anything else, but again, not something we view as militarily significant," he said, noting that the gas form of mustard agent used in the First World War was far more lethal, Reuters reported. "We recognise this is real. They're dead set on it. They would love to be able to use chemical weapons against us, against the Iraqis as they move forward. We are making every effort to make sure that we're ready for it." Davis added that Iraqi soldiers have been given training and have practiced to be in a situation of exposure to the IS chemical weapon. The United states has provided more than 50,000 gas masks to the Iraqi forces, he said. "We want to make sure that the Iraqi security forces and the Peshmergas (Kurdish fighters) have the ability to detect this and to defend against it," Davis said. A rocket was launched, with a possible chemical agent, against US soldiers at a base near Qayyarah, a northern town in Iraq. The Pentagon suspects that the IS group used mustard gas in the attack last week. Hundreds of US troops are working to prepare an airfield for an Iraqi offensive to recapture the city of Mosul neat the base, Reuters reported. Iraqi security forces, backed by US-led coalition air power, are in the final weeks of preparing operations ahead of an assault to recapture Mosul, according to AFP. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Pentagon: Islamic State could use mustard gas to defend Mosul

Pentagon chief Ashton Carter held taks in Baghdad today over the fight against the Islamic State group and the strategy to recapture Iraq&#39;s second city Mosul from the jihadists. 
 
Carter met with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and Defence Minister Khalid al-Obeidi, two days after Iraq announced the recapture of a base south of Mosul seen as an important step toward the eventual battle for the city. 
 
Carter&#39;s unannounced visit is&nbsp;his fourth to Iraq since beginning his job in February 2015, which&nbsp;comes two days after Iraqi forces captured an airbase to the south of Mosul that is seen as an important step toward the eventual battle for the country&#39;s second city, which has been under IS control since June 2014. 
 
IS losing ground in Syria, Iraq; Carter wants to highlight successes&nbsp; 
 
IS also holds territory in neighbouring Syria, but has lost significant ground in both countries, and Carter wants to highlight successes, even as the jihadists have struck back with devastating attacks in Iraq and abroad. 
 
The Sunni extremists have carried out bloody attacks against civilians as they lose ground, including a bombing in Baghdad that killed 292 people this month, one of the deadliest to ever hit the country. 
 
&quot;Let me begin... by expressing the condolences of myself and the United States for the terrorist attacks against the people of Iraq in recent weeks,&quot; Carter told Abadi. 
 
&quot;You have our sympathy but also it further strengthens our resolve to help in the defeat of (IS), which all of our societies need because all of our societies are subject to attacks.&quot;&quot;I also want to congratulate you on the string of successes that the Iraqi security forces have had,&quot; said Carter. 
 
The Qayyarah airbase, which Abadi announced Saturday had been recaptured, is located 60 kilometres (35 miles) south of Mosul and can serve as a launchpad for future operations to recapture the city. 
 
&#39;Ultimate goal is recapture of Iraqi territory&#39;&nbsp; 
 
Ahead of his meetings, Carter told journalists that he would discuss the next moves in the war against the jihadists. 
 
&quot;What I&#39;ll be discussing with Prime Minister Abadi and our commanders there are the next plays in the campaign, which involve the collapse and control over Mosul,&quot; Carter said aboard a military plane. 
 
The ultimate goal, he added, was &quot;the recapture of all of Iraqi territory by the Iraqi security forces, but of course Mosul is the biggest part of that.&quot; 
 
US defence officials say the campaign`s first &quot;10 plays&quot; have been successfully completed in the US-led counter-IS campaign in Iraq and Syria. 
 
These steps include the recapture of several important areas across the two countries, including Ramadi in Iraq and Al-Shadadi, a town in northeastern Syria previously considered a strategic IS stronghold.&nbsp; 
 
Pentagon has announced a series a measures to speed up war&nbsp; 
 
Carter and President Barack Obama have been criticised for the pace of the campaign, which began in autumn 2014 and got off to a slow start, particularly in war-torn Syria, where the United States had few assets on the ground to provide targeting information.The Pentagon has announced a series of measures to speed up the war, including a revised mission to train anti-IS rebels in northern Syria and extra advisers for Iraqi forces. 
 
Coupled with coalition air support, the results have seen the IS group losing roughly half its territory in Iraq and about 20 percent of its Syria claim, the Pentagon said. 
 
But the jihadists have struck back against civilians as they lost ground. 
 
On July 3, IS carried out the devastating bombing targeting shoppers in Baghdad that killed 292, many of whom were burned alive, sparking widespread anger among Iraqis, some of whom have accused the government of not doing enough to protect them. 
 
Four days later, the jihadists struck a Shiite shrine north the capital, leaving another 40 dead. 
 
Carter was also to meet with US troops, of whom there are now about 4,000 in Iraq, mainly to train local forces. 
 
The Pentagon chief will also phone Massud Barzani, the de facto president of Iraq`s Kurdistan region. 
 
The United States has pledged $415 million to help Kurdish peshmerga fighters as they join the fight for Mosul, moving in from the north. 
 
 
(AFP)

Ashton Carter's visit come 2 days after Iraq announced recapture of a base south of Mosul, seen as an important step

Pentagon chief Ashton Carter held taks in Baghdad today over the fight against the Islamic State group and the strategy to recapture Iraq's second city Mosul from the jihadists. Carter met with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and Defence Minister Khalid al-Obeidi, two days after Iraq announced the recapture of a base south of Mosul seen as an important step toward the eventual battle for the city. Carter's unannounced visit is his fourth to Iraq since beginning his job in February 2015, which comes two days after Iraqi forces captured an airbase to the south of Mosul that is seen as an important step toward the eventual battle for the country's second city, which has been under IS control since June 2014. IS losing ground in Syria, Iraq; Carter wants to highlight successes IS also holds territory in neighbouring Syria, but has lost significant ground in both countries, and Carter wants to highlight successes, even as the jihadists have struck back with devastating attacks in Iraq and abroad. The Sunni extremists have carried out bloody attacks against civilians as they lose ground, including a bombing in Baghdad that killed 292 people this month, one of the deadliest to ever hit the country. "Let me begin... by expressing the condolences of myself and the United States for the terrorist attacks against the people of Iraq in recent weeks," Carter told Abadi. "You have our sympathy but also it further strengthens our resolve to help in the defeat of (IS), which all of our societies need because all of our societies are subject to attacks.""I also want to congratulate you on the string of successes that the Iraqi security forces have had," said Carter. The Qayyarah airbase, which Abadi announced Saturday had been recaptured, is located 60 kilometres (35 miles) south of Mosul and can serve as a launchpad for future operations to recapture the city. 'Ultimate goal is recapture of Iraqi territory' Ahead of his meetings, Carter told journalists that he would discuss the next moves in the war against the jihadists. "What I'll be discussing with Prime Minister Abadi and our commanders there are the next plays in the campaign, which involve the collapse and control over Mosul," Carter said aboard a military plane. The ultimate goal, he added, was "the recapture of all of Iraqi territory by the Iraqi security forces, but of course Mosul is the biggest part of that." US defence officials say the campaign`s first "10 plays" have been successfully completed in the US-led counter-IS campaign in Iraq and Syria. These steps include the recapture of several important areas across the two countries, including Ramadi in Iraq and Al-Shadadi, a town in northeastern Syria previously considered a strategic IS stronghold. Pentagon has announced a series a measures to speed up war Carter and President Barack Obama have been criticised for the pace of the campaign, which began in autumn 2014 and got off to a slow start, particularly in war-torn Syria, where the United States had few assets on the ground to provide targeting information.The Pentagon has announced a series of measures to speed up the war, including a revised mission to train anti-IS rebels in northern Syria and extra advisers for Iraqi forces. Coupled with coalition air support, the results have seen the IS group losing roughly half its territory in Iraq and about 20 percent of its Syria claim, the Pentagon said. But the jihadists have struck back against civilians as they lost ground. On July 3, IS carried out the devastating bombing targeting shoppers in Baghdad that killed 292, many of whom were burned alive, sparking widespread anger among Iraqis, some of whom have accused the government of not doing enough to protect them. Four days later, the jihadists struck a Shiite shrine north the capital, leaving another 40 dead. Carter was also to meet with US troops, of whom there are now about 4,000 in Iraq, mainly to train local forces. The Pentagon chief will also phone Massud Barzani, the de facto president of Iraq`s Kurdistan region. The United States has pledged $415 million to help Kurdish peshmerga fighters as they join the fight for Mosul, moving in from the north. (AFP)

Pentagon chief visits Baghdad to step up fight against Islamic State

Iraqi forces announced that they had successfully liberated Fallujah and many other regions such as central Iraqi&#39;s Ramadi and Rutba at the end of June, accounting for 70 per cent of the overall amount of regions that had been taken over by extremists. 
 
The Iraqi troops have been focused on clearing explosives such as the landmines which the Islamic State (IS) group left behind in those recaptured areas in the west of Iraq, such as Al Anbar Province and Fallujah. The troops have also continued to crackdown on extremists in north Iraq&#39;s Salah ad Din Province and the southern areas of Nineveh province. 
 
According to Faleh al-Fayad, the Iraqi National Security adviser, currently military action in the western and northern regions is moving smoothly. Once the military mission ends in the Al Anbar Province, the Prime Minister and commander in chief of the Armed Forces Dr Haider Al-Abadi will redeploy forces to support the future recapture of the northern Iraqi&#39;s Mosul. 
 
&quot;After the Iraqi government completely recaptures the entire Al Anbar Province and relieves the threat in the western area of Iraqi&#39;s capital Baghdad, the entire armed forces will face redeployed into other regions. This will provide a sufficient back-up military force for the commander in chief of the armed forces,&quot; said Faleh al-Fayad, Iraqi national security adviser. 
 
Official figures showed that the Iraqi territories that were occupied and controlled under the IS accounted for 42 per cent of the total areas, but with the continuously increasing number of recaptured regions, the figure has dropped to less than 15 per cent. 
 
&quot;As the Iraqi defense minister noted, I believe the territories that are occupied by (IS) account for less than 15 per cent of the total area, and these regions mainly distributed in the Nineveh province, the desert area of the border between Iraq and Syria and partial areas in Al Anbar Province. And these figures continue to fall each month,&quot; said Faleh al-Fayad. 
 
(Reuters)

The Iraqi national security adviser believes that the current military action in the western and northern regions is moving smoothly

Iraqi forces announced that they had successfully liberated Fallujah and many other regions such as central Iraqi's Ramadi and Rutba at the end of June, accounting for 70 per cent of the overall amount of regions that had been taken over by extremists. The Iraqi troops have been focused on clearing explosives such as the landmines which the Islamic State (IS) group left behind in those recaptured areas in the west of Iraq, such as Al Anbar Province and Fallujah. The troops have also continued to crackdown on extremists in north Iraq's Salah ad Din Province and the southern areas of Nineveh province. According to Faleh al-Fayad, the Iraqi National Security adviser, currently military action in the western and northern regions is moving smoothly. Once the military mission ends in the Al Anbar Province, the Prime Minister and commander in chief of the Armed Forces Dr Haider Al-Abadi will redeploy forces to support the future recapture of the northern Iraqi's Mosul. "After the Iraqi government completely recaptures the entire Al Anbar Province and relieves the threat in the western area of Iraqi's capital Baghdad, the entire armed forces will face redeployed into other regions. This will provide a sufficient back-up military force for the commander in chief of the armed forces," said Faleh al-Fayad, Iraqi national security adviser. Official figures showed that the Iraqi territories that were occupied and controlled under the IS accounted for 42 per cent of the total areas, but with the continuously increasing number of recaptured regions, the figure has dropped to less than 15 per cent. "As the Iraqi defense minister noted, I believe the territories that are occupied by (IS) account for less than 15 per cent of the total area, and these regions mainly distributed in the Nineveh province, the desert area of the border between Iraq and Syria and partial areas in Al Anbar Province. And these figures continue to fall each month," said Faleh al-Fayad. (Reuters)

Iraqi forces announce recapture of 70 per cent of regions occupied by extremists

Iraqi forces recaptured the last district held by Islamic State militants in the city of Fallujah today and the general commanding the operation declared the battle complete after nearly five weeks of fighting. 
 
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi claimed victory over Islamic State in Fallujah more than a week ago but fighting continued inside the city west of Baghdad, including in the Golan district. The offensive has been backed by a U.S.-led coalition mostly in the form of air strikes against Islamic State. 
 
&quot;We announce from this place in central Golan district that it has been cleaned by the counter terrorism service and we convey the good news to the Iraqi people that the battle of Fallujah is over,&quot; Lieutenant General Abdul Wahab al-Saidi told state TV. 
 
Flanked by jubilant fighters, some waving Iraqi flags, Saidi said a few militants were still holding out in buildings. At least 1,800 Islamic State fighters were killed in the operation to retake Fallujah, and the rest had fled, he said. 
 
Government troops launched the operation on May 23 to retake Fallujah, a bastion of the Sunni Muslim insurgency against U.S. forces that toppled Saddam Hussein, a Sunni, in 2003, and later against Shi&#39;ite-led governments. 
 
Abadi said last week that the recapture of Fallujah would pave the way for the military to march on Mosul, Islamic State&#39;s de facto capital. 
 
Fighting to recapture the Iraqi city has forced more than 85,000 residents to flee to overwhelmed government-run camps. The United Nations says it has received allegations of abuse of civilians fleeing the city, including by members of Shi&#39;ite armed groups supporting the offensive. 
 
The militants seized Fallujah in January 2014, six months before they declared a &quot;caliphate&quot; over part of Syria and Iraq.&nbsp; 
 
(Reuters)

Government fighters recapture the last district held by Islamic State in the city

Iraqi forces recaptured the last district held by Islamic State militants in the city of Fallujah today and the general commanding the operation declared the battle complete after nearly five weeks of fighting. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi claimed victory over Islamic State in Fallujah more than a week ago but fighting continued inside the city west of Baghdad, including in the Golan district. The offensive has been backed by a U.S.-led coalition mostly in the form of air strikes against Islamic State. "We announce from this place in central Golan district that it has been cleaned by the counter terrorism service and we convey the good news to the Iraqi people that the battle of Fallujah is over," Lieutenant General Abdul Wahab al-Saidi told state TV. Flanked by jubilant fighters, some waving Iraqi flags, Saidi said a few militants were still holding out in buildings. At least 1,800 Islamic State fighters were killed in the operation to retake Fallujah, and the rest had fled, he said. Government troops launched the operation on May 23 to retake Fallujah, a bastion of the Sunni Muslim insurgency against U.S. forces that toppled Saddam Hussein, a Sunni, in 2003, and later against Shi'ite-led governments. Abadi said last week that the recapture of Fallujah would pave the way for the military to march on Mosul, Islamic State's de facto capital. Fighting to recapture the Iraqi city has forced more than 85,000 residents to flee to overwhelmed government-run camps. The United Nations says it has received allegations of abuse of civilians fleeing the city, including by members of Shi'ite armed groups supporting the offensive. The militants seized Fallujah in January 2014, six months before they declared a "caliphate" over part of Syria and Iraq. (Reuters)

Battle over, say Iraqi forces in Fallujah

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Life in Mosul: Iraq's medical facilities fear humanitarian disaster as another battle approaches

Pentagon: Islamic State could use mustard gas to defend Mosul

Pentagon chief visits Baghdad to step up fight against Islamic State

Iraqi forces announce recapture of 70 per cent of regions occupied by extremists

Battle over, say Iraqi forces in Fallujah