ISIL fights back in Fallujah

While the Iraqi military attempts to  reclaim the city of Fallujah, held for the last two years by the deadly terrorist group ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and Levant), they face strong opposition from the militants. According to information provided by the leader of the Iraqi forces, Lieutenant-General Abdelwahab al-Saadi, the ISIL had launched an intense counter-offensive in Naimiyah, a suburb in south Fallujah, before being overome by the Iraqis.

Said he,” There were around 100 fighters involved, they came at us heavily armed but did not use car bombs or suicide bombers.”  Th Iraqi forces, which included army and police officers, then went on to kill 75 ISIL fightrs in a repel attack. Th Iraqi military is seemingly  in control of nearly 85% of Naimiyah now. However, there are mixed reports from the region, with the ISIL claiming that it had forced the Iraqi military to move back, using an ambush that left almost a dozen people dead. Although casualties on the Iraqi side haven’t been confirmed yet, sources say that at last 15 of the security officers and members of the Shia Allied forces have lost their lives so far.

Fallujah, a city merely 50 kms east of Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, has been under control of 1,500-2,000 ISIL fighters for the last two years. it is one of the two major cities of Iraq that are controlled by the IS, the other one being Mosul, the second-largest city of Iraq. Meanwhile, as the fighting intensifies, humanitarian groups are cautioning the forces about the 50,000 odd civilians trapped within the city, who are being held inside by the militants by force. The ISIL has set up checkposts and physical ambushes to restrict the civilians within city boundaries.

The operation, launched by Iraq a week ago after a chain of blasts racked through Baghdad, although having made progress, has affected the thousands of civilians insides gravely. Reports say that the people have come together in the centre of the city, surviving on decreasing food and water supplies. Some of them are starving to death while others are being killed for not agreeing to fight for the IS. Commented a representative of the UNHRC in Iraq, Bruno Geddo,”Those who make the decision of trying to flee know that at every step they might find death. If they manage to reach a safe corridor, the Iraqi army can evacuate them. However, if they are caught, they will be executed. To reach the safe area is extremely risky and dangerous.”

Moreover, because of the fall in supply, the prices of basic commodities have risen manifold, making them off-limits for common citizens. Said Mr. Geddo,”Food is completely unaffordable and the price of [50kg of] flour has sky-rocketed to more than $700. People are now eating rotten dates and yoghurt to survive.”

At the same time, the IS men are treating the citizens even worse than before. As per bytes received by Al Jazeera from a trapped citizen, named, Abu Mohammed al-Dulaimi,” Their treatment of the people is getting worse and worse every day. There is a feeling of panic among them it seems,” the resident, who gave his name as , said. Daesh is angry because they don’t feel supported and they have been seen insulting people on the streets, shouting things like: ‘Cowards, you are not with us. Yesterday, they were rounding up young men from several parts of the city – we think maybe around 100 of them – and taking them to an unknown location.”

This is another dimension to the raging civil war in Syria and Iraq, which has killed nearly 3 million so far and has displaced many millions of others over the course of five years.

Source: Al Jazeera