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{{Other uses2|Battle of Fallujah}}
{{Other uses2|Battle of Fallujah}}
{{ITN Nom}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2016}}
{{Infobox military conflict
{{Infobox military conflict

Revision as of 14:05, 7 June 2016

Template:Other uses2

Third Battle of Fallujah
Part of the Iraqi Civil War, the Anbar offensive,
and the aftermath of the Siege of Fallujah
Fallujah Operations May 23
Fallujah operations on May 22 & May 23[6][7][8]
Date22 May 2016 – present
(8 years, 2 months, 1 week and 3 days)
Location
Fallujah and Al-Karmah, Anbar Governorate, Iraq
Status

Ongoing

  • Offensive slowed[9]
  • The southern edge of city is secured by the Iraqi Army[10]
Belligerents

Iraq Iraq

Iran Iran[3]

Air support:

CJTF-OIR[5]

 Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

Commanders and leaders

Iraq Lt. Gen. Abdelwahab al-Saadi (Overall commander)[11]
Iraq Chief Maj. Gen. Raed Shaker Jawdat
Iraq Staff Maj. Gen. Ismail al-Mahalawi
Gen. Qasem Soleimani
(Commander of Shi'ite Forces)[4][12][13]
File:Popular Mobilization Forces (Iraq) logo.jpgFile:Badr Organisation Military flag.svg Hadi al-Amiri
File:Popular Mobilization Forces (Iraq) logo.jpgFile:Kata'ib Hezbollah flag.svg Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis
File:Popular Mobilization Forces (Iraq) logo.jpgFile:Nujabaimage.jpg Akram al-Ka'abi

File:Popular Mobilization Forces (Iraq) logo.jpg Col. Juma Fazaa Jumaili[14]		 Maher al-Bilawi †
(Top commander in Fallujah)[15][16]
Units involved
Unknown

File:Emblem of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.png Military of ISIL

  • Secret Police Force (Al-Hisbah)
Strength

11,000–14,500 fighters

  • 7,000–10,500 Iraqi soldiers[17]
  • 4,000 PMF militiamen[18]
 ~1,000 militants
(In Fallujah city alone)[19][20]
Casualties and losses
200+ killed, 1,119+ wounded[21][22] 379 killed[23][24][25][26]
62 civilians killed,[27] 3,700 civilians fled[28]

The Third Battle of Fallujah,[29][30][31] or Fallujah offensive (2016), codenamed Operation Breaking Terrorism (Arabic: عملية كسر الإرهاب) by the Iraqi government, is a military operation against ISIL to capture the city of Fallujah, located about 69 kilometers (40 miles) west of Baghdad. The operation began on 22 May 2016,[32] three months after the Iraqi forces had started the total siege of Fallujah.

Background

Main articles: Anbar offensive (2015–present) and Siege of Fallujah (2016)

Fallujah was the first city seized by Daesh in Iraq in January 2014. Iraqi forces completely surrounded the western city after they recaptured Ramadi in February 2016. ISIL militants prevented people from leaving the city.[33]

Fallujah is considered to be the second most important stronghold of ISIL in Iraq, after Mosul.

Preparations

The Iraqi Army published a statement on 22 May 2016 and asked residents of the battlefield to leave the area through secured routes. The Iraqi Army also said that local residents who could not move should raise white flags on top of their roofs.[34]

Shia marja Ayatollah Sistani released instructions regarding respecting moral principles while advancing toward the Sunni city.[35]

The offensive

Haider al-Abadi ordered to begin the operation early on Monday, 23 May. "The Iraqi flag will be raised high over the land of Fallujah." al-Abadi said.[36] On 23 May 2016 it was reported the city of Al-Karmah was recaptured by Shiite militias belonging to the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF).[37] Photos published by a PMF source show Iran's Quds Force commander Qassem Suleimani and other PMF commanders discussing Fallujah battle strategies.[38] On the first day of the offensive 11 further villages and districts near Fallujah were recaptured, which forced ISIL fighters to retreat to the interior of the strategically important city. The offensive was slowed down because in the outskirts hundreds of improvised explosive devices were found.[39]

The Popular Mobilization Forces declared on 23 May that they had captured Al-Karma, about 16 kilometers (10 miles) northeast of Fallujah, which brings most of the territory east of Fallujah under Iraqi government control.[40] They also announced the seizure of al-Harariyat, al-Shahabi and al-Dwaya and the killing of 40 ISIL militants during the military operation.[41] Iraqi government announced that pro-government fighters had captured the villages of Luhaib and Albu Khanfar on 24 May.[42]

On 25 May, 16 villages and districts on the eastern outskirts of Fallujah had been cleared by the Iraqi Security Forces. Included in this were the gains from a column in the northeast, which took the village of Sejar days after the recapture of Al-Karmah. These clashes resulted in the death of 40 ISIL militants.[24] An additional 163 ISIL militants, 15 civilians and 35 Iraqi forces and militiamen were killed[23] in clashes which gained the Iraqi army control over the remaining districts in the southeast, allowing them to create a corridor that cut the ISIL-controlled zone in two. During the day, it was reported an Iranian Basij member was killed in fighting near Fallujah.[43] According to Qasm Araji, a member of the defense committee, the advancing forces are continuously gaining ground and "nearing Fallujah’s Eastern gate."[23]

On 27 May, the US-led Coalition conducted airstrikes in and around the city. US-led Coalition air and artillery strikes in and around Fallujah killed 70 ISIL fighters in Fallujah, including the militants’ top commander in the area, Maher Al-Bilawi.[15] On 28 May, the Iraqi Army declared the start of an operation to take Fallujah’s city center.[20][25] Iraq's Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) was the first unit to break into the city.[44]

On 29 May, the Iraqi forces reportedly repelled an ISIL attack on Albu Shajal, killing "dozens" of militants.[45] On the same day, Iraqi troops seized a key bridge between Zaghareed and Saqlawiyah, in order to facilitate the entry of the security forces from the international highway road into the center of Saqlawiyah.[46]

Early on 30 May, the Iraqi forces began entering the city of Fallujah from 3 directions, and captured the village of Saqlawiyah.[47][48] However, the Iraqi forces faced very stiff resistance from the ISIL forces inside of the city, slowing their advance.[1] Since 21 May, only 3,000 civilians had managed to escape Fallujah.[49] The Iraqi forces entered Fallujah city through the southern village of Nuamiyah, entering the Shuhadaa neighborhood, on the way to the city center.[50] Iraqi forces repelled a four-hour attack by the Islamic State in the south of the city of Fallujah on Tuesday. The militants deployed snipers and six cars carrying explosives which were destroyed before reaching the troops. [51]

The Iraqi military's advance into Fallujah was stalled Wednesday by fierce resistance from Islamic State fighters and concerns over protecting tens of thousands of civilians still trapped inside the strategic city, officials said. Civilians, including families, were moved to the city center and used as human shields by ISIL.[21] With the operation in its second week, convoys of special forces could only inch forward on the dusty southern outskirts of the city as a handful of airstrikes sent up plumes of white smoke above clusters of low buildings on the fringes of the city's dense urban terrain. [52]

The Fars News Agency reported that, due to the offensive, ISIL commanders had moved cash and jewelry worth US$8 million from Fallujah to the more secure region of Mosul.[53]

On 2 June, the commander of Fallujah operations, Lieutenant General Abdel Wahab al-Saadi, reported further advances of Iraqi forces and the killing of 50 ISIL members in the areas of al-Shuhadaa and al-Nuaimiya in southern Fallujah.[54] In addition, 12 ISIL militants were killed and four vehicles and a mortar detachment destroyed by international coalition aviation in the area of Falahat west of Fallujah.[55]

On 3 June, Iraqi forces moved into a southern neighbourhood of Fallujah. "The security forces have advanced from Naimiya neighbourhood to Shuhada," Lieutenant General Abdelwahab al-Saadi, the operation's overall commander, told AFP. [56] On 4 June, Iraqi forces captured the town of Saqlawiyah and stormed a neighborhood in southern Fallujah. A coalition airstrike killed all militants trying to escape on a raft from Saqlawiyah.[57] According to reports 70 ISIL terrorists were killed during the capture of the city, including several foreign combatants.[58] By 5 June, Iraqi forces had secured the southern edge of Fallujah, capturing the Naymiah neighborhood.[10] A leader of the Popular Mobilization Units said that part of the western bank was the only area of Fallujah's outskirts that hadn't been secured by pro-government forces.[59][60]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Malas, Nour (31 May 2016). "Iraqi Forces Begin Ground Assault on Fallujah" – via Wall Street Journal.
  2. ^ "Iraqi forces slice through ISIS fortifications on all fronts around Fallujah (VIDEO) — RT News". Rt.com. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  3. ^ "Iran-Led Push to Retake Falluja From ISIS Worries U.S." The New York Times. 29 May 2016.
  4. ^ a b Name *. "Iranian-backed Iraqi militias signal readiness to enter Fallujah". The Long War Journal. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  5. ^ Coalition aviation kills 13 ISIS fighters in Fallujah, IEDs laboratory destroyedIraqi News
  6. ^ Desk, News. "Updated battlefield map of Fallujah". Almasdarnews.com. Retrieved 27 May 2016. {{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  7. ^ Tomson, Chris. "Iraqi Army captures Sajar police station from ISIS – Fallujah map update". Almasdarnews.com. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  8. ^ امین.ا. "آخرین وضعیت 8 ساعت پس از شروع پیشروی زمینی در عملیات فلوجه (نیمه شعبان) / نقشه :: تحولات جهان اسلام" (in Persian). Newss.blog.ir. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  9. ^ "Battle for Fallujah: Iraqi troops die in ISIL attacks - AJE News". Aljazeera.com. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
  10. ^ a b "Iraqi forces secure southern edge of ISIS-held Fallujah". Al Arabiya. Agencie France-Presse. 5 June 2016. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
  11. ^ http://www.france24.com/en/20160603-iraq-forces-inch-fallujah-commanders
  12. ^ "http://rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/240520164". {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  13. ^ "Iraqi forces, militias launch operation to recapture Fallujah". The Long War Journal. 23 May 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  14. ^ Mamoun, Abdelhak (12 April 2016). "More than 4000 fighters to join cleansing battles in Fallujah - Iraqi News".
  15. ^ a b "ISIS leader of fallujah killed by US airstrike". The Independent. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  16. ^ "Islamic State: Commander in Falluja killed says US". BBC News. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  17. ^ Harris, Shane; Youssef, Nancy A. (18 May 2016). "This City Could Be the Next Big Battle of the ISIS War".
  18. ^ Abdelhak Mamoun (12 April 2016). "More than 4000 fighters to join cleansing battles in Fallujah". Iraq news, the latest Iraq news by Iraqi News. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  19. ^ "Iraqi forces slice through ISIS fortifications on all fronts around Fallujah (VIDEO)".
  20. ^ a b "Fallujah: Iraqi forces 'closing in' on ISIL-held city". Al-Jazeera English. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
  21. ^ a b "Battle for Fallujah: Iraqi troops die in ISIL attacks".
  22. ^ More than 1,000 Iraqi troops wounded so far in battle for Fallujah
  23. ^ a b c "Iraqi, allied militias advance on Fallujah; new tactics squeeze ISIS". Rudaw English. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  24. ^ a b "Iraqi forces advance as Fallujah offensive begins". Kurdistan24. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  25. ^ a b "Iraq begins liberating heart of Fallujah". Al Arabiya English. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
  26. ^ News, ABC. "Amid Heavy Clashes in Fallujah, Fears Rise for Civilians". {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  27. ^ "'Human Catastrophe' Unfolds As Iraqi Army And ISIS Clash Outside Fallujah". Huffington Post. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  28. ^ Battle for Fallujah: Isis sniper 'moles' use four-mile-long tunnel to stall Iraq offensive
  29. ^ "The Third Battle of Fallujah". World Affairs Journal. 31 May 2016. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
  30. ^ "Fallujah, again". The Economist. 28 May 2016. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
  31. ^ Richard Spencer (23 May 2016). "Will the third battle of Fallujah drain or deepen the swamp of terror?". Telegraph. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
  32. ^ الجيش العراقي يعلن انطلاق عمليات تحرير الفلوجة من داعش Al Mayadeen
  33. ^ "PressTV-Iraq army prepares to retake Fallujah". www.presstv.com. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  34. ^ "Iraqi forces prepare offensive on IS-held Falluja | Top News | Reuters". ca.reuters.com. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  35. ^ "PressTV-'Iraqi forces advancing toward Fallujah'". Presstv.ir. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  36. ^ Iraq forces launch assault on IS bastion Fallujah Agence France-Presse
  37. ^ "Iraqi military claims advances in Islamic State-held Fallujah". Washington Post. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  38. ^ "Farsnews". En.farsnews.com. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  39. ^ "Iraqi Forces 'Liberate' Villages From ISIS During Fallujah Offensive". NBC News. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  40. ^ Hume, Tim. "Falluja offensive: Iraqi troops retake key town of Karma from ISIS". CNN.com. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
  41. ^ Salim, Mustafa. "Iraqi military claims advances in Islamic State-held Fallujah". The Washington Post. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
  42. ^ Ryan, Missy (14 December 2012). "Mixed Iraqi force prepares for push into militant stronghold of Fallujah". The Washington Post. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
  43. ^ "خبرگزاری تسنیم - " حاج قربان نجفی" به جمع شهدای مدافع حرم استان گلستان پیوست".
  44. ^ Agence France-Presse. "Iraqi forces prepare to retake Fallujah". RTE.ie. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  45. ^ Adel, Loaa (29 May 2016). "Baghdad Operations foils ISIS attempt to break security cordon in northern Fallujah - Iraqi News". Iraq news, the latest Iraq news by Iraqi News. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  46. ^ Sarhan, Amre (29 May 2016). "Iraqi security forces retake vital bridge north of Fallujah - Iraqi News". Iraq news, the latest Iraq news by Iraqi News. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  47. ^ CNN, Euan McKirdy and Joshua Berlinger. "ISIS fights Iraqi forces near Falluja, military says". {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  48. ^ "Iraqi Army Advances Into Islamic State Stronghold of Fallujah As Suicide Attacks Rock Baghdad - VICE News".
  49. ^ "Iraqi forces intensify assault against ISIL in Fallujah".
  50. ^ Times, Los Angeles. "Iraqi troops drive into Fallouja in offensive to retake it from Islamic State".
  51. ^ "Report: Iraqi forces in Fallujah repel ISIL attack". 31 May 2016.
  52. ^ "Report: Fallujah fight stalled by fierce fighting civilian concerns". 1 June 2016.
  53. ^ "Iraq: ISIL Transferring Huge Amount of Jewelries from Fallujah to Mosul". 31 May 2016.
  54. ^ Fallujah Operations announces killing 50 ISIS members south of Fallujah, Iraqinews.com
  55. ^ 12 ISIS fighters killed in airstrike in western Fallujah, Iraqinews.com
  56. ^ "Iraq forces inch into Fallujah: commanders". 3 June 2016.
  57. ^ "Anti-ISIS forces defeat militants in battle for Falluja". 5 June 2016. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
  58. ^ "Over 70 isis terrorists killed during al-saqlawiyah liberation". 4 June 2016. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
  59. ^ Iraqi forces secure southern edge of Fallujah
  60. ^ Iraqi civilians drown fleeing Fallujah as city nearly encircled
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