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Iraq's Abadi: 'Small Pockets' Of IS Fighters Remain In Fallujah


Iraqi government forces have been backed by air strikes in their efforts to retake Fallujah from Islamic State.
Iraqi government forces have been backed by air strikes in their efforts to retake Fallujah from Islamic State.

Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi says Iraqi security forces have retaken most of Fallujah from the extremist Islamic State (IS) group.

"Our security forces control the city except for small pockets that need to be cleared within the coming hours," Abadi said on June 17.

Meanwhile, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said "there's still some fighting to be done" to retake the whole city.

Iraqi government forces earlier said they had seized Fallujah's main government building after intense fighting with IS militants and with air support from the U.S.-led coalition and the Iraqi Air Force.

Tens of thousands of civilians have been forced from their homes since the start of the one-month-long operation to recapture Fallujah.

The city, located 50 kilometers west of Baghdad, has been under IS control since mid-2014.

Based on reporting by AFP, AP, and Reuters

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