Iraqi security forces say they have seized the southern edge of the city of Fallujah in a push by the government to recapture the stronghold of the extremist Islamic State (IS) group.
Lieutenant General Abdel Wahab al-Saadi said on June 5 that his forces are prepared to enter Fallujah after they secured the Naymiyah neighborhood south of the main city.
Fallujah became the first city in Iraq captured by IS forces when it fell in January 2014.
Iraqi forces, with air support from the U.S.-led coalition and backing from Shi'ite militias, launched the offensive to retake Fallujah two weeks ago but have faced heavy resistance from IS fighters and concerns about the presence of some 50,000 civilians there.
The city is one of the last strongholds in Iraq for IS forces, which also control the country's second-largest city, Mosul.
Al-Saadi added that IS fighters battling elite Iraqi forces on Fallujah's southern edge on June 5 were offering "some resistance" but "a little less than in previous days."
He said that police forces on the northern edge of Fallujah were nearing the train station but had yet to reach the city limits.
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
To find out more, click here.
Editors' Picks
Top Trending
1
Church, Entire Village 'Erased' In Azerbaijan's Recaptured Nagorno-Karabakh
2Armenian Border Residents Protest As Yerevan, Baku Agree On Delimitation
3Navalnaya Warns Of Putin's Willingness To Strike In Europe
4One Winner Of The Ukraine War Is Azerbaijan
5Iranian Commander Announces New Morality Enforcement Body
6Zelenskiy Says U.S. Breakthrough On Military Aid Gives Ukraine A 'Chance For Victory'
7Iran Disputes Reports Of First Delivery Of Russian Su-35 Fighter Jets
8Insta-Nazis: How Claims Of 'Rehabilitating Nazism' Are Molding A Militaristic Society In Putin's Russia
9Swiss Report Big Drop In Frozen Russian Assets
10Live Briefing: Russia Invades Ukraine
Subscribe