Iraq PM announces start of op to retake Fallujah

BAGHDAD (AA) – Iraq's Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi announced that operations to retake the central Iraqi district of Fallujah from the terrorist group Daesh had started on Monday.

The operations are being carried by a coalition group which include Iraqi forces and the police, and the Shia Muslim armed groups known as Hashid Shaabi.

Al-Abadi said on local television “Here we announce that the Iraqi flag will soon be flying in the sky of Fallujah. We will destroy the flag of Daesh who occupied the land. The victory time has come to liberate Fallujah. There is no way for Daesh except to flee. Security forces have assured secure exits for civilians.”

Fallujah, a district in the Iraqi province of Al Anbar, located roughly 69 kilometers west of Baghdad, has been under Daesh control since 2014.