Iraqi Leader Announces Offensive on ISIS-Controlled City of Falluja
Iraqi forces have begun an assault on Falluja, a city that has been held by the Islamic State longer than any other in Iraq or Syria, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said in a televised speech on Monday. “Today, we will tear down the black flags of the strangers who have kidnapped this city,” Mr. Abadi […]Falih Hassan and Tim Arango write for The New York Times:
Iraqi forces have begun an assault on Falluja, a city that has been held by the Islamic State longer than any other in Iraq or Syria, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said in a televised speech on Monday.
“Today, we will tear down the black flags of the strangers who have kidnapped this city,” Mr. Abadi said, referring to the flags of the Islamic State that have been flying in Falluja for more than two years, in a speech just after midnight, alongside military commanders.
By daybreak, it did not appear that forces had begun entering the city, but only that mortar and artillery rounds were being fired on the city from afar. That had been the case for months, as army units and Shiite militias, many of which operate outside the control of the Iraqi government and answer to Iran, lay siege to the city.
Mr. Abadi and other Iraqi leaders have frequently made bold statements heralding new military offensives, only for the efforts to stall on the ground.
