Iraqi forces bombard ISIS-held Falluja
NEWS CENTER (DİHA) - Iraqi warplanes and artillery have bombarded Falluja, Iraq, and the surrounding villages for three days.
Sunday marked the heaviest day of attacks, witnesses said, as warplanes bombed a market area, the al-Dahi mosque, a building used as a warehouse and two other locations, killing at least 14 people and wounding 26 others. At least 31 people were killed and more than 82 wounded in the three days of ground and air assaults on Falluja, according to the two witnesses and a medical source in the city.
The dead and wounded included women and children, the sources said. ISIS posted videos of what it said were warplanes flying over Falluja, along with footage of the damaged markets and still images of the damaged mosque and several hospitalized victims of the attacks. ISIS claims women and children are among the dead and wounded.
The Iraqi army, backed by paramilitary forces and the country's air force, carried out operations in Karma, northeast of Falluja, and other nearby villages. The operations destroyed eight suicide car bombs belonging to ISIS, the officials said, adding that the Iraqi Security Forces will continue fighting in the area until they defeat ISIS.
The Iraqi Ministry of Defense released a video showing military movements in Salaheddin province's Syed Ghraib, which the military says is newly liberated. The town is located just northwest of Dujail, about 70 kilometers (45 miles) north of Baghdad.
Last week, the Iraqi military launched a major operation to liberate Anbar province, where Falluja is located, and the adjacent Salaheddin province, which lie to the west and northwest of Baghdad, respectively.
The Iraqi military announced the operation about a week after the militant group overran Anbar's provincial capital, Ramadi. Iraqi soldiers and security forces are fighting alongside a key Shia militia group, Hashd al-Shaabi, as they seek to push back the Sunni extremist militants.
(nt)
