Inetivabila bătălie pentru Fallujah
Near Fallujah, Iraq // Iraqi forces battled the ISIL extremist group on Monday in the opening stages of an operation to retake Fallujah – one of the toughest targets yet in Baghdad’s war against the jihadists.
“In the early hours of the morning today, the heroic fighters advanced from different sides” to retake “all the areas occupied by [ISIL] around Fallujah”, Iraqi prime minister Haider Al Abadi announced on Monday.
Mr Al Abadi said the operation was supposed to start earlier, but “political problems and also the events … threatening security inside Baghdad delayed some of the preparations”.
ISIL has increasingly turned to its traditional tactic of killing civilians in bombings as it faces battlefield losses, and spokesman Abu Mohammed Al Adnani appeared to acknowledge in a recent statement that the group would probably lose more ground.
Iraq has been hit by a months-long political crisis that has paralysed the legislature, and demonstrators have twice broken into the fortified Green Zone area, storming parliament and Mr Al Abadi’s office.
ISIL has also carried out a series of deadly attacks in and around Baghdad this month.
Iraqi forces had not yet entered the Anbar province city just 50 kilometres from Baghdad, but a witness near Fallujah said they were advancing as aircraft hit targets inside it.
Interesul general | Ion Petrescu | 
May 24, 2016 07.30
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