Efforts Underway to Liberate Fallujah, an ISIS-Controlled City

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said late Monday that the 50,000 civilians still in Fallujah are at “great risk” while the Iraqi government tries to retake the city from the Islamic State group.

The United Nations is providing water, shelter and food to those civilians who manage to make it out of the city. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the situation around the city was “very fluid.”

In the ground offensive to take back Fallujah, Iraq’s prime minister said troops have had “big successes.”

“More than what was planned for,” he said.

The plan was to start the offensive two months earlier, but the plan was delayed because of political infighting and security issues.

The concern started after two suicide bombers killed at least 45 people in the city of Aden early Monday morning while a ground offensive to take back Fallujah was launched late Sunday night.

In a separate suicide bombing, more than 20 people were killed Monday in Tartus and Jableh. One suicide bomber and a car bomber attacked a bus station in Tartus, and in Jableh, three rockets were launched also near a bus station.

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the attacks in Tartus and Jableh.

Publication date: May 24, 2016