Iraq: Iraqi forces enter in Fallujah
Iraqi special forces began a ground assault on the city of Fallujah Monday as part of an offensive launched a week ago to seize back the city from Islamic State militants.
Iraqi officials and commanders gave different accounts about the developments. Early Monday, officials said counterterrorism forces advanced into a southern neighborhood inside Fallujah, which would mark their first entrance into the city after days of fighting on the outskirts.
But the commander of the overall operation, Lt. Gen. Abdelwahab al-Saadi, later said the forces weren’t in the city yet and were trying to push through its southern edge.
“We are at the entrance of the city, but not inside yet,” Mr. Saadi said by telephone. “They are resisting,” he said of Islamic State fighters, adding that on Monday the forces had taken the area on the southern outskirts of the city.
Col. Steve Warren, spokesman for a U.S.-led coalition aiding Iraq in the fight against the extremist group, said: “It’s ongoing. Nobody has entered the city yet.”