The UN’s children’s fund has issued a stark warning to Iraqi troops and Islamic State militants in the battle for Fallujah to spare the children, the most vulnerable among tens of thousands of civilians trapped in the city west of Baghdad.
Iraqi forces backed by US-led airstrikes and mainly Shiite militias launched an operation more than a week ago to recapture Fallujah, which has been held by the extremist group for more than two years.
Iraqi children who fled with their family the northern province of Nineveh following the advance of jihadists of the Islamic State group, are seen in a refugee camp in al-Hawl located some 14 kilometers from the Iraqi border in Syria’s northeastern Hassakeh province, on May 31, 2016.(AFP/DELIL SOULEIMAN)
More than 50,000 people are believed to be trapped inside the Sunni majority city, about 65 kilometers (40 miles) west of Baghdad. Government forces have imposed a tight blockade on the city and IS militants are reportedly preventing residents from leaving.
UNICEF estimated the number of the children trapped with their families inside the city at about 20,000, warning that they face a dire humanitarian situation, in addition to the risk of forced recruitment by IS.
The organization called on all parties to “protect children inside Fallujah” and “provide safe passage to those wishing to leave the city.”
Iraqi counterterror forces face off with Islamic State militants in the Nuaimiya neighborhood of Fallujah, Iraq, Wednesday, June 1, 2016. (AP/Khalid Mohammed)
Iraqi special forces meanwhile are continuing their push into the city from its southern edge, says Brig. Haider al-Obeidi, who says “fierce” clashes are underway.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi praises the “remarkable advance” by the troops during a visit to the Fallujah Operation Command and vows to “hoist the Iraqi flag inside Fallujah in the coming few days.”
Al-Abadi says IS is using civilians as human shields, and adds the government has called on residents to leave through safe corridors or stay inside their homes.
— AP
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