Iraqi government shells Falluja to force Islamists out

  • 10 years ago
WARNING - STORY CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES

As smoke billows across the Falluja sky, a battle for control rages on.

Iraqi troops are shelling the city to retake it from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, an al Qaeda offshoot that's been fighting in Syria.

The group took control of Falluja on January 1st.

Residents say hundreds of families are fleeing for safe refuge in Kerbala and Kurdistan.

(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) UNIDENTIFIED RESIDENT, SAYING:

"The shelling is causing the displacement of hundreds of families of Falluja. It's not because of the presence of armed men, but because of the random shelling that's causing causalities among the civilians, including women and children. This is the reason that prompted families to flee outside Falluja."

At Falluja's hospitals, first responders are rushing victims to the emergency room.

It's unknown how many civilians have been injured or killed in this most recent shelling.

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