(New York Times) Tim Arango - Iraqi forces entered central areas of Falluja on Friday and raised the Iraqi flag over the main government building after weeks of battling the Islamic State. ISIS forces abandoned their dug-in positions and regrouped in western neighborhoods of Falluja, allowing thousands of civilians to flee beginning on Thursday, though the battle appeared far from over. Col. Christopher C. Garver, an American military spokesman in Baghdad, said coalition airstrikes on Friday aided the taking of the government building in Falluja. A major population center just 40 miles west of Baghdad, Falluja has been in the hands of the Islamic State since the end of 2013.
2016-06-20 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive