City ‘fully liberated’ from Islamic State after month-long battle

A senior Iraqi commander has declared that the city of Fallujah is “fully liberated” from Islamic State group militants, after a military operation lasting over a month.

Iraqi troops have entered the north-western al-Julan neighbourhood, the last area of Fallujah to remain under IS control, said the head of the counterterrorism forces in the operation, Lieutenant General Abdul-Wahab al-Saadi.

Lt Gen al-Saadi said the operation, which began in late May, “is done and the city is fully liberated”. The Iraqi army was backed by US-led coalition airstrikes and paramilitary troops, mostly Shiite militias.