Defense chief hails liberation of Fallujah

Defense Secretary Ash Carter congratulated Iraq on Monday for retaking Fallujah from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

“I congratulate Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and the Iraqi people for their progress in freeing the city of Fallujah from the grip of ISIL,” he said in a written statement, using an alternate acronym for ISIS.

{mosads}The Iraqis declared Sunday that Fallujah was fully liberated from ISIS after a five-week military operation. ISIS had largely been driven out of the city by the previous weekend, but Sunday’s declaration came after Iraqi forces cleared ISIS from the northwestern neighborhood of al-Julan.

Iraqi forces were backed up by U.S. airpower in retaking the city.

“The United States military and our coalition partners are proud to have supported the Iraqi Security Forces under the prime minister’s command in this important operation, which is another milestone in our joint efforts to accelerate ISIL’s defeat, and to continue supporting our Iraqi partners moving forward,” Carter said.

Fallujah was the first city to fall to ISIS in January 2014 as it began its sweep across the country. The city is about 40 miles west of Baghdad.

The city is also of significance to American troops as the site of bloody battles in 2004 that killed more than 100 U.S. troops fighting insurgents from house to house.

Retaking the city has prompted a humanitarian crisis, as thousands of civilians fled their homes during the fighting and are now living in refugee camps outside the city.

The United Nations estimates that about 85,000 civilians fled the city.

Caring for the displaced residents of Fallujah and rebuilding the city so they can go home is a “vital task” that remains ahead, Carter said.

There has also been concern and allegations that militias who helped retake the city known as Popular Mobilization Forces, which are Shiite, have been abusing fleeing civilians, who are predominately Sunni.

In his statement, Carter said it is “essential to complete the investigations the government of Iraq has launched to address alleged abuses of civilians.”

In celebrating the victory, Abadi vowed that his country’s flag would next fly above Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, which has been under ISIS control since June 2014.

In his statement, Carter hinted at that work ahead and acknowledged much is to be done before ISIS can be defeated.

“The operation in Fallujah has been a significant challenge for the [Iraqi Security Forces] and for the coalition. It will not be the last,” he said. “Despite the hard work still to do, the clearing of Fallujah will make the people of Iraq safer and bring us all one step closer to dealing ISIL a lasting defeat.”