“The city of Fallujah has returned under the control of the Iraqi armed forces, which include the federal police forces and soldiers of the “People's Militia” (Al-Sha'ab Hashd). In military terms, the city is completely released as Iraqi forces are present in all major districts,” Baldavi told Sputnik.
He added that everyone knows that the city of Fallujah has lots of large tunnels, alleys and other places where there can be resistance.
“Right now there is an ongoing operation to clean up the last strongholds of the extremist group. There is a continuous search for Daesh terrorists in tunnels, buildings and other secret locations.”
Baldavi further said that they have released a lot of hostages, “among them dozens of Yazidis, Christians from Mosul and possibly Syrian women.”
The head of the center also explained that the operation north of the province of Salah al-Din (on the border with Nineveh province, near Mosul) has some distinct quality about it, since the operation there is not occurring at the initiative of the Iraqi government and the Ministry of Defense of the country, which seemingly wants to liberate the military airfield Qayyarah Airfield West.
“We have received information that this action is taking place at the initiative of the United States, as US forces want to assign this base to themselves in the future and make it a place of basing their aircraft,” Baldavi concluded.
