Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced on Sunday that Iraqi forces have fully recaptured the city of Fallujah from Daesh militants. Located about an hour west of Baghdad, Fallujah was the first major city in Iraq to fall to Daesh as early as January 2014.
Fallujah retains historical significance one of the strongest backers of Saddam Hussein’s Baathist regime. In return, many of its residents were well-placed officials in the Baathist army, and Fallujah put up extreme resistance during the American invasion. It was an al-Qaeda base for part of 2004.
Iraqi forces, unlike drawn-out American efforts in 2004 that have been compared to campaigns of the Vietnam War, advanced fairly rapidly through the city. “As we promised you, today this flag is flying high in Falluja and, God willing, it will soon fly in Mosul,” stated al-Abadi, referring to ongoing efforts to retake Iraq’s second largest city.
The U.S.-led coalition provided air and intelligence support to the government troops, with Shi’i militias also taking part in the offensive.