Iraqi forces intensify assault against ISIL in Fallujah
Iraqi special forces have launched an assault on one of ISIL group's strongholds, Fallujah, facing stiff resistance with the group launching suicide attacks; Aljazeera reported.
"Iraqi forces entered Fallujah under air cover from the international coalition, the Iraqi air force and army aviation, and supported by artillery and tanks," said Lieutenant-General Abdelwahab al-Saadi, the commander of the operation.
There are between 400 and 1,000 ISIL fighters stationed inside the city - including its most experienced.
In the early hours of Monday morning, Iraqi forces began efforts to advance from three fronts - mainly from the south and northeast. Fighting is going to be tough for both sides.
We understand that there is heavy air power provided by the US-led coalition and the Iraqi air force.
Fallujah is very symbolic for the government. It's very close to the capital, Baghdad, which can be reached in a 30-minute drive.
Fallujah was the first Iraqi city to fall to ISIL in 2014. It was also the main Sunni city that fought against the Americans when they occupied it in 2003.
"CTS [Counter Terrorism Service], the Anbar police and the Iraqi army, at around 4am [01:00 GMT], started moving into Fallujah from three directions," he said.
"There is resistance from Daesh," he added, using an Arabic acronym for ISIL.
Al Jazeera's Omar Al Saleh, reporting from Erbil, cited military sources saying that at least 10 Iraqi security forces and members of allied Shia militias were killed in the early hours of the offensive, while 25 more were injured.
Also on Monday in Ramadi, which is less than 100km from Fallujah, Iraqi police said at least 15 special force soldiers were killed in an ISIL attack.
Meanwhile, at least nine people were killed and 26 were wounded in bombings north and northeast of the capital, Baghdad.
Fighting on Monday followed battles a day earlier, adding to the exodus of thousands of desperate civilians from the surrounding areas and deep concern for the many more trapped in the battlegrounds.
The week-old operation to capture Fallujah has so far focused on retaking villages and rural areas close to the central city, which lies just 50km west of Baghdad.
CTS's involvement will mark the start of a phase of urban combat in a Sunni city where US forces in 2004 fought some of their toughest battles since the Vietnam War.
Only a few hundred families have managed to slip out of the Fallujah area, with an estimated 50,000 people still trapped inside the city proper.
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