Iraqi forces capture dam outside of Fallujah

Published June 15th, 2016 - 08:30 GMT
Iraqis who fled fighting between government forces and Daesh in Fallujah fill jerrycans with water at a camp for displaced people in Amriyat al-Fallujah on June 14, 2016. (AFP/Sabah Arar)
Iraqis who fled fighting between government forces and Daesh in Fallujah fill jerrycans with water at a camp for displaced people in Amriyat al-Fallujah on June 14, 2016. (AFP/Sabah Arar)

Iraqi forces on Tuesday captured the Fallujah dam, which was taken by Daesh in early 2014, a high-ranking Iraqi police official confirmed.

Federal Police Captain Raed Shakir Jawdat told Anadolu Agency that Iraqi army troops and volunteer fighters had retaken the strategic water facility from Daesh militants following bloody clashes.

Iraqi forces have also seized control of several villages on the outskirts of Fallujah, the largest city in Iraq’s western Anbar province, Jawdat added.

The Iraqi army operation to "liberate" Fallujah first began on May 23.

Located along the Euphrates River about 30 miles west of Baghdad, Fallujah is believed to be home to some 90,000 residents.

Iraq has suffered from a security vacuum since mid-2014, when Daesh suddenly seized Mosul and overran large swathes of territory in the northern and western parts of the country.

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