"The ISIL executed many Fallujah residents who are fed up with the Takfiri terrorist group over the past two weeks," al-Hardan told FNA on Wednesday. He underlined that the psychological pressures exerted on the tribes and citizens in Fallujah is to such an extent that they prefer to die rather than stay under the ISIL's yoke. Al-Hardan reiterated that the people of Fallujah have carried out several retaliatory measures against the ISIL.
In a relevant development on Monday, the ISIL terrorists executed scores of residents of the city of Mosul in Nineveh province on treason charges. A sum of 35 of Mosul residents were shot dead by the ISIL for spying and treason in al-Qazlani military base in the Western part of Mosul on Sunday, the Arabic-language al-Sumeria news website quoted an unnamed Iraqi security source as saying on Monday.
Also on Tuesday, provincial sources announced that the Iraqi army and popular forces were preparing for massive military operations to seize back Fallujah in Anbar province. "The Iraqi forces will raid Fallujah after all civilians leave the city," Anbar provincial official Sheikh Khazir al-Rashed told FNA. He underlined that tribes of Anbar province and Anbar operations commanders have come to an agreement on seizing back the surrounding areas of Fallujah city after they took full control of Ramadi city. "The Iraqi security forces are advancing towards Fallujah city from several directions," Sheikh al-Rashed added.
On Thursday, the Iraqi Army units in collaboration with local forces began operations via three different directions to clear the city of Fallujah from the ISIL. According to FNA, the Iraqi armed forces, in collaboration with the police, Special Forces, and tribal fighters began the operation on February 25. So far, several ISIL members have been killed in the ongoing clashes in the Anbar province city.
Under immense pressure, the ISIL terrorist group has conditioned the exit of Iraqi citizens from Fallujah city without being harmed to paying a large sum of money. "Each citizen of Fallujah has to pay $1,000 in extorted money to ISIL in order to be allowed to safely exit the city," the Arabic-language al-Sumeria news website quoted an informed Iraqi source as saying last month. He noted that paying $1,000 for the residents who have been under the ISIL siege in the central city of Fallujah is very difficult. The ISIL had also earlier used Fallujah residents as human shields by preventing them from leaving the city.
ISIL, for its part, is launching offensives against Iraqi forces near both Ramadi and Fallujah, trying to open up multiple fronts to prevent them from surrounding Fallujah.
Comment: Seeing the excellent job Russia has done in Syria, will it be too long before Iraq makes the same request? ISIL is a band of murderous thugs that must be stopped.