66 Killed in Iraq; Forces Claim Victory in Garma
In Fallujah, fighting has subsided
in order to clear booby-traps laid out by Islamic State militants. Shelling,
however, continues.
The United Nations has asked
both sides to allow civilians to leave the city, but it is unlikely that the
militants will want to give up their human shields.
Most of nearby Garma was cleared
of militants on Monday. Some pockets of resistance remain on the outskirts of
town, but the operation was successful enough to safely begin bomb-dismantling
operations in the town. The highway to Baghdad was also reopened
to traffic. Garma lies east of Falluja, not far from Baghdad’s western suburbs
and was likely a launching point for attacks on the capital.
At least 66 people were killed and 13 were wounded:
Militants executed
12 people in Mosul.
In Baghdad, a bomb killed
two people and wounded six more.
One
person was killed and seven were wounded in a Mahmoudiya bombing.
In Lahib, 13
militants were killed during its recapture.
Peshmerga forces killed
12 militants at the Makhmour front lines.
Ten
militants were killed during the liberation of Abbasian, Albu
Awda and Haswahm.
Airstrikes killed
eight militants at a weapons factory in Falluja.
In Garma, six
militants were killed. A female
sniper was also killed.
A militant
leader was killed in Dawaya.