WASHINGTON –
Defense Secretary Ash Carter today congratulated Prime
Minister Haider al-Abadi and the Iraqi people for freeing the city of Fallujah
from the grip of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
The operation in Fallujah was a significant challenge for
the Iraqi security forces and for the multinational coalition, and it won’t be
the last, the secretary said in a statement.
“The United States military and our coalition partners are
proud to have supported the Iraqi security forces under the prime minister's
command in this important operation,” Carter said, calling the operation
“another milestone in our joint efforts to accelerate ISIL's defeat and to
continue supporting our Iraqi partners moving forward.”
Hard fighting is ahead, the secretary added, as is the vital
task of caring for the residents of Fallujah displaced by ISIL's violence and
beginning to rebuild the city so they can safely return.
Fallujah Victory
Carter said it’s also essential to complete the
investigations launched by the Iraqi government to address alleged abuses of
civilians.
"Despite the hard work still to do," he added,
"the clearing of Fallujah will make the people of Iraq safer and bring us
all one step closer to dealing ISIL a lasting defeat."
Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis told reporters here
today that the coalition continues to provide support through strikes,
intelligence, advice and assistance to Iraqi government fighters operating in
Fallujah and will continue to do so as the Iraqi forces switch from taking the
city to beginning clearing operations.
“The fighting to get into Fallujah was fierce,” Davis told
Pentagon reporters, “particularly as they broke through some of the defensive
belts on the southern side and the Iraqi security forces have worked their way
through the city and … rapidly took control of it.”
Thwarting ISIL’s Goals
Since the ground operation began May 21, coalition forces
have conducted more than 100 airstrikes in support of local ground forces under
the command of the government of Iraq, Davis said. “Those strikes destroyed key
ISIL targets, including tactical units, fighting positions, heavy and light
machine guns [and] rocket-propelled grenade systems, and they also denied
access to key terrain for ISIL,” he added.
After Iraqi security forces victories in Rutba, Hit and
Ramadi this year, Fallujah was the last major stronghold for ISIL in Anbar
province, Davis said. “With its large population centers, infrastructure and
key road networks, the loss of Fallujah will further deny ISIL access to a
province that's critically important to its overall goals,” he told reporters.
“It also significantly helps the security situation in Baghdad, as Fallujah was
the closest ISIL-held territory to Baghdad.”
Further north, in the Euphrates River Valley between Hit and
Haditha, Davis said, Iraqi forces continue clearing villages along the north
side of the river and have opened critical roads that connect the region to
Baghdad. As Iraqi forces clear those areas, he added, local forces are serving
as hold forces to secure and safeguard the area.
Fighting to Liberate Manbij
ISIL has had no strategic victories for more than a year and
has lost significant territory over and over again, Davis noted, listing
Fallujah, Ramadi, Rutba, Hit, Synjar and Beiji in Iraq, and Hawl, Shadaddi and
the Tishrin Dam in Syria. Though possession of the Syrian city of Manbij is
still a hotly contested battle, Davis said, ISIL will soon lose that city as
well.
Meanwhile, the U.S.-led coalition is “supporting the Iraqi
security forces as they move north from Beiji toward Kayara,” which is on the
road to Mosul up the Tigris River, Davis said, specifically on the west side of
the Euphrates to Kayara west, where there’s a large airfield.
“Kayara is the key pathway to be able to ultimately reach
Mosul, … so they've got to get up that river valley, and they're doing it
quickly. We've seen significant progress just in the last few days,” he added.