NAYMIYAH, Iraq—Iraqi forces secured the southern edge of the Islamic State (ISIS) stronghold of Fallujah on Sunday, two weeks after the launch of an operation to recapture the city, the Iraqi special forces commander overseeing the operation said.
Iraqi special forces, also known as its counterterrorism forces, have secured the largely agricultural southernneighborhood of Naymiyah under cover of U.S.-led coalition airstrikes, Lt. Gen. Abdel Wahab al-Saadi said. Special forces are now poised to enter the main city, al-Saadi said.
The Fallujah operation coincides with a twin offensive on ISIS-strongholds in neighboring Syria. Syrian Kurdish forces are advancing on Manbij, an ISIS-held city controlling the supply route between the Turkish border and the town of Raqqa, the militants’ de facto capital. At the same time, Syrian government troops are advancing on Raqqa from the south.
