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30 civilians dead as Daesh militants attack tribes in western Iraq

Friday, 10 June 2016 6:07 PM [ Last Update: Friday, 10 June 2016 6:18 PM ]

This file photo shows members of the Takfiri Daesh militant group in an undisclosed location in Iraq.

At least 30 civilians have lost their lives when Takfiri Daesh terrorists launched an attack against members of two tribes fleeing the city of Fallujah in Iraq’s strife-stricken western province of al-Anbar.

The Iraqi Joint Operations Command, in a statement released on Friday, announced that Daesh extremists opened fire on members of Albu Saleh and Albu Hatam tribes west of Fallujah, located roughly 69 kilometers (43 miles) west of the capital, Baghdad, earlier in the day as they were heading toward the city of al-Amiriyah, which lies about 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) south of Fallujah.

The statement added that there were women and children among those massacred, noting that the bodies of the victims lay unattended at the site of the horrendous act of violence.

Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq, Lise Grande, said on Wednesday that up to 90,000 civilians are believed to be trapped in the besieged Iraqi city of Fallujah.

"We have underestimated how many civilians are in Fallujah," Grande said, adding, "People who are coming out are giving us the strong impression that we could be talking about maybe 80,000 to 90,000 civilians that are inside."

This file photo shows Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq, Lise Grande, at Baharka IDP camp in northern Iraq.

She further warned that if Fallujah is not liberated from the grip of Daesh “quickly,” those holed up there could face a "harrowing situation” as the city has been under siege for about six months, with no supplies getting in.

The UN humanitarian coordinator in Iraq further noted that more than 20,000 people have managed to flee Fallujah in extremely difficult conditions.

"A number of them unfortunately didn't make it. We know that more than 10 people have drowned when they tried to cross the river," she said, referring to cases with families having lost their children while fleeing the embattled city.

Daesh overran Fallujah in January 2014, six month before the terror group proceeded with its offensive, taking more areas in Iraq.

On May 23, the Iraqi military started a large-scale push to drive out the militants from Fallujah, located nearly 70 kilometers west of the capital.

The northern and western parts of Iraq have been plagued by gruesome violence ever since Daesh terrorists mounted an offensive in the country in June 2014.

The militants have been committing vicious crimes against all ethnic and religious communities in Iraq, including Shias, Sunnis, Kurds, Christians and others.

The Iraqi army together with fighters from the Popular Mobilization units has been engaged in operations to liberate militant-held regions.

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