TEHRAN (FNA)- A high-ranking Iraqi army commander said government forces, together with fighters from allied Popular Mobilization units, are poised to liberate Fallujah from ISIL within the next few days. "The security forces are advancing towards central Fallujah from the southern side but doing so cautiously, to preserve civilian lives," Lieutenant General Abdelwahab al-Saadi, the commander of Fallujah Liberation Operations said on Tuesday, presstv reported. "In the coming days," he said, "we will declare the liberation of Fallujah" which is located roughly 69 kilometers (43 miles) West of the capital, Baghdad. The Iraqi Joint Operations Command announced in a statement that the astounding number of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) planted by ISIL militants has slowed the progress of army soldiers to push deep into Fallujah. "There are tunnels and between 150 and 200 bombs are defused every 100 meters," the statement read. "Our information is that ISIL has prepared car bombs which they are hiding in homes, with the intention of attacking us when we enter," it added. Meanwhile, at least eight civilians have reportedly died after ISIL extremists forced them to give excessive blood for militants injured during clashes with Iraqi government forces in Fallujah. An Iraqi medical source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said ISIL terrorists have ordered Fallujah residents aged between 16 and 50 to give blood, threatening them with 60 lashes if they don't. The source said that a large number of Fallujah residents are ignoring the call to give blood following the death of the eight civilians. Fallujah was overrun by ISIL in January 2014, and civilians have attempted to flee the city in the face of the terrorist group's atrocities ever since.
