Iraq: Military of ISIL 11,000–14,500 fighters Major insurgent attacks Foreign interventions IS genocide of minorities IS war crimes Timeline The Third Battle of Fallujah,[23][24][25] code-named Operation Breaking Terrorism (Arabic: عملية كسر الإرهاب) by the Iraqi government, was a military operation against ISIL launched to capture the city of Fallujah and its suburbs, located about 69 kilometres (43 mi) west of Baghdad, the capital of Iraq.

[36] On the first day of the offensive 11 further villages and districts near Fallujah were recaptured, which forced ISIL fighters to retreat to the interior of the strategically important city.

[43] According to Qasm Araji, a member of the defense committee, the advancing forces are continuously gaining ground and "nearing Fallujah's Eastern gate.

[53] The Iraqi Army's advance into Fallujah stalled on Wednesday, 1 June, due to fierce resistance from ISIL fighters and concerns over protecting tens of thousands of civilians still trapped inside the strategic city, officials said.

[55] The Fars News Agency reported that, due to the offensive, ISIL commanders had moved cash and jewelry worth US$8 million from Fallujah to the more secure region of Mosul.

[57] In addition, 12 ISIL militants were killed and four vehicles and a mortar detachment destroyed by international coalition aviation in the area of Falahat west of Fallujah.

"The security forces have advanced from Naimiya neighbourhood to Shuhada," Lieutenant General Abdel Wahab al-Saadi, the operation's overall commander, told AFP.

[59] On the same day, Shi'ite militias uncovered a 6-kilometer-long (4 mi) tunnel in Saqlawiyah, linking the town to Fallujah, which had been used by ISIL militants to stall the offensive and evade airstrikes.

A leader of the Popular Mobilization Units said that part of the western bank was the only area of Fallujah's outskirts that hadn't been secured by pro-government forces.

[66] On 10 June, Iraq's elite counter-terrorism service reportedly moved within three kilometers of central Fallujah, and consolidated positions in the south of the city.

[69] On 12 June, the Iraqi Army said that it had secured the first safe exit route for civilians to leave the Islamic State's besieged stronghold of Fallujah, and the aid group Norwegian Refugee Council said thousands of people had already used it to flee on the first day it was open.

The new exit route, known as al-Salam (Peace) Junction, was secured on Saturday, southwest of Fallujah, Joint Operation Command spokesman Brigadier Gen. Yahya Rasool told Reuters.

[72] On the same day, Lt. Gen. Raed Shaker Jawdat of Iraqi Federal Police said that ISIL militants had begun a "mass escape" from the city to areas of Halabisa and Albu Alwan west of Fallujah.

[73] On the same day, Iraqi army started advancing from Fallahat vicinity to those areas in the western axis of Fallujah, killing 20 ISIL members and opening three routes for the passage of tanks and armored vehicles.

The capture of the districts left only the neighborhoods of Golan and Jughaifi as well as the outlying part of Fallujah on the western bank of the Euphrates river under ISIL control.

Gen. Haider al-Obeidi told the Associated Press that 2,500 militants had been killed during the operation and the districts of Shurta and Jughaifi were captured by Iraqi forces by 22 June.

[26][27][28][29][30] A Joint Operations Command spokesperson confirmed the full capture of the city and added that fighting was ongoing against pockets of ISIL resistance northwest of Fallujah.

Backed by airstrikes from the U.S.-led Coalition, Iraqi artillery bombarded targets, as troops closed in on up to 150 militants in areas along the southern bank of the Euphrates River Colonel Ahmed al-Saidi, who participated in Monday’s advance, said ground forces were moving cautiously to avoid triggering roadside bombs planted by ISIL.

[91] Later on the same day, the Iraqi Army captured the Halabisa and Albu Alwan areas, fully recapturing Fallujah's western suburbs.

[92] Later that day, the U.S. Air Force conducted airstrikes against retreating ISIL convoys on the outskirts of Fallujah, killing at least 250 militants and destroying 40 vehicles.

These violations, which included extrajudicial killings, torture, and the use of human shields, caused significant civilian suffering and raised concerns about adherence to international humanitarian law.

Reports documented instances where Sunni civilians, fleeing ISIL-held areas, were subjected to beatings, mistreatment, and, in some cases, execution without trial.

[95] Sunni men and boys were reportedly detained en masse during the operation, with hundreds disappearing after being taken into custody by Iraqi forces and allied militias.

Iraqi state forces were accused of conducting airstrikes and artillery shelling in civilian areas of Fallujah, resulting in non-combatant casualties.

[95]ISIL deployed improvised explosive devices (IEDs), mortar fire, and snipers in civilian areas, causing casualties among residents and displaced persons.

Civilians trapped in the city faced starvation and a lack of access to medical care due to ISIL-imposed blockades and the ongoing conflict.

[100] The Federal Police Command announced dismantling a large laboratory for booby-trapped vehicles and manufacturing of explosives in central Fallujah.

The Federal Police Chief Lieutenant General Raed Shaker Jawdat said, "Today the security forces discovered a large laboratory for booby-trapped vehicles and explosives' manufacturing at Nezal in central Fallujah during the search operations carried out in the liberated areas.