Iraq stalls fight with ISIS over Fallujah 'to protect civilians'

Iraq has delayed its assault on the city of Fallujah because of fearsfor the safety of civilians, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi saidon Wednesday, as his forces halted at the city's edge in theface of ferocious resistance from ISIS.

Abadi's decision to halt, two days after elite Iraqi troopspoured into the city's rural southern outskirts, postpones whatwas expected to be one of the biggest battles ever foughtagainst Islamic State.

• Why ISIS wants a 'clash of civilizations'
• ISIS paperwork reveals names of 6 Canadians

The government, backed by world powers including the UnitedStates and Iran, has vowed to win back the first major Iraqicity that fell to the group in 2014.

"It would have been possible to end the battle quickly ifprotecting civilians wasn't among our priorities," Abadi toldmilitary commanders at the operations room near the front line infootage broadcast on state television. "Thank God, our unitsare at the outskirts of Fallujah and victory is within reach."

Fallujahhas been a bastion of the Sunni insurgency thatfought both the U.S. occupation of Iraq and the Shia-ledBaghdad government. ISIS fighters raised their flagthere in 2014 before sweeping through much of Iraq's north andwest.

Abadi first announced plans to assault Fallujah 10 days ago.But with 50,000 civilians still believed trapped inside thecity, the United Nations has warned that militants are holdinghundreds of families in the centre as human shields.

Closest bastion toBaghdad

After heavy resistance from ISIS fighters, thetroops have not moved over the past 48 hours, keeping theirpositions in Fallujah's mainly rural southern suburb of Naimiya,according to a Reuters TV crew reporting from the area.

Explosions from shelling and airstrikes as well as heavygunfire could be heard on Wednesday morning in the city thatlies 50 kilometres west of Baghdad.

Fallujah is the second-largest Iraqi city still under controlof the Sunni militants, after Mosul, their de facto capital inthe north that had a pre-war population of about twomillion.

• Fighting nearFallujahcreates 'dire situation'
• Syrian troops drive ISIS out of historicPalmyra, military says

Abadi's initial decision to assault Fallujah appears to havegone against the plans of his U.S. allies, who would prefer thegovernment concentrate on Mosul, rather than risk getting boggeddown in a potentially drawn-out fight for a smaller, potentiallyhostile Sunni Muslim stronghold like Fallujah.

"You do not need Fallujah in order to get Mosul," a spokesmanfor a U.S.-led anti-ISIS coalition, U.S. Army Colonel SteveWarren, said in a phone interview ten days ago when thegovernment first announced its plans to recapture the city.

However, Fallujah is Islamic State's closest bastion toBaghdad, believed to be the base from which militants havestaged a campaign of suicide bombings in the capital that hasincreased pressure on Abadi to act to improve security.

Calls for unity

Abadi, a member of Iraq's Shia majority, is trying tohold a ruling coalition together in the face of public protestsagainst an entrenched political class. He has called forpoliticians to set aside differences and rally behind the armyduring the Fallujah offensive.

Fallujah would be the third major city in Iraq recaptured bythe government after former dictator Saddam Hussein's home townTikrit and Ramadi, the capital of Iraq's vast western Anbarprovince. Fallujah lies in Anbar on the highway from Baghdad toRamadi, and capturing it would give the government control ofthe main population centres of the fertile Euphrates Rivervalley west of the capital for the first time in two years.

The United States is leading a coalition conducting airstrikes in support of the Iraqi government offensive, and saysit is having success in rolling back ISIS both in Iraqand in Syria.

Shiamilitia groups backed by Iran are also taking partin the offensive against ISIS,but say they are holdingback from participating in the main assault on Fallujah to avoidinflaming sectarian tension.

Civilians trapped inside

Although most of Fallujah's population is believed to havefled during six months of siege, 50,000 people are still thoughtto be trapped inside with limited access to food, water orhealthcare. The United Nations' children's agency on Wednesdaysaid at least 20,000 children remain in Fallujah.

"We are concerned over the protection of children in theface of extreme violence," UNICEF Representative in Iraq PeterHawkins said in a statement.

"Children face the risk of forced recruitment into the fighting" inside the besieged city, and "separation from their families" if they manage to leave, he added.

The World Food Programme said the humanitarian situation inthe city was worsening as family food stocks were depleting,pushing prices to a level few can afford.

"The city is inaccessible for assistance and marketdistribution systems remain offline," the WFP said. "The onlyfood available does not come from the markets, but from thestocks that some families still have in their homes."

• Thousands of children at risk inFallujah, UNICEF says
• Iraqi forces reach southern edge ofFallujahin fierce fight with ISIS