Iraqi security forces began an operation on May 29, 2016, to retake the city of Fallujah from Islamic State extremists, military leaders said. Families escaping the fighting said Islamic State was forcing them out of their homes and moving them from house to house in the crossfire.
Families Flee Fallujah War Zone
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Mohammed (9, sitting up) told NRC, "My feet were very painful and tired after having to run all night." Ishwaq, her husband and their three children, all under the age of 12, managed to escape Fallujah on May 23, 2016. They ran during the night for three hours before arriving at the border checkpoint where they raised white flags made of cloths so they wouldn't be shot at.
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NRC is present in Al Iraq camp in Amiriyat Al- Fallujah in Anbar province, providing newly displaced families from Anbar and Fallujah with water, food and hygiene kits.
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Shi'ite fighters with Iraqi security forces fire artillery during clashes with Islamic State militants near Falluja, Iraq, May 29, 2016.
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Yasmin is Yousra's sister. “She is so tired that she can only cry,” says her mother. She arrived with her parents and siblings in Al Fallujah camp in Ameriyat Al Fallujah during the early morning hours. Neighbors had cooked them this food.