Thousands flee Fallujah ‘ghost town’ amid unrest
Thousands of people are fleeing the Iraqi city of Fallujah, which has been occupied by fighters from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. “It has turned into a ghost town,” a local resident says.
According to local residents, power supply facilities of nearly half of the city have been damaged in the conflict. Only a few stores opened for business on Monday, and local residents will have to face a harsh winter as gas supply is also far from enough.
“Fallujah’s closed all schools, colleges, offices. Hospital is OK. The markets, shops, seventy percent are closed . But today I saw some shops, some supermarkets are open. Gasoline we don’t have.
“When I went to the market today, I bought some fruits like apple, orange, banana, and we usually have two meals every day,” said Mohammed, one resident still living in Fallujah.
Watch: Lindsey Hilsum on the battle for Fallujah
Mohammed said ISIS members have set fire to five police stations. He also said he saw neither security forces nor ISIS members when he went on the street on Monday. The city has become a ghost city, he added.
According to one nurse, a local resident, 25 civilians lost their lives and 177 others were injured in the conflicts between government forces and ISIS during the past week.
The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant is a jihadist group active in Iraq and Syria.
