HAWIJA, IRAQ — Iraqi forces said Thursday they had retaken the city center of Hawija, one of the last major ISIS strongholds in Iraq.
It was not immediately clear how much of Hawija remained under ISIS control. Operations were continuing, Lt. Gen. Abdul Amir Rasheed Yarallah, commander of the Iraqi Joint Forces, said in a statement.
The offensive began on September 21.
On Tuesday, United Nations Humanitarian Office spokesman Jens Laerke said up to 78,000 civilians could be trapped by ISIS in the northern Iraqi city. Laerke said at least 12,500 people had fled the fighting.
ISIS has been losing ground in Iraq since US-backed Iraqi forces captured the group’s stronghold of Mosul in July after an intense nine-month battle.
In August, ISIS was driven out of Tal Afar, a northwestern town captured by the terror group in June 2014.
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