Despite the Iraqi army's supposed recapture of the city, a mass exodus has taken aid workers by surprise.
Since the Iraqi army's push to retake the city of Fallujah from ISIS began, more than 60,000 people have been forced to flee their homes, straining an already taxed humanitarian system.
Haidar Mohammed Ali / AFP / Getty Images
Fallujah first fell into the hands of ISIS in January 2014, the group's first major victory in a run that would leave them controlling large swaths of Iraq.
Home to some of the most intense fighting between insurgents and the U.S. in the aftermath of the 2003 invasion, Fallujah's Sunni majority population made it an important first target for ISIS. The Iraqi military and allied militias began a campaign to retake the city in May, with the U.S. providing airstrikes in support.
Haidar Mohammed Ali / AFP / Getty Images
Four days ago, the Iraqi government declared mission accomplished in the attempt to seize control of the city, flying the federal flag over a municipal building.
However, the U.S. poured cold water over that statement on Tuesday, saying the Iraqi government controlled, at best, one-third of the Sunni majority city.
"The rest of the city remains contested and we will continue to support the government of Iraq in eliminating ISIL from Fallujah," Defense Department spokesman Matthew Allen said, adding that the effort "has been and will continue to be a difficult fight."
Hadi Mizban / AP
Despite the liberation campaign, things have only gotten worse for Fallujah's residents in recent weeks. According to the United Nations, 60,000 people escaped the city over a period of just three days last week.
All told, the UN High Commission for Refugees estimates that more that 85,000 people have evacuated Fallujah since military operations began in May. And the recent influx of internally displaced peoples (IDPs) means that "$17.5 million is urgently needed to meet their immediate needs."
Haidar Mohammed Ali / AFP / Getty Images
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