Iraqi army shells Falluja

2014-01-25 1

ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION)

Iraqi army units continued to bombard the contested city of Falluja for the third day in a row on Friday (January 24), leaving at least five people killed and 32 others wounded.

Hundreds of militants linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) have been holding out in the city in Anbar province, after sweeping in to try to take control at the beginning of the year.

On Friday smoke was seen billowing up into the Falluja skyline after another mortar attack.

ISIL, an al Qaeda offshoot also on the frontlines of Syria's civil war, overran Falluja with help from other Sunni Muslim groups on Jan. 1.

The shelling started on Wednesday (January 22) and came hours after Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki announced that it was time to clear al Qaeda-linked militants out of the rebel-held city.

Iraqi troops and security forces have set up a loose cordon around the city, 50 km (31 miles) west of Baghdad, and have cl