The United Nations has warned that fighting against Islamic State in Iraq could force up to 2.3 million people from their homes this year, as the battle for Falluja grinds on days after Baghdad officially declared victory.



A loose alliance of government forces, local fighters and Shia militias, backed by airpower from the US-led coalition, has managed to push back Isis militants from large parts of the city in recent weeks.

The allies plan to continue across the country and eventually move against the Isis stronghold of Mosul, the largest urban centre held by the militants. But slow progress through Falluja, after the initial collapse of Isis defences, has underlined how tough the fight may be.

Meanwhile, as fears grow for tens of thousands of civilians who are living in desperate conditions after risking their lives to escape Falluja, aid organisations say far more needs to be done to support those displaced by the fighting.

Iraqi counter-terrorism forces seen through the window of a military vehicle in Falluja. Photograph: Thaier Al-Sudani/Reuters

The Iraqi prime minister, Haider al-Abadi, declared victory in Falluja on Friday after government forces swept into the city, which lies just 40 miles west of Baghdad.

The speed of their initial advance surprised many who had expected a protracted battle for a city that was the first major Iraqi urban centre to come under Isis control, and has symbolic status for insurgents as the site of some of the most vicious fighting during the US occupation.

But although an Isis defensive ring around the city crumbled, large numbers of fighters bedded down in residential parts of the city. Only a third of Falluja has been cleared, the US-led coalition said on Tuesday.

Pockets of insurgents are holding out in densely populated residential areas in the north and west of the city, as the offensive enters its second month.

Displaced people wait for security checks from tribal fighters at a camp near Falluja. Photograph: Ahmed Saad/Reuters

The last major battle against Isis was for Ramadi, a city that had largely been deserted by its civilian population, but as government forces closed in on Falluja there were still thousands of families living there. Thousands fled, despite threats from Isis to kill anyone caught trying to leave.

More than 80,000 people are now short of food, water and shelter in makeshift camps in the outskirts of the city. The UN says it desperately needs more funds to help them – and potentially millions more – as the drive continues to push back Isis.

“We’re literally talking in just a few months about doubling the number of families who are displaced in the country,” Lise Grande, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Iraq, told Reuters.

The most disruptive operation would be the expected bid to take Mosul, which could force up to 1 million people to flee. Over 1.2 million others could be displaced from different areas.

“We’re trying to pre-position supplies and develop contingencies for all of those areas and we’re doing so with 30% of the appeal that we’ve asked for,” Grande added.

An Iraqi girl at a camp on the outskirts of Falluja. Photograph: Ahmed Saad/Reuters

Rights groups and the UN have also raised concerns about abuses of some civilians, who mostly come from the minority Sunni community. Families say some young men of fighting age have disappeared, and the UN says it is looking into allegations of abuses by armed groups.

“We’ve received shocking footage showing the body of a man being dragged at speed by a military truck while a man wearing a military uniform hits his disfigured and bloodied head,” said Cecile Pouilly, spokesperson for the office of the UN high commissioner for human rights.

“Another video shows people being struck with a rifle and kicked in the head by men wearing military uniforms while they exit a truck. Although we are not in a position to authenticate these videos, they depict violations which have been reported to us by several sources and which we’ve previously condemned.”