ANBAR, Iraq
At least 71 civilians have been killed and 90 injured since the beginning of Ramadan due to the repeated shelling of Fallujah city in Iraq’s western Anbar province, a local medical source said Monday.
On June 23, Anbar’s provincial council called on the Iraqi army to refrain from shelling civilian areas of Fallujah, which is currently held by the Daesh militant group.
Ahmed al-Shami, chief doctor at the Fallujah Educational Hospital, told Anadolu Agency that the hospital’s emergency room had received 71 dead and 90 injured, “mostly women and children,” since the beginning of Ramadan on June 18.
He went on to attribute the deaths to the repeated shelling of areas and neighborhoods in the flashpoint city.
“Most of the injured arrive at the hospital in critical condition due to repeated barrel-bombs attacks,” al-Shami said.
“Many of the injured die due to the inability of the medical staff to treat them as a result of the hospital’s inadequate facilities,” he added.
Al-Shami blamed the Iraqi Health Ministry and the Iraqi branch of the Paris-based Doctors without Borders organization – along with other relief organizations – for failing to help the beleaguered hospital.
On June 1, a local tribal chief accused the Iraqi air force of killing at least 12 civilians – and injuring 28 others – in a barrel bomb attack on the city.
The casualties were later confirmed by a local medical source.
While the Daesh militant group was recently driven out of several areas of Iraq’s Diyala, Ninawah and Saladin provinces, it remains in firm control of most of Anbar, including provincial capital Ramadi.
