BAGHDAD: Iraqi government forces fighting to retake Fallujah from the militant Islamic State (IS) group seized a southern neighbourhood of the city on Wednesday, officials said.

Led by the country’s counter-terrorism service, Iraqi forces and allied militias backed by air support from a US-led coalition began an operation on May 23 to wrest the city from IS.

Iraqi forces made incursions into Fallujah, 50 kilometres west of Baghdad, in the early days of the offensive, but their advance soon slowed.

They managed last week to enter parts of the southern neighbourhood of Al-Shuhada Al-Thaniya and on Wednesday took full control of the district, Sabah al-Noman, the spokesman for the counter-terrorism service, said.

“Counter-terrorism service forces liberated Al-Shuhada Al-Thaniya entirely from Daesh control and raised the Iraqi flag over buildings in the district,” he said, using an Arabic acronym for IS.

“The army and the police will be responsible for controlling the neighbourhood after it has been cleared of bombs,” Noman said.

A colonel in the Anbar province police force confirmed government forces took control of the district and said five members of the security services were injured during fighting on Wednesday.

Published in Dawn, June 9th, 2016