BAGHDAD (AP) — A senior Iraqi military commander says about 2,500 Islamic State militants have been killed during a month-long offensive to recapture the city of Fallujah.
The counterterrorism forces' chief in the operation, Lt. General Abdul-Wahab al-Saadi, told the local al-Sumaria TV late on Monday that the number of IS fighters inside Fallujah ranged between 3,500 to 4,000 when the offensive began in late May.
Iraqi troops have not disclosed their losses in Fallujah though the Islamic State group claims to have killed dozens
Al-Saadi offered no specifics to back up the figure of 2,500 killed IS fighters. He claimed about 15 percent of them were foreign fighters.
He cited Iraqi police reports as saying 1,086 IS-linked suspects have been arrested. He didn't say how many IS militants remain in Fallujah.