Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports his Department has received on the progress of Iraqi forces in recapturing Fallujah.

We welcome the progress made by the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) in recapturing Fallujah. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi declared the city fully liberated on 26 June. Iraqi forces continue to clear pockets of Daesh resistance along with the thousands of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) that have been placed by Daesh in schools, mosques, hospital and homes. The United Kingdom is providing support to the ISF through RAF air strikes, military assistance and training, alongside our coalition partners.

The UK is also working with the Coalition to support the Government of Iraq in developing plans to stabilise areas, like Fallujah, which have been liberated from Daesh, and by working to provide the governance, services and security necessary to enable the safe return of Iraqis to their homes, including the management of explosive hazards such as IEDs.