“Fallujah is under a massive bombardment without differentiating between civilians or ISIS,” said Abdulqadir Jumayli, media advisor of Anbar provincial council.
“The bombardment has made it impossible for the people to reach the graveyard, forcing them to bury the dead in the garden,” Jumayli added.
Jumayli asked the security forces to stop the bombardment in order to save the lives of the civilians.
The Iraqi Army, meanwhile, has announced that the first stage of the battle for Fallujah is complete.
“Phase one is over and we have achieved our objectives,” said Brigadier Rasool Yahya an Iraqi defence ministry spokesman to Al Jazeera on Saturday. “Our forces have isolated and surrounded the city of Fallujah.”
He noted that the Islamic State (ISIS) has regrouped in the centre of the city.
“We are advancing on and closing in,” Yahya said. “We are ready and the presence of civilians inside the city could delay us.”
The protection of civilians has been a key concern in the battle for Fallujah. On Sunday, the day before launching the offensive, the Iraqi Army distributed leaflets advising civilians to flee or to identify themselves with white flags.
The United Nations reported that nearly 800 people were able to escape but 50,000 remain in the city.
Iraqi officials have insisted that they would maintain a safe corridor for civilians to flee the city but the UN High Commissioner for Refugees reported Friday that there has been “an increasing number of executions” of men and boys in the city who refuse to fight for ISIS.
Those who do flee, “have told us harrowing tales of their escape, travelling on foot for hours at night, moving across fields and hiding in disused irrigation pipes,” said Leila Jane Nassif, UNHCR’s Assistant Representative in Iraq, in a statement.
Nassif said that they had heard reports of civilians caught fleeing being executed, whipped, or had limbs amputated by the terrorist group.
Shiite militias have randomly bombarded the city, killing some 32 civilians and wounding another 50.
Hashd al-Shaabi has been accused of human rights violations and Sunnis called for them to not participate in the liberation of the Sunni city of Fallujah. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said that the Shiite militia would only participate in the liberation of areas surrounding the city and not inside the actual city itself.
There are also fears that the Islamic State may use civilians as human shields.
The US-led coalition is aiding the Iraqi Army and has killed 70 militants in airstrikes on the city, including the group’s leader in Fallujah.
