Thousands flee Fallujah as army secures safe exit

Thousands of refugees are pouring out of Fallujah through a safe exit corridor secured by the Iraqi army as the fight to retake the city from Islamic State (IS) extremists rages into its third week.  According to the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), about 4,000 civilians have used the new route to escape the fighting.  Thousands […]

Thousands of refugees are pouring out of Fallujah through a safe exit corridor secured by the Iraqi army as the fight to retake the city from Islamic State (IS) extremists rages into its third week.
 According to the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), about 4,000 civilians have used the new route to escape the fighting.  Thousands more are expected to make the journey in the coming days.
The NRC said 27,500 civilians have managed to escape the fighting, but thousands more are still trapped in the city center.
Some have been trying to escape by leaving at night and making their way to the Euphrates river, and paying IS roughly $130 to allow them to take small boats across.