Tal Afar battle: Iraqi forces 'dealing with final IS pockets'
Iraqi forces say they are poised to recapture the town of tal afar from so-known as islamic kingdom (is) after six days of excessive combating.
Troops have cleared the vintage fortress and its surrounding neighbourhood of militants, lt gen abdul amir yarallah said on saturday.
Clashes were still being pronounced in the northern outskirts of the city.
Tal afar, near the syrian border, is one of the jihadists' final remaining strongholds in iraq.
Remaining month, an extended-jogging operation drove is militants from the iraqi city of mosul.
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Gen yarallah, who's in rate the modern day offensive, stated his forces had been now managing the very last pockets of jihadi resistance in tal afar.
Footage from within the metropolis indicates iraqi forces moving via the streets in tanks with black smoke billowing from focused buildings.
Smoke rises in the course of clashes between iraqi forces and so-known as islamic kingdom (is) militants in tal afar, 26 august 2017"tal afar city is ready to fall absolutely into the palms of our forces, most effective 5% remains [under IS control]", a army spokesman informed reuters news agency.
Soldiers from the shia-led paramilitary popular mobilisation (hashd al-shaabi) stated that they had encountered resistance from is within the form of snipers, booby-trapped motors and mortars.
Why the battle for tal afar subjects
Mosul defeat a blow to is, but now not the quit
Iraqi forces broke through is defences to reach the centre of tal afar on friday.
Elite gadgets had also seized the northern neighbourhoods of nida, taliaa, uruba, nasr and saad, the iraqi joint operations command (joc) stated.
It was believed approximately 2,000 militants had been inside tal afar, in conjunction with among 10,000 and 40,000 civilians.
An iraqi military attack helicopter fires at is positions in tal afar city, northern iraq, 25 august 2017image copyrightepa
Picture caption
Iraqi forces on friday targeted is positions in tal afar city from above
Tal afar, which had a predominantly ethnic turkmen population of 2 hundred,000 earlier than it fell to is in june 2014, sits on a major deliver route among mosul, about 55km (35 miles) to the east, and the syrian border, 150km (ninety miles) to the west.
Security resources say a disproportionate number of guys from the metropolis filled the ranks of is as commanders, judges and contributors of their religious police.
Wherein is is leader abu bakr al-baghdadi?
The iraqi towns nonetheless under is control
The town became cut off at some stage in the 9-month mosul offensive by using troops and allied militiamen from the hashd al-shaabi. But they did now not try and retake it till this week.
Extra than 30,000 civilians have fled the tal afar region for the reason that end of april, many of them arriving at iraqi authorities mustering factors exhausted and dehydrated after trekking for 10 to twenty hours in severe warmth, the un said.
Troops have cleared the vintage fortress and its surrounding neighbourhood of militants, lt gen abdul amir yarallah said on saturday.
Clashes were still being pronounced in the northern outskirts of the city.
Tal afar, near the syrian border, is one of the jihadists' final remaining strongholds in iraq.
Remaining month, an extended-jogging operation drove is militants from the iraqi city of mosul.
Advertisement
Gen yarallah, who's in rate the modern day offensive, stated his forces had been now managing the very last pockets of jihadi resistance in tal afar.
Footage from within the metropolis indicates iraqi forces moving via the streets in tanks with black smoke billowing from focused buildings.
Smoke rises in the course of clashes between iraqi forces and so-known as islamic kingdom (is) militants in tal afar, 26 august 2017"tal afar city is ready to fall absolutely into the palms of our forces, most effective 5% remains [under IS control]", a army spokesman informed reuters news agency.
Soldiers from the shia-led paramilitary popular mobilisation (hashd al-shaabi) stated that they had encountered resistance from is within the form of snipers, booby-trapped motors and mortars.
Why the battle for tal afar subjects
Mosul defeat a blow to is, but now not the quit
Iraqi forces broke through is defences to reach the centre of tal afar on friday.
Elite gadgets had also seized the northern neighbourhoods of nida, taliaa, uruba, nasr and saad, the iraqi joint operations command (joc) stated.
It was believed approximately 2,000 militants had been inside tal afar, in conjunction with among 10,000 and 40,000 civilians.
An iraqi military attack helicopter fires at is positions in tal afar city, northern iraq, 25 august 2017image copyrightepa
Picture caption
Iraqi forces on friday targeted is positions in tal afar city from above
Tal afar, which had a predominantly ethnic turkmen population of 2 hundred,000 earlier than it fell to is in june 2014, sits on a major deliver route among mosul, about 55km (35 miles) to the east, and the syrian border, 150km (ninety miles) to the west.
Security resources say a disproportionate number of guys from the metropolis filled the ranks of is as commanders, judges and contributors of their religious police.
Wherein is is leader abu bakr al-baghdadi?
The iraqi towns nonetheless under is control
The town became cut off at some stage in the 9-month mosul offensive by using troops and allied militiamen from the hashd al-shaabi. But they did now not try and retake it till this week.
Extra than 30,000 civilians have fled the tal afar region for the reason that end of april, many of them arriving at iraqi authorities mustering factors exhausted and dehydrated after trekking for 10 to twenty hours in severe warmth, the un said.
Tal Afar battle: Iraqi forces 'dealing with final IS pockets'
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Reviewed by Anas Akram
on
August 26, 2017
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