Battle for Tal Afar: Iraq Launches Offensive to Liberate City from Daesh
Local Editor
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced ground operation to liberate the northern city of Tal Afar, telling Daesh [ISIS/ISIL] terrorists 'surrender, or die'.
Iraqi forces launched the ground offensive to retake the key Daesh-held area in the northern part of the country, al-Abadi said.
"You either surrender, or die", he told the terrorists in a televised speech announcing the operation early on Sunday.
Tal Afar and the surrounding area are among the last pockets of Daesh-held territory in Iraq, after victory was declared in Mosul, the country's second-largest city.
Iraqi officials believe there are between 1,400 and 1,600 Daesh fighters in the Tal Afar area, including many foreign fighters, according to Iraqi Brigadier General Yahia Rasool who spoke through an interpreter earlier on Saturday.
"I don't think it will be tougher than the battle of Mosul," he told reporters.
Tal Afar is west of Mosul and about 150km east of the Syrian border, sitting along a major road that was a key Daesh supply route.
The town had a population of about 200,000 before it fell to Daesh in 2014. The UN estimates that between 10,000 and 40,000 people are left in Tal Afar and surrounding villages.
Hours before Abadi's announcement, the Iraqi air force dropped leaflets over the city, telling the population to take precautions.
"Prepare yourself, the battle is imminent and the victory is coming," they read.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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