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Iraq Liberates Tal Afar from Daesh

Iraq Liberates Tal Afar from Daesh
folder_openMiddle East... access_time6 years ago
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Local Editor

In a new victory scored against the takfiri Daesh [Arabic acronym for terrorists "ISIS"/"ISIL"] group, Iraqi forces have retaken almost all of Tal Afar, the stronghold of Daesh in the country's northwest, the Iraqi military said Sunday.

Iraq Liberates Tal Afar from Daesh

After just eight days of battles, all 29 neighborhoods in Tal Afar city had been taken back from the militant group, the military said in an official statement.

Officials have said they hope to announce victory by Eid al-Adha, the Muslim holiday set to start in Iraq Sept. 2.

However, fighting was ongoing in Al-Ayadiya, a small area 11 kilometers northwest of the city, where militants who fled the district's city center were hiding out, Iraqi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasool said.

Iraqi forces were waiting to retake the area before declaring complete victory in the offensive, he said.

The offensive on Tal Afar, which lies on the vital supply route between Syria and the former Daesh stronghold of Mosul began Aug. 20.

Such a swift collapse of Daesh in the city, which has been a breeding ground for militant groups, would confirm Iraqi military reports that the militants lack command and control structures west of Mosul.

Residents who fled Tal Afar days before the start of the offensive told Reuters some of the militants looked "exhausted" and "depleted."

Government and Al-Hashd al-Shaabi [PopularMovilizattion] forces liberated the heart of the city Saturday, and raised the national flag on top of the citadel building. Much of the Ottoman-era structure was destroyed by the terrorists in 2014. A Reuters visual team visited the citadel Sunday and saw signs of heavy damage to much of the structure.

Near the citadel, a huge crater could be seen Sunday at the base of the city's main mosque, a testament to the intensity of the airstrikes that battered the city.

Iraqi soldiers were seen celebrating Tal Afar's recapture, taking down Daesh flags from their perches in the city center and taking pictures mocking the militants.

Fighting had almost ground to a halt Saturday, with just occasional artillery rounds heard. There was no sign of civilians in the neighborhoods Reuters visited Saturday and Sunday.

Once the city is retaken, Baghdad is expected to launch a new offensive on Hawijah, about 300 kilometers north of the Iraqi capital.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team

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