Friday, March 29, 2024

Baghdad

Iraqi Defense Ministry expects easy battle at Tal Afar

 Iraqi Defense Ministry expects easy battle at Tal Afar

A military vehicle of Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) forces is seen at the site of car bomb attack during a battle with Islamic State militants in Andalus neighborhood of Mosul, Iraq, January 17, 2017. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani

A military vehicle of Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) forces is seen at the site of car bomb attack during a battle with Islamic State militants in Andalus neighborhood of Mosul, Iraq, January 17, 2017. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani
Tal Afar (IraqiNews.com) The Iraqi Defense Ministry’s Counter-Terrorism Service has expected the battle to recapture Tal Afar town, west of Mosul, not to be ‘difficult’, Anadolu Agency reported.

“Tal Afar liberation battle will be easy for the CTS troops,” Lieutenant General Talib Shaghati, commander of the CTS, said on Thursday.

Islamic State controlled Tal Afar, which has a high majority of Turkmen population, in June 2014, which urged thousands of residents to flee toward nearby provinces.

“Our troops had confrontations in all locations depending on its elements expertise in dealing with terrorists,” Shaghati added. “We have all the details on IS stance in Tal Afar as well as the geographic nature. We are capable of dealing with terrorists as well as civilians to protect them.”

The international coalition, led by the U.S. launch air raids in and around the town in order to facilitate the battle for Iraqi troops, which announced earlier this week concluding arrangements ahead of the invasion.

On Tuesday, the Iraqi army’s ninth armored division reportedly arrived to boundaries of the town. An army official was quoted on Monday as saying that an army division was ordered to leave Mosul toward Tal Afar within preparations to retake the town, which has been set as the next target of operations after victory was declared in Mosul on July 10.

Leave a Reply