Troops liberate two districts in Tal Afar: Commander
Iraqi troops raise the Iraqi flag on a liberated area in Mosul
The army’s ninth armored division as well as the 11th and 26th brigades of al-Hashd al-Shaabi [Popular Mobilization Units] managed to free al-Tenek district, located east of Tal Afar,” Lt.Gen. Abdul Amir Yarallah, commander of the Tal Afar Operations, said in statements. “Troops raised the Iraqi flag there.”
Troops previously liberated al-Kifah al-Shamali district.
Iraqi troops resume operations for the fourth day after Iraqi PM Haidar al-Abadi announced on Sunday in a televised speech the beginning of offensive to recapture Tal Afar, which has been held by the militants since 2014, when the extremist group first emerged to proclaim its self-styled ‘caliphate’. This came after 40 days of declaring victory in Mosul, where operations lasted between October to July.
Security forces made advance on Wednesday in several directions in Tal Afar town, invading al-Tenek district, east of the town, gaining control on the medical center there and invading al-Jazeera district, in the northeast. Al-Khadraa district, in the south, was invaded, while wide regions of al-Kifah al-Shamali, in the northwest, were previously freed.
More than 1400 Islamic State militants with Arab and foreign nationalities are estimated to be in the town, according to military commanders.