iraqi forces advance towards heart of isheld bastion
Last Updated : GMT 09:07:40
Egypt Today, egypt today
Egypt Today, egypt today
Last Updated : GMT 09:07:40
Egypt Today, egypt today

For an exodus of civilians fleeing the fighting

Iraqi forces advance towards heart of IS-held bastion

Egypt Today, egypt today

Egypt Today, egypt today Iraqi forces advance towards heart of IS-held bastion

Iraqi forces advanced Wednesday
Tal Afar - Egypt Today

Iraqi forces advanced Wednesday towards central Tal Afar, one of the Islamic State group's last strongholds in the country, as aid workers braced for an exodus of civilians fleeing the fighting.
Armoured personnel carriers full of soldiers and fighters of the Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary coalition moved into Al-Nur district early in the morning as warplanes flew overhead, said an AFP photographer on the ground.
They encountered trucks parked across roads with earthen embankments aimed at stopping them, as well as sniper fire and mortar shelling.
Six weeks after routing the jihadists from Iraq's second city Mosul, the Iraqi forces launched an assault Sunday on Tal Afar, where an estimated 1,000 jihadists are holed up.
They retook three first districts of the city on Tuesday, but as with the gruelling nine-month campaign to recapture Mosul, their convoys face an onslaught of suicide and car bomb attacks.
On Wednesday they "entered the neighbourhood of Al-Kifah North... and headed towards the centre of the city," said Ahmed al-Assadi, spokesman for the Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary coalition fighting IS alongside the army and police.
"All the lines of IS defence outside the city have been broken and the troops are advancing from all directions towards the inner quarters of the city," he added.
As they advanced, troops said they discovered a network of underground tunnels used by the jihadists to launch attacks behind lines of already conquered territory, or to escape.
- Leaflet drop -
In a bid to counter these surprise attacks, the Iraqis dropped leaflets overnight calling on civilians to help by marking houses where the jihadists are located.
The International Organization for Migration said "thousands of civilians" had fled Tal Afar since the offensive began.
But around 30,000 civilians are trapped in the fighting, according to the United Nations.
Caught between the two sides, those still inside the city have been pounded by Iraqi and US-led coalition aircraft for weeks, as well as intense artillery fire since Sunday.
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) fears they could be "used as human shields" and that "attempts to flee could result in executions and shootings," said the spokesman for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
The United Nations and aid agencies are working to establish shelters for the displaced.
Those who flee through desert areas face temperatures of up to 43 degrees Celsius (109 Fahrenheit), sometimes for periods of more than 10 hours, putting them at risk of dehydration, said Viren Falcao of the Danish Refugee Council.
Tal Afar was once a key supply hub for IS between Mosul -- which lies around 70 kilometres (45 miles) to the east -- and the Syrian border.
The Iraqi forces massed around Tal Afar on Tuesday before the jihadists responded with artillery fire.
Army, police and of the Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary coalition later took "full control" of the Al-Kifah, Al-Nur and Al-Askari districts, the Hashed said
The Iraqi forces had encircled the city despite what Hashed spokesman Assadi called "intense" fighting. He said the battle for the city would probably last weeks, in contrast to the months-long battle for Mosul.
- 'On the run' -
After meeting Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in Baghdad on Tuesday, US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said the jihadists were "on the run".
"Cities have been liberated, people freed from ISIS, from Daesh," Mattis said, using alternative names for IS.
The jihadists had not been able "to stand up to our team in combat, and they have not retaken one inch of ground that they lost," he said.
Mattis declined to make any predictions about the battle.
"ISIS's days are certainly numbered, but it's not over yet and it's not going to be over anytime soon," he said.
IS jihadists in June 2014 overran Tal Afar, a Shiite enclave in the predominantly Sunni province of Nineveh.
At the time, its population of around 200,000 was overwhelmingly Turkmen, one of Iraq's largest ethnic minorities.
Tal Afar's Shiites were directly targeted by IS, while some members of its Sunni minority joined the jihadists and went on to form a contingent with a particularly brutal reputation.

 

egypttoday
egypttoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

iraqi forces advance towards heart of isheld bastion iraqi forces advance towards heart of isheld bastion



GMT 06:29 2011 Monday ,14 November

Matthew cruises to win at Ochoa Invitational

GMT 03:34 2017 Wednesday ,22 March

Tillerson to skip NATO meeting next month

GMT 13:44 2013 Friday ,15 March

Israel suppress Palestinian demonstrations

GMT 16:15 2017 Monday ,01 May

Moroccan Workers’ Syndicate

GMT 11:56 2016 Wednesday ,12 October

Toyota, Suzuki eye partnership as industry consolidates

GMT 15:42 2011 Thursday ,23 June

Express checks in with foursquare

GMT 10:49 2017 Sunday ,13 August

Car rams into crowd at violent Virginia rally

GMT 17:45 2013 Sunday ,20 October

5 Indian spices that are good for your health

GMT 08:41 2012 Saturday ,15 September

Italian magazine: will print Kate topless snaps

GMT 08:02 2012 Tuesday ,05 June

Zoe Saldana in Prabal Gurung

GMT 06:11 2012 Saturday ,15 September

Tunisia’s Media Conflict: Journalists fight for freedom

GMT 14:35 2015 Friday ,24 July

Awqaf Minister hails New Suez Canal project

GMT 16:34 2017 Thursday ,28 December

Hitler's Nazi-parade Mercedes set

GMT 11:22 2011 Monday ,10 October

Paul McCartney to play in Moscow in December

GMT 05:17 2015 Friday ,25 September

Pope expresses solidarity with Muslims after stampede

GMT 05:44 2012 Saturday ,21 April

ATV engine 95 HP

GMT 03:01 2011 Monday ,19 September

Laughter, tears at US television\'s Emmy awards

GMT 12:04 2012 Wednesday ,07 March

6 Music animation draws on 10 years of eclectic radio

GMT 01:00 2015 Sunday ,05 April

Barzani congratulates Abadi on Tikrit victory

GMT 13:24 2015 Thursday ,15 October

Tesla installs 'autopilot' update

GMT 06:17 2012 Monday ,02 January

Countries across the world celebrate the New Year

GMT 04:07 2016 Tuesday ,07 June

For new era of self-driving cars

GMT 08:21 2017 Saturday ,23 December

Saudi-Sudanese Deal to Ease Transfers

GMT 11:08 2017 Thursday ,21 December

Asian markets mostly down as tax cut euphoria wanes
 
 Egypt Today Facebook,egypt today facebook  Egypt Today Twitter,egypt today twitter Egypt Today Rss,egypt today rss  Egypt Today Youtube,egypt today youtube  Egypt Today Youtube,egypt today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

egypttoday egypttoday egypttoday egypttoday
egypttoday egypttoday egypttoday
egypttoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
egypttoday, Egypttoday, Egypttoday