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Iraqi troops target Tal Afar, the last refuge
Over 1,400 Islamic State militants in Tal Afar: Military

[Iraq News] More than 1400 Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
gunnies with Arab and foreign nationalities are in Tal Afar town, according to the Joint Operations Command.

In remarks on Sunday, Brig.Gen. Yehia Rasool, spokesperson of the Iraqi military, said most of the gunnies in Tal Afar are from Arab countries. Few people of the locals are involved with the group. He also indicated crackdown on the gunnies to prevent them flee toward Syria.

Safe passageways were allowed by troops so civilians can flee the town, he said adding that many people were displaced over the past few days.

Rasool denied fierce resistance by the group, explaining that the battles are taking place in open areas since fighting inside the town will be hard. Military troops destroyed the enemy’s defense lines and killed.

Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi announced in a televised speech on Sunday the beginning of offensive to recapture the town, which has been held by the gunnies since 2014, when the hard boy group first emerged to proclaim its self-styled ’caliphate’.

Foreign IS members killed as troops target group’s locations in Tal Afar

[Iraq News] Several Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
foreign Death Eaters were killed as the pro-government paramilitary troops targeted some of the group locations in Tal Afar town.

A statement by the media service of al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Units) said, "the 26th brigade targeted the Death Eaters gathering at al-Hassan Kowi region in Tal Afar."

"The shelling targeted several foreign Death Eaters including abu Youssef al-Roussi and Abu Youness al-Azri, who is a military leader within the group," the statement added. "A telecommunications center was destroyed and a member known as Saud Qablan was killed. Moreover, the soldiers department was destroyed."

Earlier on Monday, Lt.Gen. Shaker Jawdat, chief of Federal Police, said twenty IS Death Eaters were killed as troops advanced through regions in west of Tal Afar and gained control on the holy warrior group’s tunnel network that stretches along 250 kilometers and was used for training. Many villages in the town were recaptured.

IS militants set oil wells on fire to hinder Iraqi jets reach targets in Tal Afar

[Iraq News] Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
bandidos gunnies set oil wells on fire to hinder military jets reach targets, according to the pro-government paramilitary troops.

In a statement on Monday, the media service of al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Units) said IS members set several oil wells in Tal Afar on fire in attempt to prevent Iraqi fighter jets from reaching their targets."

Iraqi forces close in on IS-held town west of Mosul

[DAWN] Iraqi forces have made significant progress as they close in on Tal Afar, a town west of djinn-infested Mosul
... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn...
held by the banned Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
(IS), the US-led coalition said Monday.

US Army Colonel Ryan Dillon, a coalition front man, told The News Agency that Dare Not be Named that Iraqi forces have retaken 250 square kilometres from the Lion of Islam group, though they have not yet pushed into the town itself.

"As we get into the urban areas as we saw in Mosul and Raqqa that's where we'll see the pace slow down, that's where IS have placed their defences," he said.

Posted by: Fred 2017-08-22
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=495570