3 ISIS Big Turbans die in firefight with Iraqi militia
Mosul (IraqiNews.com) Three senior Islamic State leaders were killed in Tal Afar town, west of Mosul, the Shia-led paramilitary troops said on Friday.
A statement by Saraya al-Jihad militia, affiliated to al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Units) said troops “identified the bodies of IS members, who were killed on Thursday while infiltrating behind the troops in Tal al-Zalat region, west of Mosul.”
The militants included “Abu Iman, in charge of Islamic police, Abu Abd Zu’aizei’a, in charge of recruitment, and Naser abdullah Khedr al-Badrany,” the statement said. “They were in charge of planning to attack the PMUs from the back.”
Despite declaring victory over IS, the group have reportedly carried out attacks against security forces over the past few days.
Earlier this month, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi congratulated Iraqi forces and citizens on the victory over IS militants who had held the second largest Iraqi city since 2014. More than 25000 militants were killed throughout the campaign.
The town of Tal Afar and few surrounding areas are still held by the group in Nineveh province.
PMUs, an alliance of more than 60 mostly Shia militias, are recognized by the government as a national force under the Prime Minister’s command.
Iraqi warbirds hit ISIS munitions cache in Tal Afar
Tal Afar (IraqiNews.com) A series of powerful blasts have rocked the western suburbs of Tal Afar town, west of Mosul, as airstrikes targeted huge amount of explosives, a local source from Nineveh province was quoted saying.
“Huge blasts hit the western suburbs of Tal Afar, located west of Mosul, after airstrikes targeted a building, which included a huge amount the C4 explosives, used by Islamic State militants in manufacturing bombs and booby-trapping,” the source, who preferred anonymity, told AlSumaria News on Saturday.
“The losses inflicted on IS are unidentified due to the huge blasts that made the nearby houses collapse,” the source said adding that the group “depend on secret workshops at the residential areas to manufacture the C4 substance.”
Lt.Gen. Abdul Amir Yarallah, of the Nineveh Operations Command, had said that the fourth phase of liberation will be launched soon to free Tal Afar and other regions to complete the liberation of the whole province.
In late June, a top leader in the town declared during a a sermon of Friday prayer that the town has become a temporary headquarter for the Caliphate.
A source was quoted earlier this month as saying that non-Iraqi IS militants executed the last local leader in Tal Afar and the town is currently run by Arab and foreign members after eliminating all the Iraqi leaders.
Tal Afar is one of the important strongholds still held by IS in Nineveh since August 2014.
17 ISIS wimmin die in missile strike in Mosul
Tal Afar (IraqiNews.com) Seventeen Islamic State female members were killed and injured as a missile was shot on a building, west of Mosul, a source from Nineveh province said on Saturday.
“An unknown missile targeted a two-storey building, which was the headquarters of the IS al-Khansaa brigade, in Tal Afar town, west of Mosul,” the source was quoted by AlSumaria News as saying. “The brigade included wives and sisters of IS members and leaders as well as foreigners.”
“According to our information, between seven to ten women were killed, while seven others were injured. Most of them were leaders in brigades,” the source said adding the members are working on recovering the bodies from under the rubble.
“Wife of the emir of the so-called soldiers department, known as abu Youssef, were among the killed ones,” the source, who asked to remain unnamed said adding that her identity is still unknown.
Earlier on the day, news reports mentioned that powerful blasts have rocked the western suburbs of Tal Afar west as airstrikes targeted a building with huge amount of explosives inside.
Lt.Gen. Abdul Amir Yarallah, of the Nineveh Operations Command, had said that the fourth phase of liberation will be launched soon to free Tal Afar and other regions to complete the liberation of the whole province.
Tal Afar is one of the important strongholds still held by IS in Nineveh since August 2014.