Hashd al-Shaabi launches operations in Iraq’s Tal Afar

By Ali Jawad

BAGHDAD (AA) - Iraq’s Hashd al-Shaabi, a largely Shia fighting force incorporated into the Iraqi armed forces last year, has launched fresh military operations in the Turkmen-majority Tal Afar district, an Iraqi military source said Thursday.

“Hashd al-Shaabi forces have cleared the road linking the Al-Adaya area of western Mosul to the Ayn al-Jahsh area of southeastern Tal Afar, along with the Baghdad-Mosul Highway,” Army Captain Jabbar Hassan told Anadolu Agency.

“The operation also involves securing 17 villages along these routes and the smaller roads connecting these villages,” said Hassan.

The ongoing military operation, he added, “is aimed at consolidating our presence in Tal Afar in advance of a fresh campaign to decisively liberate the district”.

In mid-2014, the Daesh terrorist group captured Tal Afar, along with extensive territories in northern and western Iraq, including the city of Mosul (which was recaptured by the army last month).

Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi said earlier that Iraqi army and police units -- backed by Hashd al-Shaabi forces -- would take part in planned operations to recapture Tal Afar, located 60 kilometers west of Mosul.

In early July, following a nine-month-long army campaign, Iraqi forces decisively dislodged Daesh from Mosul, the terrorist group’s last major stronghold in northern Iraq.

According to the International Organization for Migration, more than 830,000 people were displaced from Mosul as a direct result of the campaign to “liberate” the city.