“The enemy’s back is broken,” said Lt. Gen. Sami al-Aridhi, a top commander of the elite counterterrorism service units in Tal Afar. Those forces, along with 12 brigades of mostly Shiite militias, attacked Tal Afar from three fronts, breaking Islamic State defense lines on the edges of the city before rapidly advancing to the city center. Along with the absence of residents, the number of Islamic State fighters in Tal Afar appeared to be vastly overstated. The swift collapse of the militancy in Tal Afar was unexpected. “Tal Afar was an important point of identity for Daesh,” Hashimi said, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State.

Source: Washington Post August 27, 2017 13:52 UTC