By Ali Jawad and Mohamed Walid
BAGHDAD
Iraqi forces began to advance on the center of the northwestern city of Tal Afar on Tuesday as part of a major offensive to recapture the predominantly Turkmen city from Daesh terrorist group, according to Iraqi security officers.
“Special forces, backed by the Hashd Shaabi fighters, began to storm the western entrance of Tal Afar center,” Federal Police First Lt. Bahaa al-Meyahi told Anadolu Agency.
Army Major Sattar Hadi said the offensive targets Al-Jazeera district southeast of the city.
Tuesday’s operation came as U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis arrived in Baghdad for talks with Iraqi officials on the anti-Daesh war.
On Monday, an Iraqi military source said U.S. forces were taking part in the ongoing military operation to dislodge Daesh militants from Tal Afar.
More than 5,000 U.S. troops are currently participating in the ongoing fight against Daesh in Iraq, according to the Pentagon.
The Iraqi government says U.S. soldiers are not taking part in the fighting and are only collecting and sharing intelligence and providing Iraq with logistics support.
On Sunday, the Iraqi army launched a widely-anticipated offensive to recapture Tal Afar, which was captured by Daesh in mid-2014 along with vast swathes of territory in northern and western Iraq.
The UN estimates that between 10,000 and 40,000 civilians are still living in Tal Afar and surrounding areas.
Daesh’s self-proclaimed “caliphate” collapsed last month when the Iraqi army recaptured the northern Mosul city after a nine-month campaign.
