BAGHDAD (Dispatches) – Iraq has begun an operation to liberate the northern city of Tal Afar from Daesh terrorists weeks after driving the terror group out of its last urban stronghold in the country, the Defense Ministry says.
Mohammed al-Khudari, a spokesman for Iraq’s Defense Ministry, announced that the Iraqi Air Force launched Tal Afar liberation operation by carrying out aerial attacks on Daesh positions on Tuesday.
He stressed that the ground offensive to retake Tal Afar, located 70 kilometers west of Mosul, will start following the completion of those strikes.
Following the start of the offensive, a local source said that six large explosions rocked several areas in Tal Afar. One of the blasts reportedly hit a workshop used to manufacture explosives in the west of the city.
There were no immediate reports of casualties and the extent of damage inflicted on the terrorists.
Tal Afar, which has a population of around 200,000, was captured by Daesh in 2014.
A high-ranking official of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), commonly known by the Arabic name Hashd al-Sha’abi, said on Monday that the pro-government fighters will actively participate alongside other security forces in the operation to liberate the Tal Afar.
In another development, a Pentagon spokesman said the two American soldiers killed in northern Iraq on Sunday lost their lives due to a U.S. artillery "mishap".
Army Colonel Rob Manning said Monday that "a mishap occurred" as a U.S. Army artillery unit was targeting a mortar position of the Daesh terror group.
Five other soldiers sustained injuries, which Manning said were not life-threatening.
Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon, the U.S. colonel asserted that there was "no indication” that Daesh could have played a role in the deaths.
The names of the dead soldiers have not been released as an investigation is underway.
The U.S. military announced the news Sunday and rushed to say that the incident did not involve enemy fire without elaborating on other details.
Daesh has, meanwhile, proclaimed that it is responsible for the two deaths.