Iraq forces launch operation to cut Mosul off from Syria

Al Qayyarah, Iraq — Iraqi paramilitary forces launched an operation Saturday to retake Tal Afar from the Daesh group, opening a new front in the nearly two-week-old offensive to recapture Mosul. Forces from the Hashed Al-Shaabi, a paramilitary umbrella organization dominated by Iran-backed Shiite militias, have largely been on the sidelines since the launch of the Mosul operation. And the western approach to Mosul, a route on which Tal Afar is located, is the only one where ground forces, which have advanced on the city from the north, east and south, are not yet deployed. “The operation aims to cut supplies between Mosul and Raqaa and tighten the siege of (Daesh) in Mosul and liberate Tal Afar,” Hashed spokesman Ahmed Al-Assadi told AFP, referring to Daesh’s main strongholds in Iraq and Syria. Assadi said the operation was launched from the Sin Al-Dhaban area south of Mosul and aimed to retake the towns of Hatra and Tal Abta as well as Tal Afar. The drive toward Tal Afar could bring the fighting perilously close to the ancient city of Hatra, a UNESCO world heritage site that has already been vandalized by Daesh. Though it was not mentioned by name, the operation may also pass near the ruins of Nimrud, another archaeological site that has previously been attacked by Daesh. The involvement of Shiite militias in the Mosul operation has been a source of contention, although some of the Hashed’s top commanders insist they do not plan to enter the largely Sunni city. — AFP