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WORLD NEWS Monday 21 august 2017

Iraq launches operation to take back IS-held town near Mosul

The U.S.-led coalition pro- of attackers as well as sui-
viding air and other support cide car bombs and road-
to the troops praised what side bombs.
it said was a “capable, for- The Coalition estimates
midable, and increasingly that approximately 10,000-
professional force.” 50,000 civilians remain in
“They are well prepared to and around Tal Afar. In
deliver another defeat” to past battles, IS has pre-
IS in Tal Afar, like in Mosul, vented civilians from flee-
the coalition said in a state- ing and used them as hu-
ment. On the front lines, pil- man shields, slowing Iraqi
lars of smoke could be seen advances.
rising in the distance as U.S. Hours after announcing the
and Belgian special forces operation, the United Na-
worked with Iraqi troops to tions expressed concerns
establish a position on the over the safety of the civil-
roof of a house. They later ians, calling on warring par-
fired mortar rounds and ties to protect them.
launched drones. Iraqi authorities have set up
Lt. Gen. Riyad Jalal Tawfiq, a toll-free number and a
of the Iraqi army, said IS radio station to help guide
had deployed small teams fleeing civilians to safety.q
Belgian special forces soldiers sit on a rooftop with a guided-missile launcher, a few miles from the
frontline, in the village of Abu Ghaddur, east of Tal Afar, Iraq, Sunday, Aug. 20, 2017. U.S.-backed
Iraqi forces have launched a multi-pronged assault to retake the town of Tal Afar, west of Mosul,
marking the next phase in the country’s war on the Islamic State group.
(AP Photo/Balint Szlanko)
By BALINT SZLANKO pockets of IS-held territory in a televised speech early
SINAN SALAHEDDIN in Iraq after victory was de- Sunday. He was dressed in
Associated Press clared in July in Mosul, the a black uniform of the type
ABU GHADDUR, Iraq (AP) — country’s second-largest worn by Iraqi special forc-
U.S.-backed Iraqi forces on city. The town, about 150 es. He called on the mili-
Sunday launched a multi- kilometers (93 miles) east of tants to “surrender or die.”
pronged assault to retake the Syrian border, sits along By early afternoon, Lt. Gen.
the town of Tal Afar, west a major road that was Abdul-Amir Rasheed Yar
of Mosul, marking the next once a key IS supply route. Allah, who commands the
phase in the country’s war “The city of Tal Afar will be operation, said the forces
on the Islamic State group. liberated and will join all the had recaptured a series
Tal Afar and the surround- liberated cities,” Prime Min- of villages east, southwest
ing area is one of the last ister Haider al-Abadi said and northwest of town.

Bomb kills 3 Lebanese battling Islamic State

By BASSEM MROUE tary operation yet against Lebanese military spokes-
Associated Press IS, which gained a foothold man Col. Fadi Boueid said
BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon along the tiny Mediterra- the blast that killed the
suffered its first casualties nean country’s border with three soldiers also critically
from a massive operation Syria in 2014. wounded a fourth, He said
to drive the Islamic State The Lebanese Armed Forc- troops were able to destroy
group from an area along es pressed their offensive a vehicle and a motorcy-
the Syrian border on Sun- Sunday in a mountainous cle driven by IS suicide at-
day when a roadside region bordering Syria, tackers before they could
bomb killed three soldiers. capturing new hills from IS. hit their targets, and that 15
The deaths came a day A bomb struck one of the militants were killed on Sun-
after the U.S.-backed army advancing armored vehi- day as a result of fighting
launched its biggest mili- cles, killing the soldiers. and bombardment.q