Iraqi forces have made more agains against the ISIS terrorist group in the countryside of Iraqi city of Mosul. Iraqi security forces have libearted the villages of Umarkan and Tawajinat south the ISIS-controlled city. The Popular Mobilization Units have taken control of the villages of Zariqi and Khidr al Yas west of Mosul.
Now the PMU is advancing on the key ISIS-controlled town of Tal Afar. If the PMU is able to liberate it from ISIS, the terrorist group will be cut off from their supply lines heading to Syria.
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Good leadership by the commanders who assigned this mission to the Shia militia. It keeps them out of Mosul city, where reprisals on Sunni civilians are reasonably feared. At the same time, the flanking attack on Tal Afar is of major strategic importance, and the Shia can feel proud of their achievement. If the Daesh/ISIS fighters were normal soldiers, the knowledge of being surrounded and their retreat cut off would be a blow to morale. Since they are brainwashed fanatics, normal rules may not apply. But it’s certainly worth trying.