Iraqi forces face tough resistance in final Tal Afar battle

BAGHDAD: Iraqi forces said they faced tough resistance on Monday from Daesh terrorists driven out of the city of Tal Afar to a small town where they had “nothing to lose” by fighting to the end.

An advance by the Iraqi army and Shiite paramilitary groups into Al-Ayadiya was being slowed by snipers, booby-traps and roadside bombs, military officials said.

“The offensive started from two fronts in a bid to distract Daesh fighters,” said Lt. Col. Salah Kareem.

“A total of four suicide bombers driving vehicles rigged with explosives attacked our troops under sniper cover. We had to slow down to avoid high casualty rates among our soldiers.”

Iraqi forces have in recent days recaptured almost all of the northwestern city of Tal Afar, long a stronghold of Daesh. They have been waiting to take Al-Ayadiya, 11 km northwest of the city, before declaring complete victory.

“Our intelligence shows that the most diehard Daesh fighters fled Tal Afar to Al-Ayadiya,” Kareem said.

He said continuous air strikes and round-the-clock drone surveillance had prevented them fleeing to neighboring Syria.

“They have nothing to lose ... they will fight to the last breath,” Kareem said.

Daesh mortar rounds and sniper fire struck close to the advancing forces. The army hit back with tanks, heavy machine guns and mortars.

Up to 2,000 battle-hardened militants were believed to be defending Tal Afar against around 50,000 government troops last week. It was unclear how many were left in Al-Ayadiya.

Many motorcycles carrying the Islamic State insignia had been abandoned at the side of the road outside Al-Ayadiya.

If the fight for the town is proving surprisingly tough, the bigger battle for Tal Afar was easier than expected for Iraqi forces.

The city’s dramatic and rapid collapse after just eight days of fighting lent support to Iraqi military reports that the militants lack sturdy command and control structures west of Mosul.

Civilians who fled Tal Afar in recent weeks told Reuters of harrowing conditions in the city, where people had been surviving on bread and dirty water for months. Some terrorists had looked “exhausted” and “depleted,” residents said.

Tens of thousands of people are believed to have fled in the weeks before the battle started. A Reuters team saw no sign of civilians in the neighborhoods it toured on Saturday and Sunday.