MOSUL: A senior Iraqi general predicted a relatively easy victory for his forces in the upcoming battle for the Daesh stronghold of Tal Afar as up 2,000 fighters and their families there are “worn out and demoralized.”
Less than one month after declaring victory in the city of Mosul, Iraqi forces are poised to attack Tal Afar, which is around 40 km to the west of Mosul, in what will be the next major battle against the militants.
“I don’t expect it will be a fierce battle even though the enemy is surrounded,” Maj. Gen. Najm Al-Jabouri told Reuters in an interview.
Jabouri, a key battlefield commander, said the fight would be simple compared to the nine months of gruelling urban combat in Mosul, which took a heavy toll on Iraqi forces.
“The enemy is very worn out,” said Jabouri, who was mayor of Tal Afar when it was overrun by insurgents more than a decade ago. “I know from the intelligence reports that their morale is low,” the general added.
The city, with about 200,000 residents before falling to Daesh, experienced cycles of sectarian violence between rival groups after the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 and produced some of Daesh’s most senior commanders.
It has also become the focus of a wider regional struggle for influence. Turkey, which claims affinity with Tal Afar’s predominantly ethnic Turkmen population, opposes the involvement of Shiite paramilitary groups fighting with Iraqi forces.
Jabouri estimated there were between 1,500 and 2,000 militants left in Tal Afar. The figure may include some family members who support them.
“It’s a large number, but the terrain is favorable (to Iraqi forces),” Jabouri said. Only one part of the city, Sarai, is comparable to Mosul’s Old City, where Iraqi troops were forced to advance on foot through narrow streets. The rest of Tal Afar can be navigated in tanks and armored vehicles.
Iraqi general sees easy victory over Daesh in Tal Afar
Iraqi general sees easy victory over Daesh in Tal Afar
US to host conference on stabilization force plans
- Then, according to the Trump peace plan, as the ISF establishes control and stability, Israeli troops will gradually withdraw “based on standards, milestones, and timeframes linked to demilitarization”
WASHINGTON: The US Central Command will host a conference in Doha on Dec.16 with partner nations to plan the International Stabilization Force for Gaza, two US officials said.
More than 25 countries are expected to send representatives to the conference, which will include sessions on the command structure and other issues related to the Gaza force, the officials said.
International troops could be deployed in the Gaza Strip as early as next month to form the stabilization force, the officials said.
They said many countries had expressed interest in contributing, and US officials are currently determining the size of the ISF, its composition, housing, training, and rules of engagement.
BACKGROUND
Indonesia has said it is prepared to deploy up to 20,000 troops to take on health and constructionrelated tasks in Gaza.
“There is a lot of quiet planning that’s going on behind the scenes right now for phase two of the peace deal,” said White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt.
“We want to ensure an enduring and lasting peace.”
Indonesia has said it is prepared to deploy up to 20,000 troops to take on health and construction-related tasks in Gaza.
“It is still in the planning and preparation stages,” said Rico Sirait, spokesperson of the Indonesian Defense Ministry.
“We are now preparing the organizational structure of the forces to be deployed.”
Israel still controls 53 percent of Gaza, while nearly all the 2 million people in the enclave live in the remaining Hamas-held area. The plan — which needs to be finalized by the so-called Board of Peace — is for the ISF to deploy in the area held by Israel, the US officials said.
Then, according to the Trump peace plan, as the ISF establishes control and stability, Israeli troops will gradually withdraw “based on standards, milestones, and timeframes linked to demilitarization.”
