BAGHDAD: The operation to retake the town of Tal Afar, west of Mosul, from the Daesh group began Sunday morning, Iraq’s prime minister said.
Tal Afar and the surrounding area is one of the last pockets of Daesh-held territory in Iraq after victory was declared in July in Mosul, the country’s second-largest city. The town, about 150 kilometers (93 miles) east of the Syrian border, sits along a major road that was once a key Daesh supply route.
“The city of Tal Afar will be liberated and will join all the liberated cities,” Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi said in an address to the nation broadcast on state television early Sunday.
Al-Abadi said his message to Daesh was: “You either surrender or die.”
Iraq’s mostly Shiite militiamen largely stayed out of the operation to retake Mosul, a mostly Sunni city about 80 kilometers (50 miles) to the east, but have vowed to play a bigger role in the battle for Tal Afar, which was home to both Sunni and Shiite Turkmen before it fell to Daesh, a Sunni extremist group. The militias captured Tal Afar’s airport, on the outskirts of the town, last year.
Their participation in the coming offensive could heighten sectarian and regional tensions. The town’s ethnic Turkmen community maintained close ties to neighboring Turkey. Turkish officials have expressed concern that once territory is liberated from Daesh, Iraqi Kurdish or Shiite forces may push out Sunni Arabs or ethnic Turkmen.
A stepped up campaign of airstrikes and a troop buildup has already forced tens of thousands to flee Tal Afar, threatening to compound a humanitarian crisis sparked by the Mosul operation.
Some 49,000 people have fled the Tal Afar district since April, according to the United Nations. Nearly a million people remain displaced by the nine-month campaign to retake Mosul.
PM: Iraqi forces begin operation to retake Tal Afar from Daesh
PM: Iraqi forces begin operation to retake Tal Afar from Daesh
Minister says Pakistan plans up to four new deep-sea ports with focus on environment
- The government says it wants to build green energy and digital systems into new ports
- The move aims to ease pressure on existing ports amid efforts to boost regional trade
KARACHI: Pakistan plans to build three to four new deep-sea ports to support long-term growth in trade and logistics, placing environmental protection at the center of port development policy, Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Junaid Anwar Chaudhry said on Wednesday.
The plan aims to ease congestion at existing ports and prepare for future demand as Pakistan seeks to expand its role in regional trade routes, according to a statement issued after a meeting chaired by Chaudhry.
“Planning deep-sea ports requires a balance between economic growth and environmental protection,” Chaudhry said, according to the statement issued after the meeting. “The development of the maritime sector over the next hundred years is a national priority.”
The ministry said the government was working on a commercial framework to reduce pressure on major ports, warning that alternative arrangements must be put in place before existing facilities reach full capacity.
Chaudhry said mangroves and coastal ecosystems would be protected as part of the port policy, while new facilities would incorporate green energy solutions and modern digital systems to improve efficiency and sustainability.
He added new ports would play a key role in promoting regional trade and logistics, as Pakistan seeks to modernize its maritime infrastructure and position itself as a hub for shipping and transit.
