Liberation of Tal Afar to Disrupt Vital Daesh Supply Route to Mosul

CAIRO (Sputnik) — The liberation of the Iraqi city of Tal Afar from Islamic State (Daesh) will cut off the remaining supply routes for terrorists based in Mosul as well as help retake the Iraqi second largest city, Karim al-Nuri, a spokesman for the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces Shia militia known as Hashd al-Shaabi, told Sputnik Friday.

"The liberation of Tel Afar will be a great contribution to the battle for Mosul, since the liberation of this city and its suburbs will mean the shutdown of the last major source of financing and arming the Daesh militants in Mosul," al-Nuri said.

Hashd al-Shaabi has recently liberated 50 villages in the Nineveh province in northern Iraq and killed dozens of Daesh fighters, al-Nuri specified.

The liberation of these villages is strategically important in order to fully liberate Tal Afar, which, is on a strategic route between Mosul and Syria’s Raqqa, Daesh stronghold.

On Wednesday, the militia said it had retaken the Tal Afar airport from Daesh militants, located about 30 miles away from Mosul.

Mosul has been occupied by Daesh, a terrorist group outlawed in multiple countries. The operation to retake the city from the terrorists began on October 17.