Sputnik Turkiye has received official confirmation of this information from the Iraqi army, which will head the operation launched by Turkmen-dominated Hashd al-Shaabi forces. Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga Forces won't take part in the operation, the representatives said.
Ali Hasim Huseyni, one of the Hashd al-Shaabi unit commanders, commented to Sputnik Turkiye on the upcoming operation.
"The Iraqi army and Hashd al-Shaabi units have completed their last preparations for the operation. We are waiting for the command of Iraq's Commander-in–Chief Haider al-Abadi to launch the offensive. Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga Forces won't take part in the operation. Iraq's government army will provide aerial support for the operation," he told Sputnik.
The commander explained that Tal Afar remains one of the last large Daesh strongholds in Iraq. There are hundreds of terrorists there, predominantly natives of Iraq. The liberation of Tal Afar will signify a large victory in the fight against terrorism.
Tal Afar has been under Daesh control since mid-2014, when the terrorists captured the town. Before the seizure, it was home to 750,000 people. Many civilians still reside in the city, Ali Hasim Huseyni said.
