RNA - "The Iraqi joint military forces are planning to cut all the supply routes of the ISIL terrorist group from the Western flank of Mosul towards Syria's border regions where Tal Afar region plays a strategic role," Mohammad al-Basri told FNA on Sunday.
He reiterated that the ISIL has been surprised by Hashd al-Shaabi's military operations in Western Mosul.
"The Iraqi volunteer forces has started its operation to win back villages and towns located in the Northern part of Tal Afar airport and advance towards Iraq-Syria border after seizing back Tal Abta Westward of Tal Afar," al-Basri added.
Iraqi forces liberated more areas in the Western areas of Nineveh Province as part of an operation to retake the province and its capital Mosul from the ISIL terrorists.
A Hashd al-Shaabi commander said the Iraqi forces have flushed the terrorists out of ten villages West of the city of Tal Afar.
The commander reiterated that the gains were made during the fifth phase of the Nineveh liberation operations that took three days.
Iraqi forces also managed to establish control over a key highway linking Tal Afar to Tal Abta.
ISIL terrorists used the road for transporting arms and vehicles. This comes as Iraqi counter-terrorism units are only a couple of kilometers away from recapturing the whole Eastern side of the provincial capital Mosul.
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