BAGHDAD, Iraq – Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Aabdi said today that the mainly Shiite Hashd al-Shaabi forces will take part in the offensive to drive out ISIS from the Turkmen town of Tal Afar, west of Mosul.
The announcement may upset neighboring Turkey as they have strongly opposed the involvement of Hashd in the offensive.
PM Abadi made the announcement as he delivered a speech addressing a conference of the Iraqi youth parliament.
He said that the Iraqi army, the federal police, the US-trained Counter Terrorism Service, the local Hashd and the Hashd al-Shaabi would all take part in the offensive.
The Iraqi army stated on Wednesday that they began preparations to launch an offensive to reclaim Tal Afar, the largest remaining ISIS stronghold in Nineveh province by deploying tanks near the town.
Fahd Abdullah Taai, an officer within the Iraqi army, said in a press conference that nearly 100 tanks and armored vehicles full of soldiers have been stationed near Badush area, 40 kilometers from Tal Afar, as part of ramped up preparations to liberate the predominantly Turkmen town from ISIS.
Taai said that PM Abadi will order the launch of the battle “within the next few days.”
Tal Afar, 60 kilometers west of Mosul, has been under ISIS control since mid-2014.
An official from the Shiite Hashd al-Shaabi also reported earlier in the week that the Hashd's Abbas division had received a green light from Abadi to gear up for the Tal Afar offensive.
He has also said that they called upon 3,000 fighters for the battle and received weapons from the Iraqi defense ministry.
Abadi told a tribal delegation from Tal Afar in late 2016 that the Hashd forces would not enter the Turkmen town and instead the Iraqi army would take over that mission.
Abadi’s announcement comes as he talked to his Turkish counterpart on the phone on July 20.
Turkey also issued a statement on the phone call, but did not mention Tal Afar.
Turkey has long opposed the involvement of Shiite Hashd al-Shaabi paramilitaries in the operation to retake Tal Afar from ISIS, citing violence at the hands of the group against the Turkmen populated town and fearing it will alter the region's demographics.
The estimated 100,000-strong Shiite force played major roles in evicting ISIS in some parts of the country. The Hashd has been tasked to fight ISIS west of Mosul and in the direction of Tal Afar since the launch of the Mosul offensive in October 2016.
Iraqi parliament recognized the Hashd as an official force with similar rights as the regular army. in November last year.
