Iraqi forces on Tuesday said they were making gains in their ongoing push to dislodge fighters from the Daesh (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group from the northern city of Tal Afar, as the Pentagon chief made a surprise visit to Iraq in a show of support.
Iraqi security forces launched on Sunday an offensive to take back the city of Tal Afar, their next objective in the U.S.-backed campaign to defeat Daesh (Islamic State) militants, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said.
Iraqi were massing troops on Monday to cut remaining supply routes to Mosul, IS's (Daesh terrorist group) last major stronghold in Iraq, closing in on the road that links the Syrian and Iraqi parts of its self-declared caliphate.
