Heavy fighting continued on Monday between Iraqi forces and ISIL fighters just outside of Tal Afar, a day after the military said it had retaken all 29 districts of the northwestern city from the extremists.
Fierce clashes were ongoing between government forces fighting alongside the mainly Shiite Hashed Al Shaabi militias and ISIL in the town of Al Ayadieh — situated approximately 15 kilometres north of Tal Afar on the road to the Syrian border.
ISIL fighters fled to Al Ayadieh after being driven out of Tal Afar and appeared to be making a last stand, according to Iraqi military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Rasool.
Clearing operations were meanwhile continuing in Tal Afar after US-led Iraqi forces on Sunday said they had retaken all of the city's districts, a week after launching an offensive to recapture the ISIL stronghold. Forces were on Monday waiting for fighting to stop in Al Ayadieh before declaring complete victory in the offensive, with prime minister Haider Al Abadi expected to soon arrive in Tal Afar to announce its "liberation" from ISIL.
Following Tal Afar's recapture, the only Iraqi territory remaining under ISIL control is the city of Hawija, situated about 300 kilometres north of Baghdad, and desert areas along the border with Syria.
As Iraqi forces seized Tal Afar from the extremists, district by district, they would remove ISIL's black flags and hang them upside-down before taking "victory selfies".
According to Iraqi federal police, ground forces on Saturday took control of a building in the west of the city that is thought to have been used by ISIL to imprison and torture anyone who opposed their self-proclaimed caliphate.
During their three-year occupation of Tal Afar, the extremists also turned the city's Ottoman-era citadel into a prison where they chained men and women whose behaviour they considered "sinful".
Meanwhile, at least 11 people were killed in eastern Baghdad on Monday morning in a car bombing that ripped through a busy market.
A police officer said the explosives-laden car went off on Monday morning at the wholesale Jamila market in the Shiite district of Sadr City.
The explosion wounded 28 other people and the death toll is expected to rise, he added.
Members of the security forces were among the victims, medical sources said, confirming the toll.
"It was a thunderous explosion," said Hussein Kadhim, a 35-year old porter and father of three who was wounded in his right leg. "It sounds that the security situation is still uncontrollable and I'm afraid that such bombings will make a comeback."
ISIL quickly claimed responsibility for the bombing. The Sunni militants consider Shiites to be apostates and have frequently claimed attacks on Shiite-dominated areas of Iraq.
The extremists have claimed several bombings in Baghdad, many taking place after the group became the target of a massive assault on its Mosul bastion which Iraqi forces retook in July after nine months of fighting.
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
BABYLON
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Cricket World Cup League Two
Oman, UAE, Namibia
Al Amerat, Muscat
Results
Oman beat UAE by five wickets
UAE beat Namibia by eight runs
Namibia beat Oman by 52 runs
UAE beat Namibia by eight wickets
UAE v Oman - abandoned
Oman v Namibia - abandoned
Army of the Dead
Director: Zack Snyder
Stars: Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Ana de la Reguera
Three stars
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Zayed Sustainability Prize
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Company Profile
Company name: Yeepeey
Started: Soft launch in November, 2020
Founders: Sagar Chandiramani, Jatin Sharma and Monish Chandiramani
Based: Dubai
Industry: E-grocery
Initial investment: $150,000
Future plan: Raise $1.5m and enter Saudi Arabia next year
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Zayed Sustainability Prize
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand
UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final
Volunteers offer workers a lifeline
Community volunteers have swung into action delivering food packages and toiletries to the men.
When provisions are distributed, the men line up in long queues for packets of rice, flour, sugar, salt, pulses, milk, biscuits, shaving kits, soap and telecom cards.
Volunteers from St Mary’s Catholic Church said some workers came to the church to pray for their families and ask for assistance.
Boxes packed with essential food items were distributed to workers in the Dubai Investments Park and Ras Al Khaimah camps last week. Workers at the Sonapur camp asked for Dh1,600 towards their gas bill.
“Especially in this year of tolerance we consider ourselves privileged to be able to lend a helping hand to our needy brothers in the Actco camp," Father Lennie Connully, parish priest of St Mary’s.
Workers spoke of their helplessness, seeing children’s marriages cancelled because of lack of money going home. Others told of their misery of being unable to return home when a parent died.
“More than daily food, they are worried about not sending money home for their family,” said Kusum Dutta, a volunteer who works with the Indian consulate.
THE DEALS
Hamilton $60m x 2 = $120m
Vettel $45m x 2 = $90m
Ricciardo $35m x 2 = $70m
Verstappen $55m x 3 = $165m
Leclerc $20m x 2 = $40m
TOTAL $485m
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The five pillars of Islam
Last-16 Europa League fixtures
Wednesday (Kick-offs UAE)
FC Copenhagen (0) v Istanbul Basaksehir (1) 8.55pm
Shakhtar Donetsk (2) v Wolfsburg (1) 8.55pm
Inter Milan v Getafe (one leg only) 11pm
Manchester United (5) v LASK (0) 11pm
Thursday
Bayer Leverkusen (3) v Rangers (1) 8.55pm
Sevilla v Roma (one leg only) 8.55pm
FC Basel (3) v Eintracht Frankfurt (0) 11pm
Wolves (1) Olympiakos (1) 11pm
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
WISH
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
