Il primo ministro iracheno Haider al Abadi ha annunciato, domenica mattina, l’inizio di una decisiva battaglia per strappare allo Stato islamico la cittadina di Tal Afar, ultimo bastione della presenza dei miliziani jihadisti nella provincia settentrionale di Ninive, non lontana dal confine con la Siria.
Tal Afar è ubicata a una settantina di chilometri ad ovest di Mosul, la seconda città dell’Iraq, dalla quale le forze governative, con il sostegno della coalizione guidata dagli Stati Uniti, avevano scacciato l’IS a inizio luglio dopo un lungo assedio. Negli ultimi mesi l’IS ha perso vaste porzioni dei territori iracheni conquistati nel 2014 ma controlla ancora diverse zone dell’Iraq vicine al confine con la Siria.
All’offensiva militare, ha precisato al Abadi, oltre alle truppe dell’esercito, partecipano anche reparti di polizia e unità anti terrorismo. Della partita anche le "unità di mobilizzazione popolari" Hachd al Chaabi, organizzazione paramilitare dominata dalle milizie sciite sostenute dall’Iran che ha già fornito il suo contributo per liberare dalla presenza dello Stato islamico numerose città irachene.
Avanza anche l'esercito libanese
I soldati libanesi hanno continuato, domenica, l'assalto alle postazioni dello Stato islamico alla frontiera tra Libano e Siria. Secondo fonti locali avrebbero già strappato agli jihadisti oltre un quarto del territorio che i miliziani dell'IS controllavano, fino a sabato, nella zona. Negli scontri, stando a fonti dell'esercito, sarebbero morti 20 jihadisti mentre una decina di soldati libanesi sarebbe rimasta ferita.
ATS/AFP/Swing
Dal TG 12.30 20.08.2017: Iraq, nuova offensiva contro l'ISIS
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