Fighters of the Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation) paramilitaries prepare defensive positions near the frontline village of Ayn al-Hisan, on the outskirts of Tal Afar west of Mosul, where Iraqi forces are preparing for the offensive retake the wester
NINEVEH, Iraq: At least 15 Shia pro-government fighters were killed in a Islamic State attack in Iraq’s northern city of Mosul, according to a militia fighter.
Scores of Islamic State militants -- armed with heavy weapons and mortar shells -- attacked several villages late Friday in southwestern Tal Afar, 60 kilometers west of Mosul, Hassan al-Draji told Anadolu Agency.
The attack was thwarted by fighters of the Hashd al-Shaabi militia, leaving 44 IS militants dead, he said.
“Fifteen militia fighters were killed and 12 others injured in the confrontation,” al-Draji said.
Meanwhile, Iraqi military commander General Jassim Nizal said final preparations were in full swing to stage a military operation against IS militants in western Mosul.
“The offensive will be launched from numerous fronts with the support of the U.S.-led coalition with a view to eliminating IS,” he said.
Iraqi forces have driven IS militants from most of eastern Mosul as part of a wide-ranging offensive launched last October to retake the city, which the terrorist group overran in mid-2014.
