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Iraqi security forces (ISF) have liberated two villages and an oil near the ISIS-held city of Tal Afar in northern Iraq, Lieutenant General Abdul Amir Yarallah, the commander of the Tal Afar Liberation Operation, said in a stement on Tuesday. According to the statement, ISF liberated the al-Kask oil refinery, Tishtia and Tal al-Samn.
On Monday, ISF took control of the villages of Tal Rahal, Jabbara, Hussein Idris, Mullah, and Majid from ISIS southwest of Tal Afar.
On Sunday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the official start of the large-scale operation to liberate Tal Afar and the nearby area from ISIS. ISF had deployed about 40,000 troops for the operation.
Meanwhile, according to the Pentagon, about 2,500 ISIS members were deployed in the area. According to the Iraqi government estimates, there were between 1,500 and 2,000 ISIS members.