1,500 more people flee Tal Afar as forces take full control of city

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – The Ministry of Displacement and Migration (MDM) on Sunday announced it had received an additional 1,500 displaced individuals from the city of Tal Afar and its surrounding areas.

In coordination with the liberation of Tal Afar, 60 kilometers west of Mosul, and nearby villages, Iraqi forces established a civilian corridor for those fleeing the clashes.

“We have received 1,500 displaced people from the town and areas of Tal Afar,” said an official of the MDM’s Nineveh branch.

He added the ministry would continue to evacuate and receive displaced persons from the surrounding regions as they are being liberated and provide quick humanitarian aid.

“Field teams are transferring them from security check points to the Nimrud camp, providing shelter as well as humanitarian assistance as soon as they enter the camp,” the official explained.

The MDM official also noted the ministry would be providing displaced people with “food, water, and health care.”

Iraqi forces have retaken 29 neighborhoods since the operation to liberate the Islamic State (IS)-held city of Tal Afar, which has been under the militant group’s control since 2014, marking the end of the group’s hold on northern Iraq.

Iraqi troops have made significantly rapid territorial gains, facing far less resistance in Tal Afar than in Mosul where the battle lasted over nine months.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany