Operation Featherweight: Month 38, Week 2, Day 1.

In August 2014 the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) overran northern Iraq. This included seizing the city of Mosul which went on to function as ISIL's de facto capital within Iraq.

On October 17th 2016 (17/10/16) an operation was launched to liberate Mosul. This was a combined operation.

The Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga alongside the Iraqi Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) militias would secure the areas around Mosul while the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) would liberate the city itself. All aspects of the operation were supported by the US-led coalition - Combined Joint Task Force: Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTFOIR).

The key flaw in the operation was the failure to seal off the western side of the city. This created a route dubbed; "The Falls Road" to allow ISIL fighters to escape from Mosul to Syria and then from Syria to the rest of the world. Regardless of the risks it presented former US President Barack Obama insisted on this in the hope of securing a swift liberation of Mosul with ISIL mounting only a symbolic defence.

Fortunately the PMF refused to go along with this plan. On October 29th (29/10/17) they opened a front to the west of Mosul to seal off the Falls Road.

This was completed on November 16th 2016 (16/11/16) with the PMF liberating Tal Afar Airport which sits around 7km (4 miles) south of Tal Afar itself. It created what is known as the Qarrayah - Tal Afar Line stretching south from Tal Afar to Qarrayah on the southern front of the Mosul operation.

On March 26th (26/3/17) the PMF created a second line between western Mosul and Tal Afar. Stretching from Tal Zalat south-west of Mosul to Badush north-west of Mosul this is known as the Tal Zalat - Badush Line. It's creation allowed the ISF to open a northern axis within western Mosul.

The PMF then turned their attention to liberating everything between the Qarrayah-Tal Afar Line and Iraq's border with Syria.

This was completed on June 7th (7/6/17) with the liberation of the border village of Tal Safuq. It saw the PMF liberate some 28,000kmsq (16,800milesq) of territory including the ancient city of Hadar/Hatra and the now infamous town of Sinjar/Shingal along with the H47 Highway between Tal Afar and Syria.

Unfortunately Turkish President/Prime Minister/Emperor Recep Tayyip Erdogan has always forbidden the predominately Shia PMF from liberating Tal Afar. Fearing a loss of influence amongst mix of Sunni and Shia Turkmen who make up the bulk of the population of the town Sunni Erdogan stationed troops of the Turkey/Iraq border and threatened to invade should the PMF move to liberate Tal Afar.

On July 9th (9/7/17) Mosul itself was liberated. This obviously included the area between Mosul and Tal Zalat-Badush line.

Since then the ISF have been redeploying its forces to reinforce the PMF in preparation for an operation to liberate Tal Afar.

That operation was launched on Sunday August 20th (20/8/17).

What the ISF have actually done is redeploy the 40,000+ strong force they used to liberate Mosul to liberate Tal Afar. With Tal Afar being around a tenth of the size of Mosul this has seen it be almost completely swamped by ISF forces.

By being able to bring such an overwhelming force to bear the ISF have given themselves the opportunity to attack pretty much any part of Tal Afar at any time they like. However for the sake of simplicity it is easier to talk in terms of them deploying their forces along three axis;

To the east of Tal Afar the ISF/PMF positioned themselves around the town of Al Buwayr. This sits around 30km (18 miles) east of Tal Afar just south of the H47 Highway/M1 Motorway linking Tal Afar to Mosul.
 
To the west of Tal Afar the ISF/PMF positioned themselves just outside the town of Ibrat ash Shaghirah. This sits around 20km (12 miles) west of Tal Afar just north of the H47 Highway linking Tal Afar to Sinjar/Shingal.

To the south-east of Tal Afar the ISF/PMF positioned themselves around the town of Ayn al-Jahesh. This sits around 55km (30 miles) south-east along the Zambar-Ibrahim Mountain.

On Tuesday August 22nd (22/8/17) the western axis entered Tal Afar itself in the al-Kifah (north) district. This is actually the second most westerly of Tal Afar's districts sitting east of Mola Jasim district north of the H47 Highway as it cuts through the town. The western axis liberated this district the same day.

Rather than attacking along the line of the H47 Highway the eastern axis actually banked south of the town. On August 20th (20/8/17) they entered Tal Afar itself in the al-Noor district. This sits mid-way along the eastern outskirts almost in line with Tal Afar's Ottoman-era Citadel.

To say there has not been much fighting in Tal Afar would be an insult to the people doing that fighting. However ISIL seem to have been unable to mount much of a coherent defence of the town in fact seeming to be on the brink of total collapse.

In short order the eastern axis have been able to liberate the al-Sinna (north) district to the north of the al-Noor district. They have also liberated the al-Nasar, al-Jazeera and Kinder al-Yas districts. These all sit in a line south of the al-Noor district.

In equally short order the western axis has been able to liberate the Mola Jasim district to the west of al-Kifah (north) district and the al-Kifah (south) district which sits south of the H47 Highway.

The western axis has gone on to liberate the al-Zaharaa and the Cemetery which sit in line east of al-Kifah (north) district. They have also liberated the al-Saad and al-Wahada districts which sit across the H47 Highway from the Cemetary and al-Zaharaa district.

Most crucially the western axis has also liberated the al-Sinna (south) district east of the al-Kifah (south) district along with the adjacent Seed Store, Hayakel, al-Moalimeen and Orchards districts. These all sit between the al-Kifah (south) district and the al-Jazeera district on the eastern axis.

Yesterday (25/8/17) the eastern axis liberated the al-Montather district which sits south of the al-Jazeera district. They were also able to advance west into the al-Taleaa district where they linked up with the western axis advancing north from the Orchards district.

This means that they have been able to liberate the Ottoman-era Citadel and the centre of Tal Afar's Old City. It also means that Tal Afar is around 65-70% liberated.

Today there are unconfirmed reports that that remaining eight districts have been liberated and the Iraqis will declare victory in Tal Afar tomorrow.

Amid the rapid progress within Tal Afar itself I have struggled to keep up with the progress of the south-eastern axis making its way along the Zambar-Ibrahim Mountain. However they have already liberated the towns of Muhallabiyah and al-Tinyah. With the exception of the village or Zambar these are the only main population centres between the towns of Ayn al-Jahesh and Tal Afar.

In the operation to liberate Tal Afar the Iraqis have continued to be supported by CJTFOIR.

However rather than providing air support which is largely covered by the Iraqi Air Force CJTFOIR have focused on providing Special Operations Forces (SOF's) on the ground. Rather than fighting these SOF's have taken up observation posts close to Tal Afar to monitor the battle and offer advice where needed.

Unusually for SOF's the Belgian forces have been given a rather high profile posing for journalists photographs.

On Monday (21/8/17) a Cougar Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle was destroyed by ISIL on the south-eastern axis. Although this was an ISF vehicle completely different from the Dingo MRAP used by Belgian SOF's the rumour went around ISIL supporters that they had destroyed a Belgian SOF unit.

Yesterday (25/8/17) evening a 20 year old Somali Muslim man was shot and killed while attempting a stabbing attack against soldiers in Brussels, Belgium. It is possible that is linked to Belgium's perceived role in ISIL's looming defeat in Tal Afar.

16:25 on 26/8/17 (UK date).