US army Colonel Ryan Dillon, spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), speaks during a joint press conference with Iraqi military spokesman General Yahya Rasool at the ministry of defence in Baghdad on August 24, 2017. Karim Kadim / AP
US army Colonel Ryan Dillon, spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), speaks during a joint press conference with Iraqi military spokesman General Yahya Rasool at the ministry of defence in BagShow more

Tal Afar battle: ISIL fighters are besieged and end is near



Iraqi forces have "completely surrounded" ISIL militants in the northern city of Tal Afar after advances on Thursday, the US-led coalition against the extremist group said.

"ISIL fighters are completely besieged from all sides and their resources have been frozen in Tal Afar as coalition forces continue to support Iraqi ground troops," spokesman Col Ryan Dillon said at a press conference with General Yahya Rasool, spokesman for the Iraqi military.

Located about 60 kilometres from city of Mosul and the borders with Turkey and Syria, Tal Afar has been under ISIL’s control since mid-2014 and is one of the last remaining urban areas still held by the extremist group in Iraq. The offensive to retake Tal Afar began earlier this month, weeks after ISIL was driven out of Mosul, with air strikes on militant positions.

Maj Gen Rupert Jones, the coalition's British deputy commander, said Iraqi forces were off to a "really positive start" and "closing the noose" around the militants.

_______________

Read more:

Battle for Tal Afar: A new humanitarian tragedy unfolds in Iraq

US-led coalition strikes kill more than 40 civilians in Raqqa

Iraqi forces close in on ISIL-held Tal Afar

_______________

"The key is that they've broken into the city," he said, and described the Tal Afar offensive as "the toughest urban battle since World War Two".

The liberation of Tal Afar and of Nineveh province will "essentially end ISIL's military presence in northern Iraq", he said.

"ISIL are losing on all fronts and our partners have irresistible momentum," Maj Gen Jones said. "They are losing on the battlefield, they are losing financially, the flow of foreign fighters has slowed to a trickle. Their narrative has been so significantly discredited," he said.

The coalition estimates that about 2,000 ISIL fighters remain in Tal Afar; about 2,500 in the Syrian city of Raqqa, where the militants are under attack by US-backed Syrian militias; and between 5,000 and 10,000 in the Middle Euphrates River Valley region that cuts across Syria.

An Iraqi military commander told Associated Press on Wednesday that Iraqi forces had captured two neighbourhoods in Tal Afar — Al Kifah Al Janoubi on the south-western edge of the city and Al Kifah Al Shamali on its north-western edge.

Victory in the town, where the majority of the population — both Shiite and Sunni — is ethnically Turkmen, would mean the loss of one of the most strategically important strongholds for ISIL.

Along with Tal Afar, ISIL still controls the town of Hawija in Kirkuk province, as well as the towns of Qaim, Rawa and Ana near the Syrian border in the western province of Anbar.

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

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Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

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Guide to intelligent investing
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UAE squad

Rohan Mustafa (captain), Ashfaq Ahmed, Ghulam Shabber, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Shaiman Anwar, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Mohammed Naveed, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan

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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Results:

5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 2,200m | Winner: AF Al Montaqem, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)

5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,200m | Winner: Daber W’Rsan, Connor Beasley, Jaci Wickham

6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000 1,600m | Winner: Bainoona, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel

6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m | Winner: AF Makerah, Antonio Fresu, Ernst Oertel

7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 | Winner: AF Motaghatres, Antonio Fresu, Ernst Oertel

7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,600m | Winner: Tafakhor, Ronan Whelan, Ali Rashid Al Raihe

SCORES IN BRIEF

Lahore Qalandars 186 for 4 in 19.4 overs
(Sohail 100,Phil Salt 37 not out, Bilal Irshad 30, Josh Poysden 2-26)
bt Yorkshire Vikings 184 for 5 in 20 overs
(Jonathan Tattersall 36, Harry Brook 37, Gary Ballance 33, Adam Lyth 32, Shaheen Afridi 2-36).

Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

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Cryopreservation: A timeline
  1. Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
  2. Ovarian tissue surgically removed
  3. Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
  4. Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
  5. Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
The specs

Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors

Power: 480kW

Torque: 850Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)

On sale: Now

Brief scores

Barcelona 2

Pique 36', Alena 87'

Villarreal 0

Emergency

Director: Kangana Ranaut

Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry 

Rating: 2/5

The distance learning plan

Spring break will be from March 8 - 19

Public school pupils will undergo distance learning from March 22 - April 2. School hours will be 8.30am to 1.30pm

Staff will be trained in distance learning programmes from March 15 - 19

Teaching hours will be 8am to 2pm during distance learning

Pupils will return to school for normal lessons from April 5

If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.

Padmaavat

Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh

3.5/5

A general guide to how active you are:

Less than 5,000 steps - sedentary

5,000 - 9,999 steps - lightly active

10,000  - 12,500 steps - active

12,500 - highly active

Episode list:

Ep1: A recovery like no other- the unevenness of the economic recovery 

Ep2: PCR and jobs - the future of work - new trends and challenges 

Ep3: The recovery and global trade disruptions - globalisation post-pandemic 

Ep4: Inflation- services and goods - debt risks 

Ep5: Travel and tourism