U.S., Iraqi Troops Launch Offensive In Tal Afar

10 September 2005 -- Reports from the northwestern Iraqi town of Tal Afar say Iraqi and U.S. troops are engaged in a major offensive to expel insurgents.

Iraqi Defense Minister Sad'un al-Dulaymi, said today that some 150 insurgents had been killed. He said five Iraq soldiers had died.

Al-Dulaymi's figures could not be independently confirmed.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Ja'fari gave the go-ahead yesterday for a major assault on Tal Afar after days of deadly clashes failed to dislodge the rebels from the town.

The U.S. military says Tal Afar, near the Syrian border, has become a major staging post for foreign fighters infiltrating Iraq.

(AFP)

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