Baghdad - Iraqi forces fought heavy clashes against Islamic State (IS) militants in the IS-held town of Ayadhiyah and managed to free 40 percent of the town, the Iraqi military said. The federal police forces and the elite Interior Ministry special forces, known as Rapid Response, advanced in the eastern part of the town, while the army's 9th Armored Division advanced in the western side of the town, Lt. Gen. Abdul-Amir Yarallah from the Joint Operations Command (JOC) said in a brief statement. So far, the troops, backed by Iraqi and international aircraft, recaptured 40 percent from the town of Ayadhiyah, some 11 km north of the newly-freed city of Tal Afar, the statement said. Also during the day, the army's 15th Infantry Division freed a village located some 6 km in west of Ayadhiyah, the statement added. The troops are facing tough resistance from the extremist militants inside the town, as hundreds of IS fighters who withdrew from Mosul and Tal Afar have gathered in the town, Major Hameed al-Jubouri from the 9th Division told Xinhua. On Aug. 20, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, also the commander-in-chief of Iraqi forces, declared the start of an operation to dislodge IS militants from Tal Afar area, including Ayadhiyah, which is the last IS redoubt in the province of Nineveh.
