The army: Protecting civilians is our priority in the liberation of Tal Afar
The commander of the 9th Armored Infantry Division said on Thursday that the army is prioritizing the protection of civilians and creating safe exits immediately after the fighting begins.

"The army has managed to prepare all the conditions for the liberation of Tal Afar west of Mosul," army spokesman Qassem Nazzal told the daily Al-Ghad. "It is the army's priority to protect civilians and provide safe exit for displaced people immediately after the fighting begins."

Nazzal added that "the army has completed its preparations while waiting for the hour of zero," adding that "there is high coordination between all the factions involved in the operations of Tal Afar."

Troops from the armored brigade of the 9th Armored Division arrived Thursday in the Tal Afar area, in preparation for their liberation from the gangs of gangsters.

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