Raids, shelling kill 17 Daesh terrorists in Tal Afar

U.S.-led coalition warplanes and Iraqi forces pounded Daesh positions in the northwestern city of Tal Afar on Tuesday, killing at least 17 terrorists, according to an Iraqi military officer.

Lieutenant Colonel Shams al-Din al-Anbari said the attacks targeted Daesh arms depots and training sites in the city.

"At least 17 militants were killed and seven others injured," he told Anadolu Agency.

The Iraqi officer said Tuesday's attacks are part of a "plan to undermine Daesh fighting capabilities to make it easy for Iraqi forces to storm the city".

Iraqi forces are preparing to launch an offensive to recapture Tal Afar, a predominantly Turkmen city which was overrun by Daesh in mid-2014 along with vast swathes of territory in northern and western Iraq.

Last month, Iraqi forces dislodged Daesh from their last stronghold in Mosul, once Iraq's second largest city.