Victory At Tal Afar - September 2005

"Last June and September, US forces conducted an extensive operation to root out al-Qaeda forces that had taken over the town of Tal Afar on the northern Syrian border, a city of 250,000 people. What was going on there? Col. H.R. McMaster, of the 3rd Armored Cavalry said:

First of all, the purpose of this operation is the secure the population of Tal Afar from the terrorists who have infiltrated this city and set up a safe haven support base here in Tal Afar.

Why Did the Enemy Come to Tal Afar?

Positioned on roads between Mosul and Syria, the town secured access to their external supports in Syria.
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al-Qaeda in Iraq wants an ethnic and sectarian civil war. The area is 75% Sunni Turkmen, but there lots of minorities and ethnic division to be exploited: Shi'a Turkmen, Sunni Arabs, Izedis, and Kurds. Of the 150 police, only three were Sunni Turkmen since their families would be targeted if they enlisted.

What was the nature of the enemy there? "
IBC