Speaker of parliament calls for coordination with Int. Coalition

 An Iraqi security source said that the senior military command had issued orders to the 9th Armored Division to prepare immediately for Tal Afar to liberate it from the extremist elements of ISIS. Meanwhile, Speaker of Iraqi parliament Selim Jabori stressed the need for more coordination between Iraqi forces and International coalition to liberate the remaining areas from the grip of extremists.

In the same context, U.S Ambassador to Baghdad Selliman Douglas stressed the need for keeping the unity of the Iraqi state, saying that it is considered one of the necessary factors to eliminate the extremists from the country during the coming period.

 Iraqi parliament on Sunday called for further coordination with the U.S.-led international coalition to regain control of the remaining regions still held by the Islamic State (IS) militants.

A statement by the Iraqi parliament said that Salim al-Jubouri, the parliament speaker, had made the remarks while meeting the U.S. ambassador to Iraq Douglas Silliman.

"The liberation of the remaining areas requires more coordination between Iraq and the international coalition to end the rule of IS over the area, in order to start the reconstruction of the devastated cities and to bring back the displaced people to their homes as soon as possible," the statement quoted Jubouri as saying.

The two officials also reviewed local and regional political and security issues, as well as coordination in counter-terrorism file and the war against the IS, according to the statement.

For his part, the U.S. ambassador expressed his country's support to Iraq in its fight against terrorism, stressing that the unity of Iraq confronting the IS group is an important step towards restoring stability and security in all areas of the country.

The meeting came after Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi officially declared Mosul's liberation on July 10 from IS after nearly nine months of fierce fighting to dislodge the extremist militants from their last major stronghold in Iraq.

The Iraqi forces still have to wage more offensives to drive out IS militants from their redoubts in Tel Afer in west of Mosul, Hawijah in southwestern Kirkuk, the adjacent sprawling rugged areas in eastern Salahudin province, in addition to the remaining IS strongholds in the border towns with Syria in western Anbar province.

On the other hand, Islamic State members are renouncing religious appearances and practices in their last stronghold in Nineveh as Iraqi forces prepare for a decisive battle to retake that  haven.

A source in the town of Tal Afar, west of Nineveh, told Shafaq news website on Monday that Islamic State leaderships had directed members to give up prayers, shave beards, take off typical Afghani costumes and burn religious literature.

Since they took over a third of Iraq in 2014 to establish a self-styled “caliphate”, Islamic State members imposed a stringent, religious code of dressing and behaviour on citizens at cities under their control, punishing violators with harsh punishments that could mount to death at some cases.

Tal Afar has been isolated from Syrian borders and from the rest of Nineveh since pro-government paramilitary troops recaptured areas surrounding the enclave as part of operations to liberate Nineveh that launched in October. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said recently that plans were set for the battle to retake the town.

Iraqi government forces fully retook Mosul, IS’s largest stronghold in Iraq, last month, marking a symbolic collapse of the group’s rule. IS still maintains smaller havens in Anbar, Kirkuk and Salahuddin.