Iraq readies force to storm flashpoint town near Mosul

A man walks in front of a building destroyed during clashes between Iraqi forces and Islamic State fighters in Mosul, Iraq November 24, 2016. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq is readying a special force tasked with storming Tal Afar, a bastion of Islamic State west of Mosul, in a way that would avoid revenge killings against the town's Sunni population.

Capturing or isolating Tal Afar from Mosul is a key part of the U.S-backed offensive to take back Islamic State's last major city stronghold in Iraq, by allowing the ground forces taking part in the campaign to complete Mosul's encirclement.