Islamic State militants are "completely surrounded" and "being killed" in the Iraqi town of Tal Afar, the spokesman for the US-led coalition fighting the extremist group in Iraq said.
US Army Colonel Ryan Dillon said the militants in the town are being deprived of their resources and at the "cusp of yet another defeat".
Iraqi spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Rasool put the estimated number of IS fighters remaining in Tal Afar at 2,000.
He said most are foreigners, non-Iraqi Arabs but that there are also some locals fighting with IS.
He added that about 10,000 civilians remain inside the city but that authorities have secured safe corridors for them.
Tal Afar is about 150 kilometres, or 93 miles, from Syria's border and is among the last IS-held towns in Iraq.
- AP