Iraqi forces said they faced tough resistance on Monday from Islamic State fighters driven out of the city of Tal Afar to a small town where they had ¡°nothing to lose¡± by fighting to the end.

An advance by the Iraqi army and Shiite paramilitary groups into al-¡¯Ayadiya was being slowed by snipers, booby-traps and roadside bombs, military officials told Reuters.

¡°The offensive started from two fronts in a bid to distract Daesh fighters,¡± army Lt. Col. Salah Kareem said, using the Arabic acronym for Islamic State.