Iraqi Interior Ministry sources say both the Ministries of Interior and Defence played a major role in planning the Tal Afar battle, and the Interior Ministry’s Special Forces and the Army’s Commando Forces together formed the core of the forces involved. These sources add that the battle was fought in accordance with the so-called "shaping-the-battlefield" tactic, rather than the steamroller modus operandi the Americans used in their offensive against Falluja in November 2004. The sources add that the Iraqi General Staff and the US turned back to more ‘classic’ methods based on limited air and artillery strikes, accompanied by airborne operations in sensitive areas in and around the city to enable coalition forces to secure their own logistical lines and disrupt the enemy's cohesiveness. Beyond the electronic and image intelligence support supplied by the Americans, the Iraqi forces also relied on intelligence reports from the population in Tal Afar. The Shiite-Turkmen minority in the city helped the Iraqi forces in their offensive, contrary to what happened in Falluja where the population supported the insurgency.
Iraq Information Report - September 14, 2005 - 6th Year, № 6/674