U.S. and Iraqi forces allowed civilians to return to Tal Afar on Tuesday, signaling an end to the siege of the northern city. Civilian cars crossed the checkpoint on the outskirts of the city and troops searched others wishing to return, according to an Associated Press reporter watching the event unfold. American troops and Iraqi forces overran Tal Afar on Sunday _ one of several Iraqi cities they say had fallen into the hands of insurgents _ after a nearly two-week siege that forced scores of residents to flee and left a trail of devastated buildings and rubble. U.S. commanders said they moved in on Tal Afar at the behest of regional officials who lost control of the city. Turkmen officials have said that 58 people were killed during a 12-day assault by U.S. and Iraqi government forces. Turkmen residents who fled the city to nearby Mosul spoke of bodies lying under the hot sun and wrecked buildings.
