Alwaght- Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has declared victory over the ISIS terrorist group in the northern city of Tal Afar and the entire province of Nineveh.
Iraqi forces backed by the volunteer Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) launched an offensive against ISIS fighters, who had been holding Tal Afar for three years, on August 20.
“Tal Afar has been liberated. We say to the ISIS fighters: Wherever you are, we are coming for you and you have no choice but to surrender or die,” Abadi said in a statement released on Thursday.
The recapture of Tal Afar was made possible with the help of the Iraqi army, Federal Police, counterterrorism units, volunteer troops, and Rapid Response Forces, Abadi said.
"Our happiness is complete, victory has arrived and the province of Nineveh is now entirely in the hands of our forces," the Iraqi premier added.
Abadi also expressed Baghdad’s resolve to liberate all Iraqi territory and keep up its firm stance against terrorists who pose a threat to the entire region.
Announcing that Tal Afar had "regained its place in the national territory,” Abadi noted, "We pledge to you, our people, that we will continue to liberate every inch of Iraq."
Tal Afar, situated about 150 kilometers from Syria's border, was among the last ISIS-held cities in Iraq. The liberation of Tal Afar deprives ISIS of what was once a key supply route between its territory in Syria and Iraq.
Iraqi army soldiers and allied fighters from Popular Mobilization Units have been leading a major operation to rid the country of the Takfiri elements.
Iraqi forces launched the Tal Afar liberation operation on August 20, one month after fully recapturing the country’s second biggest city, Mosul, which was ISIS’s so-called “capital” in Iraq.
