Iraq retakes Tal Afar centre from ISIS

Iraqi forces have driven the Islamic State from central Tal Afar and its historic citadel, they said on Saturday, placing them on the verge of fully recapturing one of the last IS strongholds in the country

A security officer flashes the victory gesture during the advance in the eastern part of the town of Tal Afar. Pic/AFP

Iraqi forces have driven the Islamic State from central Tal Afar and its historic citadel, they said on Saturday, placing them on the verge of fully recapturing one of the last IS strongholds in the country.

The advance, just days into an assault on the strategic town, comes six weeks after Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory over the jihadists in second city Mosul, where the jihadist group declared its "caliphate" in 2014.

"Units of the Co­unter-Terrorism Service liberated the Citadel and Basatin districts and raised the Iraqi flag on top of the citadel," operation commander General Abdulamir Yarallah said in a statement on Saturday.

2 lakh
No. of Tal Afar residents who had fled as the jihadists arrived in Mosul

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