Iraqi forces take back city of Tel Afar from IS

Iraqi forces on Sunday took back the last two neighbourhoods of the northern city of Tel Afar from the hands of the Islamic State, according to the Joint Operations Command.

Commander Abdul Amir Yarallah said in a statement that troops recaptured al-Askari and al-Sinaa al-Shamaliya districts as well as the city's port and trade fair area, one week after an operation began to drive the IS militants out of the city, Efe reported.

The statement added the 15th and 16th army brigades were advancing toward al-Ayadiya, the last town in Tel Afar still under the control of the militants.

Tel Afar, located about 70 km west of the recently liberated city of Mosul, was the terror organisation's last bastion in northern Iraq.

Last week, Iraq's Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi announced the launch of a ground offensive against the IS in Tel Afar, following the militants' defeat in its key stronghold of Mosul in July.

--IANS

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