Iraqi armed forces say they have managed to retake the center of Tal Afar from DaeshTakfiri terrorists as their battle to liberate the northern city enters a final stage.
“Units of the Counter-Terrorism Service liberated the Citadel and Basateen districts and raised the Iraqi flag on top of the citadel,” Commander of Tal Afar Liberation Operation Lieutenant General Abdul Amir Yarallah said in a statement.
The announcement came hours after Iraq’s Foreign said security forces had liberated 70 percent of Tal Afar from the control of Daesh.
“God willing the remaining part will be liberated soon,” Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari said at a press conference with his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian, and French Defense Minister Florence Parly, in Baghdad.
Meanwhile, reports coming out of Iraq suggest that the liberation of the city will be announced within hours.
Tal Afar is one of the last remaining Daesh strongholds in Iraq. The United Nations estimates that some 30,000 people remain trapped inside the city.
