Fight on to free town

IRAQI Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced early yesterday the start of a battle to retake Tal Afar, a key Northern Iraqi bastion of the Islamic State group and one of their last remaining strongholds in the region.

The announcement comes a month after the capture by Iraqi forces of second city Mosul further east in a major blow to the jihadists.

Mr Abadi announced “the start of an operation to free Tal Afar”. Tal Afar is located 70km west of Mosul. “I am saying to Daesh that there’s no choice other than to leave or be killed,” he said, using an alternative name for IS.