PM Abadi announces launch of offensive to retake Tal Afar
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is seen on a screen as he speaks via a videoconference during a ministerial summit to hold discussion on the future of Mosul city, post-Islamic State, in Paris, France, October 20, 2016. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau
“Iraqis will have another victory that will be achieved,” Abadi said in a televised speech on Sunday. “You either surrender or die,” he said addressing IS fighters, adding “we achieved victory in all our battles, while the militants were defeated in all of their battles.”
Abadi greeted all Iraqi troops including the army, Counter-Terrorism Service, Federal Police, al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Units) and local police, which are taking part in the battle.
Moreover, the Nineveh Operations Command promised victory and indicated destroying the defense lines of the enemy from several directions.
In a statement, Lt.Gen. Abdul-Amir Yarallah addressed Iraqis saying, “after achieving great victory in Mosul, your troops headed toward Tal Afar to launch We Are Coming, Tal Afar operations this morning.”
On Saturday, the Defense Ministry’s War Media Cell said Iraqi air force dropped hundreds of thousands of leaflets including recommendations to the locals in Tal Afar.
Tal Afar is one of the important strongholds still held by IS in Nineveh since August 2014, when the militants occupied a third of Iraq to proclaim its self-styled “caliphate”.