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Iraqi forces begin operation to retake Tal Afar from IS

BAGHDAD, August 20:  Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Aabadi says the operation to retake the town of Tal Afar, west of Mosul, from the Islamic State group has begun.
By Associated Press

BAGHDAD, August 20:  Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Aabadi says the operation to retake the town of Tal Afar, west of Mosul, from the Islamic State group has begun.


Al-Abadi says IS fighters inside the town have “no option” but to surrender or die.


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Tal Afar and the surrounding area is one of the last pockets of IS-held territory in Iraq after victory was declared in July in Mosul, the country’s second-largest city.


The town, about 150 kilometers (93 miles) east of the Syrian border, sits along a major road that was once a key IS supply route.


Aid groups have warned the operation could trigger a humanitarian crisis as a stepped up campaign of airstrikes and troop buildup has already forced tens of thousands to flee, according to the United Nations.

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