Asia
Iraq begins battle to retake Tal Afar, IS bastion near Mosul
9 years agoAn Iraqi special forces Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) member shoots at a drone flown by Islamic State group jihadists (IS) in Mosul's al-Rifaq neighbourhood on January 8, 2017, as an ongoing military operation against the militants continues. Elite Iraqi forces battling the Islamic State group in eastern Mosul reached the Tigris River that splits the city in two for the first time, a spokesman said. Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP
In a televised speech early Sunday, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, dressed in military uniform and standing in front of an Iraqi flag and map of the country, announced "the start of an operation to free Tal Afar".