Iraq launches an operation to free Tal Afar from IS
(VOVWORLD) -Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared on Saturday a new plan to liberate the town of Tal Afar from Islamic State militants.
 Iraqi army advances to liberate Tal Afar (photo: Reuters)
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The operation will consist of the predominantly Shiite paramilitary Hashd Shaabi units and Sunni tribal fighters. Tal Afar, an ethnically mixed town some 70 km west of Mosul, has been under IS controlled since 2014. Abadi urged the political parties to act to achieve their main goal of defeating IS, instead of fighting each other for political gains.