Iraqi commander pledges to liberate Tal Afar from IS group

BAGHDAD, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) - Iraqi army commander of the Nineveh liberation operation pledged on Sunday to liberate Tal Afar city in Nineveh governorate from the hands of the terrorist group of Islamic State (IS).

In a statement on Sunday, the commander Abdul Amir Rashid Yarallah said the forces are advancing towards strongholds of the enemy.

Iraq's military have launched an operation to liberate the city of Tal Afar, west of Mosul, from IS terrorists, the Iraqi prime minister has announced.

"You either surrender, or die," PM Haider al-Abadi said in a televised address.

"As we announce the start of operations to liberate Tal Afar, we salute the heroic Iraqi forces who fight to bring victory, freedom and peace," Abadi added on Twitter.