- 31 Aug 2017 13:09
#14839044
Iraq forces IS out of Nineveh province
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-41111521
(story is developing, link will contain updates)
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-41111521
(story is developing, link will contain updates)
Iraq's prime minister says Nineveh province has been "fully liberated" from so-called Islamic State, after the district of Tal Afar was recaptured.
Haider al-Abadi's announcement followed the defeat of the jihadist group in the town of Ayadiya, where the militants had fled to from the city of Tal Afar.
It leaves IS in control of just a few urban areas and some barren desert in central and western Iraq.
The group has suffered a string of territorial losses in recent months.
"Our happiness is complete, victory has arrived and the province of Nineveh is now entirely in the hands of our forces," a statement from the prime minister said.
IS militants seized control of much of Nineveh, including the provincial capital of Mosul, in June 2014.
The fight for Ayadiya was brief but fierce, following the recapture of Tal Afar city on Sunday.
It is not clear whether any civilians remained inside Ayadiya, but the UN said 20,000 had fled had Tal Afar district between 14 and 22 August.
Last month, IS lost Mosul after an almost nine-month battle that left thousands of civilians dead and displaced more than 900,000 others.
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