Iraq launches Push To Seize Tal Afar

     Iraqi ground forces have begun an operation to retake Tal Afar, one of the last cities in the country held by the Islamic State group.

   Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi disclosed this in a televised speech announcing the offensive overnight.
   Report says, the army targeted Tal Afar after seizing Mosul in July , which is the  Islamic State main stronghold .
   Tal Afar, which has a mainly Shia-Muslim population, fell to the Islamic State, IS, in 2014 and  sits on a major road between Mosul and the Syrian border that was once a key supply route for the jihadist group.
   Iraqi warplanes have bombarded IS positions in the city for several days, in preparation for ground operations.