Abadi: plan ready for Tal Afar invasion, foreign militants to face justice

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Tuesday that military plans were ready to invade Islamic State’s last haven in Nineveh, asserting in the meantime that foreign militants would not be spared accountability.

Speaking during his weekly press briefing, Abadi said “a special plan” had been laid down for the liberation of the town of Tal Afar, a major IS stronghold west of Mosul that has been isolated encircled by security forces and allied paramilitary troops.

Abadi declared earlier this month that the city of Mosul, IS’s largest stronghold in Iraq, had been recaptured from the militant group. A spokesperson of the U.S.-led coalition backing the Iraqi campaign against IS said he believes the next battle would be for the liberation of Tal Afar.

Also during the press briefing, Abadi stressed that foreign Islamic State fighters arrested by security forces would not be spared accountability.

“We will not exclude foreign terrorists detained by our security forces from the law,” the prime minister stated.

Thousands of foreign Islamic State militants were either killed or arrested during more than eight months of U.S.-backed operations to retake Mosul. Abadi’s remarks come a few days after security forces apprehended several German females affiliated with the group.