CAIRO, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Arab League (AL) Chief Ahmed Aboul-Gheit welcomed on Saturday the liberation of the Iraqi city of Tal Afar in Nineveh province.
Aboul-Gheit congratulated the Iraqi leadership, government and people on this important victory against the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group.
The liberation of Tal Afar would pave the road for Iraq to restore its sovereignty on its territories and eliminate terrorism and extremism, the statement added.
The pan-Arab organization's chief expressed his great appreciation for the Iraqi army's sacrifices that uprooted the IS presences in many places, Mosul in particular.
On Thursday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared full liberation of the city of Tal Afar and surrounding areas from the IS extremist militants.
On Aug. 20, Abadi, also the commander-in-chief of Iraqi forces, declared the start of an operation to retake control of Tal Afar and the nearby areas from IS militants.
The Tal Afar area, some 70 km west of Mosul, was the last IS redoubt in the province of Nineveh.
Aboul-Gheit added those great victories against IS would enhance coherence among the Iraqi people and would help in regaining stability and security across the country, stressing the importance of pushing the reconstruction efforts forward as well as bringing the displaced citizens to their original places.
