Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said armed forces have liberated the strategic town of Hawijah, kicking the Takfiri group out of its last bastion in the northern part of the Arab state.

Speaking from the French capital, Paris on Thursday, Abadi said, “I announce the liberation of the city of Hawijah,” adding, “Only the outskirts remain to be recaptured.”

The premier described the latest gain as a “victory not just of Iraq but of the whole world.”

The announcement followed a statement by the Iraqi military, which said the center of Hawijah, located in Iraq’s oil-rich Kirkuk Province, is back under government control.

Iraqi forces “liberated the whole of the center of Hawijah and are continuing their advance,” said the operation’s commander, Lieutenant General Abdel Amir Yarallah.

The operation, which first began on September 21, features Iraqi army troops and police forces, backed by volunteer fighters of Popular Mobilization Units, better known as Hashd al-Shaabi.

Hawijah lies between the two major routes north from Baghdad – to the second city Mosul, and to Kirkuk City and the semi-autonomous Kurdish region.

Source: Press TV