Iraqi forces rout Isil fighters in battle for Tal Afar

Iraqi forces raised the national flag on Saturday in the heart of Tal Afar, Islamic State's stronghold in the country's northwest, and said they were poised to take full control of the city after a week-long offensive. Tal Afar is the latest objective in the U.S.-backed war on the jihadist group following the recapture in July of Mosul, where it declared its self-proclaimed caliphate over parts of Iraq and Syria in 2014. Tal Afar was cut off from the rest of IS-held territory in June and the cam