Iraqi forces have retaken all of Tal Afar, Daesh's stronghold in the country's northwest, the Iraqi military said in a statement Sunday.

Fighting was ongoing in al-'Ayadiya, a small area just outside the city. Iraqi forces were waiting to retake the city's surrounding areas to declare a complete victory.

The troops and armored vehicles were pushing northward to the remaining Daesh-held town of Ayadhiyah and surrounding villages, the statement said.

Tal Afar was the latest objective in the U.S.-backed war on the terrorist group following the recapture in July of Mosul, where it declared its self-proclaimed "caliphate" over parts of Iraq and Syria in 2014.

The military offensive to liberate Tal Afar was announced by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi Aug. 20.