Iraqi forces has surround ISIL in Tal Afar
Iraqi officials say ISIL is on the 'cusp of yet another defeat' as battle to retake the key city intensifies
Iraqi forces have "completely surrounded" ISIL fighters in the northern city of Tal Afar.
"The enemy is completely surrounded," Iraqi spokesman Yahya Rasool , said on Thursday in a joint press conference .
Iraqi forces had been making gains in their battle to retake the key area from ISIL since announcing the start of the ground offensive on Sunday.
Rasool said around 2,000 ISIL fighters remain in the city. He adds that about 300 fighters had been killed.
During his weekly press conference on Tuesday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi described the progress in Tal Afar as "excellent", calling it an "indication of the enemy's collapse".
Tal Afar and the surrounding area are among the last pockets of ISIL-held territory in Iraq after victory was declared in Mosul, the country's second-largest city.
The city is located some 70km west of Mosul and about 150km east of the Syrian border, sitting along a major road that was a key ISIL supply route.
The town had a population of about 200,000 before it fell to ISIL in 2014