Iraq's Prime Minister says Nineveh province has been fully liberated from so-called Islamic State, after the district of Tal Afar was recaptured. Haider al-Abadi's announcement followed the defeat of the jihadist group in the town of Ayadiya, where the militants had fled from the city of Tal Afar. It leaves IS in control of just a few urban areas and some barren desert in central and western Iraq. <br/><br/>The group has suffered a string of territorial losses in recent months. Prime Minister said, victory has arrived and the province of Nineveh is now entirely in the hands of the forces. The fight for Ayadiya was brief but fierce, following the recapture of Tal Afar city. IS militants seized control of much of Nineveh, including the provincial capital of Mosul, in June 2014.