"Starting the operations to free Tal Afar is a matter of time. The third phase (of operations) to take back the city will start soon," al-Assadi told al-Mayadeen news channel on Sunday.

Elsewhere, he voiced concern about the growing number of the Turkish forces deployed in Iraq, and said Turkey's presence in Iraq is aimed at rocking the boat in efforts to annihilate the ISIL.

Based on an agreement made earlier, the Iraqi popular forces and Peshmarga Kurdish troops will not be part of the invading forces inside the two cities of Tal Afar and Mosul, while they will help tighten and maintain the siege on the rims of the two cities. Various units of Iraq's armed forces, including the army, police and anti-terrorism troops, will lead the assault.

In relevant remarks on Wednesday, Hashd al-Shaabi commanders accused Ankara of conducting spying operations in Nineveh province to help top ISIL commanders find a safe passage to Syria and Turkey.

"It has become known over the past few days that some ISIL commanders are Turkish nationals, and all those who are in charge of ISIL's Mosul operations have received Turkish citizenship, hence Turkey intends to help them escape from Mosul through a safe corridor," Spokesman of Iraq's Hezbollah Battalion Jafar al-Hosseini told FNA.

Al-Hosseini noted that Hashd al-Shaabi popular troops are also responsible for confronting the withdrawal of these top commanders and other terrorists toward Baishqa military base in addition to helping Iraq's joint military forces against the ISIL in Nineveh province.

Meantime, a senior commander of Sayyed al-Shohada battalions Hassan Abdol Hadi disclosed on Wednesday that the Turkish agents' spying activities in different cities of Nineveh province, specially the city of Tal Afar.

"The most important goal of the Turkish spies is helping the ISIL terrorist commanders to escape to Syria or Turkey," Abdol Hadi said.

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