Shia militia takes Tal Afar Airport from Daesh

MOSUL 

Iraq's Hashd al-Shabi militia has confirmed late Wednesday that it has seized Tal Afar Airport from Daesh.

The announcement came from the press office of Hashd al-Shaabi -- an umbrella group of pro-government Shia militias established in mid-2014 specifically to fight Daesh.

On Monday, Shia militia, in coordination with the Iraqi army's Joint Operations Command, launched the third phase of an ongoing operation to retake areas east of Tal Afar city (some 65 kilometers (40 miles) west of Mosul) from the Daesh terrorist group.

Tal Afar is a Turkmen-majority city in Iraq’s northern Nineveh province, of which Mosul is the provincial capital. 

Turkish authorities have repeatedly warned of the risk of sectarian conflict if Shia militiamen are allowed to enter Sunni-majority Mosul.

In other parts of Iraq recently taken from Daesh by the Hashd al-Shaabi, including both Fallujah and Ramadi, there have been allegations of Shia fighters mistreating local Sunni residents.

*Reporting by Haydar Hadi; Writing by Ayse Humeyra Atilgan