Hashd al-Shaabi militia now stands only 2 kilometers from city of Tal Afar, Iraqi Turkmen leader asserts
The head of the Iraqi Turkmen Front has voiced concern over the Shia Hashd al-Shaabi militia's approach toward Iraq's Daesh-held majority-Turkmen city of Tal Afar.
In exclusive comments to Anadolu Agency, Arshad al-Salihi said Wednesday that Hashd al-Shaabi militiamen "now stand only 2 kilometers from Tal Afar, which poses a major threat to civilians trapped in the city".
Established in 2014, the Hashd al-Shaabi is an umbrella group of pro-government Shia militias drawn up with the purpose of fighting the Daesh terrorist group.
"The Hashd al-Shaabi is treating Tal Afar as a military zone, forgetting that thousands of civilians are trapped in the Daesh-held city," he said.
He went on to note that the central government in Baghdad had earlier pledged that the Iraqi army, in coordination with Iraq's federal police force, would be responsible for retaking Tal Afar from the terrorist group.
"We fear bad things may happen in Tal Afar if Hashd al-Shaabi militiamen enter the city," he added.
Sunni political figures in Iraq have consistently warned that the Shia militia group's entry into Tal Afar could spark sectarian conflict with the city's Sunni-Muslim residents.
Tal Afar is a Turkmen-majority city in Iraq's northern Nineveh province, of which Mosul is the provincial capital.
Last month, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Turkey would take "all necessary measures" to counter any potential threat posed by the Hashd al-Shaabi's entry into Tal Afar.
According to al-Salihi, Tal Afar residents also fear the possible entry of PKK terrorists into the city once it is fully liberated from Daesh.
"We will not accept the entry of PKK terrorists into our city on the pretext of liberating it from Daesh, like what took place before in Sinjar," he said.
