Shia militias start new offensive against Daesh

BAGHDAD: Iranian-backed Iraqi Shia paramilitary groups said they started an offensive on Saturday against Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) positions west of Mosul, assisting in a campaign to take back the city.

The operation will target Tal Afar, an ISIS-held area close to Turkey where a sizeable ethnic Turkmen population lives, which could cause concern in Ankara.

Earlier announcements by the militias, collectively known as Hashid Shaabi or Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), on advancing toward Mosul has drawn warnings from human rights groups concerned about sectarian violence in the mainly Sunni province. Shia make up a majority in Iraq but Sunnis are predominant in the north and the west. The PMF said it had started moving early on Saturday toward Tal Afar from positions south of Mosul, Islamic State’s last major city stronghold in Iraq. “The wounded city of Tal Afar (is among) the cities to be liberated,” said a statement on the PMF’s website.

The PMF officially reports to the Shia-led government of Prime Minister Haider alAbadi who on 17 October announced the start of an offensive targeting Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, with the backing of a US-led coalition.

The PMF was formed in 2014 to help push back Islamic State’s sweeping advance through northern and western provinces.

Amnesty International says that in previous campaigns, the Shia militias have committed “serious human rights violations, including war crimes” against civilians fleeing ISIS-held area.

The operation will target Tal Afar, an ISIS-held area close to Turkey where a sizeable ethnic Turkmen population lives, which could cause concern in Ankara.