Civilians flee as Shi'ite groups close in on flashpoint town west of Mosul
ERBIL/BAGHDAD -- Tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians have fled Tal Afar as Shi'ite paramilitary groups close in the ISIS-held town on the road between Mosul and Raqqa, the main cities of the militant group's self-styled caliphate in Iraq and Syria.
The exodus from Tal Afar, 60 km west of Mosul, is causing concern among humanitarian organisations as some of the fleeing civilians are heading deeper into insurgents' territory, where aid cannot be sent to them, provincial officials said.
Popular Mobilisation units, a coalition of mostly Iranian-trained and backed militias, are trying to encircle Tal Afar, a mostly ethnic Turkmen town, as part of the offensive to capture Mosul, the last major city stronghold of ISIS in Iraq.
