He said Islamic State allowed people to leave on Sunday after firing mortars at Popular Mobilisation positions at the airport, and Popular Mobilisation forces responded. Those fleeing Tal Afar are Sunnis, who are in a majority in Nineveh province in and around Mosul. Islamic State still controls the road between Mosul and Tal Afar, he said in comments on the Popular Mobilisation website. "This is what we are dealing with now," Mohandes said, implying the militias would try to separate Mosul from Tal Afar. The strikes targeted an industrial area where Islamic State is thought to be making booby traps and car bombs.

Source: CBC News November 23, 2016 17:37 UTC