Tal Afar: Last key jihadist bastion in northern Iraq

BAGHDAD: Iraq announced Thursday its forces have retaken the northern city of Tal Afar and fully recaptured the surrounding province of Nineveh from the Islamic State jihadist group.
The province's recapture is a major blow to the jihadists, who have seen their territory in Iraq and neighbouring Syria shrink since declaring a cross-border "caliphate" in 2014.
Tal Afar was the last major urban stronghold of the jihadist group in Iraq, after government forces retook the country's second city Mosul in July.
Before that, it was also a key supply hub between Mosul and the Syrian border.
Ancient city
Once an integral part of the Assyrian empire, Tal Afar's history goes back thousands of years. The city is dominated by an Ottoman-era citadel, which was damaged in 2014 when IS blew up some of its walls.
Tal Afar is located 450km northwest of the Iraqi capital Baghdad and 70km west of Mosul.
Turkmen Shiite enclave
Before IS seized Tal Afar, the city was a Shiite-majority enclave in the mostly Sunni Muslim province, with a population of around 200,000 people, mostly from Iraq's Turkmen minority.
Tal Afar's Shiites were directly targeted by IS, while some members of its Sunni minority joined the jihadists and went on to form a contingent with a reputation for brutality.
Strategic target
Tal Afar stands half-way between Mosul and the Syrian border, and it served as a key IS supply hub. It was the jihadists' last major population centre in northern Iraq following their defeat in Mosul.
Neighbours Iran, the region's main Shiite power, and Turkey, which shares a heritage with the Turkmen, closely watched the battle for Tal Afar. — AFP