Peshmergas Join Siege in Telafar

The fighting has become so fierce in the city that even the bodies of the dead cannot be collected. The buildings of Turkmen Television and the Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITF) were hit in the operation. Mosul deputy governor Ibrahim Arafat met with the resisters in an attempt to end the clashes.

Yasar Abdullah, the ITF Doctor responsible for Telafer, recounts the tragedy that has left more than 100 people dead. "We secretly enter the city via dirt roads. We cannot collect the bodies of our dead. Snipers open fire on every living thing."

More than 100 Turkmen have sought refuge in the desert as the siege enters it second week. Helicopters and tanks continue to pound the city.

According to one ITF official, the Turkmen TV building, police station and ITF office were targeted in the attacks. The deputy governor of Telafer was wounded, and the TV building was severely damaged.

"Our situation is very bad," says Yasar Abdullah, but he avoids likening the events to a catastrophe. According to him, the events are planned attacks.

All the roads going to the city are closed, electricity has been cut, and there is no running water. Food and medical aid has no way of reaching the inhabitants. Ambulances are allowed into the city only after a meticulous inspection.