Mainly ethnic Turkmen town Telafer in north Iraq falls to ISIL militants: Official

The strategic mainly ethnic Turkmen town of Telafer in north of Iraq has completely fallen to Sunni Arab militants after days of heavy fighting, a local official and witnesses said on June 23.

"The town of Telafer and the airport... are completely under the control of the militants," the official said on condition of anoymity.

Meanwhile, some 69 detainees were killed in a militant attack on an Iraqi convoy transporting them in an area south of Baghdad on June 23.

One policeman and eight gunmen were also killed in clashes that erupted during the attack in the Hashimiyah area of Babil province, according to a police captain and a doctor. It was not immediately clear how the detainees died.

It is the second instance of a large number of detainees being killed since the start of the offensive led by the Islamic State in Iraq and Levant militants (ISIL) on June 9 that has overrun major areas of five different provinces.

At least 44 prisoners were killed during a militant assault on a prison in the city of Baquba last week.

Accounts differed as to who was responsible for the Baquba killings, with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's security spokesman saying the prisoners were killed by insurgents carrying out the attack, and other officials saying they were killed by security forces as they tried to escape.