Seven Myanmar soldiers on trial for murder have admitted their involvement in the killing of five villagers in northern Shan State, according to witnesses at an unprecedented court martial. 
 
In a highly unusual move, the army invited 15 residents from the remote village of Mong Yaw, where the killings took place, to witness the court martial at a nearby military base on Tuesday. Four of them have described the proceedings to Reuters. 
 
&quot;The judge read the murder case reports and asked for confessions from the soldiers, who admitted they were responsible,&quot; said Sai Kaung Kham, a Mong Yaw villager who has been helping the families attending the military trial. 
 
Military officials did not respond to requests for comment, and it was not possible to independently verify the testimony at the closed proceedings in the northern city of Lashio.&nbsp; 
 
In July, in a rare public admission of wrongdoing by the still-powerful military, intelligence chief Mya Tun Oo told reporters the army was responsible for killing five men from Mong Yaw and said the culprits would be prosecuted.&nbsp;Witnesses had previously told Reuters that soldiers rounded up dozens of men from the village, in an area riven by a long-running ethnic insurgency, on June 25 and led five away. Their bodies were found in a shallow grave a few days later. 
 
Both the news conference by one of the country&#39;s most senior generals and the invitation to villagers to attend the military trial were unprecedented. The army has occasionally acknowledged troops have been at fault in previous incidents, but has usually done so in vaguely worded official statements. 
 
The response this time suggests a heightened sensitivity about the military&#39;s image as it tries to present itself as a responsible partner in Myanmar&#39;s democratic transition and seeks closer ties with Western counterparts. 
 
Military representatives contacted in the capital Naypyitaw and at the Northeast Command in Lashio did not respond to multiple requests for comment about the trial. 
 
Knifed to death 
 
Myanmar&#39;s armed forces have often been accused by human rights groups of abuses during decades of conflict with ethnic armed groups in the country&#39;s lawless border zones, but campaigners such as Amnesty International say it is extremely rare for soldiers to be held to account. 
 
Mong Yaw lies in a distant corner of Shan State, where thousands of people have been displaced by decades of fighting between the military and ethnic insurgents.&nbsp;Three officers and three lower-ranking soldiers have admitted murdering the villagers, according to the witnesses present at the court martial.&nbsp;The seventh serviceman, the highest-ranking of those on trial, said he did not order the soldiers to &quot;kill&quot; the villagers, but to &quot;clear them out&quot;. 
 
The soldiers said they had arrested and interrogated five men and found two of them were related to a local ethnic armed group. They said they asked their superiors for further instructions, villager Sai Kaung Kham said.&nbsp;The low-ranking soldiers then proceeded to kill the villagers, acting on orders, the witnesses at the trial said. 
 
&quot;They were worried that if they let the three villagers go back, they would tell others they had been tortured,&quot; the soldiers told the court martial, according to Sai Kaung Kham.&nbsp;Before killing them, the soldiers dressed some of the men in camouflage trousers, Sai Kaung Kham and other witnesses said.&nbsp;It was not clear when the court martial would end. 
 
Aye Lu, the wife of Aik Sai who was one of the men killed, said that at the court martial one of the soldiers admitted knifing her husband to death.&nbsp;&quot;I want to see those who killed my husband sent to jail,&quot; she said. 
 
(Reuters)

The army invited 15 residents from the village Mong Yaw, where the killings took place, to witness the soldiers' rare public admission

Seven Myanmar soldiers on trial for murder have admitted their involvement in the killing of five villagers in northern Shan State, according to witnesses at an unprecedented court martial. In a highly unusual move, the army invited 15 residents from the remote village of Mong Yaw, where the killings took place, to witness the court martial at a nearby military base on Tuesday. Four of them have described the proceedings to Reuters. "The judge read the murder case reports and asked for confessions from the soldiers, who admitted they were responsible," said Sai Kaung Kham, a Mong Yaw villager who has been helping the families attending the military trial. Military officials did not respond to requests for comment, and it was not possible to independently verify the testimony at the closed proceedings in the northern city of Lashio. In July, in a rare public admission of wrongdoing by the still-powerful military, intelligence chief Mya Tun Oo told reporters the army was responsible for killing five men from Mong Yaw and said the culprits would be prosecuted. Witnesses had previously told Reuters that soldiers rounded up dozens of men from the village, in an area riven by a long-running ethnic insurgency, on June 25 and led five away. Their bodies were found in a shallow grave a few days later. Both the news conference by one of the country's most senior generals and the invitation to villagers to attend the military trial were unprecedented. The army has occasionally acknowledged troops have been at fault in previous incidents, but has usually done so in vaguely worded official statements. The response this time suggests a heightened sensitivity about the military's image as it tries to present itself as a responsible partner in Myanmar's democratic transition and seeks closer ties with Western counterparts. Military representatives contacted in the capital Naypyitaw and at the Northeast Command in Lashio did not respond to multiple requests for comment about the trial. Knifed to death Myanmar's armed forces have often been accused by human rights groups of abuses during decades of conflict with ethnic armed groups in the country's lawless border zones, but campaigners such as Amnesty International say it is extremely rare for soldiers to be held to account. Mong Yaw lies in a distant corner of Shan State, where thousands of people have been displaced by decades of fighting between the military and ethnic insurgents. Three officers and three lower-ranking soldiers have admitted murdering the villagers, according to the witnesses present at the court martial. The seventh serviceman, the highest-ranking of those on trial, said he did not order the soldiers to "kill" the villagers, but to "clear them out". The soldiers said they had arrested and interrogated five men and found two of them were related to a local ethnic armed group. They said they asked their superiors for further instructions, villager Sai Kaung Kham said. The low-ranking soldiers then proceeded to kill the villagers, acting on orders, the witnesses at the trial said. "They were worried that if they let the three villagers go back, they would tell others they had been tortured," the soldiers told the court martial, according to Sai Kaung Kham. Before killing them, the soldiers dressed some of the men in camouflage trousers, Sai Kaung Kham and other witnesses said. It was not clear when the court martial would end. Aye Lu, the wife of Aik Sai who was one of the men killed, said that at the court martial one of the soldiers admitted knifing her husband to death. "I want to see those who killed my husband sent to jail," she said. (Reuters)

Myanmar soldiers confess involvement in village killing in unprecedented court martial

With Xinjiang tightening anti-terror law banning instigation of people to cross border to undergo terror training Pakistan army chief General Raheel Sharif has assured China of cracking down on militant outfits blamed for attacks in the volatile province. 
 
Pakistan will firmly crackdown on terrorist forces like the &quot;East Turkestan Islamic Movement&quot; (ETIM) and protect the security of &quot;China-Pakistan Economic Corridor&quot;, (CEPC) state-run China Military Online quoted him as saying during his meeting with China&#39;s top military official Fang Fenghui in Urumqi, provincial capital of Xinjiang on Tuesday. 
 
Fang is the member of China&#39;s Central Military Commission (CMC), the highest military body and Chief of the Joint Staff Department of the CMC. 
 
Sharif was in Urumqi to attend the Quadrilateral Cooperation and Coordination Mechanism in Counter Terrorism by Afghanistan-China-Pakistan-Tajikistan Armed Forces. 
 
His assurance of firm crackdown followed China-Pakistan border police recently launching first joint patrols of the disputed Pakistan Controlled Kashmir (POK) border amid reports that 114 Uyghurs Muslims from Xinjiang joined Islamic State in Syria. 
 
Xinjiang, the home for Uyghurs who resented the increasing settlements of Hans from other provinces has witnessed violent attacks in recent years. 
 
China blamed ETIM, a separatist outfit linked to al-Qaeda for the attacks. Under pressure from China, Pakistan army has conducted military operations against ETIM training bases in the tribal areas bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan in recent months. 
 
Xinjiang recently adopted new anti-terrorism rules stipulating reassessment of risk levels of prisoners before release and solitary confinement and education for ring leaders. 
 
The new rules stipulated that recruiting, training or transporting terror-related personnel will be regarded as carrying out terror activities, as will as organising or instigating others to illegally cross into another country to participate in terror activities or terror training, state-run Global Times reported. 
 
The Quadrilateral Cooperation and Coordination Mechanism formed by China significantly includes Afghanistan which also shares borders with Xinjiang.&nbsp; 
 
(PTI)

Under Chinese pressure, Pakistan army has lately conducted operations against al-Qaeda linked ETIM's training bases

With Xinjiang tightening anti-terror law banning instigation of people to cross border to undergo terror training Pakistan army chief General Raheel Sharif has assured China of cracking down on militant outfits blamed for attacks in the volatile province. Pakistan will firmly crackdown on terrorist forces like the "East Turkestan Islamic Movement" (ETIM) and protect the security of "China-Pakistan Economic Corridor", (CEPC) state-run China Military Online quoted him as saying during his meeting with China's top military official Fang Fenghui in Urumqi, provincial capital of Xinjiang on Tuesday. Fang is the member of China's Central Military Commission (CMC), the highest military body and Chief of the Joint Staff Department of the CMC. Sharif was in Urumqi to attend the Quadrilateral Cooperation and Coordination Mechanism in Counter Terrorism by Afghanistan-China-Pakistan-Tajikistan Armed Forces. His assurance of firm crackdown followed China-Pakistan border police recently launching first joint patrols of the disputed Pakistan Controlled Kashmir (POK) border amid reports that 114 Uyghurs Muslims from Xinjiang joined Islamic State in Syria. Xinjiang, the home for Uyghurs who resented the increasing settlements of Hans from other provinces has witnessed violent attacks in recent years. China blamed ETIM, a separatist outfit linked to al-Qaeda for the attacks. Under pressure from China, Pakistan army has conducted military operations against ETIM training bases in the tribal areas bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan in recent months. Xinjiang recently adopted new anti-terrorism rules stipulating reassessment of risk levels of prisoners before release and solitary confinement and education for ring leaders. The new rules stipulated that recruiting, training or transporting terror-related personnel will be regarded as carrying out terror activities, as will as organising or instigating others to illegally cross into another country to participate in terror activities or terror training, state-run Global Times reported. The Quadrilateral Cooperation and Coordination Mechanism formed by China significantly includes Afghanistan which also shares borders with Xinjiang. (PTI)

Pakistan army chief promises China firm crackdown on Uyghur militants

Myanmar&#39;s most heavily-armed ethnic group held &quot;positive&quot; talks Friday with the country&#39;s de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, a spokesman for her office said, in a major boost for peace prospects. 
 
The United Wa State Army (UWSA) stopped fighting the government in 1989 in exchange for control of a remote portion of territory bordering China which is believed to be awash with drugs. 
 
But they have a 20-25,000-strong standing army and are yet to commit to a full nationwide ceasefire, undercutting Suu Kyi&#39;s aim of swiftly securing a lasting peace. Several complex ethic conflicts are rumbling across Myanmar&#39;s borderlands, hampering efforts to build the country&#39;s economy after the end of junta rule. 
 
Some groups who fought the army for decades have signed ceasefires but those are fragile, adding urgency to Suu Kyi&#39;s task. 
 
The Wa are accused of producing and trafficking huge amounts of methamphetamine and heroin from their secretive holdout, and buying weapons with the proceeds. 
 
Friday&#39;s &quot;very positive discussions&quot; between leaders of the Wa, a powerful group called the Mongla army, and Suu Kyi were an &quot;important first step&quot; in building trust, Zaw Htay, spokesman for her office, told reporters. 
 
Suu Kyi wants to convene a meeting to thrash out the precepts of greater federal autonomy for ethnic groups in exchange for peace. 
 
It is dubbed the 21st Panglong conference in a nod to a historic conference called by her independence hero father, Aung San, in 1947 that saw major ethnic groups commit to joining Myanmar.&nbsp;But that deal collapsed under the junta that took control several years after Aung San&#39;s assassination and embarked on almost 50 years of devastating rule. 
 
Suu Kyi has not set a date for the meeting but is ramping up efforts to ensure all rebel groups are at the table. Both the USWA and Mongla army &quot;support the 21st century Panglong conference and they will try to participate&quot;, Zaw Htay added. 
 
Experts say Myanmar&#39;s myriad conflicts are entwined with the illicit trade in drugs, jade and timber, which makes ending them all the more complicated. Tens of thousands of people have been killed or displaced by the decades of war. 
 
(AFP)

The nation's myriad conflicts are entwined with illicit trade in drugs, jade and timber, which makes ending them all the more complicated

Myanmar's most heavily-armed ethnic group held "positive" talks Friday with the country's de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, a spokesman for her office said, in a major boost for peace prospects. The United Wa State Army (UWSA) stopped fighting the government in 1989 in exchange for control of a remote portion of territory bordering China which is believed to be awash with drugs. But they have a 20-25,000-strong standing army and are yet to commit to a full nationwide ceasefire, undercutting Suu Kyi's aim of swiftly securing a lasting peace. Several complex ethic conflicts are rumbling across Myanmar's borderlands, hampering efforts to build the country's economy after the end of junta rule. Some groups who fought the army for decades have signed ceasefires but those are fragile, adding urgency to Suu Kyi's task. The Wa are accused of producing and trafficking huge amounts of methamphetamine and heroin from their secretive holdout, and buying weapons with the proceeds. Friday's "very positive discussions" between leaders of the Wa, a powerful group called the Mongla army, and Suu Kyi were an "important first step" in building trust, Zaw Htay, spokesman for her office, told reporters. Suu Kyi wants to convene a meeting to thrash out the precepts of greater federal autonomy for ethnic groups in exchange for peace. It is dubbed the 21st Panglong conference in a nod to a historic conference called by her independence hero father, Aung San, in 1947 that saw major ethnic groups commit to joining Myanmar. But that deal collapsed under the junta that took control several years after Aung San's assassination and embarked on almost 50 years of devastating rule. Suu Kyi has not set a date for the meeting but is ramping up efforts to ensure all rebel groups are at the table. Both the USWA and Mongla army "support the 21st century Panglong conference and they will try to participate", Zaw Htay added. Experts say Myanmar's myriad conflicts are entwined with the illicit trade in drugs, jade and timber, which makes ending them all the more complicated. Tens of thousands of people have been killed or displaced by the decades of war. (AFP)

Myanmar conducts 'positive' talks with rebel group United Wa State Army

Turkish authorities have detained more than 15,000 people, including more than 10,000 soldiers, following the July 15-16 failed coup attempt, broadcaster CNN Turk today cited interior minister Efkana Ala as saying. 
 
A total of 8,113 people have been formally arrested pending trial, the broadcaster cited Ala as saying. A faction of Turkey&#39;s armed forces attempted to overthrow the government this month, but their effort failed when thousands of supporters of President Tayyip Erdogan took to the streets to defy the putsch. 
 
(Reuters)

Interior minister Efkana Ala said 8,113 people have been formally arrested pending trial

Turkish authorities have detained more than 15,000 people, including more than 10,000 soldiers, following the July 15-16 failed coup attempt, broadcaster CNN Turk today cited interior minister Efkana Ala as saying. A total of 8,113 people have been formally arrested pending trial, the broadcaster cited Ala as saying. A faction of Turkey's armed forces attempted to overthrow the government this month, but their effort failed when thousands of supporters of President Tayyip Erdogan took to the streets to defy the putsch. (Reuters)

More than 15,000 detained over coup bid, says Turkey's interior minister

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said today that the risk of another coup had not disappeared, but said the government and other institutions were in control of the situation. 
 
One week after a faction of the Turkish military staged a brief but abortive coup, in which an estimated 246 people were killed, Yildirim also urged Turks to stay calm and said life had returned to normal, adding there was no room for complacency. 
 
&quot;The danger has not ended but our citizens should not be anxious,&quot; Yildirim told reporters, adding that Turkey&#39;s institutions were guided by the rule of law, not by any desire for revenge, in dealing with the aftermath of the failed coup. 
 
(Reuters)

Yildirim urged Turks to stay calm and said life had returned to normal, adding there was no room for complacency

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said today that the risk of another coup had not disappeared, but said the government and other institutions were in control of the situation. One week after a faction of the Turkish military staged a brief but abortive coup, in which an estimated 246 people were killed, Yildirim also urged Turks to stay calm and said life had returned to normal, adding there was no room for complacency. "The danger has not ended but our citizens should not be anxious," Yildirim told reporters, adding that Turkey's institutions were guided by the rule of law, not by any desire for revenge, in dealing with the aftermath of the failed coup. (Reuters)

Turkish Prime Minister Yildirim says risk of second coup attempt not over

Thongchai Jaidee credited his time as a paratrooper in the Thai army for giving him the physical and mental strength to hold off Europe&#39;s finest golfers and win the French Open at the weekend. 
 
The 46-year-old ended his &quot;perfect week&quot; at Le Golf National near Paris with a closing round three-under-par 68 to finish four strokes ahead of Italy&#39;s Francesco Molinari and five ahead of world number four Rory McIlroy. 
 
&quot;It was a special week,&quot; Thongchai said after becoming the oldest winner in French Open history. 
 
&quot;It was my perfect week because I didn&#39;t miss many shots. Anything I miss, I make a good recovery shot and make par.&quot; 
 
Thongchai began his final round with a two-shot lead over McIlroy and mixed four birdies with a single bogey at the final hole to clinch his eighth European Tour title. 
 
The three times Asian Tour Order of Merit winner said a recent focus on psychology had built upon the toughness he acquired in the Thai military.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;I worked in the army for 14 years. I trained in the army camp about two years as an air bomb paratrooper, that&#39;s why I have to be strong,&quot; Thongchai added.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;When I play golf, I think it is really easy. Because training with the army, I had to wake up at five in the morning, run about two hours every morning and in the evening for two years.&quot; 
 
Thongchai&#39;s victory was a record seventh for Asian golfers on the European Tour in a single season and will provide him with a confidence boost as he heads to Troon for the British Open.&nbsp; 
 
(Reuters)

A recent focus on psychology had built upon the toughness the Asian Tour Order of Merit winner acquired in the Thai military

Thongchai Jaidee credited his time as a paratrooper in the Thai army for giving him the physical and mental strength to hold off Europe's finest golfers and win the French Open at the weekend. The 46-year-old ended his "perfect week" at Le Golf National near Paris with a closing round three-under-par 68 to finish four strokes ahead of Italy's Francesco Molinari and five ahead of world number four Rory McIlroy. "It was a special week," Thongchai said after becoming the oldest winner in French Open history. "It was my perfect week because I didn't miss many shots. Anything I miss, I make a good recovery shot and make par." Thongchai began his final round with a two-shot lead over McIlroy and mixed four birdies with a single bogey at the final hole to clinch his eighth European Tour title. The three times Asian Tour Order of Merit winner said a recent focus on psychology had built upon the toughness he acquired in the Thai military. "I worked in the army for 14 years. I trained in the army camp about two years as an air bomb paratrooper, that's why I have to be strong," Thongchai added. "When I play golf, I think it is really easy. Because training with the army, I had to wake up at five in the morning, run about two hours every morning and in the evening for two years." Thongchai's victory was a record seventh for Asian golfers on the European Tour in a single season and will provide him with a confidence boost as he heads to Troon for the British Open. (Reuters)

Army training prepared Thongchai for French Open win

The Turkish military shelled Islamic State targets north of the city of Aleppo in Syria, killing 14 militants, television chanenls reported, citing a statement from the General Staff.

Turkey a NATO member&nbsp;&nbsp;is a part&nbsp;of the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.

Extremists were killed in shelling near Aleppo

The Turkish military shelled Islamic State targets north of the city of Aleppo in Syria, killing 14 militants, television chanenls reported, citing a statement from the General Staff. Turkey a NATO member is a part of the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.

Turkish army kills 14 Islamic State militants

Thailand`s junta leader swatted away critics, vowing to stay in power despite &quot;people&#39;s hatred&quot; for him, &nbsp;as tensions simmered before a referendum which the military says will pave the way for elections.&nbsp; 
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha seized power two years ago from the elected government when he was army chief, promising to heal a bitter decade-long political divide.&nbsp; 
But his regime has curbed free speech, outlawed political activities and penned a new charter designed to entrench the military`s role in government.&nbsp; 
&quot;I won`t go anywhere as long as the country is not at peace and in order. I won`t leave, despite how much you hate me,&quot; Prayut, who is renowned for his often irate outbursts, said in remarks to a forum in Bangkok.&nbsp; 
While he was speaking Wednesday morning a Thai folk singer was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison for royal defamation -- one of several harsh laws the junta has used to curb critics, especially on the Internet.&nbsp; 
The singer, known by his stage name Tom Dundee, was convicted for comments he made in a 2013 speech at a political rally organised by supporters of the now-ousted government. 
Prayut also defended the sweeping powers granted to him as junta chief, saying &quot;there are still some politicians expressing their opinions&quot;.&nbsp; 
On the surface the political climate has calmed significantly under the junta, following years of competing street protests that often turned deadly.&nbsp; 
But disquiet is returning before an August referendum on the charter, despite a new law which punishes campaigning in the run-up to the vote with up to 10 years in prison.&nbsp; 
The junta has promised elections will go ahead in 2017 but has not clarified what will happen if the charter is rejected in the referendum, raising fears the timetable will slip once again.&nbsp; 
Prayut`s speech comes after the junta appeared to be loosening its grip by ending travel restrictions on many former politicians and promising to move its &quot;attitude adjustment&quot; sessions -- a common punishment for critics -- from military camps to government buildings and police stations.&nbsp; 
Critics say the regime is bent on dismantling the powerful political network of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, whose parties have long dominated the polls but are reviled by Bangkok`s military-allied elite.&nbsp; 
Analysts say the political troubles are exacerbated by the failing health of the 88-year-old monarch Bhumibol Adulyadej as competing elites jostle for power before the succession.&nbsp;

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha had seized power two years ago from the elected government when he was the army chief, promising to heal a bitter decade-long political divide

Thailand`s junta leader swatted away critics, vowing to stay in power despite "people's hatred" for him, as tensions simmered before a referendum which the military says will pave the way for elections. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha seized power two years ago from the elected government when he was army chief, promising to heal a bitter decade-long political divide. But his regime has curbed free speech, outlawed political activities and penned a new charter designed to entrench the military`s role in government. "I won`t go anywhere as long as the country is not at peace and in order. I won`t leave, despite how much you hate me," Prayut, who is renowned for his often irate outbursts, said in remarks to a forum in Bangkok. While he was speaking Wednesday morning a Thai folk singer was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison for royal defamation -- one of several harsh laws the junta has used to curb critics, especially on the Internet. The singer, known by his stage name Tom Dundee, was convicted for comments he made in a 2013 speech at a political rally organised by supporters of the now-ousted government. Prayut also defended the sweeping powers granted to him as junta chief, saying "there are still some politicians expressing their opinions". On the surface the political climate has calmed significantly under the junta, following years of competing street protests that often turned deadly. But disquiet is returning before an August referendum on the charter, despite a new law which punishes campaigning in the run-up to the vote with up to 10 years in prison. The junta has promised elections will go ahead in 2017 but has not clarified what will happen if the charter is rejected in the referendum, raising fears the timetable will slip once again. Prayut`s speech comes after the junta appeared to be loosening its grip by ending travel restrictions on many former politicians and promising to move its "attitude adjustment" sessions -- a common punishment for critics -- from military camps to government buildings and police stations. Critics say the regime is bent on dismantling the powerful political network of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, whose parties have long dominated the polls but are reviled by Bangkok`s military-allied elite. Analysts say the political troubles are exacerbated by the failing health of the 88-year-old monarch Bhumibol Adulyadej as competing elites jostle for power before the succession.

Thailand's junta leader says he will stay in power despite 'people's hatred' for him

Islamic State militants fought back vigorously overnight and parried an onslaught by the Iraqi army on a southern district of the city of Falluja, the group&#39;s bastion near Baghdad, officers said on Tuesday.

An aid official warned of a &quot;human catastrophe&quot; unfolding in the city, with residents unable to escape.

Soldiers from the elite Rapid Response Team stopped their advance overnight about 500 meters (yards) from the al-Shuhada district, the southeastern part of city&#39;s main built-up area, an army commander and a police officer said.

``Our forces came under heavy fire, they are well dug in in trenches and tunnels,&#39;&#39; said the commander speaking in Camp Tariq, the rear army base south of Falluja, 50 km (30 miles) west of Baghdad.

A staff member of Falluja&#39;s main hospital said they received reports of 32 civilians killed on Monday. Medical sources had reported that the death toll in the city stood at about 50, 30 civilians and 20 militants, during the first week the offensive which started on May 23.

Falluja has been under siege for more than six months. Foreign aid organization are not present in the city, but are providing help to those who manage to exit and reach refugee camps.

The latest offensive is causing alarm among these organizations as more than 50,000 civilians remain trapped with limited access to water, food and health care.

&quot;HUMAN CATASTROPHE&quot;

&ldquo;A human catastrophe is unfolding in Fallujah. Families are caught in the crossfire with no safe way out,&rdquo; said Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, one of the organizations helping families displaced form the city.

&ldquo;For nine days we have heard of only one single family managing to escape from inside the town,&#39;&#39; he said in a statement on Tuesday. `Warring parties must guarantee civilians safe exit now, before it&rsquo;s too late and more lives are lost.&rdquo;

Falluja is the second-largest Iraqi city still under control of the militants, after Mosul, their de facto capital in the north that had a pre-war population of about 2 million.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the assault on Falluja on May 22 after a spate of bombings that killed more than 150 people in one week in Baghdad, the worst death toll so far this year. A series of bombings claimed by Islamic State also hit Baghdad on Monday, killing over 20 people.

Falluja has been a bastion of the Sunni insurgency that fought both the U.S. occupation of Iraq and the Shi&#39;ite-led Baghdad government that took over after the fall of dictator Saddam Hussein, a Sunni, in 2003.

It was the first city to fall under Islamic State control, in January 2014.

It would be the third major city in Iraq recaptured by the government after Saddam&#39;s home town Tikrit and Ramadi, the capital of Iraq&#39;s vast western Anbar province.

Falluja is also in Anbar, located between Ramadi and Baghdad. Capturing it would give the government control of the major population centres of the Euphrates River valley west of the capital for the first time in more than two years.

Islamic State militants fought back vigorously overnight and parried an onslaught by the Iraqi army on a southern district of the city of Falluja, the group's bastion near Baghdad

Islamic State militants fought back vigorously overnight and parried an onslaught by the Iraqi army on a southern district of the city of Falluja, the group's bastion near Baghdad, officers said on Tuesday. An aid official warned of a "human catastrophe" unfolding in the city, with residents unable to escape. Soldiers from the elite Rapid Response Team stopped their advance overnight about 500 meters (yards) from the al-Shuhada district, the southeastern part of city's main built-up area, an army commander and a police officer said. ``Our forces came under heavy fire, they are well dug in in trenches and tunnels,'' said the commander speaking in Camp Tariq, the rear army base south of Falluja, 50 km (30 miles) west of Baghdad. A staff member of Falluja's main hospital said they received reports of 32 civilians killed on Monday. Medical sources had reported that the death toll in the city stood at about 50, 30 civilians and 20 militants, during the first week the offensive which started on May 23. Falluja has been under siege for more than six months. Foreign aid organization are not present in the city, but are providing help to those who manage to exit and reach refugee camps. The latest offensive is causing alarm among these organizations as more than 50,000 civilians remain trapped with limited access to water, food and health care. "HUMAN CATASTROPHE" “A human catastrophe is unfolding in Fallujah. Families are caught in the crossfire with no safe way out,” said Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, one of the organizations helping families displaced form the city. “For nine days we have heard of only one single family managing to escape from inside the town,'' he said in a statement on Tuesday. `Warring parties must guarantee civilians safe exit now, before it’s too late and more lives are lost.” Falluja is the second-largest Iraqi city still under control of the militants, after Mosul, their de facto capital in the north that had a pre-war population of about 2 million. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the assault on Falluja on May 22 after a spate of bombings that killed more than 150 people in one week in Baghdad, the worst death toll so far this year. A series of bombings claimed by Islamic State also hit Baghdad on Monday, killing over 20 people. Falluja has been a bastion of the Sunni insurgency that fought both the U.S. occupation of Iraq and the Shi'ite-led Baghdad government that took over after the fall of dictator Saddam Hussein, a Sunni, in 2003. It was the first city to fall under Islamic State control, in January 2014. It would be the third major city in Iraq recaptured by the government after Saddam's home town Tikrit and Ramadi, the capital of Iraq's vast western Anbar province. Falluja is also in Anbar, located between Ramadi and Baghdad. Capturing it would give the government control of the major population centres of the Euphrates River valley west of the capital for the first time in more than two years.

Iraqi army pause at southern edge of Falluja as IS fights back

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