A suicide bomber killed at least three people on Saturday at the funeral of an anti-jihadist Sunni fighter in Iraq, security and medical sources said.

The bomber struck as condolences were being given at the funeral of the fighter from tribal paramilitaries battling the Islamic State group.

He detonated an explosive belt outside a mosque in Al-Mashahada some 40 kilometres (25 miles) north of Baghdad, the security source said.

The military command in the capital said the attack killed a guard and two civilians, while a medical source said that another 12 people were wounded.

Despite being under increasing pressure in both Syria and Iraq, IS cells remain active north of Baghdad.

The jihadist group has carried out bloody attacks both in the capital and across the country.

The bomber struck as condolences were being given at the funeral of the fighter from tribal paramilitaries battling the Islamic State group

A suicide bomber killed at least three people on Saturday at the funeral of an anti-jihadist Sunni fighter in Iraq, security and medical sources said. The bomber struck as condolences were being given at the funeral of the fighter from tribal paramilitaries battling the Islamic State group. He detonated an explosive belt outside a mosque in Al-Mashahada some 40 kilometres (25 miles) north of Baghdad, the security source said. The military command in the capital said the attack killed a guard and two civilians, while a medical source said that another 12 people were wounded. Despite being under increasing pressure in both Syria and Iraq, IS cells remain active north of Baghdad. The jihadist group has carried out bloody attacks both in the capital and across the country.

Suicide bomber kills 3 at Iraq funeral

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Thursday that he would accept only the annulment of a Kurdish vote for independence, not the freeze that Kurdish leaders have offered.

&quot;We will accept nothing but the annulment of the referendum and respect for the constitution,&quot; Abadi said in a statement released by his Baghdad office as he holds talks in neighbouring Iran.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Thursday that he would accept only the annulment of a Kurdish vote for independence, not the freeze that Kurdish leaders have offered.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Thursday that he would accept only the annulment of a Kurdish vote for independence, not the freeze that Kurdish leaders have offered. "We will accept nothing but the annulment of the referendum and respect for the constitution," Abadi said in a statement released by his Baghdad office as he holds talks in neighbouring Iran.

Iraq PM demands annulment not freeze of Kurd independence vote

Iraqi Kurdish leaders offered Wednesday to freeze the outcome of last month&#39;s vote for independence, taking a step back in a major crisis that prompted Baghdad to seize swathes of disputed territory.

The offer came as world powers scrambled to avert any further escalation of the conflict between the key allies in the fight against the Islamic State group that has seen more than 30 combatants killed.

There was no immediate reaction from Baghdad but the Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation) force, whose mainly Iran-trained Shiite paramilitaries played a major role in the operation against the Kurds, said a freeze did not go far enough and demanded the outright annulment of the independence referendum.

Washington, Moscow and the United Nations have all pressed Iraqi Kurdish leader Massud Barzani to open talks with Baghdad on a way out of the crisis sparked by the fateful September 25 vote that he called.

The Kurdistan Regional Government, led by Barzani, said it would propose to the federal government &quot;the freezing of the results of the referendum... and the start of an open dialogue&quot; on the basis of the constitution.

It also called for &quot;an immediate ceasefire and cessation of military operations in Kurdistan&quot;.

Since early last week, Iraqi federal troops and allied militia have retaken virtually all of the territory held by the Kurds outside their longstanding three-province autonomous region in the north.

Vote must be annulled

The Hashed al-Shaabi, which has taken a hard line in the dispute with the Kurds, demanded that they annul the independence vote as a precondition for any dialogue.

&quot;The Kurdish proposal is worthless because freezing the referendum means recognising it and the position of the Iraqi government is clear, the referendum must be annulled,&quot; Hashed spokesman Ahmed al-Assadi told AFP.

The independence referendum deeply divided Iraqi Kurdish leaders and many commanders ordered their forces to pull back without resisting.

The loss of so much territory, including the major city of Kirkuk and lucrative oil fields, dealt a huge blow to Kurdish dreams of economic self-sufficiency and eventual independence.

Barzani&#39;s longtime political rival, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, had opposed the independence vote and backed a UN plan for negotiations on wider Kurdish autonomy.

The Iraqi constitution adopted during the US-led occupation of 2003-11 provides for plebiscites in the disputed areas on their possible incorporation in the autonomous Kurdish region.

Washington has made clear that while it will not take sides in the conflict between its Iraq allies, it does not regard Baghdad&#39;s reoccupation of the disputed areas as a fait accompli.

&quot;The reassertion of federal authority over disputed areas in no way changes their status -- they remain disputed until their status is resolved in accordance with the Iraqi constitution,&quot; State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said on Friday.

UN bids for talks

The United Nations said on Tuesday that it stands ready to broker talks.

UN envoy Jan Kubis &quot;expressed confidence that despite the recent tensions, Iraq will be able to ride this crisis&quot;.

&quot;Both sides publicly expressed their willingness to engage in dialogue and negotiations on the basis of the Constitution. The UN is ready to assist, if requested,&quot; he said.

&quot;We are confident that the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government, just like they banded together to defeat Daesh (the Islamic State group), can work hand in hand to overcome their differences through dialogue and away from confrontation to resolve all outstanding issues in a manner that is consistent with the constitution.&quot;

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, whose domestic prestige has been sharply boosted by the return of the disputed territories to federal control, has been on a tour of regional countries which share his hostility to Kurdish moves towards secession.

He also held talks in Baghdad on Monday with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

On Wednesday, he was due in Ankara for talks with Turkish leaders, who are particularly opposed to any talk of Kurdish separatism having fought a more than three-decade long insurgency among its own Kurdish minority, the region&#39;s largest.

Iraq&#39;s border with Turkey is currently all in Kurdish hands and Abadi has said that top of the agenda of his talks will be his demand that the federal government retake control of border crossings.

Iraqi Kurdish leaders offered to freeze the outcome of last month's vote for independence

Iraqi Kurdish leaders offered Wednesday to freeze the outcome of last month's vote for independence, taking a step back in a major crisis that prompted Baghdad to seize swathes of disputed territory. The offer came as world powers scrambled to avert any further escalation of the conflict between the key allies in the fight against the Islamic State group that has seen more than 30 combatants killed. There was no immediate reaction from Baghdad but the Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation) force, whose mainly Iran-trained Shiite paramilitaries played a major role in the operation against the Kurds, said a freeze did not go far enough and demanded the outright annulment of the independence referendum. Washington, Moscow and the United Nations have all pressed Iraqi Kurdish leader Massud Barzani to open talks with Baghdad on a way out of the crisis sparked by the fateful September 25 vote that he called. The Kurdistan Regional Government, led by Barzani, said it would propose to the federal government "the freezing of the results of the referendum... and the start of an open dialogue" on the basis of the constitution. It also called for "an immediate ceasefire and cessation of military operations in Kurdistan". Since early last week, Iraqi federal troops and allied militia have retaken virtually all of the territory held by the Kurds outside their longstanding three-province autonomous region in the north. Vote must be annulled The Hashed al-Shaabi, which has taken a hard line in the dispute with the Kurds, demanded that they annul the independence vote as a precondition for any dialogue. "The Kurdish proposal is worthless because freezing the referendum means recognising it and the position of the Iraqi government is clear, the referendum must be annulled," Hashed spokesman Ahmed al-Assadi told AFP. The independence referendum deeply divided Iraqi Kurdish leaders and many commanders ordered their forces to pull back without resisting. The loss of so much territory, including the major city of Kirkuk and lucrative oil fields, dealt a huge blow to Kurdish dreams of economic self-sufficiency and eventual independence. Barzani's longtime political rival, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, had opposed the independence vote and backed a UN plan for negotiations on wider Kurdish autonomy. The Iraqi constitution adopted during the US-led occupation of 2003-11 provides for plebiscites in the disputed areas on their possible incorporation in the autonomous Kurdish region. Washington has made clear that while it will not take sides in the conflict between its Iraq allies, it does not regard Baghdad's reoccupation of the disputed areas as a fait accompli. "The reassertion of federal authority over disputed areas in no way changes their status -- they remain disputed until their status is resolved in accordance with the Iraqi constitution," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said on Friday. UN bids for talks The United Nations said on Tuesday that it stands ready to broker talks. UN envoy Jan Kubis "expressed confidence that despite the recent tensions, Iraq will be able to ride this crisis". "Both sides publicly expressed their willingness to engage in dialogue and negotiations on the basis of the Constitution. The UN is ready to assist, if requested," he said. "We are confident that the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government, just like they banded together to defeat Daesh (the Islamic State group), can work hand in hand to overcome their differences through dialogue and away from confrontation to resolve all outstanding issues in a manner that is consistent with the constitution." Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, whose domestic prestige has been sharply boosted by the return of the disputed territories to federal control, has been on a tour of regional countries which share his hostility to Kurdish moves towards secession. He also held talks in Baghdad on Monday with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. On Wednesday, he was due in Ankara for talks with Turkish leaders, who are particularly opposed to any talk of Kurdish separatism having fought a more than three-decade long insurgency among its own Kurdish minority, the region's largest. Iraq's border with Turkey is currently all in Kurdish hands and Abadi has said that top of the agenda of his talks will be his demand that the federal government retake control of border crossings.

Iraq Kurds offer to freeze independence vote

Iraqi Kurdistan proposed Wednesday to annul the results of its independence referendum, which triggered a major crisis with Baghdad.

Iraq has called for the cancellation of the results of the vote as a precondition for all negotiations and in retaliation has seized large areas of territory held by Kurdish forces.

Iraq has called for the cancellation of the results of the vote

Iraqi Kurdistan proposed Wednesday to annul the results of its independence referendum, which triggered a major crisis with Baghdad. Iraq has called for the cancellation of the results of the vote as a precondition for all negotiations and in retaliation has seized large areas of territory held by Kurdish forces.

Iraqi Kurdistan offers to 'freeze' results of independence vote

Iraqi government forces captured the major Kurdish-held oil city of Kirkuk on Monday, responding to a Kurdish referendum on independence with a bold lightning strike that transforms the balance of power in the country.

A convoy of armoured vehicles from Iraq&#39;s elite U.S.-trained Counter-Terrorism Force seized Kirkuk&#39;s provincial government headquarters less than a day after the operation began, a Reuters reporter in Kirkuk said.

Neither side gave a casualty toll for the operation. But an aid organisation working in Kirkuk said several Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and members of the Iraqi forces had been killed in an overnight clash south of Kirkuk - the only serious fighting reported.

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As Iraqi forces advanced, Kurdish operators briefly shut some 350,000 barrels per day of oil output at two large Kirkuk fields, citing security concerns, oil ministry sources on both sides said. But production resumed shortly thereafter following an Iraqi threat to seize fields under Kurdish management if they did not do so, according to the sources.

It was not immediately clear whether or when the Iraqi government would seek to retake control of all Kirkuk oilfields, a vital source of revenue for the autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

The short suspension in production helped push up world oil prices as the shutdown represented more than half of total Kurdish output.[O/R]

Fighting between Baghdad and the Kurds could open an entirely new front in Iraq&#39;s 14-year-old civil war and potentially draw in regional powers such as Turkey and Iran.

President Donald Trump said the United States would not take sides in the clash but expressed disappointment the two sides were in conflict.

The U.S. military said its commanders in Iraq were urging Iraqi and Kurdish forces to avoid escalation and played down reports of fighting.

&quot;We support the peaceful exercise of joint administration by the central and regional governments, consistent with the Iraqi constitution, in all disputed areas,&quot; the U.S. State Department said in a statement.

Trump told reporters at the White House: &quot;We don&#39;t like the fact that they&#39;re clashing. We&#39;re not taking sides.&quot;

&quot;We&#39;ve had for many years a very good relationship with the Kurds as you know and we&#39;ve also been on the side of Iraq, even though we should have never been there in the first place,&quot; he said.

Washington arms and trains both Iraqi federal forces and the Peshmerga to fight Islamic State militants.

Thousands of Kurds flee

A dozen Iraqi armoured vehicles arrived at the provincial government headquarters in Kirkuk and took up positions nearby, alongside local police. They pulled down the Kurdish flag and left the Iraqi flag flying.

Thousands of Kurdish civilians fled the city of 1 million people for fear of reprisals. A Kurdish father of four who was driving out of Kirkuk towards the Kurdish regional capital Erbil to the north said: &quot;We no longer feel safe. We hope to return to our home but right now we feel it&#39;s dangerous for us to stay.&quot;

Crowds of ethnic Turkmen who opposed Kurdish control of the city were celebrating. Some drove in convoys with Iraqi flags and fired shots in the air.

&quot;This day should become a holiday, we&#39;re so happy to have gotten rid of Barzani&#39;s party,&quot; said a man celebrating on a motorbike, waving the blue-and-white flag of Iraq&#39;s Turkmen, referring to the Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani.

The Iraqi government considers the Sept. 25 Kurdish independence referendum illegal, especially as it was held not just in the autonomous KRG region but in Kirkuk and other adjacent areas that Kurdish Peshmerga forces occupied after driving out Islamic State militants in 2014.

The Peshmerga moved in after Iraqi government forces collapsed in the face of a rapid onslaught by Islamic State, preventing the jihadists from seizing the oilfields.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered the national flag hoisted over Kirkuk and other disputed areas.

Baghdad described its army&#39;s advance as largely unopposed, and urged the Peshmerga to cooperate in keeping the peace.

The Peshmerga said Baghdad would be made to pay &quot;a heavy price&quot; for triggering &quot;war on the Kurdistan people&quot;.

Move against Kurdish secession

The overnight advance was the most decisive step Baghdad has taken yet to block the independence bid of the Kurds, who have long governed an autonomous tract of northern Iraq and voted three weeks ago to secede.

Kirkuk, one of the most ethnically and religiously diverse cities in Iraq, is located just outside the autonomous Kurdish zone. Kurds consider it the heart of their homeland; they say it was cleansed of Kurds and settled with Arabs under former President Saddam Hussein to secure control of the oil.

U.S. Defense Department spokesman Colonel Robert Manning declined to speculate on whether Washington might cut off military aid and training to Iraqi forces in the event of a major conflict.

Secession opposed by neighbours

The Kurdish secession bid was strongly opposed by neighbours Iran and Turkey. Washington, allied with the Kurds for decades, pleaded in vain for them to halt a vote that could break up Iraq.

There were signs of internal strife among the Kurds, who have been divided for decades into two main factions, the KDP of regional government leader Barzani and the PUK of his late rival Jalal Talabani.

Both parties control their own Peshmerga units. While Barzani&#39;s KDP strongly supported the independence referendum, some PUK figures were more circumspect.

Monday&#39;s Peshmerga statement accused a group within the PUK of &quot;treason&quot; for allegedly assisting Baghdad&#39;s advance. &quot;We regret that some PUK officials helped in this plot,&quot; it said.

Talabani&#39;s widow, Hero, said the Iraqi operation was carried out with international consent and the PUK was not able to prevent it through talks. &quot;This heroic city was facing an international plan,&quot; she said in a statement.

Although Iraqi officials portrayed the Kurds as retreating without a fight, Kurdish officials said Peshmerga had clashed with the &quot;Popular Mobilisation&quot; - Shi&#39;ite Muslim forces trained and armed by Iran that operate alongside regular Iraqi troops.

Turkey, which had developed a good working relationship with the Iraqi Kurds and let the landlocked region export oil through its pipes, has swung behind Baghdad, furious at a secession move that might ignite similar demands from its own Kurds.

Turkey said it would close its airspace to KRG territory and work to hand control of the main border crossing into the region to the Iraqi central government.

The takeover transforms the balance of power in the country

Iraqi government forces captured the major Kurdish-held oil city of Kirkuk on Monday, responding to a Kurdish referendum on independence with a bold lightning strike that transforms the balance of power in the country. A convoy of armoured vehicles from Iraq's elite U.S.-trained Counter-Terrorism Force seized Kirkuk's provincial government headquarters less than a day after the operation began, a Reuters reporter in Kirkuk said. Neither side gave a casualty toll for the operation. But an aid organisation working in Kirkuk said several Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and members of the Iraqi forces had been killed in an overnight clash south of Kirkuk - the only serious fighting reported. Neither side gave a casualty toll for the operation. But an aid organisation working in Kirkuk said several Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and members of the Iraqi forces had been killed in an overnight clash south of Kirkuk - the only serious fighting reported × As Iraqi forces advanced, Kurdish operators briefly shut some 350,000 barrels per day of oil output at two large Kirkuk fields, citing security concerns, oil ministry sources on both sides said. But production resumed shortly thereafter following an Iraqi threat to seize fields under Kurdish management if they did not do so, according to the sources. It was not immediately clear whether or when the Iraqi government would seek to retake control of all Kirkuk oilfields, a vital source of revenue for the autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). The short suspension in production helped push up world oil prices as the shutdown represented more than half of total Kurdish output.[O/R] Fighting between Baghdad and the Kurds could open an entirely new front in Iraq's 14-year-old civil war and potentially draw in regional powers such as Turkey and Iran. President Donald Trump said the United States would not take sides in the clash but expressed disappointment the two sides were in conflict. The U.S. military said its commanders in Iraq were urging Iraqi and Kurdish forces to avoid escalation and played down reports of fighting. "We support the peaceful exercise of joint administration by the central and regional governments, consistent with the Iraqi constitution, in all disputed areas," the U.S. State Department said in a statement. Trump told reporters at the White House: "We don't like the fact that they're clashing. We're not taking sides." "We've had for many years a very good relationship with the Kurds as you know and we've also been on the side of Iraq, even though we should have never been there in the first place," he said. Washington arms and trains both Iraqi federal forces and the Peshmerga to fight Islamic State militants. Thousands of Kurds flee A dozen Iraqi armoured vehicles arrived at the provincial government headquarters in Kirkuk and took up positions nearby, alongside local police. They pulled down the Kurdish flag and left the Iraqi flag flying. Thousands of Kurdish civilians fled the city of 1 million people for fear of reprisals. A Kurdish father of four who was driving out of Kirkuk towards the Kurdish regional capital Erbil to the north said: "We no longer feel safe. We hope to return to our home but right now we feel it's dangerous for us to stay." Crowds of ethnic Turkmen who opposed Kurdish control of the city were celebrating. Some drove in convoys with Iraqi flags and fired shots in the air. "This day should become a holiday, we're so happy to have gotten rid of Barzani's party," said a man celebrating on a motorbike, waving the blue-and-white flag of Iraq's Turkmen, referring to the Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani. The Iraqi government considers the Sept. 25 Kurdish independence referendum illegal, especially as it was held not just in the autonomous KRG region but in Kirkuk and other adjacent areas that Kurdish Peshmerga forces occupied after driving out Islamic State militants in 2014. The Peshmerga moved in after Iraqi government forces collapsed in the face of a rapid onslaught by Islamic State, preventing the jihadists from seizing the oilfields. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered the national flag hoisted over Kirkuk and other disputed areas. Baghdad described its army's advance as largely unopposed, and urged the Peshmerga to cooperate in keeping the peace. The Peshmerga said Baghdad would be made to pay "a heavy price" for triggering "war on the Kurdistan people". Move against Kurdish secession The overnight advance was the most decisive step Baghdad has taken yet to block the independence bid of the Kurds, who have long governed an autonomous tract of northern Iraq and voted three weeks ago to secede. Kirkuk, one of the most ethnically and religiously diverse cities in Iraq, is located just outside the autonomous Kurdish zone. Kurds consider it the heart of their homeland; they say it was cleansed of Kurds and settled with Arabs under former President Saddam Hussein to secure control of the oil. U.S. Defense Department spokesman Colonel Robert Manning declined to speculate on whether Washington might cut off military aid and training to Iraqi forces in the event of a major conflict. Secession opposed by neighbours The Kurdish secession bid was strongly opposed by neighbours Iran and Turkey. Washington, allied with the Kurds for decades, pleaded in vain for them to halt a vote that could break up Iraq. There were signs of internal strife among the Kurds, who have been divided for decades into two main factions, the KDP of regional government leader Barzani and the PUK of his late rival Jalal Talabani. Both parties control their own Peshmerga units. While Barzani's KDP strongly supported the independence referendum, some PUK figures were more circumspect. Monday's Peshmerga statement accused a group within the PUK of "treason" for allegedly assisting Baghdad's advance. "We regret that some PUK officials helped in this plot," it said. Talabani's widow, Hero, said the Iraqi operation was carried out with international consent and the PUK was not able to prevent it through talks. "This heroic city was facing an international plan," she said in a statement. Although Iraqi officials portrayed the Kurds as retreating without a fight, Kurdish officials said Peshmerga had clashed with the "Popular Mobilisation" - Shi'ite Muslim forces trained and armed by Iran that operate alongside regular Iraqi troops. Turkey, which had developed a good working relationship with the Iraqi Kurds and let the landlocked region export oil through its pipes, has swung behind Baghdad, furious at a secession move that might ignite similar demands from its own Kurds. Turkey said it would close its airspace to KRG territory and work to hand control of the main border crossing into the region to the Iraqi central government.

After they threaten independence referendum, Iraqi forces seize oil city of Kirkuk from Kurds

At least 10 Kurdish fighters were killed and 27 wounded during fighting overnight with Iraqi pro-government paramilitary forces in disputed Kirkuk province, a Kurdish official said Monday.

Sherzad Hassan, deputy director of health in the Chamchamal region, said the toll covered only hospitals in his area.&nbsp;

According to Kurdish officials, dozens of more peshmerga fighters were missing after Iraqi military forces launched operations against the Kurds following a standoff over a controversial independence referendum. 
&nbsp;

At least 10 Kurdish fighters were killed and 27 wounded during fighting overnight with Iraqi pro-government paramilitary forces in disputed Kirkuk province

At least 10 Kurdish fighters were killed and 27 wounded during fighting overnight with Iraqi pro-government paramilitary forces in disputed Kirkuk province, a Kurdish official said Monday. Sherzad Hassan, deputy director of health in the Chamchamal region, said the toll covered only hospitals in his area. According to Kurdish officials, dozens of more peshmerga fighters were missing after Iraqi military forces launched operations against the Kurds following a standoff over a controversial independence referendum.

10 Kurdish fighters killed in clashes with Iraqi forces

Iraqi forces have found the bodies of two of the crew of a plane shot down by the Islamic State group last year, the air force said on Tuesday.

The Cessna 208 Caravan was downed over the northern town of Hawija, a former jihadist bastion which was retaken by government forces last week.

&quot;The bodies of two of the crew killed in the crash of their Cessna Caravan in Hawija in March 2016 have been found,&quot; the air force said.

&quot;The jihadists had hidden the bodies of Brigadier General Ali al-Ubudi and Major Mohammed al-Shikhli,&quot; it said, adding that a search was under way for the body of the third crew member, Colonel Mohammed Abdel Kassar.

IS said it used anti-aircraft artillery to down the plane which had been on a bombing run against Hawija on March 16, 2016.

It released footage showing its fighters celebrating around the downed aircraft and the remains of its crew.

In its combat version, the Cessna 208 can be used to launch laser-guided Hellfire missiles.

Troops and militia overran Hawija on Thursday, recapturing the last major population centre held by IS in Iraq apart from a stretch of the Euphrates Valley next to the Syrian border.

Fighting is still going on in the countryside around the town, however, as troops attempt to retake some 60 villages still held by the jihadists and reach Kurdish lines to the north and east.

Kurdish forces came under attack on Tuesday near the town of Dibis, northwest of the provincial capital Kirkuk, an officer told AFP.

&quot;Some jihadists walked up waving a white flag then attacked our fighters, killing one of them,&quot; the Kurdish officer said.

He said the Kurdish peshmerga fighters responded, killing eight jihadists and capturing three.

&nbsp;

IS said it used anti-aircraft artillery to down the plane which had been on a bombing run against Hawija on March 16, 2016

Iraqi forces have found the bodies of two of the crew of a plane shot down by the Islamic State group last year, the air force said on Tuesday. The Cessna 208 Caravan was downed over the northern town of Hawija, a former jihadist bastion which was retaken by government forces last week. "The bodies of two of the crew killed in the crash of their Cessna Caravan in Hawija in March 2016 have been found," the air force said. "The jihadists had hidden the bodies of Brigadier General Ali al-Ubudi and Major Mohammed al-Shikhli," it said, adding that a search was under way for the body of the third crew member, Colonel Mohammed Abdel Kassar. IS said it used anti-aircraft artillery to down the plane which had been on a bombing run against Hawija on March 16, 2016. It released footage showing its fighters celebrating around the downed aircraft and the remains of its crew. In its combat version, the Cessna 208 can be used to launch laser-guided Hellfire missiles. Troops and militia overran Hawija on Thursday, recapturing the last major population centre held by IS in Iraq apart from a stretch of the Euphrates Valley next to the Syrian border. Fighting is still going on in the countryside around the town, however, as troops attempt to retake some 60 villages still held by the jihadists and reach Kurdish lines to the north and east. Kurdish forces came under attack on Tuesday near the town of Dibis, northwest of the provincial capital Kirkuk, an officer told AFP. "Some jihadists walked up waving a white flag then attacked our fighters, killing one of them," the Kurdish officer said. He said the Kurdish peshmerga fighters responded, killing eight jihadists and capturing three.

Iraqi forces recover bodies of plane crew shot down by IS

Iraqi forces said Thursday they had retaken the centre of Islamic State group stronghold Hawija and were pushing forward in their assault on one of the last IS enclaves in the country.

Troops, police and paramilitaries &quot;liberated the whole of the centre of Hawija and are continuing their advance,&quot; the operation&#39;s commander, Lieutenant General Abdel Amir Yarallah, said.

Government and allied forces backed by a US-led coalition launched an offensive last month to oust IS from Hawija, a longtime insurgent bastion.

The town is among the final holdouts from the territory seized by the jihadists in 2014 and its recapture would leave only a handful of remote outposts in IS hands.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi was due to meet French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris later on Thursday for talks on the campaign against IS, which is backed by a US-led coalition including France.

The United Nations said on Tuesday that an estimated 12,500 people had fled Hawija since the launch of the offensive to retake the town and surrounding areas last month.

The UN&#39;s humanitarian affairs office said the number of people still in the town was unknown but could be as high as 78,000.

It said humanitarian agencies have set up checkpoints, camps and emergency sites capable of receiving more than 70,000 people who could flee.

Longtime insurgent bastion&nbsp;

Hawija, 230 kilometres (140 miles) north of Baghdad, is one of just two significant areas of Iraq still held by IS, along with a stretch of the Euphrates Valley near the Syrian border which is also under attack.

It has been an insurgent bastion since soon after the US-led invasion of 2003, earning it the nickname of &quot;Kandahar in Iraq&quot; for the ferocious resistance it put up similar to that in the Taliban militia&#39;s citadel in Afghanistan.

The town&#39;s mainly Sunni Arab population is deeply hostile both to the Shiite-led government in Baghdad and to the Kurds who form the historic majority in adjacent areas.

Hawija lies between the two main routes north from Baghdad -- to second city Mosul, recaptured from IS in July, and to the city of Kirkuk and the autonomous Kurdish region.

Last year, government forces bypassed the area in their advance north to Mosul, which culminated in the jihadists&#39; defeat in their most emblematic bastion.

IS has been forced out of most of the territory it seized in Iraq and Syria during a lightning offensive in the summer of 2014 that was followed by its declaration of a cross-border &quot;caliphate&quot;.

The US-led coalition is also backing an Arab-Kurdish alliance, the Syrian Democratic Forces, that is battling to oust IS from its de facto Syrian capital Raqa.

The SDF has captured about 90 percent of Raqa and is fighting fierce battles with remaining IS jihadists.

IS&#39;s other main stronghold in Syria is the eastern province of Deir Ezzor, which borders IS-held territory in Iraq.

Two separate offensives are underway against the jihadists in Deir Ezzor -- one by the SDF, the other by government forces supported by Russia.

Troops, police and paramilitaries 'liberated the whole of the centre of Hawija and are continuing their advance,' the operation's commander, Lieutenant General Abdel Amir Yarallah, said.

Iraqi forces said Thursday they had retaken the centre of Islamic State group stronghold Hawija and were pushing forward in their assault on one of the last IS enclaves in the country. Troops, police and paramilitaries "liberated the whole of the centre of Hawija and are continuing their advance," the operation's commander, Lieutenant General Abdel Amir Yarallah, said. Government and allied forces backed by a US-led coalition launched an offensive last month to oust IS from Hawija, a longtime insurgent bastion. The town is among the final holdouts from the territory seized by the jihadists in 2014 and its recapture would leave only a handful of remote outposts in IS hands. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi was due to meet French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris later on Thursday for talks on the campaign against IS, which is backed by a US-led coalition including France. The United Nations said on Tuesday that an estimated 12,500 people had fled Hawija since the launch of the offensive to retake the town and surrounding areas last month. The UN's humanitarian affairs office said the number of people still in the town was unknown but could be as high as 78,000. It said humanitarian agencies have set up checkpoints, camps and emergency sites capable of receiving more than 70,000 people who could flee. Longtime insurgent bastion Hawija, 230 kilometres (140 miles) north of Baghdad, is one of just two significant areas of Iraq still held by IS, along with a stretch of the Euphrates Valley near the Syrian border which is also under attack. It has been an insurgent bastion since soon after the US-led invasion of 2003, earning it the nickname of "Kandahar in Iraq" for the ferocious resistance it put up similar to that in the Taliban militia's citadel in Afghanistan. The town's mainly Sunni Arab population is deeply hostile both to the Shiite-led government in Baghdad and to the Kurds who form the historic majority in adjacent areas. Hawija lies between the two main routes north from Baghdad -- to second city Mosul, recaptured from IS in July, and to the city of Kirkuk and the autonomous Kurdish region. Last year, government forces bypassed the area in their advance north to Mosul, which culminated in the jihadists' defeat in their most emblematic bastion. IS has been forced out of most of the territory it seized in Iraq and Syria during a lightning offensive in the summer of 2014 that was followed by its declaration of a cross-border "caliphate". The US-led coalition is also backing an Arab-Kurdish alliance, the Syrian Democratic Forces, that is battling to oust IS from its de facto Syrian capital Raqa. The SDF has captured about 90 percent of Raqa and is fighting fierce battles with remaining IS jihadists. IS's other main stronghold in Syria is the eastern province of Deir Ezzor, which borders IS-held territory in Iraq. Two separate offensives are underway against the jihadists in Deir Ezzor -- one by the SDF, the other by government forces supported by Russia.

IS bastion Hawija liberated: Iraq army

Iraqi Kurdish leader and ex-Iraqi president Jalal Talabani died on Tuesday at age 83, Iraqi state TV said, a week after Iraq&#39;s autonomous Kurdish region held a referendum on independence.

Talabani, a veteran leader of the Kurdish struggle for self-determination, stepped down as president in 2014, after a long period of treatment following a stroke in 2012.

Talabani died in Germany, according to Erbil-based Rudaw TV, which reported earlier in the day that his health had deteriorated. He often went to Germany for medical treatment.

His wife and companion in political struggle, Hero, and his Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) party voiced only lukewarm support for the September&nbsp;25 referendum that delivered an overwhelming &quot;yes&quot; to secession from Iraq.

Unlike Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) leader Massoud Barzani of the rival Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP), the PUK has had traditionally good ties with Iran and Iranian-backed Shi&#39;ite groups which are effectively ruling in Baghdad. The Baghdad government, Iran, and Turkey all strongly opposed the referendum.

Talabani was born near Erbil, now the seat of the autonomous KRG in northern Iraq, in 1933. He lived in Sulaimaniya, a stronghold of his PUK, the main rival of Barzani&#39;s KDP.

He was the first non-Arab president of Iraq, elected in 2005, two years after the US-led invasion that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein, a Sunni Arab.

Fuad Masoum, a Kurd from the PUK, replaced Talabani in the Iraqi presidency, a largely ceremonial post in the political system established after Saddam&#39;s overthrow that concentrates power in the hand of the prime minister, now Haider al-Abadi, an Arab Shi&#39;ite Muslim.

One of Talabani&#39;s sons, Qubad, is the current deputy prime minister of the autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq.

Talabani died in Germany, according to Erbil-based Rudaw TV, which reported earlier in the day that his health had deteriorated

Iraqi Kurdish leader and ex-Iraqi president Jalal Talabani died on Tuesday at age 83, Iraqi state TV said, a week after Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region held a referendum on independence. Talabani, a veteran leader of the Kurdish struggle for self-determination, stepped down as president in 2014, after a long period of treatment following a stroke in 2012. Talabani died in Germany, according to Erbil-based Rudaw TV, which reported earlier in the day that his health had deteriorated. He often went to Germany for medical treatment. His wife and companion in political struggle, Hero, and his Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) party voiced only lukewarm support for the September 25 referendum that delivered an overwhelming "yes" to secession from Iraq. Unlike Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) leader Massoud Barzani of the rival Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP), the PUK has had traditionally good ties with Iran and Iranian-backed Shi'ite groups which are effectively ruling in Baghdad. The Baghdad government, Iran, and Turkey all strongly opposed the referendum. Talabani was born near Erbil, now the seat of the autonomous KRG in northern Iraq, in 1933. He lived in Sulaimaniya, a stronghold of his PUK, the main rival of Barzani's KDP. He was the first non-Arab president of Iraq, elected in 2005, two years after the US-led invasion that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein, a Sunni Arab. Fuad Masoum, a Kurd from the PUK, replaced Talabani in the Iraqi presidency, a largely ceremonial post in the political system established after Saddam's overthrow that concentrates power in the hand of the prime minister, now Haider al-Abadi, an Arab Shi'ite Muslim. One of Talabani's sons, Qubad, is the current deputy prime minister of the autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq.

Kurdish leader and ex-Iraqi president Jalal Talabani dies: State TV

The UK has claimed that it has succeeded in crippling the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist network with over 1,600 air strikes in Iraq and Syria in the past three years.

The country&#39;s Ministry of Defence (MoD) marked the third anniversary since the British Parliament voted to begin air strikes on the terror group in September 2014, by releasing details of successes as part of the US-led anti-ISIS coalition.

The UK has carried out 1,340 <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/russian-strikes-in-syrias-idlib-kill-27-civilians-monitor-20644" target="_blank">airstrikes</a> in Iraq and 262 in Syria in the last three years.

It also revealed that Royal Air Force (RAF) aircraft destroyed 17 targets in Syria in a single day last week as the air campaign intensifies, forcing ISIS to &quot;splinter and retreat&quot; from areas it once ruled.

The MoD claimed that the &quot;barbaric cult&quot; are being pinned down by the RAF in their former stronghold of Raqqa and have lost territory, finances, leaders and fighters over the three-year-long campaign.

&quot;Britain has made a major contribution to the campaign that has crippled Daesh (ISIS) since 2014, forcing this miserable cult from the gates of Baghdad to the brink of defeat in Raqqa.

&quot;By air, land and sea, UK personnel have played a tireless role in striking targets and training allies,&quot; UK defence secretary Michael Fallon said.

The UK is the second-largest contributor to the global coalition&#39;s military campaign and has flown more than 8,000 sorties with Tornado and Typhoon jets and Reaper drones, providing strikes, surveillance and reconnaissance, refuelling and transport support, he noted.

Since 2014, the UK has been bombarding targets, including heavy machine-gun positions, truck-bombs, mortar teams, snipers and weapons stores from Raqqa and

Dayr az Zawr in Syria to Qayyarah and Al Qaim in Iraq.

&quot;This has been an immense effort by RAF airmen and airwomen over the last three years of continued operations, countering Daesh (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria,&quot; UK Air Chief Marshal Stephen Hillier said.

As part of the details of the war against ISIS, the MoD highlighted that three years ago the network demanding a so-called Islamic Caliphate was barely an hour from the gates of Baghdad in Iraq.

&quot;But today, it has lost more than 73 per cent of the territory it occupied in Iraq and 65 per cent of its former territory in Syria,&quot; the MoD said.

The RAF&#39;s role has included helping Syrian Democratic Forces engaged in ground close combat and the Iraqi Security Forces who continue their advance having liberated Mosul and Ninewah province.

More than 5.5 million people have reportedly been freed from ISIS rule and over 2 million displaced Iraqi civilians have returned to their homes.

In the Iraqi city of Mosul, it is estimated that over 265,000 people have returned.

On the ground, around 600 British soldiers remain in Iraq to train the country&#39;s forces.

UK troops have so far helped train over 58,000 Iraqi Security Forces in battle winning infantry, counter improvised explosive device (IED), engineering and combat medical skills, the MoD states.

The UK said its involvement from all three services, the Army, Air Force and Navy, to the fight against ISIS across the region now numbers just over 1,400 military personnel.&nbsp;

The UK has carried out 1,340 air strikes in Iraq and 262 in Syria in the last three years

The UK has claimed that it has succeeded in crippling the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist network with over 1,600 air strikes in Iraq and Syria in the past three years. The country's Ministry of Defence (MoD) marked the third anniversary since the British Parliament voted to begin air strikes on the terror group in September 2014, by releasing details of successes as part of the US-led anti-ISIS coalition. The UK has carried out 1,340 airstrikes in Iraq and 262 in Syria in the last three years. It also revealed that Royal Air Force (RAF) aircraft destroyed 17 targets in Syria in a single day last week as the air campaign intensifies, forcing ISIS to "splinter and retreat" from areas it once ruled. The MoD claimed that the "barbaric cult" are being pinned down by the RAF in their former stronghold of Raqqa and have lost territory, finances, leaders and fighters over the three-year-long campaign. "Britain has made a major contribution to the campaign that has crippled Daesh (ISIS) since 2014, forcing this miserable cult from the gates of Baghdad to the brink of defeat in Raqqa. "By air, land and sea, UK personnel have played a tireless role in striking targets and training allies," UK defence secretary Michael Fallon said. The UK is the second-largest contributor to the global coalition's military campaign and has flown more than 8,000 sorties with Tornado and Typhoon jets and Reaper drones, providing strikes, surveillance and reconnaissance, refuelling and transport support, he noted. Since 2014, the UK has been bombarding targets, including heavy machine-gun positions, truck-bombs, mortar teams, snipers and weapons stores from Raqqa and Dayr az Zawr in Syria to Qayyarah and Al Qaim in Iraq. "This has been an immense effort by RAF airmen and airwomen over the last three years of continued operations, countering Daesh (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria," UK Air Chief Marshal Stephen Hillier said. As part of the details of the war against ISIS, the MoD highlighted that three years ago the network demanding a so-called Islamic Caliphate was barely an hour from the gates of Baghdad in Iraq. "But today, it has lost more than 73 per cent of the territory it occupied in Iraq and 65 per cent of its former territory in Syria," the MoD said. The RAF's role has included helping Syrian Democratic Forces engaged in ground close combat and the Iraqi Security Forces who continue their advance having liberated Mosul and Ninewah province. More than 5.5 million people have reportedly been freed from ISIS rule and over 2 million displaced Iraqi civilians have returned to their homes. In the Iraqi city of Mosul, it is estimated that over 265,000 people have returned. On the ground, around 600 British soldiers remain in Iraq to train the country's forces. UK troops have so far helped train over 58,000 Iraqi Security Forces in battle winning infantry, counter improvised explosive device (IED), engineering and combat medical skills, the MoD states. The UK said its involvement from all three services, the Army, Air Force and Navy, to the fight against ISIS across the region now numbers just over 1,400 military personnel.

ISIS 'crippled' in Iraq, Syria with 1,600 air strikes: UK

The Iraqi government ruled out talks on possible secession for Kurdish-held parts of northern Iraq after a referendum on independence showed strong support for a split.

&quot;We are not ready to discuss or have a dialogue about the results of the referendum because it is unconstitutional,&quot; Abadi said in a speech broadcast on state TV on Monday (September 25) night.

Kurdistan Regional Government President Masoud Barzani says the referendum is not binding, but was meant to be a legitimate mandate to negotiate with Baghdad and neighbouring countries over the secession of the region from Iraq.

The vote was expected to deliver a comfortable &quot;yes&quot;, and final results should be announced in 72 hours.

Haider Al - Abadi: We are not ready to discuss or have a dialogue about the results of the referendum because it is unconstitutional.

The Iraqi government ruled out talks on possible secession for Kurdish-held parts of northern Iraq after a referendum on independence showed strong support for a split. "We are not ready to discuss or have a dialogue about the results of the referendum because it is unconstitutional," Abadi said in a speech broadcast on state TV on Monday (September 25) night. Kurdistan Regional Government President Masoud Barzani says the referendum is not binding, but was meant to be a legitimate mandate to negotiate with Baghdad and neighbouring countries over the secession of the region from Iraq. The vote was expected to deliver a comfortable "yes", and final results should be announced in 72 hours.

Iraq refuses to discuss Kurdish independence after referendum

Iraqi Kurdish officials <a href="http://www.presidency.krd/english/articledisplay.aspx?id=E8ZKw7evZVQ=" style="font-size: 13px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">have decided</a> to hold an independence referendum <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2017/06/07/world/middleeast/ap-iraq-kurds.html?_r=0" style="font-size: 13px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">on</a> September 25 of this year. The decision was <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iraq/10945578/Kurds-prepare-first-moves-for-independence-referendum.html" style="font-size: 13px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">widely anticipated</a>, since Masoud Barzani, president of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), had explicitly <a href="http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/barzani-an-independent-kurdistan-is-coming" style="font-size: 13px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">promised</a> an independence referendum once ISIS were defeated.

Yet without any stamp of approval <a href="http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2017/06/kurdistan-independence-iraq-iran-turkey.html">from Baghdad</a> and the international community &ndash; <a href="http://www.cambridge.org/au/academic/subjects/politics-international-relations/international-relations-and-international-organisations/power-politics-and-state-formation-twentieth-century-dynamics-recognition?format=HB&amp;isbn=9781107047358#tZWLG4s2ChU9h8ql.97">or at least</a> from the majority of permanent members on the UN Security Council &ndash; the referendum will not by itself make the Kurdish dream of statehood a reality. The Kurds are <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-iraq-kurds-idUSKBN18Y284">well aware</a> of this.

Instead, the likely overwhelming vote in favour of independence could inflame <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-iraq-politics-kurds-idUSKBN17M1CF">already tense</a> relations between the Kurdish capital, Erbil, and Baghdad. The same goes for <a href="http://www.mfa.gov.tr/no_181_-9-june-2017_-press-release-regarding-the-decision-to-organize-independence-referendum-in-the-krg-on-25-september-2017.en.mfa">Turkey</a> and <a href="https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/middle-east/147516-170610-iran-opposes-iraqi-kurdish-independence-vote">Iran</a>, on whose trade Erbil currently depends for survival as a <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03050629.2014.915543">separate entity</a>. So if this independence vote could escalate tensions and will not confer statehood, why is the KRG holding it?

Political goals

The answer is deceptively simple: political expediency. Beyond its historic importance for Kurds&rsquo; independence aspirations, the decision to hold a referendum may conceal more mundane objectives. In particular, this referendum has much to do with tactics in their dealings with the Iraqi government. The <a href="http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/06/07/kurds-finally-set-date-for-independence-referendum/?utm_content=buffer75b29&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=facebook.com&amp;utm_campaign=buffer">main prizes</a> are increased oil revenues and territory, particularly the oil-rich region of <a href="http://www.upenn.edu/pennpress/book/14637.html">Kirkuk</a>.

<figure class="align-center zoomable">
First, oil revenues. Baghdad <a href="http://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/030320141" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">cut off</a> federal disbursements following an acrimonious dispute over oil revenues in 2014. The Kurds retaliated by stopping crude oil deliveries to the central government, instead of <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-iraq-kurdistan-oil-idUSKCN0T61HH20151117" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">selling oil</a> directly to Turkey through a newly built pipeline.

Negotiations with Baghdad have been on hold due to the military imperative of fighting ISIS. But with ISIS now close to defeat, oil sharing has <a href="http://www.mei.edu/content/article/iraq-after-isis-three-major-flashpoints">come back</a> to the fore. KRG officials may be hoping the referendum will increase their bargaining power, pressuring Baghdad into larger monthly disbursements. Erbil argues that, under the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/12/AR2005101201450.html">Iraqi constitution</a> of 2005, it should receive roughly 17 per cent of federal revenues from oil exports, <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-iraq-oil-kurdistan-idUSKCN0Z10CY">amounting to</a> about US$1 billion (&pound;785m) per month.
</figure>

Kurdish officials may also have an eye on disputed areas that have fallen under their authority. ISIS previously <a href="http://www.janes.com/article/58831/islamic-state-loses-22-per-cent-of-territory">swept through</a> large swathes of <a href="https://www.rienner.com/title/The_Kurds_of_Iraq_Building_a_State_Within_a_State">northwestern Iraq</a>, directly threatening oil-rich Kirkuk. The much acclaimed Kurdish armed forces, the &ldquo;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/may/20/peshmerga-review-bernard-henri-levy-cannes-2016">Peshmerga</a>&rdquo;, fronted the counterattack and have been in <a href="http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/182042/kurdish-independence">de facto control</a> of Kirkuk since 2014. The Kurds recently raised their flag on municipal buildings &ndash; to vehement criticism from <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-turkey-erdogan-idUSKBN1761PP">Turkey</a> and the local <a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-06/09/c_136350975.htm">Turkmen</a> community.

<figure class="align-center zoomable">
If these disputed areas deliver a strong Yes vote in September, Kurdish rule could be legitimised. The vote could then confer further bargaining advantages with Baghdad in relation to revenue sharing, further devolution of power and the demarcation of KRG borders (as well as Kirkuk, Erbil claims authority over the contested areas of Makhmour, Shingal and Khanaqin).

Economics and realpolitik
</figure>

The referendum might also divert attention from the <a href="http://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/0e44d797-1d90-4d2d-afec-2832a4a7785c/five-reasons-for-kurdistan-region-financial-crisis">dire economic situation</a> in Iraqi Kurdistan since 2014. Along with losing federal disbursements, the fight against ISIS and the fall in oil prices have led the economy to the brink of collapse.

Kurdish officials and the wider population of around 5 million may have valiantly coalesced around the war effort against ISIS, but dissent <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-iraq-protests-idUSKCN0VI11X">is intensifying</a>. With the local parliament <a href="http://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/190820152">suspended</a> since 2015 following a row over Barzani&rsquo;s decision to extend his term as KRG president, grassroots opposition has been gathering steam.

Cracks have <a href="http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2017/06/kirkuk-iraq-kurdistan-independence-baghdad-oil.html">been appearing</a> in the grand alliance between the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). This is critical to the region&rsquo;s survival as a separate entity, KDP and PUK have <a href="https://www.rienner.com/title/The_Kurds_of_Iraq_Building_a_State_Within_a_State">fought</a> bitterly in the past for political and military dominance.

<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<figcaption>
With a growing array of disgruntled domestic actors, the Kurdish leadership may have calculated that the moment is ripe to rally the population around the independence struggle and buy precious time to begin &ldquo;putting the house in order&rdquo;.

In addition, the independence vote will help to cement an effective separation from Iraq that <a href="https://academic.oup.com/isq/article/doi/10.1093/isq/sqw049/3078982/De-Facto-States-Survival-and-Disappearance-1945" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">dates back</a> to the 1990s. It sends a signal that, in the long run, nothing short of independence will placate the Kurds. The referendum also allows Kurdish politicians to gauge the potential for <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/recognizing-states-9780199564446?cc=gb&amp;lang=en&amp;" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">international recognition</a> of an independent Kurdistan.
</figcaption>
</figure>

<img alt="The Conversation" height="1" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/79447/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" width="1" />So barring unforeseen events, the population will probably deliver an overwhelming Yes vote to independence on September 25. Since this is about the latest tactics in the continuation of the conflict between Erbil and Baghdad by other means, we can then expect a showdown with the KRG&rsquo;s domestic and regional adversaries. Only time will tell whether Erbil has been correct to calculate that the benefits outweigh the political risks of going ahead.

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/kurdistans-referendum-wont-lead-to-independence-so-why-hold-it-79447">original article</a>.

Iraqi Kurds go for an independence referendum on 25th September. The independence may worsen the socio-economic situation in Iraq and the Kurdish region.

Iraqi Kurdish officials have decided to hold an independence referendum on September 25 of this year. The decision was widely anticipated, since Masoud Barzani, president of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), had explicitly promised an independence referendum once ISIS were defeated. Yet without any stamp of approval from Baghdad and the international community – or at least from the majority of permanent members on the UN Security Council – the referendum will not by itself make the Kurdish dream of statehood a reality. The Kurds are well aware of this. Instead, the likely overwhelming vote in favour of independence could inflame already tense relations between the Kurdish capital, Erbil, and Baghdad. The same goes for Turkey and Iran, on whose trade Erbil currently depends for survival as a separate entity. So if this independence vote could escalate tensions and will not confer statehood, why is the KRG holding it? Political goals The answer is deceptively simple: political expediency. Beyond its historic importance for Kurds’ independence aspirations, the decision to hold a referendum may conceal more mundane objectives. In particular, this referendum has much to do with tactics in their dealings with the Iraqi government. The main prizes are increased oil revenues and territory, particularly the oil-rich region of Kirkuk. First, oil revenues. Baghdad cut off federal disbursements following an acrimonious dispute over oil revenues in 2014. The Kurds retaliated by stopping crude oil deliveries to the central government, instead of selling oil directly to Turkey through a newly built pipeline. Negotiations with Baghdad have been on hold due to the military imperative of fighting ISIS. But with ISIS now close to defeat, oil sharing has come back to the fore. KRG officials may be hoping the referendum will increase their bargaining power, pressuring Baghdad into larger monthly disbursements. Erbil argues that, under the Iraqi constitution of 2005, it should receive roughly 17 per cent of federal revenues from oil exports, amounting to about US$1 billion (£785m) per month. Kurdish officials may also have an eye on disputed areas that have fallen under their authority. ISIS previously swept through large swathes of northwestern Iraq, directly threatening oil-rich Kirkuk. The much acclaimed Kurdish armed forces, the “Peshmerga”, fronted the counterattack and have been in de facto control of Kirkuk since 2014. The Kurds recently raised their flag on municipal buildings – to vehement criticism from Turkey and the local Turkmen community. If these disputed areas deliver a strong Yes vote in September, Kurdish rule could be legitimised. The vote could then confer further bargaining advantages with Baghdad in relation to revenue sharing, further devolution of power and the demarcation of KRG borders (as well as Kirkuk, Erbil claims authority over the contested areas of Makhmour, Shingal and Khanaqin). Economics and realpolitik The referendum might also divert attention from the dire economic situation in Iraqi Kurdistan since 2014. Along with losing federal disbursements, the fight against ISIS and the fall in oil prices have led the economy to the brink of collapse. Kurdish officials and the wider population of around 5 million may have valiantly coalesced around the war effort against ISIS, but dissent is intensifying. With the local parliament suspended since 2015 following a row over Barzani’s decision to extend his term as KRG president, grassroots opposition has been gathering steam. Cracks have been appearing in the grand alliance between the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). This is critical to the region’s survival as a separate entity, KDP and PUK have fought bitterly in the past for political and military dominance. With a growing array of disgruntled domestic actors, the Kurdish leadership may have calculated that the moment is ripe to rally the population around the independence struggle and buy precious time to begin “putting the house in order”. In addition, the independence vote will help to cement an effective separation from Iraq that dates back to the 1990s. It sends a signal that, in the long run, nothing short of independence will placate the Kurds. The referendum also allows Kurdish politicians to gauge the potential for international recognition of an independent Kurdistan. So barring unforeseen events, the population will probably deliver an overwhelming Yes vote to independence on September 25. Since this is about the latest tactics in the continuation of the conflict between Erbil and Baghdad by other means, we can then expect a showdown with the KRG’s domestic and regional adversaries. Only time will tell whether Erbil has been correct to calculate that the benefits outweigh the political risks of going ahead. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Kurdistan's referendum won't lead to independence ? so why hold it?

Iraqi Kurds are to vote in an independence referendum Monday in defiance of Baghdad which has warned of &quot;measures&quot; to defend Iraq&#39;s unity and threatened to deprive their region of lifeline oil revenues.

The non-binding vote on the Kurds&#39; long-cherished dream of independence, initiated by veteran leader Massud Barzani, has angered not only the federal government but also neighbouring Turkey and Iran, concerned it could stoke separatist aspirations among their own sizeable Kurdish minorities.

A total of 12,072 polling stations for the more than 5.3 million registered voters were to stay open for 12 hours from 8:00 am (0500 GMT).

The stations are scattered across the three northern provinces of autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan, Arbil, Sulaimaniyah and Dohuk, as well as in disputed bordering zones such as the oil-rich province of Kirkuk.

Initial results are expected to be announced 24 hours after the vote but an overwhelming &quot;Yes&quot; outcome is not in doubt, with Kurdish flags festooned in all the streets, on cars and outside homes across Iraqi Kurdistan.

As Barzani pledged on Sunday to go ahead with the historic referendum after having resisted a barrage of international pressure to call it off, Iraq&#39;s leader pledged to take all the &quot;necessary measures&quot; to protect the country&#39;s unity and his government targeted the Kurds&#39; oil sales.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said that taking the Kurds&#39; unilateral decision to stage a referendum affected both Iraqi and regional security, and was &quot;unconstitutional and against civil peace&quot;. 
&quot;We will take the necessary measures to preserve the unity of the country,&quot; he said, without elaborating.

Hours later, the Iraqi government at a meeting of its security cabinet called on all countries &quot;to deal only with it on matters of oil and borders&quot;.

(Also Read:<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/iraqi-parliament-rejects-iraqi-kurdish-referendum-lawmaker-20127"> Iraqi parliament rejects Iraqi Kurdish referendum</a>)

The Iraqi Kurds export an average 600,000 barrels per day (bpd) through a pipeline running through Turkey to Ceyhan on the Mediterranean.

Tehran also upped the pressure on Sunday, saying it had blocked all flights to and from Iraqi Kurdistan at Baghdad&#39;s request.

Washington and many Western states had opposed the vote, saying it would hamper the fight against the Islamic State jihadist group in which cooperation between Baghdad and the Kurds has been key.

But Barzani said the Kurds&#39; &quot;partnership with Baghdad&quot; since the ousted of dictator Saddam Hussein in the 2003 US-led invasion had failed and urged his people to turn out and vote.

&quot;We expect reactions from one side or another but we are convinced that whatever the risk and the price, it&#39;s better than waiting for a dark outcome,&quot; he said.

&quot;The referendum is not for defining borders or imposing a fait accompli. We want a dialogue with Baghdad to resolve the problems, and the dialogue can last one or two years,&quot; Barzani said of zones such as Kirkuk.

The non-binding vote on the Kurds' long-cherished dream of independence, initiated by veteran leader Massud Barzani, has angered not only the federal government but also neighbouring Turkey and Iran, concerned it could stoke separatist aspirations among their own sizeable Kurdish minorities

Iraqi Kurds are to vote in an independence referendum Monday in defiance of Baghdad which has warned of "measures" to defend Iraq's unity and threatened to deprive their region of lifeline oil revenues. The non-binding vote on the Kurds' long-cherished dream of independence, initiated by veteran leader Massud Barzani, has angered not only the federal government but also neighbouring Turkey and Iran, concerned it could stoke separatist aspirations among their own sizeable Kurdish minorities. A total of 12,072 polling stations for the more than 5.3 million registered voters were to stay open for 12 hours from 8:00 am (0500 GMT). The stations are scattered across the three northern provinces of autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan, Arbil, Sulaimaniyah and Dohuk, as well as in disputed bordering zones such as the oil-rich province of Kirkuk. Initial results are expected to be announced 24 hours after the vote but an overwhelming "Yes" outcome is not in doubt, with Kurdish flags festooned in all the streets, on cars and outside homes across Iraqi Kurdistan. As Barzani pledged on Sunday to go ahead with the historic referendum after having resisted a barrage of international pressure to call it off, Iraq's leader pledged to take all the "necessary measures" to protect the country's unity and his government targeted the Kurds' oil sales. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said that taking the Kurds' unilateral decision to stage a referendum affected both Iraqi and regional security, and was "unconstitutional and against civil peace". "We will take the necessary measures to preserve the unity of the country," he said, without elaborating. Hours later, the Iraqi government at a meeting of its security cabinet called on all countries "to deal only with it on matters of oil and borders". (Also Read: Iraqi parliament rejects Iraqi Kurdish referendum) The Iraqi Kurds export an average 600,000 barrels per day (bpd) through a pipeline running through Turkey to Ceyhan on the Mediterranean. Tehran also upped the pressure on Sunday, saying it had blocked all flights to and from Iraqi Kurdistan at Baghdad's request. Washington and many Western states had opposed the vote, saying it would hamper the fight against the Islamic State jihadist group in which cooperation between Baghdad and the Kurds has been key. But Barzani said the Kurds' "partnership with Baghdad" since the ousted of dictator Saddam Hussein in the 2003 US-led invasion had failed and urged his people to turn out and vote. "We expect reactions from one side or another but we are convinced that whatever the risk and the price, it's better than waiting for a dark outcome," he said. "The referendum is not for defining borders or imposing a fait accompli. We want a dialogue with Baghdad to resolve the problems, and the dialogue can last one or two years," Barzani said of zones such as Kirkuk.

Iraq Kurds in historic independence vote in defiance of Baghdad

Russia and Iraq restored scheduled commercial airline services&nbsp;on Sunday&nbsp;for the first time since 2004, in what officials hailed as a sign of stability returning to the war-torn country.

An Iraqi Airways plane left Baghdad at&nbsp;10.31 am&nbsp;(0731 GMT) and was expected to arrive at Moscow&#39;s Vnukovo airport at&nbsp;2.19 pm&nbsp;(1119 GMT), according to the Russian airport&#39;s online departure and arrival timetables.

&quot;The first commercial flight arrives today,&quot; Sergei Izvolsky, spokesman for Russia&#39;s civil aviation authority, told AFP.

&quot;It is a signal on the part of the Iraqi authorities that Russian nationals can safely visit Iraq.&quot;

The two countries may also later agree on air travel to the Iraqi city of Basra, Izvolsky said.

Russia suspended regular flights to Iraq in 2004 after the US-led invasion in 2003 plunged the Arab country into war.

Officials hailed the development as a sign of stability returning to the war-torn country

Russia and Iraq restored scheduled commercial airline services on Sunday for the first time since 2004, in what officials hailed as a sign of stability returning to the war-torn country. An Iraqi Airways plane left Baghdad at 10.31 am (0731 GMT) and was expected to arrive at Moscow's Vnukovo airport at 2.19 pm (1119 GMT), according to the Russian airport's online departure and arrival timetables. "The first commercial flight arrives today," Sergei Izvolsky, spokesman for Russia's civil aviation authority, told AFP. "It is a signal on the part of the Iraqi authorities that Russian nationals can safely visit Iraq." The two countries may also later agree on air travel to the Iraqi city of Basra, Izvolsky said. Russia suspended regular flights to Iraq in 2004 after the US-led invasion in 2003 plunged the Arab country into war.

Russia and Iraq restore air travel after 13-year freeze

Turkey&nbsp;on Thursday welcomed an&nbsp;Iraqi&nbsp;parliament move to reject a referendum&nbsp;on&nbsp;Kurdish&nbsp;independence.

The parliament in Baghdad authorised the prime minister to &quot;take all measures&quot; to preserve Iraq&#39;s unity in response to the move to hold an independence&nbsp;referendum&nbsp;in Iraq&#39;s semi-autonomous Kurdish&nbsp;region on Sept. 25.

Kurdish&nbsp;leader Massoud Barzani vowed to press ahead with the vote, calling it &quot;a natural right&quot;.

&quot;Barzani&#39;s&nbsp;referendum&nbsp;decision is a historic mistake.&nbsp;Turkey&nbsp;will follow policies that take Iraq&#39;s territorial integrity as a basis,&quot; Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said.

&quot;The northern Iraq&nbsp;referendum&nbsp;must be cancelled, if not it will have a cost and retribution,&quot; he said, adding the move would erode the region&#39;s peace and bring security risks.

Turkey&nbsp;has the region&#39;s largest&nbsp;Kurdish&nbsp;population and fears a &#39;Yes&#39; vote could fuel separatism in its southeast where&nbsp;Kurdish&nbsp;militants have waged an insurgency for three decades in which more than 40,000 people have been killed.

Ankara has built solid ties with Barzani&#39;s administration, founded on strong economic and energy links as well as Ankara and Erbil&#39;s shared suspicions of other&nbsp;Kurdish&nbsp;groups and Iraq&#39;s central government.

Iran and Syria also oppose the vote, fearing it could fan separatism among their own&nbsp;Kurdish populations.

Western powers worry the plebiscite - which would include the oil-producing city of Kirkuk - could ignite conflict with the central government in Baghdad and divert attention from the war against Islamic State militants.

Turkey&#39;s Foreign Ministry, in a statement on Thursday, said: &quot;We find the (Iraqi&nbsp;Kurdish) leadership&#39;s insistent stance regarding the&nbsp;referendum&nbsp;and its increasingly emotional statements worrying.

&quot;It should be noted that this insistence will definitely have a cost,&quot; it added. &quot;We call on them to act with good sense and abandon this erroneous approach immediately.&quot;

The parliament in Baghdad authorised the prime minister to "take all measures" to preserve Iraq's unity in response to the move to hold an independence?referendum?in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish?region on Sept. 25.

Turkey on Thursday welcomed an Iraqi parliament move to reject a referendum on Kurdish independence. The parliament in Baghdad authorised the prime minister to "take all measures" to preserve Iraq's unity in response to the move to hold an independence referendum in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region on Sept. 25. Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani vowed to press ahead with the vote, calling it "a natural right". "Barzani's referendum decision is a historic mistake. Turkey will follow policies that take Iraq's territorial integrity as a basis," Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said. "The northern Iraq referendum must be cancelled, if not it will have a cost and retribution," he said, adding the move would erode the region's peace and bring security risks. Turkey has the region's largest Kurdish population and fears a 'Yes' vote could fuel separatism in its southeast where Kurdish militants have waged an insurgency for three decades in which more than 40,000 people have been killed. Ankara has built solid ties with Barzani's administration, founded on strong economic and energy links as well as Ankara and Erbil's shared suspicions of other Kurdish groups and Iraq's central government. Iran and Syria also oppose the vote, fearing it could fan separatism among their own Kurdish populations. Western powers worry the plebiscite - which would include the oil-producing city of Kirkuk - could ignite conflict with the central government in Baghdad and divert attention from the war against Islamic State militants. Turkey's Foreign Ministry, in a statement on Thursday, said: "We find the (Iraqi Kurdish) leadership's insistent stance regarding the referendum and its increasingly emotional statements worrying. "It should be noted that this insistence will definitely have a cost," it added. "We call on them to act with good sense and abandon this erroneous approach immediately."

Iraqi Kurdish referendum historic mistake: Turkey

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for twin attacks that killed at least fifty-two&nbsp;people and injured ninety-one in southern Iraq on Thursday.&nbsp;

In a statement released by its propaganda arm Amaq, IS said several suicide bombers had staged the assault on a restaurant and a security checkpoint.

The attackers struck at midday, opening fire on a restaurant before getting into a car and blowing themselves up at a nearby security checkpoint, officials said.

Security sources said the attackers were disguised as members of the Hashed al-Shaabi, a mainly Shiite paramilitary alliance which has fought alongside the army and police against the Islamic State jihadist group in northern Iraq.

The toll from the attacks was fifty-two dead and ninety-one&nbsp;wounded, said Abdel Hussein al-Jabri, deputy health chief for the mainly Shiite province of Dhiqar of which Nasiriyah is the capital.

Jabri told AFP that many of the wounded were in serious condition.

The area targeted is used by Shiite pilgrims and visitors from neighbouring Iran headed for the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala further north, although Dhiqar has previously been spared the worst of Iraq&#39;s violence.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attacks in a statement carried by its Amaq propaganda arm.

It said several suicide bombers had staged the assault on a restaurant and a security checkpoint, killing &quot;dozens of Shiites&quot;.

The toll makes it the deadliest IS attack in Iraq since pro-government forces drove the jihadists out of second city Mosul in July.

The Sunni extremist group regularly stages attacks in Iraq, where it has also lost swathes of territory to US-backed pro-government forces.

Thursday&#39;s attacks come as Iraqi forces backed by tribal fighters close in one of the last IS bastions in the country: the Al-Qaim area on the border with war-ravaged Syria.

&nbsp;

People died in twin gun and car bomb attack in southern Iraq

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for twin attacks that killed at least fifty-two people and injured ninety-one in southern Iraq on Thursday. In a statement released by its propaganda arm Amaq, IS said several suicide bombers had staged the assault on a restaurant and a security checkpoint. The attackers struck at midday, opening fire on a restaurant before getting into a car and blowing themselves up at a nearby security checkpoint, officials said. Security sources said the attackers were disguised as members of the Hashed al-Shaabi, a mainly Shiite paramilitary alliance which has fought alongside the army and police against the Islamic State jihadist group in northern Iraq. The toll from the attacks was fifty-two dead and ninety-one wounded, said Abdel Hussein al-Jabri, deputy health chief for the mainly Shiite province of Dhiqar of which Nasiriyah is the capital. Jabri told AFP that many of the wounded were in serious condition. The area targeted is used by Shiite pilgrims and visitors from neighbouring Iran headed for the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala further north, although Dhiqar has previously been spared the worst of Iraq's violence. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attacks in a statement carried by its Amaq propaganda arm. It said several suicide bombers had staged the assault on a restaurant and a security checkpoint, killing "dozens of Shiites". The toll makes it the deadliest IS attack in Iraq since pro-government forces drove the jihadists out of second city Mosul in July. The Sunni extremist group regularly stages attacks in Iraq, where it has also lost swathes of territory to US-backed pro-government forces. Thursday's attacks come as Iraqi forces backed by tribal fighters close in one of the last IS bastions in the country: the Al-Qaim area on the border with war-ravaged Syria.

At least 52 killed in twin attacks in southern Iraq, IS claims responsibility

Iraq&#39;s parliament voted on Tuesday to reject an Iraqi Kurdish independence referendum planned for Sept. 25, authorising the prime minister to take all measures to preserve Iraq&#39;s unity, a lawmaker said.

&quot;Kurdish lawmakers walked out of the session but the decision to reject the referendum was passed by a majority,&quot; Mohammed al-Karbouli said.

Kurdish lawmaker Majid Shingali said Kurds would reject the decision.

&quot;This decision has no value and we will not implement it,&quot; he told Reuters.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi&rsquo;s government had previously rejected the referendum as unilateral and unconstitutional.

The United States and other Western nations fear the September vote in Iraqi Kurdistan could ignite a new conflict with Baghdad and possibly neighboring countries, diverting attention from the war against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria.

Turkey, along with Iraq, Iran and Syria, also opposes the idea of Iraqi Kurdish independence, fearing separatism could spread to their own Kurdish populations.

Kurds have sought an independent state since at least the end of World War I, when colonial powers divided up the Middle East and left Kurdish-populated territory split between modern-day Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria.

"Kurdish lawmakers walked out of the session but the decision to reject the referendum was passed by a majority," Mohammed al-Karbouli said.

Iraq's parliament voted on Tuesday to reject an Iraqi Kurdish independence referendum planned for Sept. 25, authorising the prime minister to take all measures to preserve Iraq's unity, a lawmaker said. "Kurdish lawmakers walked out of the session but the decision to reject the referendum was passed by a majority," Mohammed al-Karbouli said. Kurdish lawmaker Majid Shingali said Kurds would reject the decision. "This decision has no value and we will not implement it," he told Reuters. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s government had previously rejected the referendum as unilateral and unconstitutional. The United States and other Western nations fear the September vote in Iraqi Kurdistan could ignite a new conflict with Baghdad and possibly neighboring countries, diverting attention from the war against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria. Turkey, along with Iraq, Iran and Syria, also opposes the idea of Iraqi Kurdish independence, fearing separatism could spread to their own Kurdish populations. Kurds have sought an independent state since at least the end of World War I, when colonial powers divided up the Middle East and left Kurdish-populated territory split between modern-day Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria.

Iraqi parliament rejects Iraqi Kurdish referendum

Iraqi authorities are holding 1,400 foreign wives and children of suspected Islamic State fighters in a camp after government forces expelled the jihadist group from one of its last remaining strongholds in Iraq, security and aid officials said.

Many of them say they are from Russia, Turkey and Central Asia, but there are also some from European countries, the officials said. They have mostly arrived at the camp south of Mosul since Aug 30.

An Iraqi intelligence officer said that they were in the process of verifying their nationalities with their home countries, since many of the women no longer had their original documents.

It is the largest group of foreigners linked to Islamic State to be held by Iraqi forces since they started expelling the militants from Mosul and other areas in northern Iraq last year, an aid official said. Thousands of foreigners have been fighting for Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

A senior security officer said the authorities were trying to find a safe place to house the families while negotiating with embassies for their return home. They are not allowed to leave the camp.

Reuters reporters saw hundreds of the women and children sitting on mattresses crawling with bugs in tents in what aid workers called a &quot;militarized site&quot;. Turkish, French and Russian were among the languages spoken.

&quot;I want to go back (to France) but don&#39;t know how,&quot; said a French-speaking veiled woman of Chechen origin who said she had lived in Paris before.

She said she did not know what had happened to her husband, who had brought her to Iraq when he joined Islamic State.

The security officer said the women and children had mostly surrendered to the Kurdish Peshmerga near the northern city of Tal Afar, along with their husbands. The Kurds handed the women and children over to Iraqi forces, but kept the men - all presumed to be fighters - in their custody.

Many of the families had fled to Tal Afar after Iraqi troops pushed Islamic State out of Mosul on Aug 30.

Iraqi forces retook Tal Afar, a city of predominantly ethnic Turkmen that has produced some of Islamic State&#39;s most senior commanders, last month. Most of its pre-war population of 200,000 have fled.

Tension

Aid workers and the authorities are worried about tensions between Iraqis, who lost their homes and are also living in the camp, and the new arrivals.

Many Iraqis want revenge for the harsh treatment they received under the extremists&#39; interpretation of Sunni Islam they imposed in Mosul and the other areas they seized in 2014.

&quot;The families are being kept to one side (of the camp) for their own safety,&quot; an Iraqi military intelligence officer said.

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), which is supporting the 541 women and their children, said Iraq &quot;must swiftly move to clarify its future plans for these individuals&quot;.

&quot;Like all those fleeing conflict, it is imperative that these individuals are able to access protection, assistance, and information,&quot; NRC said in a statement. &quot;They are in de-facto detention.&quot;

Western officials are worried about radicalized fighters and their relatives coming home after the collapse of Islamic State&#39;s &quot;caliphate&quot;.

French officials have indicated a preference for citizens found to be affiliated with IS to be prosecuted in Iraq.

&quot;The general philosophy is that adults should go on trial in Iraq,&quot; a French diplomatic source told Reuters last month, of those found to have been fighters. &quot;We think children would benefit from judicial and social services in France.&quot;

Tricked

The women in the camp were cooking noodles or lying on mattresses with their babies in the hot tents. Many were still wearing the black abayas and face-veils, which was mandatory in areas the militants controlled.

&quot;My mother doesn&#39;t even know where I am,&quot; said a 27-year-old French woman of Algerian descent who said she had been tricked by her husband to come with him via Turkey into Syria and then Iraq when he joined Islamic State last year.

&quot;I had just given birth to this little girl three months before,&quot; she said holding the infant and asking not to be named.

&quot;He said &#39;let&#39;s go for a week&#39;s holiday in Turkey.&#39; He had already bought the plane tickets and the hotel.&quot;

After four months in Mosul, she ran away from her husband to Tal Afar in February. She was hoping to make it back to France but he found her and would not let her leave.

She tearily recounted how her five-year-old son was killed in June by a rocket while playing in the streets.

&quot;I don&#39;t understand why he did this to us,&quot; she said of her husband, who she said was killed fighting in Mosul. &quot;Dead or alive - I couldn&#39;t care less about him.&quot;

She and a few other families had walked for days to surrender at a Kurdish Peshmerga checkpoint beyond al-Ayadiyah, a town near Tal Afar where the militants took their last stand.

&quot;We were getting bombed, shelled and shot at,&quot; she said.

Kurdish officials said dozens of fighters surrendered after the fall of Tal Afar but gave no details. One Tal Afar resident said he had seen between 70 and 80 fighters fleeing the town in the final days of the battle.

Many of them say they are from Russia, Turkey and Central Asia, but there are also some from European countries, the officials said

Iraqi authorities are holding 1,400 foreign wives and children of suspected Islamic State fighters in a camp after government forces expelled the jihadist group from one of its last remaining strongholds in Iraq, security and aid officials said. Many of them say they are from Russia, Turkey and Central Asia, but there are also some from European countries, the officials said. They have mostly arrived at the camp south of Mosul since Aug 30. An Iraqi intelligence officer said that they were in the process of verifying their nationalities with their home countries, since many of the women no longer had their original documents. It is the largest group of foreigners linked to Islamic State to be held by Iraqi forces since they started expelling the militants from Mosul and other areas in northern Iraq last year, an aid official said. Thousands of foreigners have been fighting for Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. A senior security officer said the authorities were trying to find a safe place to house the families while negotiating with embassies for their return home. They are not allowed to leave the camp. Reuters reporters saw hundreds of the women and children sitting on mattresses crawling with bugs in tents in what aid workers called a "militarized site". Turkish, French and Russian were among the languages spoken. "I want to go back (to France) but don't know how," said a French-speaking veiled woman of Chechen origin who said she had lived in Paris before. She said she did not know what had happened to her husband, who had brought her to Iraq when he joined Islamic State. The security officer said the women and children had mostly surrendered to the Kurdish Peshmerga near the northern city of Tal Afar, along with their husbands. The Kurds handed the women and children over to Iraqi forces, but kept the men - all presumed to be fighters - in their custody. Many of the families had fled to Tal Afar after Iraqi troops pushed Islamic State out of Mosul on Aug 30. Iraqi forces retook Tal Afar, a city of predominantly ethnic Turkmen that has produced some of Islamic State's most senior commanders, last month. Most of its pre-war population of 200,000 have fled. Tension Aid workers and the authorities are worried about tensions between Iraqis, who lost their homes and are also living in the camp, and the new arrivals. Many Iraqis want revenge for the harsh treatment they received under the extremists' interpretation of Sunni Islam they imposed in Mosul and the other areas they seized in 2014. "The families are being kept to one side (of the camp) for their own safety," an Iraqi military intelligence officer said. The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), which is supporting the 541 women and their children, said Iraq "must swiftly move to clarify its future plans for these individuals". "Like all those fleeing conflict, it is imperative that these individuals are able to access protection, assistance, and information," NRC said in a statement. "They are in de-facto detention." Western officials are worried about radicalized fighters and their relatives coming home after the collapse of Islamic State's "caliphate". French officials have indicated a preference for citizens found to be affiliated with IS to be prosecuted in Iraq. "The general philosophy is that adults should go on trial in Iraq," a French diplomatic source told Reuters last month, of those found to have been fighters. "We think children would benefit from judicial and social services in France." Tricked The women in the camp were cooking noodles or lying on mattresses with their babies in the hot tents. Many were still wearing the black abayas and face-veils, which was mandatory in areas the militants controlled. "My mother doesn't even know where I am," said a 27-year-old French woman of Algerian descent who said she had been tricked by her husband to come with him via Turkey into Syria and then Iraq when he joined Islamic State last year. "I had just given birth to this little girl three months before," she said holding the infant and asking not to be named. "He said 'let's go for a week's holiday in Turkey.' He had already bought the plane tickets and the hotel." After four months in Mosul, she ran away from her husband to Tal Afar in February. She was hoping to make it back to France but he found her and would not let her leave. She tearily recounted how her five-year-old son was killed in June by a rocket while playing in the streets. "I don't understand why he did this to us," she said of her husband, who she said was killed fighting in Mosul. "Dead or alive - I couldn't care less about him." She and a few other families had walked for days to surrender at a Kurdish Peshmerga checkpoint beyond al-Ayadiyah, a town near Tal Afar where the militants took their last stand. "We were getting bombed, shelled and shot at," she said. Kurdish officials said dozens of fighters surrendered after the fall of Tal Afar but gave no details. One Tal Afar resident said he had seen between 70 and 80 fighters fleeing the town in the final days of the battle.

1,400 wives, children of Islamic State militants held by Iraqi forces

The fate of <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/report-on-is-leader-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi-admitting-defeat-in-iraq-may-not-be-true-12955">IS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is still unknown</a> even as &nbsp;Iraqi military spokesman said on Thursday the city of Tal Afar has been fully liberated.

&quot;We&#39;re looking for him every day. I don&#39;t think he&#39;s dead,&quot; Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend said.

&quot;The last stand of ISIS will be in the Middle Euphrates River Valley,&quot; Townsend said.

Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend who is the commander of the counter-IS coalition in Iraq and Syria declared: &quot;When we find him, I think we&#39;ll just try to kill him first. It&#39;s probably not worth all the trouble to try and capture him.&quot;

The American assessment of <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/information-about-abu-bakr-al-baghdadis-death-close-to-100-per-cent-correct-russian-defence-committee-17192">Baghdadi is far removed from the Russian foreign ministry&#39;s statement </a>in June which said that there was a &quot;high degree of certainty that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was dead&quot;.

In fact,<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/high-degree-of-certainty-is-leader-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi-is-dead-russian-foreign-ministry-17161"> Viktor Ozerov, the head of </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/high-degree-of-certainty-is-leader-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi-is-dead-russian-foreign-ministry-17161">defence</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/high-degree-of-certainty-is-leader-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi-is-dead-russian-foreign-ministry-17161"> committee had told Interfax</a>: &quot;I think this information is close to 100 per cent.&quot;&nbsp;

&quot;The fact that Islamic State has still not shown him anywhere also adds to our confidence that al-Baghdadi has been killed,&quot; he had added with some conviction.

Meanwhile,&nbsp;an Iraqi military spokesman declared on Thursday that the city of Tal Afar was fully liberated after a battle which lasted for eleven days.

Brigadier General Yahya Rasool, a spokesman for the Iraqi Joint Operations Command, said that government forces have also retaken control of the al-Ayadia district, northwest of Tal Afar, which meant that the whole of Nineveh Governorate is now free of IS militants.

&quot;We had planned to open multiple fronts in the offensive and advance on multiple axes against IS. We arrived in the city center within just two days and liberated the urban area within eight days. This offensive was different from the Mosul offensive, which was more of a larger scale,&quot; Rasool said.

&quot;We have had a lot of experience in combat. This time, we surrounded Tal Afar and launched airstrikes against IS and managed to reduce the extremists&#39; fighting capability by more than 90 percent,&quot; Brigadier General Yahya Rasool added.

The victory in Tal Afar comes after Iraqi forces successfully liberated Mosul last month.

The New York Daily News quoted Army Lt General Stephen Townsend on Baghdadi, saying: "Do I believe he's alive? Yes."

The fate of IS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is still unknown even as Iraqi military spokesman said on Thursday the city of Tal Afar has been fully liberated. "We're looking for him every day. I don't think he's dead," Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend said. "The last stand of ISIS will be in the Middle Euphrates River Valley," Townsend said. Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend who is the commander of the counter-IS coalition in Iraq and Syria declared: "When we find him, I think we'll just try to kill him first. It's probably not worth all the trouble to try and capture him." The American assessment of Baghdadi is far removed from the Russian foreign ministry's statement in June which said that there was a "high degree of certainty that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was dead". In fact, Viktor Ozerov, the head of defence committee had told Interfax: "I think this information is close to 100 per cent." "The fact that Islamic State has still not shown him anywhere also adds to our confidence that al-Baghdadi has been killed," he had added with some conviction. Meanwhile, an Iraqi military spokesman declared on Thursday that the city of Tal Afar was fully liberated after a battle which lasted for eleven days. Brigadier General Yahya Rasool, a spokesman for the Iraqi Joint Operations Command, said that government forces have also retaken control of the al-Ayadia district, northwest of Tal Afar, which meant that the whole of Nineveh Governorate is now free of IS militants. "We had planned to open multiple fronts in the offensive and advance on multiple axes against IS. We arrived in the city center within just two days and liberated the urban area within eight days. This offensive was different from the Mosul offensive, which was more of a larger scale," Rasool said. "We have had a lot of experience in combat. This time, we surrounded Tal Afar and launched airstrikes against IS and managed to reduce the extremists' fighting capability by more than 90 percent," Brigadier General Yahya Rasool added. The victory in Tal Afar comes after Iraqi forces successfully liberated Mosul last month.

Iraq's Tal Afar liberated, IS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's fate still unknown

&nbsp;Iraqi security forces launched on Sunday an offensive to take back the city of Tal Afar, their next objective in the US.-backed campaign to defeat Islamic State militants, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said.

&quot;You either surrender, or die,&quot; Abadi said in a televised speech announcing the offensive, addressing the militants.

A longtime stronghold of hardline Sunni insurgents, Tal Afar, 50 miles (80 km) west of Mosul, was cut off from the rest of the Islamic State-held territory in June.

The city is surrounded by Iraqi government troops and Shi&#39;ite volunteers in the south, and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters in the north.

About 2,000 battle-hardened militants remain in the city, according to US and Iraqi military commanders.

They are expected to put up a tough fight, even though intelligence from inside the city indicates they have been exhausted by months of combat, aerial bombardments, and by the lack of fresh supplies.

Hours before Abadi&#39;s announcement, the Iraqi air force dropped leaflets over the city telling the population to take their precautions. &quot;Prepare yourself, the battle is imminent and the victory is coming, God willing,&quot; they read.

Islamic State&#39;s self-proclaimed &quot;caliphate&quot; effectively collapsed last month, when U.S.-backed Iraqi forces completed the takeover of the militants&#39; capital in Iraq, Mosul, after a nine-month campaign.

But parts of Iraq and Syria remain under its control, including Tal Afar, a city with a pre-war population of about 200,000.

Tal Afar experienced cycles of sectarian violence between Sunnis and Shi&#39;ites after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, and has produced some of Islamic State&#39;s most senior commanders.

Waves of civilians have fled the city and surrounding villages under cover of darkness over the past weeks, although several thousand are estimated to remain, threatened with death by the militants who have held a tight grip there since 2014.

Residents who left Tal Afar last week told Reuters the militants looked exhausted.

&quot;(Fighters) have been using tunnels to move from place to place to avoid air strikes,&quot; said 60-year-old Haj Mahmoud, a retired teacher. &quot;Their faces looked desperate and broken.&quot;

The main forces taking part in the offensive are the Iraqi army, Federal Police and the elite U.S.-trained Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS), Iraqi commanders told Reuters.

Shi&#39;ite Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), some of which are trained and armed by Iran, said they will also take part in the battle. Their involvement is likely to worry Turkey, which claims an affinity with the area&#39;s predominantly ethnic Turkmen population.

The U.S.-led coalition said over the past days it had carried out dozens of air strikes on Tal Afar, targeting weapons depots and command centers, in preparation for the ground assault.

&quot;Intelligence gathered shows clearly that the remaining fighters are mainly foreign and Arab nationals with their families and that means they will fight until the last breath,&quot;

Colonel Kareem al-Lami, from the Iraqi army&#39;s 9th Division, told Reuters earlier this week.

But Lami said Tal Afar&#39;s open terrain and wide streets will allow tanks and armored vehicles easy passage. Only one part of Tal Afar, Sarai, is comparable to Mosul&#39;s Old City, where Iraqi troops were forced to advance on foot through narrow streets moving house-to-house in a battle that resulted in the near total destruction of the historic district.

The United Nation&#39;s International Organization for Migration (IOM), estimates that about 10,000 to 40,000 people are left in Tal Afar and surrounding villages. Aid groups say they are not expecting a huge civilian exodus as most the city&#39;s former residents have already left.

About 2,000 battle-hardened militants remain in the city, according to US and Iraqi military commanders

Iraqi security forces launched on Sunday an offensive to take back the city of Tal Afar, their next objective in the US.-backed campaign to defeat Islamic State militants, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said. "You either surrender, or die," Abadi said in a televised speech announcing the offensive, addressing the militants. A longtime stronghold of hardline Sunni insurgents, Tal Afar, 50 miles (80 km) west of Mosul, was cut off from the rest of the Islamic State-held territory in June. The city is surrounded by Iraqi government troops and Shi'ite volunteers in the south, and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters in the north. About 2,000 battle-hardened militants remain in the city, according to US and Iraqi military commanders. They are expected to put up a tough fight, even though intelligence from inside the city indicates they have been exhausted by months of combat, aerial bombardments, and by the lack of fresh supplies. Hours before Abadi's announcement, the Iraqi air force dropped leaflets over the city telling the population to take their precautions. "Prepare yourself, the battle is imminent and the victory is coming, God willing," they read. Islamic State's self-proclaimed "caliphate" effectively collapsed last month, when U.S.-backed Iraqi forces completed the takeover of the militants' capital in Iraq, Mosul, after a nine-month campaign. But parts of Iraq and Syria remain under its control, including Tal Afar, a city with a pre-war population of about 200,000. Tal Afar experienced cycles of sectarian violence between Sunnis and Shi'ites after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, and has produced some of Islamic State's most senior commanders. Waves of civilians have fled the city and surrounding villages under cover of darkness over the past weeks, although several thousand are estimated to remain, threatened with death by the militants who have held a tight grip there since 2014. Residents who left Tal Afar last week told Reuters the militants looked exhausted. "(Fighters) have been using tunnels to move from place to place to avoid air strikes," said 60-year-old Haj Mahmoud, a retired teacher. "Their faces looked desperate and broken." The main forces taking part in the offensive are the Iraqi army, Federal Police and the elite U.S.-trained Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS), Iraqi commanders told Reuters. Shi'ite Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), some of which are trained and armed by Iran, said they will also take part in the battle. Their involvement is likely to worry Turkey, which claims an affinity with the area's predominantly ethnic Turkmen population. The U.S.-led coalition said over the past days it had carried out dozens of air strikes on Tal Afar, targeting weapons depots and command centers, in preparation for the ground assault. "Intelligence gathered shows clearly that the remaining fighters are mainly foreign and Arab nationals with their families and that means they will fight until the last breath," Colonel Kareem al-Lami, from the Iraqi army's 9th Division, told Reuters earlier this week. But Lami said Tal Afar's open terrain and wide streets will allow tanks and armored vehicles easy passage. Only one part of Tal Afar, Sarai, is comparable to Mosul's Old City, where Iraqi troops were forced to advance on foot through narrow streets moving house-to-house in a battle that resulted in the near total destruction of the historic district. The United Nation's International Organization for Migration (IOM), estimates that about 10,000 to 40,000 people are left in Tal Afar and surrounding villages. Aid groups say they are not expecting a huge civilian exodus as most the city's former residents have already left.

Iraq launches offensive to take back Tal Afar from Islamic State

External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said in Parliament on Wednesday that there was no proof the 39 Indians missing in Iraq were dead.&nbsp;

&quot;It&#39;s very easy for me to say that the 39 Indians are dead. No one including their families will ask me anything after that,&quot; ANI reported her as saying.&nbsp;

&quot;Iraq has never said that the 39 Indians missing are dead,&quot; Swaraj added.&nbsp;

&quot;Gumrah karne se mujhe ya sarkar ko kya milega?&quot;&nbsp;she said.&nbsp;

The 39 Indians went missing from Mosul, which was recently liberated from Islamic State.&nbsp;

Swaraj had met relatives of the missing Indians last week and told them the 39 Indians might be imprisoned in the Badush region of northwest Mosul.&nbsp;

But WION correspondent Daniele Pagani reported from Mosul (below) that the Badush prison had been reduced to rubble in the fighting between Iraqi forces and Islamic State.&nbsp;

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Where are the missing 39 Indians? (WION)
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Swaraj had met relatives of the missing Indians last week and told them the 39 Indians might be imprisoned in the Badush region of northwest Mosul

External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said in Parliament on Wednesday that there was no proof the 39 Indians missing in Iraq were dead. "It's very easy for me to say that the 39 Indians are dead. No one including their families will ask me anything after that," ANI reported her as saying. "Iraq has never said that the 39 Indians missing are dead," Swaraj added. "Gumrah karne se mujhe ya sarkar ko kya milega?" she said. The 39 Indians went missing from Mosul, which was recently liberated from Islamic State. Swaraj had met relatives of the missing Indians last week and told them the 39 Indians might be imprisoned in the Badush region of northwest Mosul. But WION correspondent Daniele Pagani reported from Mosul (below) that the Badush prison had been reduced to rubble in the fighting between Iraqi forces and Islamic State. Where are the missing 39 Indians? (WION) ×

Sushma Swaraj: No proof 39 Indians missing in Iraq are dead

For 28-year-old Sarwed Ahmed Nadar, a doctor from Bagdhad,&nbsp;the journey to a hospital in India with his seven-month-old son Karam has been difficult. But as he and his wife Gufran Ali stand with a team of doctors who have just successfully performed a complicated surgery on Karam,&nbsp;theirs is a story of hope.&nbsp;

Karam was born with eight limbs.

Suffering from a disease called Polymelia, he had four extra limbs, apart from his legs, protruding out of his stomach.&nbsp;

&ldquo;I was shocked when I first saw him. I had never heard of something like this,&rdquo; Nadar says.&nbsp;

No other doctor in Iraq had heard of the condition either, let alone prescribing a treatment for it.&nbsp;&ldquo;I sought the opinion of several doctors. They had never seen such a case. In fact, after researching on the internet I found out that there are only five or six such cases in the world that have been reported,&rdquo; he says.&nbsp;

Moreover,&nbsp;conflict in Iraq has made&nbsp;medical facilities in the country&nbsp;scarce. Nadar says the medical aid from the Iraqi government is limited.

&ldquo;The war with the Islamic State in Iraq has taken away a lot of the government resources. The government is busy with the war and cannot provide for our medical requirements. There are always more patients and limited facilities. Not all medical facilities are available in my country, especially when it comes anaesthesia, which is important for such complicated surgeries,&rdquo; he says.&nbsp;

This was what prompted Nadar to seek help from outside his country. He contacted doctors from different countries and sent them Karam&rsquo;s reports in emails.

&ldquo;I tried many countries but the cost was high. India was cheaper. There were multiple surgeries that had to be performed and India had good medical facilities too,&rdquo; he says.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The surgery

Nadar and Gufran then zeroed in on a hospital in Noida. But the road ahead was only going to get tougher.&nbsp;He knew travelling back and forth from Baghdad to New Delhi was going to be physically, mentally and financially draining.

After corresponding with the doctors in the hospital over a series of emails. The couple flew to India. But the case left even the doctors in India baffled.&nbsp;

&ldquo;The case was very overwhelming. What you see is a child with eight&nbsp;limbs. It suddenly distracts you from something more pressing which could be life-threatening and in this case it was his heart. He had a major problem with the heart,&rdquo; says Dr Gaurav Rathore, one of the five doctors who performed the surgery.

The surgery was done in three stages.

In the first, Karam&rsquo;s clubfoot was treated and the two limbs protruding from his stomach were removed.&nbsp;The family then went back to Iraq and stayed in touch with the doctors over phone and email for important instructions.

In the second stage, a heart surgery was performed so that his left ventricle could control his body&rsquo;s blood circulation after the treatment.

In the final&nbsp;stage, the other two limbs were&nbsp;removed from his body, leaving Karam with two legs.

One of his legs was weaker and so the muscles from the removed limbs were transplanted to his underdeveloped leg. Along with this, Karam&rsquo;s crooked back was also treated.

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Pictures of Karam before and after the surgery.(Photo courtesy: Jaypee Hospital) (WION)
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Both of Karam&#39;s limbs, which were protruding out of the stomach, were connected through his the breastbone. His blood veins were also adjoined to his liver veins. With a complex microscopic technique these veins were separated and then the remaining extra limbs were removed from his body. Then with the help of plastic, aesthetic and reconstruction technique his stomach was given a normal shape.

Karam was only two weeks old when the first surgery was performed on him. Today, he has two hands and two legs like any other normal child. There are, however, more surgeries to be performed over the course of the next few years and the family is preparing for that.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Radiation&mdash;the reason behind Karam&rsquo;s condition?

Doctors say&nbsp;Karam might have had a conjoined twin that fused with him in the early stages of pregnancy, but couldn&#39;t develop.&nbsp;

Nadar and the doctors have been unable to find out why Karam suffered from Polymelia, but they all agree in&nbsp;the possibility of it being an effect of radiation and exposure to toxic weapons.&nbsp;

&ldquo;It is very difficult to say what would be the exact reason but we know that this condition happens due to some problem in the early art of the pregnancy. This could very well be an environmental factor. But we won&rsquo;t be able to lay a finger on it. This child is from a war zone. They use a lot of radiation, depleted uranium, et cetera. So that could have caused this,&rdquo; Dr Rathore says.

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Gufran with Karam at the hospital. (AFP)
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Nadar has seen several other children suffering from anomalies in Iraq.

&ldquo;We are exposed to a lot of weapons &nbsp;Many babies are born with anomalies either in the heart or the legs, most likely because of radiation which contaminates food and water,&rdquo; Nadar says.&nbsp;

Rathore says it could also have been caused by a virus or some form of chemical to which Gufran was exposed.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&lsquo;Medical tourists&rsquo;&nbsp;

Medical tourism is fast becoming a booming sector in India, and a huge number of patients come from conflict-torn countries.

&ldquo;We have a lot of patients coming in from Afghanistan, Iraq and many African countries like Somalia. These countries are not able to keep up with the medical advancements due to their internal tensions,&rdquo; Dr Rathore says. &ldquo;Earlier they would go to the western countries for treatment, but now that the Indian medical setup is at par with anywhere else in the world and much cheaper and also has a great pool of surgical talent, they seek their medical answers in India.&rdquo;

He says a surgery like Karam&rsquo;s would have cost&nbsp;four to eight times more anywhere else. It&#39;s probably impossible to express how grateful Karam&#39;s parents are to these doctors in&nbsp;India who saved their child.

After months of struggle the couple is finally returning&nbsp;home with a recovering Karam. They say there were days when they were stressed, but Karam kept them from breaking down.

&ldquo;Coping up with the initial shock was easy for me. We have been living in the midst of tragedies for a long time. Our son&rsquo;s birth was a glint of happiness amid the doom around and all we want now is a healthy life for him. And we are looking forward to it,&rdquo; Gufran says.&nbsp;

(WION)

'I tried many countries but the cost was high. India was cheaper. There were multiple surgeries...and India had good medical facilities too'

For 28-year-old Sarwed Ahmed Nadar, a doctor from Bagdhad, the journey to a hospital in India with his seven-month-old son Karam has been difficult. But as he and his wife Gufran Ali stand with a team of doctors who have just successfully performed a complicated surgery on Karam, theirs is a story of hope. Karam was born with eight limbs. Suffering from a disease called Polymelia, he had four extra limbs, apart from his legs, protruding out of his stomach. “I was shocked when I first saw him. I had never heard of something like this,” Nadar says. No other doctor in Iraq had heard of the condition either, let alone prescribing a treatment for it. “I sought the opinion of several doctors. They had never seen such a case. In fact, after researching on the internet I found out that there are only five or six such cases in the world that have been reported,” he says. Moreover, conflict in Iraq has made medical facilities in the country scarce. Nadar says the medical aid from the Iraqi government is limited. “The war with the Islamic State in Iraq has taken away a lot of the government resources. The government is busy with the war and cannot provide for our medical requirements. There are always more patients and limited facilities. Not all medical facilities are available in my country, especially when it comes anaesthesia, which is important for such complicated surgeries,” he says. This was what prompted Nadar to seek help from outside his country. He contacted doctors from different countries and sent them Karam’s reports in emails. “I tried many countries but the cost was high. India was cheaper. There were multiple surgeries that had to be performed and India had good medical facilities too,” he says. The surgery Nadar and Gufran then zeroed in on a hospital in Noida. But the road ahead was only going to get tougher. He knew travelling back and forth from Baghdad to New Delhi was going to be physically, mentally and financially draining. After corresponding with the doctors in the hospital over a series of emails. The couple flew to India. But the case left even the doctors in India baffled. “The case was very overwhelming. What you see is a child with eight limbs. It suddenly distracts you from something more pressing which could be life-threatening and in this case it was his heart. He had a major problem with the heart,” says Dr Gaurav Rathore, one of the five doctors who performed the surgery. The surgery was done in three stages. In the first, Karam’s clubfoot was treated and the two limbs protruding from his stomach were removed. The family then went back to Iraq and stayed in touch with the doctors over phone and email for important instructions. In the second stage, a heart surgery was performed so that his left ventricle could control his body’s blood circulation after the treatment. In the final stage, the other two limbs were removed from his body, leaving Karam with two legs. One of his legs was weaker and so the muscles from the removed limbs were transplanted to his underdeveloped leg. Along with this, Karam’s crooked back was also treated. Pictures of Karam before and after the surgery.(Photo courtesy: Jaypee Hospital) (WION) × Both of Karam's limbs, which were protruding out of the stomach, were connected through his the breastbone. His blood veins were also adjoined to his liver veins. With a complex microscopic technique these veins were separated and then the remaining extra limbs were removed from his body. Then with the help of plastic, aesthetic and reconstruction technique his stomach was given a normal shape. Karam was only two weeks old when the first surgery was performed on him. Today, he has two hands and two legs like any other normal child. There are, however, more surgeries to be performed over the course of the next few years and the family is preparing for that. Radiation—the reason behind Karam’s condition? Doctors say Karam might have had a conjoined twin that fused with him in the early stages of pregnancy, but couldn't develop. Nadar and the doctors have been unable to find out why Karam suffered from Polymelia, but they all agree in the possibility of it being an effect of radiation and exposure to toxic weapons. “It is very difficult to say what would be the exact reason but we know that this condition happens due to some problem in the early art of the pregnancy. This could very well be an environmental factor. But we won’t be able to lay a finger on it. This child is from a war zone. They use a lot of radiation, depleted uranium, et cetera. So that could have caused this,” Dr Rathore says. Gufran with Karam at the hospital. (AFP) × Nadar has seen several other children suffering from anomalies in Iraq. “We are exposed to a lot of weapons Many babies are born with anomalies either in the heart or the legs, most likely because of radiation which contaminates food and water,” Nadar says. Rathore says it could also have been caused by a virus or some form of chemical to which Gufran was exposed. ‘Medical tourists’ Medical tourism is fast becoming a booming sector in India, and a huge number of patients come from conflict-torn countries. “We have a lot of patients coming in from Afghanistan, Iraq and many African countries like Somalia. These countries are not able to keep up with the medical advancements due to their internal tensions,” Dr Rathore says. “Earlier they would go to the western countries for treatment, but now that the Indian medical setup is at par with anywhere else in the world and much cheaper and also has a great pool of surgical talent, they seek their medical answers in India.” He says a surgery like Karam’s would have cost four to eight times more anywhere else. It's probably impossible to express how grateful Karam's parents are to these doctors in India who saved their child. After months of struggle the couple is finally returning home with a recovering Karam. They say there were days when they were stressed, but Karam kept them from breaking down. “Coping up with the initial shock was easy for me. We have been living in the midst of tragedies for a long time. Our son’s birth was a glint of happiness amid the doom around and all we want now is a healthy life for him. And we are looking forward to it,” Gufran says. (WION)

Indian doctors give hope to parents of Iraqi baby with 8 limbs

Islamic State militants began reinventing themselves months before US-backed Iraqi forces ended their three-year reign of terror in Mosul, putting aside the dream of a modern-day caliphate and preparing the ground for a different fight.

Intelligence and local officials said that, a few months ago, they noticed a growing stream of commanders and fighters flowing out of the city to the Hamrin mountains in northeast Iraq which offer hideouts and access to four Iraqi provinces.

Some were intercepted but many evaded security forces and began setting up bases for their new operations.

What comes next may be a more complex and daunting challenge for Iraqi security forces once they finish celebrating a hard-won victory in Mosul, the militants&#39; biggest stronghold.

Intelligence and security officials are bracing for the kind of devastating insurgency al Qaeda waged following the 2003 US-led invasion, pushing Iraq into a sectarian civil war which peaked in 2006-2007.

&quot;They are digging in. They have easy access to the capital,&quot; Lahur Talabany, a top Kurdish counter-terrorism official, told Reuters. As part of the US-led coalition, he is at the forefront of efforts to eliminate Islamic State.

&quot;I believe we have tougher days coming.&rdquo;

Some Iraqi Islamic State fighters have roots dating back to al Qaeda&#39;s campaign of car and suicide bombs that exploded by the dozens each day and succeeded in fueling a sectarian bloodbath in Iraq, a major oil producer and key US&nbsp;ally.

When a US-funded tribal initiative crushed al-Qaeda, the hardcore regrouped in the desert between Iraq and Syria. They reappeared with a new jihadist brand that took the world by surprise: Islamic State.

Shortly after its lighting sweep through Mosul, the group outdid al Qaeda&#39;s brutality, carrying out mass beheadings and executions as it imposed its ultra-hardline ideology.

Unlike al-Qaeda, it seized a third of Iraqi territory, gaining knowledge of land that could come in handy as it hits back at Iraqi security forces.

&nbsp;

SADDAM&#39;S INTELLIGENCE AGENTS

Former Iraq intelligence officers who served under Saddam Hussein joined forces with Islamic State in an alliance of convenience. These shrewd military strategists from his Baath Party are expected to be the new generation of Islamic State leaders, Talabany and other security officials said.

Instead of trying to create a caliphate, a concept which attracted recruits from disaffected fellow Sunni Muslims, Islamic State leaders will focus on far less predictable guerrilla warfare, Iraqi and Kurdish security officials said.

Iraqi forces have come a long way since they collapsed in the face of the Islamic State advance in 2014, throwing down their weapons and removing their military uniforms in panic.

They fought for nearly nine months to seize Mosul, with steady help from US-led airstrikes that flattened entire neighbourhoods.

The key question is whether an army that is far more comfortable with conventional warfare can take on an insurgency with sleeper cells and small units of militants who pop out of deserts and mountains, carry out attacks and melt away.

&ldquo;They&rsquo;ll try to hide with the population. Their cells will get smaller &ndash; instead of companies and platoons, they&rsquo;ll go to squads and cells, much smaller elements hiding in the population,&quot; Lieutenant-General Steve Townsend, commander of the US-led coalition, told reporters.

&ldquo;Our Iraqi security force partners will have to engage in counter-insurgency style operations at some point and we&rsquo;re already making efforts now to start shaping their training towards that next ISIS tactic.&quot;

History suggests training may not be enough. The United States spent $25 billion on the Iraqi military during the American occupation that toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003 and triggered an insurgency that included al Qaeda.

That did not prepare the army for the long-haired Islamic State militants who sped into Mosul in pickup trucks with weapons stolen from retreating Iraqi troops. Iraqi forces can certainly point to successes in Mosul and the cities of Falluja and Ramadi in Anbar province, once held by Islamic State.

But local officials say the cities remain vulnerable to attacks from the vast desert nearby mastered by militants.

&quot;Security operations will be useless unless security forces control the desert,&quot; said Anbar official Emad Dulaimi, adding that the desert had become a safe haven for Islamic State. &quot;It is not present as an organization in cities but it carries out attacks by individuals. Car bombs. Suicide bombers. People fear Islamic State will come back. There are attacks every day.&quot;

Tareq Youssef al-Asal, leader of a tribal force, shares those concerns and complains of what he says is a lack of a coordination among numerous local security forces.

&quot;In the end these leaderships have no experience fighting in the desert,&quot; he said.

Some ordinary citizens still do not feel safe despite the Iraqi army&#39;s improved performance.

Anbar resident Ahmed al-Issawy does not plan on re-opening his restaurant anytime soon. He is afraid it will be destroyed the same way it was in clashes between security forces and Islamic State in 2014. &quot;I am afraid there could be an attack at any second,&quot; he said.

Islamic State has not wasted any time in implementing its new strategy despite a major loss in Mosul.

About 30 militants armed with machine guns and mortars crossed the Tigris river in wooden boats, attacked the village of Imam Gharbi, some 70 kilometres&nbsp;(44 miles) south of Mosul in early July and then pulled out, according to security officials.

&quot;The notion of a caliphate is gone. The dream is gone. They will revert back to their old tactics of hit and run attacks,&quot; said senior Kurdish official and former Iraqi foreign minister Hoshiyar Zebari. &quot;The hardcore will keep fighting.&quot;

Instead of trying to create a caliphate, Islamic State leaders will focus on far less predictable guerrilla warfare

Islamic State militants began reinventing themselves months before US-backed Iraqi forces ended their three-year reign of terror in Mosul, putting aside the dream of a modern-day caliphate and preparing the ground for a different fight. Intelligence and local officials said that, a few months ago, they noticed a growing stream of commanders and fighters flowing out of the city to the Hamrin mountains in northeast Iraq which offer hideouts and access to four Iraqi provinces. Some were intercepted but many evaded security forces and began setting up bases for their new operations. What comes next may be a more complex and daunting challenge for Iraqi security forces once they finish celebrating a hard-won victory in Mosul, the militants' biggest stronghold. Intelligence and security officials are bracing for the kind of devastating insurgency al Qaeda waged following the 2003 US-led invasion, pushing Iraq into a sectarian civil war which peaked in 2006-2007. "They are digging in. They have easy access to the capital," Lahur Talabany, a top Kurdish counter-terrorism official, told Reuters. As part of the US-led coalition, he is at the forefront of efforts to eliminate Islamic State. "I believe we have tougher days coming.” Some Iraqi Islamic State fighters have roots dating back to al Qaeda's campaign of car and suicide bombs that exploded by the dozens each day and succeeded in fueling a sectarian bloodbath in Iraq, a major oil producer and key US ally. When a US-funded tribal initiative crushed al-Qaeda, the hardcore regrouped in the desert between Iraq and Syria. They reappeared with a new jihadist brand that took the world by surprise: Islamic State. Shortly after its lighting sweep through Mosul, the group outdid al Qaeda's brutality, carrying out mass beheadings and executions as it imposed its ultra-hardline ideology. Unlike al-Qaeda, it seized a third of Iraqi territory, gaining knowledge of land that could come in handy as it hits back at Iraqi security forces. SADDAM'S INTELLIGENCE AGENTS Former Iraq intelligence officers who served under Saddam Hussein joined forces with Islamic State in an alliance of convenience. These shrewd military strategists from his Baath Party are expected to be the new generation of Islamic State leaders, Talabany and other security officials said. Instead of trying to create a caliphate, a concept which attracted recruits from disaffected fellow Sunni Muslims, Islamic State leaders will focus on far less predictable guerrilla warfare, Iraqi and Kurdish security officials said. Iraqi forces have come a long way since they collapsed in the face of the Islamic State advance in 2014, throwing down their weapons and removing their military uniforms in panic. They fought for nearly nine months to seize Mosul, with steady help from US-led airstrikes that flattened entire neighbourhoods. The key question is whether an army that is far more comfortable with conventional warfare can take on an insurgency with sleeper cells and small units of militants who pop out of deserts and mountains, carry out attacks and melt away. “They’ll try to hide with the population. Their cells will get smaller – instead of companies and platoons, they’ll go to squads and cells, much smaller elements hiding in the population," Lieutenant-General Steve Townsend, commander of the US-led coalition, told reporters. “Our Iraqi security force partners will have to engage in counter-insurgency style operations at some point and we’re already making efforts now to start shaping their training towards that next ISIS tactic." History suggests training may not be enough. The United States spent $25 billion on the Iraqi military during the American occupation that toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003 and triggered an insurgency that included al Qaeda. That did not prepare the army for the long-haired Islamic State militants who sped into Mosul in pickup trucks with weapons stolen from retreating Iraqi troops. Iraqi forces can certainly point to successes in Mosul and the cities of Falluja and Ramadi in Anbar province, once held by Islamic State. But local officials say the cities remain vulnerable to attacks from the vast desert nearby mastered by militants. "Security operations will be useless unless security forces control the desert," said Anbar official Emad Dulaimi, adding that the desert had become a safe haven for Islamic State. "It is not present as an organization in cities but it carries out attacks by individuals. Car bombs. Suicide bombers. People fear Islamic State will come back. There are attacks every day." Tareq Youssef al-Asal, leader of a tribal force, shares those concerns and complains of what he says is a lack of a coordination among numerous local security forces. "In the end these leaderships have no experience fighting in the desert," he said. Some ordinary citizens still do not feel safe despite the Iraqi army's improved performance. Anbar resident Ahmed al-Issawy does not plan on re-opening his restaurant anytime soon. He is afraid it will be destroyed the same way it was in clashes between security forces and Islamic State in 2014. "I am afraid there could be an attack at any second," he said. Islamic State has not wasted any time in implementing its new strategy despite a major loss in Mosul. About 30 militants armed with machine guns and mortars crossed the Tigris river in wooden boats, attacked the village of Imam Gharbi, some 70 kilometres (44 miles) south of Mosul in early July and then pulled out, according to security officials. "The notion of a caliphate is gone. The dream is gone. They will revert back to their old tactics of hit and run attacks," said senior Kurdish official and former Iraqi foreign minister Hoshiyar Zebari. "The hardcore will keep fighting."

After Mosul, Islamic State digs in for guerrilla warfare

Iraq will announce imminently a final victory in the nearly nine-month offensive to retake Mosul from jihadists, a US general said Saturday, as celebrations broke out among police forces in the city.

The defeat would be the biggest yet for the Islamic State group three years since it seized Mosul in a lightning offensive, swept across much of the country&#39;s Sunni Arab heartland and proclaimed a &quot;caliphate&quot; straddling Iraq and Syria.

The Iraqi forces launched their campaign to recapture Mosul in October, and since then IS has gone from holding the entire city to being trapped between security forces and the Tigris River on its western side.

Backed by a ferocious aerial bombing campaign by a US-led international coalition, the offensive has turned much of the city to rubble and forced tens of thousands of people to flee.

Diehard jihadists have been putting up fierce resistance in recent days, but their efforts to keep the Iraqi troops at bay look to be coming to an end.

&quot;An announcement is imminent,&quot; Brigadier General Robert Sofge told AFP by phone.

&quot;I don&#39;t want to speculate if it&#39;s today or tomorrow but I think it&#39;s going to be very soon,&quot; he added.

The jihadists that remain in Mosul are fighting to the death in a tiny area of just two blocks of the Old City next to the Tigris, Sofge said, and those that remain are &quot;desperate&quot;.

&#39;Fleeing with shaven beards&#39;

The general said some jihadists were trying to blend in with fleeing civilians by shaving their beards and changing their clothes, others were playing dead then detonating explosive vests as Iraqi forces close in.

Women had blown themselves up amid throngs of displaced civilians.

&quot;They are doing as much damage as they can during these final moves,&quot; Sofge said.&nbsp;

Iraq&#39;s Counter-Terrorism Service, which has spearheaded the assault, said the jihadists now only held a band of territory 100-150 metres (yards) deep and 300 metres wide.

&quot;The end of the battle is near, I would say two days, but it could go on,&quot; said CTS commander Abdel Ghani al-Assadi.

The battle for Mosul first began on October 17, 2016 and the fight grew tougher when Iraqi forces entered the warren of narrow alleys in the densely populated Old City.&nbsp;

Slowing the advance toward the final holdouts, IS fighters have placed booby traps and bombs in structures they occupied.&nbsp;

&quot;The enemy has strung IEDs (improvised explosive devices) all over the place, in every place, in every closet, in one case under a crib,&quot; said Sofge.&nbsp;

A final victory in Mosul would mark an epic milestone for the Iraqi security forces, who had crumbled in the face of an IS onslaught across Iraq in 2014.

&#39;Celebration and pride&#39;

&quot;They deserve every bit of a celebration and pride and sense of accomplishment that a military force can feel,&quot; Sofge said, offering a &quot;congratulations in advance in a great battle.&quot;

&quot;This fight in Mosul is not like anything modern militaries have done in our life time. You have to go back to World War II to find anything that&#39;s even close.&quot;

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared on Twitter late last month that &quot;we are seeing the end of the fake (IS) state&quot;.

That claim came after Iraqi forces retook what remained of Mosul&#39;s Great Mosque of al-Nuri and the adjacent Al-Hadba (&quot;The Hunchback&quot;) minaret.

IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared himself &quot;caliph&quot; at the mosque in his only public appearance in 2014.

But IS blew the two landmarks up on June 22, in what Abadi said was &quot;an official declaration of defeat&quot;.

In Mosul on Saturday, jubilant interior ministry forces -- whose mission has been declared over -- were seen flashing V-for-victory signs and posing for selfies in front of each other holding up IS&#39;s notorious black flag upside down.

But others were not celebrating as the fighting continued, and distraught women and children emerged covered in dust and clutching what few belongings they could carry.

An AFP team saw more than 60 women and children in tears having lost loved ones in the crossfire, coalition bombing, jihadist shelling and sniper fire.

Hungry and haggard, they said they had spent months being held as human shields by the jihadists.

One group of jihadists tried to escape across the Tigris from west Mosul but were killed by the Iraqi forces, a senior commander said on Saturday.

&quot;Some of them tried to cross to.... the far bank (of the river), but we have forces there,&quot; said Staff Lieutenant General Abdulghani al-Assadi, a senior commander in Iraq&#39;s elite Counter-Terrorism Service.

The jihadists wanted to go back, but security forces &quot;fired on them and killed them,&quot; he said, without specifying how many died.

Iraq&#39;s Joint Operations Command said 35 IS members were killed and six captured when they tried to escape &quot;the advance of our forces&quot; in Mosul&#39;s Old City.

The recapture of Mosul will not however mark the end of the threat posed by IS, which holds territory elsewhere in Iraq and is able to carry out frequent bombings in government-held areas.

Jihadists have been putting up fierce resistance in recent days, but their efforts to keep the Iraqi troops at bay look to be coming to an end

Iraq will announce imminently a final victory in the nearly nine-month offensive to retake Mosul from jihadists, a US general said Saturday, as celebrations broke out among police forces in the city. The defeat would be the biggest yet for the Islamic State group three years since it seized Mosul in a lightning offensive, swept across much of the country's Sunni Arab heartland and proclaimed a "caliphate" straddling Iraq and Syria. The Iraqi forces launched their campaign to recapture Mosul in October, and since then IS has gone from holding the entire city to being trapped between security forces and the Tigris River on its western side. Backed by a ferocious aerial bombing campaign by a US-led international coalition, the offensive has turned much of the city to rubble and forced tens of thousands of people to flee. Diehard jihadists have been putting up fierce resistance in recent days, but their efforts to keep the Iraqi troops at bay look to be coming to an end. "An announcement is imminent," Brigadier General Robert Sofge told AFP by phone. "I don't want to speculate if it's today or tomorrow but I think it's going to be very soon," he added. The jihadists that remain in Mosul are fighting to the death in a tiny area of just two blocks of the Old City next to the Tigris, Sofge said, and those that remain are "desperate". 'Fleeing with shaven beards' The general said some jihadists were trying to blend in with fleeing civilians by shaving their beards and changing their clothes, others were playing dead then detonating explosive vests as Iraqi forces close in. Women had blown themselves up amid throngs of displaced civilians. "They are doing as much damage as they can during these final moves," Sofge said. Iraq's Counter-Terrorism Service, which has spearheaded the assault, said the jihadists now only held a band of territory 100-150 metres (yards) deep and 300 metres wide. "The end of the battle is near, I would say two days, but it could go on," said CTS commander Abdel Ghani al-Assadi. The battle for Mosul first began on October 17, 2016 and the fight grew tougher when Iraqi forces entered the warren of narrow alleys in the densely populated Old City. Slowing the advance toward the final holdouts, IS fighters have placed booby traps and bombs in structures they occupied. "The enemy has strung IEDs (improvised explosive devices) all over the place, in every place, in every closet, in one case under a crib," said Sofge. A final victory in Mosul would mark an epic milestone for the Iraqi security forces, who had crumbled in the face of an IS onslaught across Iraq in 2014. 'Celebration and pride' "They deserve every bit of a celebration and pride and sense of accomplishment that a military force can feel," Sofge said, offering a "congratulations in advance in a great battle." "This fight in Mosul is not like anything modern militaries have done in our life time. You have to go back to World War II to find anything that's even close." Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared on Twitter late last month that "we are seeing the end of the fake (IS) state". That claim came after Iraqi forces retook what remained of Mosul's Great Mosque of al-Nuri and the adjacent Al-Hadba ("The Hunchback") minaret. IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared himself "caliph" at the mosque in his only public appearance in 2014. But IS blew the two landmarks up on June 22, in what Abadi said was "an official declaration of defeat". In Mosul on Saturday, jubilant interior ministry forces -- whose mission has been declared over -- were seen flashing V-for-victory signs and posing for selfies in front of each other holding up IS's notorious black flag upside down. But others were not celebrating as the fighting continued, and distraught women and children emerged covered in dust and clutching what few belongings they could carry. An AFP team saw more than 60 women and children in tears having lost loved ones in the crossfire, coalition bombing, jihadist shelling and sniper fire. Hungry and haggard, they said they had spent months being held as human shields by the jihadists. One group of jihadists tried to escape across the Tigris from west Mosul but were killed by the Iraqi forces, a senior commander said on Saturday. "Some of them tried to cross to.... the far bank (of the river), but we have forces there," said Staff Lieutenant General Abdulghani al-Assadi, a senior commander in Iraq's elite Counter-Terrorism Service. The jihadists wanted to go back, but security forces "fired on them and killed them," he said, without specifying how many died. Iraq's Joint Operations Command said 35 IS members were killed and six captured when they tried to escape "the advance of our forces" in Mosul's Old City. The recapture of Mosul will not however mark the end of the threat posed by IS, which holds territory elsewhere in Iraq and is able to carry out frequent bombings in government-held areas.

Mosul victory imminent: US general

Iraqi forces started storming the Islamic State-held Old City of Mosul on Sunday, according to a released&nbsp;military statement. Mosul used to be the Islamic State (IS) capital in Iraq, but now the historic district is the last still under the militants&nbsp;control.

It is quintessential guerilla warfare here,&nbsp;fought in a densely-populated labyrinth&nbsp;of narrow alleyways.&nbsp;Combat&nbsp;is often conducted house by house.

About 100,000 civilians remain trapped here, stuck&nbsp;with little food, water and medicine. Hospital access is&nbsp;limited, too, according to the United Nations.

&quot;This is the last chapter&quot; in the offensive to take Mosul, said Lieutenant General Abdul Ghani al-Asadi, the commander of the Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) elite units.

The US-backed Iraqi offensive to capture Mosul entered its ninth month on Saturday. As part of a diabolical tactic to keep civilians in as human shields,&nbsp;IS&nbsp;snipers&nbsp;shoot&nbsp;at families trying to escape&nbsp;on foot or by boat across the Tigris River, the UN&nbsp;said on Friday.

Iraqi government forces regained eastern Mosul this&nbsp;January, then a month later began the offensive on the western side that includes the Old City.

The fall of Mosul would, in effect, mark the end of the Iraqi half of the &quot;caliphate&quot; that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared in a speech from an historic mosque in the Old City three years ago, covering parts of Iraq and Syria.

Here is a look back at WION&#39;s report from the end of 2016, at an earlier stage in&nbsp;the fight to take&nbsp;Mosul back from the IS.

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The pentagon has admitted to carrying out another airstrike that killed more than 200 civilians including women and children. The Iraqi vice president has called it a humanitarian disaster (APTN,WION)
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(With inputs from Reuters)

'This is the last chapter' in the offensive to take Mosul, said Lieutenant General Abdul Ghani al-Asadi

Iraqi forces started storming the Islamic State-held Old City of Mosul on Sunday, according to a released military statement. Mosul used to be the Islamic State (IS) capital in Iraq, but now the historic district is the last still under the militants control. It is quintessential guerilla warfare here, fought in a densely-populated labyrinth of narrow alleyways. Combat is often conducted house by house. About 100,000 civilians remain trapped here, stuck with little food, water and medicine. Hospital access is limited, too, according to the United Nations. "This is the last chapter" in the offensive to take Mosul, said Lieutenant General Abdul Ghani al-Asadi, the commander of the Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) elite units. The US-backed Iraqi offensive to capture Mosul entered its ninth month on Saturday. As part of a diabolical tactic to keep civilians in as human shields, IS snipers shoot at families trying to escape on foot or by boat across the Tigris River, the UN said on Friday. Iraqi government forces regained eastern Mosul this January, then a month later began the offensive on the western side that includes the Old City. The fall of Mosul would, in effect, mark the end of the Iraqi half of the "caliphate" that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared in a speech from an historic mosque in the Old City three years ago, covering parts of Iraq and Syria. Here is a look back at WION's report from the end of 2016, at an earlier stage in the fight to take Mosul back from the IS. The pentagon has admitted to carrying out another airstrike that killed more than 200 civilians including women and children. The Iraqi vice president has called it a humanitarian disaster (APTN,WION) × (With inputs from Reuters)

Iraq forces start storming Mosul's Old City held by IS

&nbsp;An audio message purporting to come from the spokesman of Islamic State called on followers to launch attacks in the United States, Europe, Russia, Australia, Iraq, Syria, Iran, and the Philippines during the Islamic holy month of Ramzan, which began in late May.

The audio clip was distributed on Monday on Islamic State&#39;s channel on Telegram, an encrypted messaging application. It was attributed to the militant group`s official spokesman, Abi al-Hassan al-Muhajer.&nbsp;

The authenticity of the recording could not be independently verified, but the voice was the same as a previous audio message purported to be from the spokesman.

&quot;O lions of Mosul, Raqqa, and Tal Afar, God bless those pure arms and bright faces, charge against the rejectionists and the apostates and fight them with the strength of one man,&quot; said al-Muhajer. Rejectionist is a derogatory term used to refer to Shi&#39;ite Muslims.

&quot;To the brethren of faith and belief in Europe, America, Russia, Australia, and others. Your brothers in your land have done well so take them as role models and do as they have done.&quot;

&nbsp;

An unverified audio message distributed on?Islamic State's channel on Telegram called on followers to launch?attacks in the US, Europe, Russia, Australia, Iraq, Syria, Iran, and the Philippines

An audio message purporting to come from the spokesman of Islamic State called on followers to launch attacks in the United States, Europe, Russia, Australia, Iraq, Syria, Iran, and the Philippines during the Islamic holy month of Ramzan, which began in late May. The audio clip was distributed on Monday on Islamic State's channel on Telegram, an encrypted messaging application. It was attributed to the militant group`s official spokesman, Abi al-Hassan al-Muhajer. The authenticity of the recording could not be independently verified, but the voice was the same as a previous audio message purported to be from the spokesman. "O lions of Mosul, Raqqa, and Tal Afar, God bless those pure arms and bright faces, charge against the rejectionists and the apostates and fight them with the strength of one man," said al-Muhajer. Rejectionist is a derogatory term used to refer to Shi'ite Muslims. "To the brethren of faith and belief in Europe, America, Russia, Australia, and others. Your brothers in your land have done well so take them as role models and do as they have done."

Islamic State calls for attacks in US, Europe, Middle East, Asia during Ramzan

Iran said on Thursday that five of its nationals who were killed in twin attacks in Tehran were Islamic State members who had been to the group&#39;s strongholds in Iraq and Syria.

Wednesday&#39;s attacks on Tehran&#39;s parliament complex and the shrine of revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, which also wounded more than 50 people, were the first claimed by IS in Iran.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/iran-twin-attacks-13-killed-iran-guards-claim-us-saudi-involved-16527">Also Read:&nbsp;Iran twin attacks: 13 killed, Iran Guards claim US, Saudi &#39;involved&#39;</a>

&quot;The five known terrorists... after joining the Daesh (IS) terrorist group, left the country and participated in crimes carried out by this terrorist group in Mosul and Raqa,&quot; the intelligence ministry said in a statement. It suggested there were only five attackers rather than the six originally reported.

An official said previously that those who attacked the parliament complex had been dressed as women. The ministry released their photographs and first names.

It said they were part of a network that entered Iran in July-August 2016 under the leadership of &quot;high-ranking Daesh commander&quot; Abu Aisha intending to carry out &quot;terrorist operations in religious cities&quot;.

Abu Aisha was killed and the network forced to flee the country, the statement said. It was unclear when the five men returned to Iran ahead of Wednesday&#39;s attacks. IS on Thursday released a video of the five attackers before the assault, via its Amaq propaganda agency.&nbsp;

&quot;Allah permitting, this is the first brigade that was established (in Iran) but it will not be the last,&quot; one said in the video message, as the group sat masked in a circle with their weapons. The jihadist group had earlier released footage of the attackers from inside the building, also via Amaq -- a rare claim of responsibility while an assault was still going on.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/attackers-raid-iran-parliament-twelve-killed-3635">See also: Attackers raid Iran parliament, twelve killed</a>

Following the attacks, US President Donald Trump had said the United States would &quot;grieve and pray&quot; for the victims, but added: &quot;We underscore that states that sponsor terrorism risk falling victim to the evil they promote.&quot;

The statement was condemned by foreign&nbsp;minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who tweeted: &quot;Repugnant WH (White House) statement... as Iranians counter-terror backed by US clients.&quot;

Trump was also criticised on social media by Iranians, who recalled their government&#39;s offers of support and the candlelight vigils held in Iran after the attacks of September 11, 2001 in the United States.

&quot;Iranians lit candles for you on 9/11. You kick them while they&#39;re down. Classy,&quot; tweeted Ali Ghezelbash, an Iranian business analyst.

The US president has long accused Iran of backing terrorism and has threatened to tear up a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers.&nbsp;

Even as Washington expressed its condolences on Wednesday, the US Senate advanced legislation to impose new sanctions on Iran, partly for what the bill described as the regime&#39;s &#39;support for acts of international terrorism&#39;. Iran&#39;s elite Revolutionary Guards have pointed the finger at regional rival Saudi Arabia -- a close US ally -- which Tehran accuses of funding extremism and groups including IS.

IS has threatened to step up recruitment within Iran, releasing its first Persian-language video in March in which it threatened to &quot;conquer Iran and restore it to the Sunni Muslim nation as it was before.&quot; The Sunni jihadists of IS consider Shiite Iranians to be apostates, and Tehran is deeply involved in fighting the group in both Syria and Iraq.

(AFP)

Iran said the that five nationals involved in the twin attacks in Tehran were Islamic State members who had been to the group's strongholds in Iraq and Syria

Iran said on Thursday that five of its nationals who were killed in twin attacks in Tehran were Islamic State members who had been to the group's strongholds in Iraq and Syria. Wednesday's attacks on Tehran's parliament complex and the shrine of revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, which also wounded more than 50 people, were the first claimed by IS in Iran. Also Read: Iran twin attacks: 13 killed, Iran Guards claim US, Saudi 'involved' "The five known terrorists... after joining the Daesh (IS) terrorist group, left the country and participated in crimes carried out by this terrorist group in Mosul and Raqa," the intelligence ministry said in a statement. It suggested there were only five attackers rather than the six originally reported. An official said previously that those who attacked the parliament complex had been dressed as women. The ministry released their photographs and first names. It said they were part of a network that entered Iran in July-August 2016 under the leadership of "high-ranking Daesh commander" Abu Aisha intending to carry out "terrorist operations in religious cities". Abu Aisha was killed and the network forced to flee the country, the statement said. It was unclear when the five men returned to Iran ahead of Wednesday's attacks. IS on Thursday released a video of the five attackers before the assault, via its Amaq propaganda agency. "Allah permitting, this is the first brigade that was established (in Iran) but it will not be the last," one said in the video message, as the group sat masked in a circle with their weapons. The jihadist group had earlier released footage of the attackers from inside the building, also via Amaq -- a rare claim of responsibility while an assault was still going on. See also: Attackers raid Iran parliament, twelve killed Following the attacks, US President Donald Trump had said the United States would "grieve and pray" for the victims, but added: "We underscore that states that sponsor terrorism risk falling victim to the evil they promote." The statement was condemned by foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who tweeted: "Repugnant WH (White House) statement... as Iranians counter-terror backed by US clients." Trump was also criticised on social media by Iranians, who recalled their government's offers of support and the candlelight vigils held in Iran after the attacks of September 11, 2001 in the United States. "Iranians lit candles for you on 9/11. You kick them while they're down. Classy," tweeted Ali Ghezelbash, an Iranian business analyst. The US president has long accused Iran of backing terrorism and has threatened to tear up a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers. Even as Washington expressed its condolences on Wednesday, the US Senate advanced legislation to impose new sanctions on Iran, partly for what the bill described as the regime's 'support for acts of international terrorism'. Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards have pointed the finger at regional rival Saudi Arabia -- a close US ally -- which Tehran accuses of funding extremism and groups including IS. IS has threatened to step up recruitment within Iran, releasing its first Persian-language video in March in which it threatened to "conquer Iran and restore it to the Sunni Muslim nation as it was before." The Sunni jihadists of IS consider Shiite Iranians to be apostates, and Tehran is deeply involved in fighting the group in both Syria and Iraq. (AFP)

Parliament, shrine attacks: Iran confirms own citizens linked to IS

Two car bombs killed at least 27&nbsp;people in Baghdad and wounded about 80 others in streets packed with crowds preparing for the Ramadan fast early on Tuesday, security sources said.

Militant group Islamic State claimed responsibility for the first blast that killed at least 13&nbsp;people and wounded 40 just after midnight (2100 GMT on Monday) in the Iraqi capital&#39;s commercial Karrada district.

A few hours later, a second bombing killed seven people and wounded 38 more near a government office in Karkh district. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

The attackers struck during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan when many people stay up past midnight and eat out to prepare for the next day&#39;s fast.

Karrada was hit by a massive truck bomb in July 2016 that killed at least 324 people, the deadliest attack in Iraq since the US-led invasion of the country in 2003.

Islamic State has been retreating in Iraq since the end of 2015 in the face of US-backed government forces and Iranian-backed Shi&#39;ite paramilitary groups.

It is now besieged in an enclave in the northern city of Mosul, which it has used as its de facto capital in Iraq. Islamic State declared a &quot;caliphate&quot; over parts of Syria and Iraq in 2014.

(Reuters)

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Families were gathering after breaking their daily fast as part of Islam&#39;s holy month of Ramadan when a terrorist detonated a car bomb near the ice cream shop. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack (WION)
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Islamic State claimed responsibility for the first blast just after midnight (2100 GMT Monday) that killed at least 13 people and wounded 40

Two car bombs killed at least 27 people in Baghdad and wounded about 80 others in streets packed with crowds preparing for the Ramadan fast early on Tuesday, security sources said. Militant group Islamic State claimed responsibility for the first blast that killed at least 13 people and wounded 40 just after midnight (2100 GMT on Monday) in the Iraqi capital's commercial Karrada district. A few hours later, a second bombing killed seven people and wounded 38 more near a government office in Karkh district. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. The attackers struck during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan when many people stay up past midnight and eat out to prepare for the next day's fast. Karrada was hit by a massive truck bomb in July 2016 that killed at least 324 people, the deadliest attack in Iraq since the US-led invasion of the country in 2003. Islamic State has been retreating in Iraq since the end of 2015 in the face of US-backed government forces and Iranian-backed Shi'ite paramilitary groups. It is now besieged in an enclave in the northern city of Mosul, which it has used as its de facto capital in Iraq. Islamic State declared a "caliphate" over parts of Syria and Iraq in 2014. (Reuters) Families were gathering after breaking their daily fast as part of Islam's holy month of Ramadan when a terrorist detonated a car bomb near the ice cream shop. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack (WION) ×

Twin car bomb attack in Baghdad, 27 people killed

A Pentagon investigation has concluded that at least 105 civilians died in an anti-IS strike in the Iraqi city of Mosul in March, officials said Thursday, but they blamed the toll on a secondary explosion of jihadist munitions.

A US aircraft delivered a single precision-guided bomb into a building in west Mosul on March 17, with the aim of killing a pair of snipers on the second story of the structure in the al-Jadida neighbourhood, which at the time was under Islamic State control.

But the bomb also caused a large cache of IS explosives to detonate, leading to the catastrophic collapse of the building that had civilians sheltering downstairs, officials said.

&quot;The secondary explosion triggered a rapid failure of the structure which killed the two ISIS snipers, 101 civilians sheltered in the bottom floors of the structure and four civilians in the neighbouring structure to the west,&quot; said US Air Force Brigadier General Matt Isler, the lead investigator.

Isler said another 36 civilians who are &quot;believed to be connected&quot; to the building remained unaccounted for, but they had likely fled the area shortly before the strike. He said he was &quot;very confident&quot; in the final toll.

It was the single deadliest incident for civilians stemming from a coalition strike since anti-IS operations in Iraq and Syria began nearly three years ago.&nbsp;

The United States had previously only acknowledged that it &quot;probably&quot; had a role in the civilian deaths.&nbsp;

The investigation comes amid broader claims that US forces under President Donald Trump are killing more civilians as the military fulfills a plan to &quot;annihilate&quot; the Islamic State group.&nbsp;

The Pentagon denies this and says its rules of engagement remain unchanged and insists its precision-targeting abilities are the best in the world.

Defeat Islamic State

Officials say the US takes every precaution to avoid hitting civilians, including by aborting missile strikes at the last moment if a civilian unexpectedly wanders into the target zone.

&quot;Our condolences go out to all those that were affected,&quot; said Major General Joe Martin.&nbsp;

&quot;The coalition takes every feasible measure to protect civilians from harm. The best way to protect civilians is to defeat ISIS.&quot;

No condolence payments have been made, Isler said, though such a move has not been ruled out.

According to Isler, Iraqi counterterrorism service (CTS) troops had been moving into the al-Jadida neighbourhood in west Mosul when they came under fire from the IS snipers.&nbsp;

Mosul was a former IS bastion but the jihadists now only control about 10 percent of the city.

Bad weather had kept surveillance drones from gathering video of the area for two days, and CTS and coalition forces -- not knowing civilians were in the building -- ultimately called in a strike, Isler said.

The precision-guided bomb selected -- a GBU-38 carrying 192 pounds of explosives -- was rigged to cause only localised damage to the building, but it ignited a large amount of ordnance which, unbeknownst to the coalition, IS fighters had previously placed inside.

&quot;Post-blast analysis detected residues common to explosives used by ISIS, but not consistent with the explosive content of a GBU-38 munition,&quot; Central Command said in a statement.

&quot;Engineering and weapons analysis indicates that the GBU-38 should have resulted in no more than 16-20 percent damage to the structure, localised to the front of the second floor.&quot;

Officials said IS may have deliberately rigged the building to explode and then used the snipers to intentionally provoke an air strike.

As of the most recent Centcom official tally, a total of 396 civilians had been killed since the beginning of the bombing campaign against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria nearly three years ago.

The 105 figure from the March incident would push that number beyond 500.

Airwars, a London-based collective of journalists and researchers that tracks civilian deaths in Iraq and Syria, claims a minimum of 3,350 people have died in coalition strikes.&nbsp;

(AFP)

The Pentagon investigation blamed the toll on a secondary explosion of jihadist munitions

A Pentagon investigation has concluded that at least 105 civilians died in an anti-IS strike in the Iraqi city of Mosul in March, officials said Thursday, but they blamed the toll on a secondary explosion of jihadist munitions. A US aircraft delivered a single precision-guided bomb into a building in west Mosul on March 17, with the aim of killing a pair of snipers on the second story of the structure in the al-Jadida neighbourhood, which at the time was under Islamic State control. But the bomb also caused a large cache of IS explosives to detonate, leading to the catastrophic collapse of the building that had civilians sheltering downstairs, officials said. "The secondary explosion triggered a rapid failure of the structure which killed the two ISIS snipers, 101 civilians sheltered in the bottom floors of the structure and four civilians in the neighbouring structure to the west," said US Air Force Brigadier General Matt Isler, the lead investigator. Isler said another 36 civilians who are "believed to be connected" to the building remained unaccounted for, but they had likely fled the area shortly before the strike. He said he was "very confident" in the final toll. It was the single deadliest incident for civilians stemming from a coalition strike since anti-IS operations in Iraq and Syria began nearly three years ago. The United States had previously only acknowledged that it "probably" had a role in the civilian deaths. The investigation comes amid broader claims that US forces under President Donald Trump are killing more civilians as the military fulfills a plan to "annihilate" the Islamic State group. The Pentagon denies this and says its rules of engagement remain unchanged and insists its precision-targeting abilities are the best in the world. Defeat Islamic State Officials say the US takes every precaution to avoid hitting civilians, including by aborting missile strikes at the last moment if a civilian unexpectedly wanders into the target zone. "Our condolences go out to all those that were affected," said Major General Joe Martin. "The coalition takes every feasible measure to protect civilians from harm. The best way to protect civilians is to defeat ISIS." No condolence payments have been made, Isler said, though such a move has not been ruled out. According to Isler, Iraqi counterterrorism service (CTS) troops had been moving into the al-Jadida neighbourhood in west Mosul when they came under fire from the IS snipers. Mosul was a former IS bastion but the jihadists now only control about 10 percent of the city. Bad weather had kept surveillance drones from gathering video of the area for two days, and CTS and coalition forces -- not knowing civilians were in the building -- ultimately called in a strike, Isler said. The precision-guided bomb selected -- a GBU-38 carrying 192 pounds of explosives -- was rigged to cause only localised damage to the building, but it ignited a large amount of ordnance which, unbeknownst to the coalition, IS fighters had previously placed inside. "Post-blast analysis detected residues common to explosives used by ISIS, but not consistent with the explosive content of a GBU-38 munition," Central Command said in a statement. "Engineering and weapons analysis indicates that the GBU-38 should have resulted in no more than 16-20 percent damage to the structure, localised to the front of the second floor." Officials said IS may have deliberately rigged the building to explode and then used the snipers to intentionally provoke an air strike. As of the most recent Centcom official tally, a total of 396 civilians had been killed since the beginning of the bombing campaign against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria nearly three years ago. The 105 figure from the March incident would push that number beyond 500. Airwars, a London-based collective of journalists and researchers that tracks civilian deaths in Iraq and Syria, claims a minimum of 3,350 people have died in coalition strikes. (AFP)

At least 105 civilians died in anti-IS strike in Mosul in March: Pentagon

Reports of civilian deaths from US-led air strikes in Iraq and Syria have soared in recent months, raising questions about whether President Donald Trump&#39;s order to &quot;annihilate&quot; the Islamic State group is fueling the increase.

The Pentagon vehemently denies this, and insists its targeting procedures and protocols to avoid civilian casualties have not changed.&nbsp;

Here is a look at what is going on.

How many are dying? -

Since the campaign to defeat IS in Iraq and Syria began in August 2014, the coalition has conducted 21,663 strikes -- 12,740 Iraq in and 8,923 Syria.

According to an official tally at the end of April, the Pentagon confirmed at least 352 civilians had been killed.

That toll came before Thursday&#39;s announcement that at least 105 people were killed in an anti-IS strike in the Iraqi city of Mosul in March. The official numbers are also dwarfed by claims from monitoring groups.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights this week reported the highest monthly civilian death toll for the coalition&#39;s operations in Syria.

It said between April 23 and May 23, coalition strikes killed 225 civilians in Syria, including dozens of children.

Airwars, a London-based collective of journalists and researchers that tracks civilian deaths in Iraq and Syria, claims a minimum of 3,681 people have died in coalition strikes -- between 283 and 366 of them in April alone.

What has changed?&nbsp;

Trump, who campaigned on a pledge to quickly defeat IS, ordered his generals to come up with a revised plan to defeat the jihadist group.

The review resulted in an &quot;annihilation campaign&quot; to kill all IS fighters, and saw commanders gain greater autonomy to make battlefield decisions.

Observers worry this is translating to a greater willingness to risk civilian life.&nbsp;

Hina Shamsi, director of the ACLU National Security Project, voiced concerns the White House can&#39;t be trusted to provide accurate information about civilian deaths, and whether guidance has changed.

&quot;Even in war, there are rules and those rules are aimed at protecting civilian life,&quot; she told AFP.&nbsp;

&quot;It&#39;s not at all clear that all feasible precautions are being taken to protect civilian life.&quot;

What does the Pentagon say?&nbsp;

The Pentagon strongly disputes such assertions, and says that protecting civilians is&nbsp;a top priority in assessing targets.

&quot;Throughout this fight, every target goes through our refined process to ensure it&#39;s not only a legitimate target under the law of armed conflict, but that it meets a threshold of proportionality and necessity,&quot; said Lieutenant General Jeffrey Harrigian, who heads US Air Forces Central Command.

Only 0.24 per cent of engagements have resulted in a &quot;credible&quot; report of civilian casualties, according to the Pentagon.&nbsp;

So what is happening?&nbsp;

The battlefield is changing, and in some places very quickly.

Whereas at the start of the campaign, the coalition was primarily striking IS fighters as they moved across large areas of open terrain, the fight is now focused on predominantly urban areas.&nbsp;

In Iraq&#39;s second city Mosul, for instance, IS jihadists are operating from tightly populated areas. The March 17 strike that resulted in the death of at least 105 civilians came when IS snipers were spotted in a building.&nbsp;

The air strike on the snipers inadvertently caused a stash of IS munitions to blow up, triggering the building&#39;s collapse, according to the Pentagon.&nbsp;

Brian McKeon, a senior Pentagon policy official at the end of the Obama administration, said the increasing civilian toll is due to fighting in a city, rather than any policy change under Trump.&nbsp;

&quot;They are trying very hard to avoid civilian casualties because,&quot; he said.

&quot;It&#39;s what the law tells them, and they want to avoid handing ISIS propaganda victories. But the risk of making mistakes is going to go up when you are operating in an urban environment.&quot;

(AFP)

Civilian casualties have alarmingly increased in recent months

Reports of civilian deaths from US-led air strikes in Iraq and Syria have soared in recent months, raising questions about whether President Donald Trump's order to "annihilate" the Islamic State group is fueling the increase. The Pentagon vehemently denies this, and insists its targeting procedures and protocols to avoid civilian casualties have not changed. Here is a look at what is going on. How many are dying? - Since the campaign to defeat IS in Iraq and Syria began in August 2014, the coalition has conducted 21,663 strikes -- 12,740 Iraq in and 8,923 Syria. According to an official tally at the end of April, the Pentagon confirmed at least 352 civilians had been killed. That toll came before Thursday's announcement that at least 105 people were killed in an anti-IS strike in the Iraqi city of Mosul in March. The official numbers are also dwarfed by claims from monitoring groups. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights this week reported the highest monthly civilian death toll for the coalition's operations in Syria. It said between April 23 and May 23, coalition strikes killed 225 civilians in Syria, including dozens of children. Airwars, a London-based collective of journalists and researchers that tracks civilian deaths in Iraq and Syria, claims a minimum of 3,681 people have died in coalition strikes -- between 283 and 366 of them in April alone. What has changed? Trump, who campaigned on a pledge to quickly defeat IS, ordered his generals to come up with a revised plan to defeat the jihadist group. The review resulted in an "annihilation campaign" to kill all IS fighters, and saw commanders gain greater autonomy to make battlefield decisions. Observers worry this is translating to a greater willingness to risk civilian life. Hina Shamsi, director of the ACLU National Security Project, voiced concerns the White House can't be trusted to provide accurate information about civilian deaths, and whether guidance has changed. "Even in war, there are rules and those rules are aimed at protecting civilian life," she told AFP. "It's not at all clear that all feasible precautions are being taken to protect civilian life." What does the Pentagon say? The Pentagon strongly disputes such assertions, and says that protecting civilians is a top priority in assessing targets. "Throughout this fight, every target goes through our refined process to ensure it's not only a legitimate target under the law of armed conflict, but that it meets a threshold of proportionality and necessity," said Lieutenant General Jeffrey Harrigian, who heads US Air Forces Central Command. Only 0.24 per cent of engagements have resulted in a "credible" report of civilian casualties, according to the Pentagon. So what is happening? The battlefield is changing, and in some places very quickly. Whereas at the start of the campaign, the coalition was primarily striking IS fighters as they moved across large areas of open terrain, the fight is now focused on predominantly urban areas. In Iraq's second city Mosul, for instance, IS jihadists are operating from tightly populated areas. The March 17 strike that resulted in the death of at least 105 civilians came when IS snipers were spotted in a building. The air strike on the snipers inadvertently caused a stash of IS munitions to blow up, triggering the building's collapse, according to the Pentagon. Brian McKeon, a senior Pentagon policy official at the end of the Obama administration, said the increasing civilian toll is due to fighting in a city, rather than any policy change under Trump. "They are trying very hard to avoid civilian casualties because," he said. "It's what the law tells them, and they want to avoid handing ISIS propaganda victories. But the risk of making mistakes is going to go up when you are operating in an urban environment." (AFP)

Reasons for surge in death toll in Iraq, Syria

US-backed Iraqi forces pushed deeper into the last pocket of Mosul controlled by&nbsp;Islamic&nbsp;State&nbsp;militants on Sunday as the battle for the city approaches an end after seven months of gruelling urban combat.

The militants have now been dislodged from all but a handful of districts in the western half of Mosul including the Old City, where&nbsp;Islamic&nbsp;State&nbsp;is expected to make its last stand, taking advantage of narrow streets and its dense population.

Brigadier General Yahya Rasoul said the area controlled by&nbsp;Islamic&nbsp;State&nbsp;was no more than 9 per cent of west Mosul, which is bisected by the River Tigris.

&quot;It&#39;s a very small area,&quot; he told Reuters. &quot;God willing, this is the final phase.&quot;

The elite Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) stormed the Ureibi and Rifaie districts at dawn on Sunday, according to a&nbsp;statement from the Joint Operations Command.

At the same time, the army&#39;s ninth division and the Interior Ministry&#39;s elite Emergency Response Division attacked the&nbsp;Islamic&nbsp;State&nbsp;bastion of 17 Tammouz.

&quot;Daesh (Islamic&nbsp;State) is drawing its last dying breath,&quot; the commander of the ninth division, Lieutenant General Qasim Nazzal, told&nbsp;state&nbsp;television on Sunday. &quot;Daesh fighters are broken and quickly retreating from fronts.&quot;

Vastly outnumbered by the forces arrayed against them, the militants are fighting back with suicide car bombs and snipers embedded among hundreds of thousands of civilians they are effectively holding hostage.

Conditions in the shrinking area under militant control are increasingly desperate as civilians resort to eating weeds and many are killed under heavy bombardment.

The number of people fleeing Mosul has more than doubled to about 10,000 a day since Friday, according to Iraqi government figures.

Defence analyst and former general Jasim al-Bahadli said the strategy adopted by Iraqi commanders was to splinter the remaining militants into smaller groups and attack them on multiple fronts to disrupt their command and control.

&quot;By taking back all the districts surrounding the Old City, the militants will have no chance to receive any back-up or reinforcements,&quot; he said.

(Reuters)

Vastly outnumbered by the forces arrayed against them, the militants are fighting back with suicide car bombs and snipers embedded among hundreds of thousands of civilians they are effectively holding hostage.

US-backed Iraqi forces pushed deeper into the last pocket of Mosul controlled by Islamic State militants on Sunday as the battle for the city approaches an end after seven months of gruelling urban combat. The militants have now been dislodged from all but a handful of districts in the western half of Mosul including the Old City, where Islamic State is expected to make its last stand, taking advantage of narrow streets and its dense population. Brigadier General Yahya Rasoul said the area controlled by Islamic State was no more than 9 per cent of west Mosul, which is bisected by the River Tigris. "It's a very small area," he told Reuters. "God willing, this is the final phase." The elite Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) stormed the Ureibi and Rifaie districts at dawn on Sunday, according to a statement from the Joint Operations Command. At the same time, the army's ninth division and the Interior Ministry's elite Emergency Response Division attacked the Islamic State bastion of 17 Tammouz. "Daesh (Islamic State) is drawing its last dying breath," the commander of the ninth division, Lieutenant General Qasim Nazzal, told state television on Sunday. "Daesh fighters are broken and quickly retreating from fronts." Vastly outnumbered by the forces arrayed against them, the militants are fighting back with suicide car bombs and snipers embedded among hundreds of thousands of civilians they are effectively holding hostage. Conditions in the shrinking area under militant control are increasingly desperate as civilians resort to eating weeds and many are killed under heavy bombardment. The number of people fleeing Mosul has more than doubled to about 10,000 a day since Friday, according to Iraqi government figures. Defence analyst and former general Jasim al-Bahadli said the strategy adopted by Iraqi commanders was to splinter the remaining militants into smaller groups and attack them on multiple fronts to disrupt their command and control. "By taking back all the districts surrounding the Old City, the militants will have no chance to receive any back-up or reinforcements," he said. (Reuters)

Iraqi forces attack Islamic State in Mosul as battle approaches final stage

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