The Syrian army has suspended its attack on Syria&rsquo;s Aleppo to allow the evacuation of civilians, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday.

&quot;I can tell you that today, combat operations by the Syrian army have been halted in eastern Aleppo because there is a large operation underway to evacuate civilians,&quot; he said in Hamburg, Germany,Russian news agencies reported.

&quot;There is going to be to a column of 8,000 evacuees&quot; travelling five kilometers (3 miles), Lavrov added, attending a meeting of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the announcement was &quot;an indication that something positive could happen&quot;, news agency AFP reported.

Lavrov also &nbsp;announced that US-Russia military and diplomatic discussions would take place in Geneva on Saturday &quot;to end the work... to define the means of resolving the problems of east Aleppo&quot;.

According to Lavrov, The discussions would involve studying plans to evacuate civilians and fighters wanting to leave.

Rebel fighters are struggling to their last strongholds in their control.

Lavrov&rsquo;s statement came after six countries including the US called for an immediate ceasefire citing a humanitarian catastrophe in Aleppo and called on Russia and Iran to use their influence on the Syrian regime to secure a truce.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from AFP)

8,000 people are expected to leave as large operations underway to evacuate civilians

The Syrian army has suspended its attack on Syria’s Aleppo to allow the evacuation of civilians, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday. "I can tell you that today, combat operations by the Syrian army have been halted in eastern Aleppo because there is a large operation underway to evacuate civilians," he said in Hamburg, Germany,Russian news agencies reported. "There is going to be to a column of 8,000 evacuees" travelling five kilometers (3 miles), Lavrov added, attending a meeting of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the announcement was "an indication that something positive could happen", news agency AFP reported. Lavrov also announced that US-Russia military and diplomatic discussions would take place in Geneva on Saturday "to end the work... to define the means of resolving the problems of east Aleppo". According to Lavrov, The discussions would involve studying plans to evacuate civilians and fighters wanting to leave. Rebel fighters are struggling to their last strongholds in their control. Lavrov’s statement came after six countries including the US called for an immediate ceasefire citing a humanitarian catastrophe in Aleppo and called on Russia and Iran to use their influence on the Syrian regime to secure a truce. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Syrian air strikes on Aleppo halted: Russian foreign minister

Iraqi army Lieutenant General Abdul Ameer Rasheed Yarallah stated on a local channel that his troops reached Salam Hospital, located in a south-east neighbourhood of Mosul, the last stronghold of the Islamic State in Iraq. 
&nbsp; 
The hospital is approximately one kilometre away from the Tigris river, which flows through the city. If the Ninth Armoured Division of the Iraqi army will fully secure the area, it will be their most advanced post. &nbsp;

While informing that three car bombs exploded close to regular troops, the Islamic State&#39;s news agency confirmed the advance.&nbsp;

The vicinity to the river opens the possibility of attacking the southern-most of the five bridges connecting the eastern and the western part of Mosul. An eventual success will result in the direct control of a key access point to the western part of the city, currently under control of the remaining Islamic State fighters.&nbsp;

The other bridges have been targeted with airstrikes, mainly aimed at destroying the roads leading to them, but according to local witnesses IS&#39; bulldozer works to repair the damages. &quot;I saw Daesh (Islamic State) using bulldozers to fill the craters with sand and by mid-day, vehicles managed to cross the bridge normally. I drove my car to the other side of the bridge and saw also Daesh vehicles crossing,&quot; a taxi driver told Reuters.&nbsp;

Avoiding the total destruction of the five bridges is also in the anti-Islamic State coalition interest. In the light of further advances, reconquering them in an intact or semi-intact status will give the Iraqi army the possibility to immediately use them, without deploying and exposing troops for reconstruction works. &nbsp;

Despite the pace of the advance, the battle to reconquer Mosul is far from ending. There are no official figures, but it is estimated that nearly one million citizens are still in the city while the Iraqi forces are engaged in a house-to-house battle against an organisation which is willing to fight till the very end. Western Mosul appears also to be more densely populated than the eastern part.&nbsp;

There are no official figures about the number of Islamic State terrorists fighting in Mosul, but both coalition forces and the Iraqi army believe their enemy to be close to 3,000 fighters.&nbsp;

The Islamic State takes little care of the local population and an increasing number of civilians is being either deliberately targeted or forced to stay. Furthermore, the unconventional warfare that IS uses means it makes no distinction -- improvised explosive devices and car bombs can hit anyone.&nbsp;

On Thursday, &nbsp;Lieutenant General Abdul Ameer Rasheed Yarallah declared that during the 45 days of the Mosul offensive, the Islamic State used as many as 632 car bombs, an average of fourteen a day.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;&nbsp; 
Brigadier General Scott Efflandt, a coalition deputy commander, seems to be optimistic. &quot;The quality of the enemy we are facing now has markedly declined from a month ago,&quot; he said. &quot;What they were saving for the west side of the river, they are now committing to the east.&quot;&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from Reuters) 
&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Troops reached Al Salam hospital, one km far from the Tigris river. They aim at conquering the southern-most bridge of Mosul, a key access point to the western part of the city

Iraqi army Lieutenant General Abdul Ameer Rasheed Yarallah stated on a local channel that his troops reached Salam Hospital, located in a south-east neighbourhood of Mosul, the last stronghold of the Islamic State in Iraq. The hospital is approximately one kilometre away from the Tigris river, which flows through the city. If the Ninth Armoured Division of the Iraqi army will fully secure the area, it will be their most advanced post. While informing that three car bombs exploded close to regular troops, the Islamic State's news agency confirmed the advance. The vicinity to the river opens the possibility of attacking the southern-most of the five bridges connecting the eastern and the western part of Mosul. An eventual success will result in the direct control of a key access point to the western part of the city, currently under control of the remaining Islamic State fighters. The other bridges have been targeted with airstrikes, mainly aimed at destroying the roads leading to them, but according to local witnesses IS' bulldozer works to repair the damages. "I saw Daesh (Islamic State) using bulldozers to fill the craters with sand and by mid-day, vehicles managed to cross the bridge normally. I drove my car to the other side of the bridge and saw also Daesh vehicles crossing," a taxi driver told Reuters. Avoiding the total destruction of the five bridges is also in the anti-Islamic State coalition interest. In the light of further advances, reconquering them in an intact or semi-intact status will give the Iraqi army the possibility to immediately use them, without deploying and exposing troops for reconstruction works. Despite the pace of the advance, the battle to reconquer Mosul is far from ending. There are no official figures, but it is estimated that nearly one million citizens are still in the city while the Iraqi forces are engaged in a house-to-house battle against an organisation which is willing to fight till the very end. Western Mosul appears also to be more densely populated than the eastern part. There are no official figures about the number of Islamic State terrorists fighting in Mosul, but both coalition forces and the Iraqi army believe their enemy to be close to 3,000 fighters. The Islamic State takes little care of the local population and an increasing number of civilians is being either deliberately targeted or forced to stay. Furthermore, the unconventional warfare that IS uses means it makes no distinction -- improvised explosive devices and car bombs can hit anyone. On Thursday, Lieutenant General Abdul Ameer Rasheed Yarallah declared that during the 45 days of the Mosul offensive, the Islamic State used as many as 632 car bombs, an average of fourteen a day. Brigadier General Scott Efflandt, a coalition deputy commander, seems to be optimistic. "The quality of the enemy we are facing now has markedly declined from a month ago," he said. "What they were saving for the west side of the river, they are now committing to the east." (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Iraqi army ready to push further within Mosul

Libyan forces backed by US airstrikes finished clearing the last Islamic State hold-out in Sirte on Tuesday after a six-month battle for the militant group&#39;s former North African stronghold.

The forces gained full control over a final patch of ground in Sirte&#39;s Ghiza Bahriya district after fierce clashes.

Several dozen women and children who had been holed up with the militants were able to leave the ruined buildings where they had made their last stand. &nbsp;

As celebrations erupted among the Libyan forces, which are dominated by brigades from the city of Misrata, a spokesman said the military campaign would continue until the wider area was secured. Fighters fired in the air chanting &quot;Free Libya&quot; and &quot;The blood of the martyrs was not for nothing&quot;

The loss of Sirte is a major blow for Islamic State, leaving the group without any territory in Libya, though it retains an active presence in parts of the North African country.

The jihadist group took over Sirte in early 2015, turning it into their most important base outside the Middle East and moving large numbers of foreign fighters into the city.

It imposed its ultra-hardline rule on residents, and extended its control along about 250 km (155 miles) of Libya&#39;s Mediterranean coastline.

Spokesman Rida Issa said although forces had &quot;secured all the buildings and the streets&quot; in Ghiza Bahriya, this did not mean the end of the Misrata-led operation. &quot;We still need to secure the area around Sirte,&quot; he said.

French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said: &quot;This is very good news. The defeat of Daesh (Islamic State) is a very strong act, but it can only be seen as a step ... the militias that have freed Sirte deserve to be congratulated.&quot;

Libyan and Western officials say some Islamic State fighters escaped from Sirte before the battle or in its early stages. They fear an insurgent campaign from outside the city and there have been attacks in outlying areas.

Bombers, Snipers and Mines

The Misrata-led forces counter-attacked in May after jihadists moved along the coast towards their city. The brigades, nominally aligned with a UN-backed government in Tripoli, advanced rapidly towards the centre of Sirte before suicide bombers, snipers and mines largely halted their progress. &nbsp;

More than 700 of their fighters have been killed and more than 3,200 wounded in the gruelling campaign. On Tuesday, a further three men were killed and about 50 wounded, said Mohamed Lajnef, an official at Sirte&#39;s field hospital.

He said 21 women and 31 children had been released in Ghiza Bahriya. Dozens of other women and children, some of them migrants from sub-Saharan Africa held captive by Islamic State, had escaped or had been released from militant-held ground in recent days.

Since August 1, the United States has carried out at least 495 airstrikes against Islamic State in Sirte.

Five years after the revolution that toppled Muammar Gaddafi Libya remains in turmoil.&nbsp;

The UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) that arrived in Tripoli in March and supported the campaign in Sirte has made little progress in ending the chaos.

Sirte lies in a strategic position about halfway along Libya&#39;s coastline, near some of the country&#39;s major oil fields and terminals. Close to Gaddafi&#39;s birthplace, it is the city where he was shot and killed after ruling Libya for 42 years.

Almost all of Sirte&#39;s estimated population of 80,000 fled the city since Islamic State took over.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(Reuters)

The loss of Sirte is a major blow for Islamic State, leaving the group without any territory in Libya

Libyan forces backed by US airstrikes finished clearing the last Islamic State hold-out in Sirte on Tuesday after a six-month battle for the militant group's former North African stronghold. The forces gained full control over a final patch of ground in Sirte's Ghiza Bahriya district after fierce clashes. Several dozen women and children who had been holed up with the militants were able to leave the ruined buildings where they had made their last stand. As celebrations erupted among the Libyan forces, which are dominated by brigades from the city of Misrata, a spokesman said the military campaign would continue until the wider area was secured. Fighters fired in the air chanting "Free Libya" and "The blood of the martyrs was not for nothing" The loss of Sirte is a major blow for Islamic State, leaving the group without any territory in Libya, though it retains an active presence in parts of the North African country. The jihadist group took over Sirte in early 2015, turning it into their most important base outside the Middle East and moving large numbers of foreign fighters into the city. It imposed its ultra-hardline rule on residents, and extended its control along about 250 km (155 miles) of Libya's Mediterranean coastline. Spokesman Rida Issa said although forces had "secured all the buildings and the streets" in Ghiza Bahriya, this did not mean the end of the Misrata-led operation. "We still need to secure the area around Sirte," he said. French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said: "This is very good news. The defeat of Daesh (Islamic State) is a very strong act, but it can only be seen as a step ... the militias that have freed Sirte deserve to be congratulated." Libyan and Western officials say some Islamic State fighters escaped from Sirte before the battle or in its early stages. They fear an insurgent campaign from outside the city and there have been attacks in outlying areas. Bombers, Snipers and Mines The Misrata-led forces counter-attacked in May after jihadists moved along the coast towards their city. The brigades, nominally aligned with a UN-backed government in Tripoli, advanced rapidly towards the centre of Sirte before suicide bombers, snipers and mines largely halted their progress. More than 700 of their fighters have been killed and more than 3,200 wounded in the gruelling campaign. On Tuesday, a further three men were killed and about 50 wounded, said Mohamed Lajnef, an official at Sirte's field hospital. He said 21 women and 31 children had been released in Ghiza Bahriya. Dozens of other women and children, some of them migrants from sub-Saharan Africa held captive by Islamic State, had escaped or had been released from militant-held ground in recent days. Since August 1, the United States has carried out at least 495 airstrikes against Islamic State in Sirte. Five years after the revolution that toppled Muammar Gaddafi Libya remains in turmoil. The UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) that arrived in Tripoli in March and supported the campaign in Sirte has made little progress in ending the chaos. Sirte lies in a strategic position about halfway along Libya's coastline, near some of the country's major oil fields and terminals. Close to Gaddafi's birthplace, it is the city where he was shot and killed after ruling Libya for 42 years. Almost all of Sirte's estimated population of 80,000 fled the city since Islamic State took over. (Reuters)

Islamic state 'ousted' from Libyan stronghold of Sirte

Islamic State 'ousted' from Libyan stronghold of Sirte

Around&nbsp;500,000 civilians in Mosul are facing a drinking water shortage, the UN warned&nbsp;as Iraqi forces advance against the Islamic State (IS) group in the city.

In addition to the severe lack of food and electricity, civilians are now running out of drinkable water, Lise Grande, UN humanitarian coordinator in Iraq told AFP.

Iraqi troops and allied forces launched an offensive last month to retake Mosul from the IS more than two years ago.

Weeks of fighting have among other things destroyed a major water pipeline in the city, the UN children&#39;s agency 
UNICEF said.

Water was cut to 650,000 people - 40 per cent of the total population in the city - a local official told Reuters.

f the pipeline is not repaired, residents will be forced to consume unhealthy water, exposing them to dangerous diseases.

Residents in east Mosul have resorted to pumping water from wells.

Since the launch of the assault since October, more than 70,000 people have fled the fighting, but more than a million people are estimated to still reside in the city.

A hospital in Gogjali on the eastern outskirts of Mosul has already begun to get patients with diarrhoea and intestinal cramps, a medical source told AFP.

Some residents blamed the US-led coalition backing Iraqi forces for its warplanes damaging the main pipeline but an official with the Mosul municipality&nbsp;suggested that the IS may have intentionally stopped the flow.

Iraqi forces have told civilians to stay at home in order to avoid massive displacement from the city.

Deputy UN&nbsp;High Commissioner for Human Rights Kate Gilmore said that&nbsp;there were reports that Islamic State shot dead 27 civilians in public in Mosul&#39;s Muhandiseen Park last week.

(WION with inputs from agencies)

In addition to the severe lack of food and electricity, civilians are now running out of drinkable water

Around 500,000 civilians in Mosul are facing a drinking water shortage, the UN warned as Iraqi forces advance against the Islamic State (IS) group in the city. In addition to the severe lack of food and electricity, civilians are now running out of drinkable water, Lise Grande, UN humanitarian coordinator in Iraq told AFP. Iraqi troops and allied forces launched an offensive last month to retake Mosul from the IS more than two years ago. Weeks of fighting have among other things destroyed a major water pipeline in the city, the UN children's agency UNICEF said. Water was cut to 650,000 people - 40 per cent of the total population in the city - a local official told Reuters. f the pipeline is not repaired, residents will be forced to consume unhealthy water, exposing them to dangerous diseases. Residents in east Mosul have resorted to pumping water from wells. Since the launch of the assault since October, more than 70,000 people have fled the fighting, but more than a million people are estimated to still reside in the city. A hospital in Gogjali on the eastern outskirts of Mosul has already begun to get patients with diarrhoea and intestinal cramps, a medical source told AFP. Some residents blamed the US-led coalition backing Iraqi forces for its warplanes damaging the main pipeline but an official with the Mosul municipality suggested that the IS may have intentionally stopped the flow. Iraqi forces have told civilians to stay at home in order to avoid massive displacement from the city. Deputy UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Kate Gilmore said that there were reports that Islamic State shot dead 27 civilians in public in Mosul's Muhandiseen Park last week. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Mosul food, water reserves dwindle as fighting cuts off supplies

The US-led coalition admitted that 54 civilians had been &quot;inadvertently killed&quot; in seven air strikes on the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq between march and October.

The coalition in a statement said that some casualties were &quot;unavoidable&quot; despite their efforts to minimise the risk to civilians.

&quot;Although the coalition makes extraordinary efforts to strike military targets in a manner that minimises the risk of civilian casualties, in some cases casualties are unavoidable,&quot; the coalition said in a statement, news agency AFP reported.

&quot;Four past reports of possible civilian casualties and three of the reports received in October were determined to be credible resulting in the unintended death of 54 civilians,&quot; the report stated, Russia&#39;s Sputnik International reported.

According to official coalition numbers, a total of 173 people have been killed since the offensive began against the Islamic State in 2014.

In a deadly coalition strike on a group of Is fighters near Syria&#39;s Manbij on July 18, about a hundred were killed.

The coalition said that 24 civilians were &quot;inadvertently killed in a known (IS) staging area where no civilians had been seen in the 24 hours prior to the attack&quot;

Another fifteen civilians were killed in Syria in a July 28 strike. An IS vehicle had been targeted in a populated area. Officials said the vehicle had slowed after the guided bomb was released, AFP reported.&nbsp;

A strike on an IS position in Iraq killed eight civilians on October 22.

A London-based collective of journalists and researchers, Airwars, have praised Pentagon&#39;s efforts at accountability compared to Russia and President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s regime. The group says the number of likely civilian deaths from coalition strikes is 1,915 at a bare minimum. Airwars keeps an account of every known coalition strike using local resources and photographs and media accounts.

As of November 17 -- the date of the most recent tally -- the coalition had conducted a total of 16,291 strikes, about two-thirds of them in Iraq and the rest in Syria, AFP reported.

Coalition officials declared 12 other reports of civilian casualties as &quot;non-credible&quot; after a recent review.

(With inputs from AFP)

The announcement brings the official coalition tally of civilians killed to 173 since the anti-IS campaign began in 2014

The US-led coalition admitted that 54 civilians had been "inadvertently killed" in seven air strikes on the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq between march and October. The coalition in a statement said that some casualties were "unavoidable" despite their efforts to minimise the risk to civilians. "Although the coalition makes extraordinary efforts to strike military targets in a manner that minimises the risk of civilian casualties, in some cases casualties are unavoidable," the coalition said in a statement, news agency AFP reported. "Four past reports of possible civilian casualties and three of the reports received in October were determined to be credible resulting in the unintended death of 54 civilians," the report stated, Russia's Sputnik International reported. According to official coalition numbers, a total of 173 people have been killed since the offensive began against the Islamic State in 2014. In a deadly coalition strike on a group of Is fighters near Syria's Manbij on July 18, about a hundred were killed. The coalition said that 24 civilians were "inadvertently killed in a known (IS) staging area where no civilians had been seen in the 24 hours prior to the attack" Another fifteen civilians were killed in Syria in a July 28 strike. An IS vehicle had been targeted in a populated area. Officials said the vehicle had slowed after the guided bomb was released, AFP reported. A strike on an IS position in Iraq killed eight civilians on October 22. A London-based collective of journalists and researchers, Airwars, have praised Pentagon's efforts at accountability compared to Russia and President Bashar al-Assad's regime. The group says the number of likely civilian deaths from coalition strikes is 1,915 at a bare minimum. Airwars keeps an account of every known coalition strike using local resources and photographs and media accounts. As of November 17 -- the date of the most recent tally -- the coalition had conducted a total of 16,291 strikes, about two-thirds of them in Iraq and the rest in Syria, AFP reported. Coalition officials declared 12 other reports of civilian casualties as "non-credible" after a recent review. (With inputs from AFP)

US-led coalition admits another 54 civilian deaths in Syria, Iraq strikes

Iraqi special forces battling to clear Islamic State from eastern Mosul have killed nearly 1,000 militants but fighting has slowed as troops face a mobile enemy hidden among thousands of civilians in the city, a top commander said.

Six weeks into a major offensive, Iraqi forces have captured nearly half of eastern Mosul, moving from district to district against jihadist snipers, suicide attackers and car bombs.

Elite Iraqi troops, known as the &quot;Golden Division&quot;, are the only brigades to have entered Mosul from the east, with Iraqi army, federal police and Kurdish Peshmerga units surrounding the city to the north and south. Shi&#39;ite militias are trying to complete the encirclement from the west.

The US-trained Counter Terrorism Service unit breached Islamic State&#39;s defences at the end of October&nbsp;but has been slowed by the militants&#39; mobile tactics and concern over civilian casualties preventing the use of tanks and heavy armour.

Major General Abdul Ghani al-Asadi, one of the commanders of the special forces, said troops had adapted their tactics, surrounding one district at a time to cut off the militants&#39; supplies and protect civilians.

&quot;Progress was faster at the start. The reason is we were operating before in areas without residents,&quot; Asadi told Reuters in Bartella, on Mosul&#39;s outskirts.

&quot;We have arrived in populated districts. So how do we protect civilians? We have sealed off district after district.&quot;

He said around 990 militants had been killed in fighting in the east so far. He would not say how many casualties there were among government special forces.

&quot;We have made changes to plans, partly due to the changing nature of the enemy ... Daesh (Islamic State) is not based in one location, but moving from here to there,&quot; he said.

&quot;Tanks don&#39;t work here, artillery is not effective. Planes from the coalition force and the air force are restricted because of the civilians.&quot;

The Iraqi government has asked civilians in Mosul to stay at home during the offensive, as humanitarian organisations say they cannot cope with an influx of hundred of thousands of people displaced from the city.

More than one million people are believed to remain in the city, the largest in northern Iraq.

Defeating Islamic State in Mosul, Islamic State&#39;s last major bastion in Iraq, is seen as vital to destroying the &quot;caliphate&quot; declared by the group&#39;s leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, from the pulpit of Mosul&#39;s Grand Mosque in July 2014.

But commanders have said the battle could take months. Dozens of districts must be taken in the east before attacking forces reach the Tigris River which splits Mosul into east and west. US&nbsp;air strikes have taken out four of the five river bridges used by the militants.

Major General Najm al-Jubbouri, one of the army&#39;s top commanders, told Reuters that the western part of the city could be the more dangerous.

To the south, Iraqi army brigades are now advancing slowly on the remaining Islamic State-held villages before reaching the city limits. To the west, the mostly Iranian-backed Shi&#39;ite militias known as Popular Mobilisation have cut off the highway to Syria, but they have yet to close in on the city.

&quot;The force left in front of us is small, unable to stop our advance. Their spirit is broken,&quot; Asadi said.

&quot;We have killed more than 992 fighters on our front plus more wounded ... Their supplies and communications to the outside world are cut. They stage fewer suicide bombings.&quot;

Iraqi military estimates initially put the number of insurgents in Mosul at 5,000 to 6,000, facing a 100,000-strong coalition force. But Asadi said the figure for the Islamic State presence may have been too high.

Iraqi authorities have not released estimates of civilian casualties but the United Nations says growing numbers of injured, both civilians and military, are overwhelming aid groups.

(Reuters)

But fighting has slowed as troops face a mobile enemy hidden among thousands of civilians in the city, a top commander said

Iraqi special forces battling to clear Islamic State from eastern Mosul have killed nearly 1,000 militants but fighting has slowed as troops face a mobile enemy hidden among thousands of civilians in the city, a top commander said. Six weeks into a major offensive, Iraqi forces have captured nearly half of eastern Mosul, moving from district to district against jihadist snipers, suicide attackers and car bombs. Elite Iraqi troops, known as the "Golden Division", are the only brigades to have entered Mosul from the east, with Iraqi army, federal police and Kurdish Peshmerga units surrounding the city to the north and south. Shi'ite militias are trying to complete the encirclement from the west. The US-trained Counter Terrorism Service unit breached Islamic State's defences at the end of October but has been slowed by the militants' mobile tactics and concern over civilian casualties preventing the use of tanks and heavy armour. Major General Abdul Ghani al-Asadi, one of the commanders of the special forces, said troops had adapted their tactics, surrounding one district at a time to cut off the militants' supplies and protect civilians. "Progress was faster at the start. The reason is we were operating before in areas without residents," Asadi told Reuters in Bartella, on Mosul's outskirts. "We have arrived in populated districts. So how do we protect civilians? We have sealed off district after district." He said around 990 militants had been killed in fighting in the east so far. He would not say how many casualties there were among government special forces. "We have made changes to plans, partly due to the changing nature of the enemy ... Daesh (Islamic State) is not based in one location, but moving from here to there," he said. "Tanks don't work here, artillery is not effective. Planes from the coalition force and the air force are restricted because of the civilians." The Iraqi government has asked civilians in Mosul to stay at home during the offensive, as humanitarian organisations say they cannot cope with an influx of hundred of thousands of people displaced from the city. More than one million people are believed to remain in the city, the largest in northern Iraq. Defeating Islamic State in Mosul, Islamic State's last major bastion in Iraq, is seen as vital to destroying the "caliphate" declared by the group's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, from the pulpit of Mosul's Grand Mosque in July 2014. But commanders have said the battle could take months. Dozens of districts must be taken in the east before attacking forces reach the Tigris River which splits Mosul into east and west. US air strikes have taken out four of the five river bridges used by the militants. Major General Najm al-Jubbouri, one of the army's top commanders, told Reuters that the western part of the city could be the more dangerous. To the south, Iraqi army brigades are now advancing slowly on the remaining Islamic State-held villages before reaching the city limits. To the west, the mostly Iranian-backed Shi'ite militias known as Popular Mobilisation have cut off the highway to Syria, but they have yet to close in on the city. "The force left in front of us is small, unable to stop our advance. Their spirit is broken," Asadi said. "We have killed more than 992 fighters on our front plus more wounded ... Their supplies and communications to the outside world are cut. They stage fewer suicide bombings." Iraqi military estimates initially put the number of insurgents in Mosul at 5,000 to 6,000, facing a 100,000-strong coalition force. But Asadi said the figure for the Islamic State presence may have been too high. Iraqi authorities have not released estimates of civilian casualties but the United Nations says growing numbers of injured, both civilians and military, are overwhelming aid groups. (Reuters)

1,000 Islamic State fighters killed in Mosul, say Iraqi forces

&ldquo;There is a motorbike coming towards you, I repeat a motorbike is driving towards you. It&rsquo;s a suicide bomber. Shoot it down, I repeat shoot it down,&rdquo; says the walkie-talkie hanging to one of the field doctors&rsquo; belt in the small medical post on the Mosul frontline.&nbsp;

The motorbike is not directed against the post, but doctors are always connected with soldiers in action well inside the city to know in advance what they will need to face.

The small medical post is located in an abandoned house, inside the relatively safe neighbourhood of Al Samah, east of Mosul. It is the closest medical facility to the battle. All injured come here to receive primary treatment and then they get transferred to other hospitals. The worst cases are transferred to a hospital in Erbil, an hour-and-a-half drive from the city.

A handful of American and Iraqi doctors work relentlessly with their assistants to stabilise patients as quickly as possible.&nbsp;

The battle is very hard, it is a city at war and forces need to fight house by house and every door that they open could be the last of their lives.&nbsp;

&ldquo;We wake up at 6 am, have breakfast, and we may work until 2, 3 or 4 am. We give first aid like fluids to injured people&nbsp;to stabilise them. We support them psychologically and physically till we transfer them in the hospitals of Erbil,&rdquo; says military doctor Ghali.

Late in the afternoon, a group of wounded soldiers are rushed to the medical facility, they were ambushed while clearing an apartment. One of them, in charge of documenting the operation, showed us a footage of the moment. He has a superficial injury on his upper leg.

The video shows some 10&nbsp;soldiers crouched outside an apartment, one of them shouts to inquire if someone is in the house.&nbsp;&ldquo;Anyone inside? this is the Iraqi army.&rdquo;

&ldquo;Yes, we are inside. We are a family, don&rsquo;t shoot us,&rdquo; a feeble voice answers.&nbsp;

Soldiers look at each other, they nod. One of them opens slowly the door and a rain of bullets start hitting them from inside the house. It was not a family, it was a small team of Islamic State commando hiding there, and they managed to escape.

This is just one single event, but it is what happens every day. This is what it means fighting the war inside Mosul, the last stronghold of the Islamic State in Iraq, a city once home to 2.5 million citizens. The Iraqi army believes the city hosts between 5,000 and 7,000 IS terrorists ready to fight.

It is civilians who are paying the highest price of the war against the Islamic State though. Terrorists are using them as human shields in order to force the more-than-twelve-country coalition to avoid airstrikes and heavy artillery firing as much as possible.

&ldquo;The number (of injured civilians) is increasing because the Islamic State started to strike, bomb and shoot against civilians and we receive 50 to 120 cases a day,&rdquo; says military doctor Shail Juhat.

It means roughly 700 persons a week, if not more -- a number destined to increase the more the Iraqi forces dig deeper into the city.&nbsp;

The battle of Mosul hits mostly innocent people who did nothing to get to this point; children like Ahmed, who reaches the hospital in his father&rsquo;s arms. He was playing when a mortar fell a few metres close to him, injuring his right leg.&nbsp;

A young boy of about 10&nbsp;is brought in. He is severely injured with&nbsp;mortar shrapnels in his head, arm and legs. His elder brother, who brought&nbsp;him to the hospital, waited outside, cried and fainted. It took him forever to gather the courage to enter and assist his little brother.&nbsp;

Another man staggered in leaning on another&rsquo;s shoulders, covered in blood, obviously in pain. An improvised explosive device had triggered close to him.

A young lady in a long blue dress and glazed expression tried to get into ambulance where her husband lay&nbsp;injured. &ldquo;Where are we going?&rdquo; she asked, still in shock, gently grabbing the forearm of a soldier.

An Iraqi soldier who was in charge of documenting operations died.

Clearly, war does not spare anyone, it makes no distinction. There are no clever bombs, no intelligent bullets, no perfectly surgical strikes.

These positive -- and often lightly-used -- adjectives are only semantic shields, mostly used by belligerent actors to soften the reality of war on the ground. A reality made of anxiety, death, sweat, blood, tears, displacement and a liberal dose of pain. A violent and total element which abruptly breaks into a country&rsquo;s life, devastating its social fabric.&nbsp; 
 
(WION) 
&nbsp;

A small medical facility in the heart of Mosul receives roughly 700 wounded civilians in a week

“There is a motorbike coming towards you, I repeat a motorbike is driving towards you. It’s a suicide bomber. Shoot it down, I repeat shoot it down,” says the walkie-talkie hanging to one of the field doctors’ belt in the small medical post on the Mosul frontline. The motorbike is not directed against the post, but doctors are always connected with soldiers in action well inside the city to know in advance what they will need to face. The small medical post is located in an abandoned house, inside the relatively safe neighbourhood of Al Samah, east of Mosul. It is the closest medical facility to the battle. All injured come here to receive primary treatment and then they get transferred to other hospitals. The worst cases are transferred to a hospital in Erbil, an hour-and-a-half drive from the city. A handful of American and Iraqi doctors work relentlessly with their assistants to stabilise patients as quickly as possible. The battle is very hard, it is a city at war and forces need to fight house by house and every door that they open could be the last of their lives. “We wake up at 6 am, have breakfast, and we may work until 2, 3 or 4 am. We give first aid like fluids to injured people to stabilise them. We support them psychologically and physically till we transfer them in the hospitals of Erbil,” says military doctor Ghali. Late in the afternoon, a group of wounded soldiers are rushed to the medical facility, they were ambushed while clearing an apartment. One of them, in charge of documenting the operation, showed us a footage of the moment. He has a superficial injury on his upper leg. The video shows some 10 soldiers crouched outside an apartment, one of them shouts to inquire if someone is in the house. “Anyone inside? this is the Iraqi army.” “Yes, we are inside. We are a family, don’t shoot us,” a feeble voice answers. Soldiers look at each other, they nod. One of them opens slowly the door and a rain of bullets start hitting them from inside the house. It was not a family, it was a small team of Islamic State commando hiding there, and they managed to escape. This is just one single event, but it is what happens every day. This is what it means fighting the war inside Mosul, the last stronghold of the Islamic State in Iraq, a city once home to 2.5 million citizens. The Iraqi army believes the city hosts between 5,000 and 7,000 IS terrorists ready to fight. It is civilians who are paying the highest price of the war against the Islamic State though. Terrorists are using them as human shields in order to force the more-than-twelve-country coalition to avoid airstrikes and heavy artillery firing as much as possible. “The number (of injured civilians) is increasing because the Islamic State started to strike, bomb and shoot against civilians and we receive 50 to 120 cases a day,” says military doctor Shail Juhat. It means roughly 700 persons a week, if not more -- a number destined to increase the more the Iraqi forces dig deeper into the city. The battle of Mosul hits mostly innocent people who did nothing to get to this point; children like Ahmed, who reaches the hospital in his father’s arms. He was playing when a mortar fell a few metres close to him, injuring his right leg. A young boy of about 10 is brought in. He is severely injured with mortar shrapnels in his head, arm and legs. His elder brother, who brought him to the hospital, waited outside, cried and fainted. It took him forever to gather the courage to enter and assist his little brother. Another man staggered in leaning on another’s shoulders, covered in blood, obviously in pain. An improvised explosive device had triggered close to him. A young lady in a long blue dress and glazed expression tried to get into ambulance where her husband lay injured. “Where are we going?” she asked, still in shock, gently grabbing the forearm of a soldier. An Iraqi soldier who was in charge of documenting operations died. Clearly, war does not spare anyone, it makes no distinction. There are no clever bombs, no intelligent bullets, no perfectly surgical strikes. These positive -- and often lightly-used -- adjectives are only semantic shields, mostly used by belligerent actors to soften the reality of war on the ground. A reality made of anxiety, death, sweat, blood, tears, displacement and a liberal dose of pain. A violent and total element which abruptly breaks into a country’s life, devastating its social fabric. (WION)

Inside Mosul, civilians bear the brunt of war between Iraqi army, IS

The Iraqi parliament on Saturday approved a law that will recognise the coalition of Shia militias, the Popular Mobilisation forces, as separate military corps, Reuters reported.&nbsp;

According to the law, the Iranian-backed coalition will now work alongside the military to fight the Islamic State.&nbsp;

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi hailed the legislation.

The legislation was welcomed by 208 of the 327 members, comprising all Shiite blocks in the parliament. Lawyers from the Sunni minority, however, boycotted the bill, raising objection to the existence of armed forces outside the army and police.&nbsp;

&quot;I don&#39;t understand why we need to have an alternative force to the army and the police,&quot; said Sunni member of parliament (MP) Raad al-Dahlaki. &quot;As it stands now, it would constitute something that looks like Iran&#39;s Revolutionary Guard,&quot; he added.

They also said that the law will escalate sectarian tensions between the two communities in the war-torn country.&nbsp;

The law, however, doesn&#39;t say anything about the number of the fighters that will be incorporated under the newly legalised Popular Mobilisation corps, though the corps already claims to have a more than 11,000 fighters.&nbsp;

Iraqi forces started an offensive on October 17 to capture Mosul, the last major city of the Islamic State&#39;s stronghold in Iraq, on October 17. The Popular Mobilisation corps are supporting the forces, and Shia militias will be working alongside to fight the terror group.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

The session was boycotted by lawmakers from the Sunni minority who object to the existence of armed forces outside the army and police

The Iraqi parliament on Saturday approved a law that will recognise the coalition of Shia militias, the Popular Mobilisation forces, as separate military corps, Reuters reported. According to the law, the Iranian-backed coalition will now work alongside the military to fight the Islamic State. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi hailed the legislation. The legislation was welcomed by 208 of the 327 members, comprising all Shiite blocks in the parliament. Lawyers from the Sunni minority, however, boycotted the bill, raising objection to the existence of armed forces outside the army and police. "I don't understand why we need to have an alternative force to the army and the police," said Sunni member of parliament (MP) Raad al-Dahlaki. "As it stands now, it would constitute something that looks like Iran's Revolutionary Guard," he added. They also said that the law will escalate sectarian tensions between the two communities in the war-torn country. The law, however, doesn't say anything about the number of the fighters that will be incorporated under the newly legalised Popular Mobilisation corps, though the corps already claims to have a more than 11,000 fighters. Iraqi forces started an offensive on October 17 to capture Mosul, the last major city of the Islamic State's stronghold in Iraq, on October 17. The Popular Mobilisation corps are supporting the forces, and Shia militias will be working alongside to fight the terror group. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Iraq's parliament passes law legalising Shia militias into military corps

Qatar will continue to arm Syrian rebels even if Donald Trump ends US backing for the multinational effort, Doha&#39;s foreign minister said in an interview, signalling its determination to pursue a policy the US President-elect may abandon.

But foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said the wealthy Gulf state would not &quot;go solo&quot; and supply shoulder-fired missiles to the rebels to defend themselves against Syrian and Russian warplanes.

While the rebels needed more military support, any move to supply &quot;Manpad&quot; anti-aircraft weapons to them would have to be decided collectively by the rebels&#39; backers, the minister, a member of Qatar&#39;s royal family, told Reuters late on Saturday.

Some Western officials worry that Gulf states, dismayed at effective Russian air support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, could supply such weapons. Washington fears they could be seized by jihadi groups and used against Western airliners.

Qatar is a top backer of rebels fighting Assad, working alongside Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Western nations in a military aid programme overseen by the US Central Intelligence Agency that provides moderate groups with arms and training.

Qatar was determined to carry on, Sheikh Mohammed said, sipping tea in his spacious office on the ministry&#39;s top floor overlooking the Gulf.

&quot;This support is going to continue, we are not going to stop it. It doesn&#39;t mean that if Aleppo falls we will give up on the demands of the Syrian people,&quot; he said.

Historically

&quot;Even if the regime captures it (Aleppo), I am sure they will have the ability to capture it back from the regime ... We need more military support, yes, but even more important we need to stop the bombardment and create safe zones for the civilians.&quot;

He said Assad was &quot;the fuel of Islamic State&quot; because his forces&#39; killing of Syrians helped the hardline group motivate young Syrian recruits. &quot;We never see any effort for him fighting Daesh,&quot; he said.

But Trump has signalled opposition to US support for the rebels, indicating he could abandon them to focus on fighting Islamic State which controls land in eastern and central Syria.

He might even cooperate against IS with Russia, which has been bombing the rebels for more than a year in western Syria. In an interview published this month, Assad said Trump would be a &quot;natural ally&quot; if he decides to &quot;fight the terrorists&quot;.

&quot;We want to have the US with us, for sure, they have been our historic ally,&quot; Sheikh Mohammed said.

&quot;But if they want to change their minds, are we going to change our position? For us, in Qatar at least, we are not going to change our position. Our position is based on principles, values and on our assessment of the situation there.&quot;

Qatar and other Gulf states believe the nationalist Sunni rebels are needed to build a stable Syria. But their policy has long been hampered by splits in the opposition and the prominent role jihadists have played in the insurgency.

Assad&#39;s government has accused Gulf states of backing what it calls terrorist groups in the country. Gulf states deny this and Sheikh Mohammed said any group that shared the values of al Qaeda was neither effective nor useful.

Assad, a member of the minority Alawite sect, is dependent on military support from Russia, Iran and Shi&#39;ite Islamist militias in the fight with the Sunni Muslim insurgency.

Sheikh Mohammed suggested that Trump&#39;s views about Syria might evolve once in office when he received intelligence reports about the &quot;reality&quot; on the ground.

Sheikh Mohammed said the reality was that Assad and violence by his forces were the core security risk, and that Islamic State was an outgrowth of the civil war. More hardline groups would emerge if the war does not come to a just end.

&quot;If we are not going to address the cause of all this ... without addressing the issue of al-Assad, we will have another extremist group, it will be more extreme and more brutal,&quot; he said, noting that Islamic State had evolved from al Qaeda.

Problems for decades

The minister hit out at Egypt, normally a close Gulf Arab ally, for appearing to side with Assad, and criticised Iran for what he said was interference in the affairs of Arab states.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, whose flagging economy has received billions of dollars from Gulf states, has supported Russia&#39;s decision to bomb in support of Assad.

&quot;For us unfortunately Egypt is supporting the regime ... We hope that they come back and be with us,&quot; he said. Support for Assad was the same as supporting terrorism, he said, &quot;because he is a terrorist and he is on equal footing with Daesh&quot;.

Sheikh Mohammed chided Western politicians for using anti-Muslim and anti-refugee rhetoric in election campaigns, saying it was against the values the West had long stood for.

&quot;Unfortunately these narratives ... will cause problems for decades because in Europe and the United States, the Muslim community is part of the texture of their society ... It will help them maybe to win the election but it will last for decades, it will create a problem within their communities.&quot;

(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

Qatar said it will continue to arm the rebels against Russian and Syrian forces after Trump signalled opposition to the multinational effort

Qatar will continue to arm Syrian rebels even if Donald Trump ends US backing for the multinational effort, Doha's foreign minister said in an interview, signalling its determination to pursue a policy the US President-elect may abandon. But foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said the wealthy Gulf state would not "go solo" and supply shoulder-fired missiles to the rebels to defend themselves against Syrian and Russian warplanes. While the rebels needed more military support, any move to supply "Manpad" anti-aircraft weapons to them would have to be decided collectively by the rebels' backers, the minister, a member of Qatar's royal family, told Reuters late on Saturday. Some Western officials worry that Gulf states, dismayed at effective Russian air support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, could supply such weapons. Washington fears they could be seized by jihadi groups and used against Western airliners. Qatar is a top backer of rebels fighting Assad, working alongside Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Western nations in a military aid programme overseen by the US Central Intelligence Agency that provides moderate groups with arms and training. Qatar was determined to carry on, Sheikh Mohammed said, sipping tea in his spacious office on the ministry's top floor overlooking the Gulf. "This support is going to continue, we are not going to stop it. It doesn't mean that if Aleppo falls we will give up on the demands of the Syrian people," he said. Historically "Even if the regime captures it (Aleppo), I am sure they will have the ability to capture it back from the regime ... We need more military support, yes, but even more important we need to stop the bombardment and create safe zones for the civilians." He said Assad was "the fuel of Islamic State" because his forces' killing of Syrians helped the hardline group motivate young Syrian recruits. "We never see any effort for him fighting Daesh," he said. But Trump has signalled opposition to US support for the rebels, indicating he could abandon them to focus on fighting Islamic State which controls land in eastern and central Syria. He might even cooperate against IS with Russia, which has been bombing the rebels for more than a year in western Syria. In an interview published this month, Assad said Trump would be a "natural ally" if he decides to "fight the terrorists". "We want to have the US with us, for sure, they have been our historic ally," Sheikh Mohammed said. "But if they want to change their minds, are we going to change our position? For us, in Qatar at least, we are not going to change our position. Our position is based on principles, values and on our assessment of the situation there." Qatar and other Gulf states believe the nationalist Sunni rebels are needed to build a stable Syria. But their policy has long been hampered by splits in the opposition and the prominent role jihadists have played in the insurgency. Assad's government has accused Gulf states of backing what it calls terrorist groups in the country. Gulf states deny this and Sheikh Mohammed said any group that shared the values of al Qaeda was neither effective nor useful. Assad, a member of the minority Alawite sect, is dependent on military support from Russia, Iran and Shi'ite Islamist militias in the fight with the Sunni Muslim insurgency. Sheikh Mohammed suggested that Trump's views about Syria might evolve once in office when he received intelligence reports about the "reality" on the ground. Sheikh Mohammed said the reality was that Assad and violence by his forces were the core security risk, and that Islamic State was an outgrowth of the civil war. More hardline groups would emerge if the war does not come to a just end. "If we are not going to address the cause of all this ... without addressing the issue of al-Assad, we will have another extremist group, it will be more extreme and more brutal," he said, noting that Islamic State had evolved from al Qaeda. Problems for decades The minister hit out at Egypt, normally a close Gulf Arab ally, for appearing to side with Assad, and criticised Iran for what he said was interference in the affairs of Arab states. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, whose flagging economy has received billions of dollars from Gulf states, has supported Russia's decision to bomb in support of Assad. "For us unfortunately Egypt is supporting the regime ... We hope that they come back and be with us," he said. Support for Assad was the same as supporting terrorism, he said, "because he is a terrorist and he is on equal footing with Daesh". Sheikh Mohammed chided Western politicians for using anti-Muslim and anti-refugee rhetoric in election campaigns, saying it was against the values the West had long stood for. "Unfortunately these narratives ... will cause problems for decades because in Europe and the United States, the Muslim community is part of the texture of their society ... It will help them maybe to win the election but it will last for decades, it will create a problem within their communities." (Reuters)

Qatar will help Syrian rebels even if Trump ends US role

Islamic State has been using drones to attack Iraqi troops advancing on the northern city of Mosul, the militant group&#39;s last major urban stronghold in country, the military said on Thursday.

Iraqi forces, with air and ground support from a US-led coalition, launched an offensive on October 17 to retake Mosul in the most complex campaign in Iraq since the US-led 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. Troops have been fighting inside eastern Mosul since the start of the month.

Army officers showed journalists several drones looking like model aircraft which they said the group had built to scout out targets or launch attacks.

&quot;These drones were found in one of the houses (retaken by the army),&quot; Lieutenant General Abdul Wahab al-Saidi of Iraq&#39;s US-trained Counter Terrorism Service told reporters at a military headquarters in a Mosul suburb.

&quot;Islamic State uses drones for surveillance and sometimes it attaches explosives to them and uses to target commanders or headquarters,&quot; he said. He did not say whether the drone attacks had been successful.

Another officer said the drones had a range of one-and-a-half miles.

The Iraqi military estimates there are 5,000 to 6,000 insurgents in Mosul facing a 100,000-strong coalition of Iraqi government units, Kurdish peshmerga and Shi&#39;ite militias.

Iraqi troops have faced fierce resistance from militants in the city who are moving around the city through tunnels, driving suicide car bombs into advancing soldiers and hitting them with sniper and mortar fire.

(Reuters)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Army officers showed reporters several drones looking like model aircraft which they said the group had built to scout out targets

Islamic State has been using drones to attack Iraqi troops advancing on the northern city of Mosul, the militant group's last major urban stronghold in country, the military said on Thursday. Iraqi forces, with air and ground support from a US-led coalition, launched an offensive on October 17 to retake Mosul in the most complex campaign in Iraq since the US-led 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. Troops have been fighting inside eastern Mosul since the start of the month. Army officers showed journalists several drones looking like model aircraft which they said the group had built to scout out targets or launch attacks. "These drones were found in one of the houses (retaken by the army)," Lieutenant General Abdul Wahab al-Saidi of Iraq's US-trained Counter Terrorism Service told reporters at a military headquarters in a Mosul suburb. "Islamic State uses drones for surveillance and sometimes it attaches explosives to them and uses to target commanders or headquarters," he said. He did not say whether the drone attacks had been successful. Another officer said the drones had a range of one-and-a-half miles. The Iraqi military estimates there are 5,000 to 6,000 insurgents in Mosul facing a 100,000-strong coalition of Iraqi government units, Kurdish peshmerga and Shi'ite militias. Iraqi troops have faced fierce resistance from militants in the city who are moving around the city through tunnels, driving suicide car bombs into advancing soldiers and hitting them with sniper and mortar fire. (Reuters)

Islamic State using drones to attack troops in Mosul: Iraq army

The number of besieged Syrians has more than doubled over the past year to nearly one million, the United Nations aid chief told the Security Council on Monday, as the United States named 13 Syrian military commanders it accused of killing civilians.&nbsp;

Some 850,000 of those people are besieged by government forces, the United Nations said, while the rest are trapped by Islamic State militants and other armed groups.

&quot;There is nothing subtle or complicated about the practise of besiegement. Civilians are being isolated, starved, bombed and denied medical attention and humanitarian assistance in order to force them to submit or flee,&quot; U.N. aid chief Stephen O&#39;Brien told the 15-member council during a monthly briefing.

O&#39;Brien again urged strong action from the Security Council to back its resolutions calling for an end to attacks on civilians, humanitarian aid access and a lifting of sieges.&nbsp;

&quot;Without strong backing from each of you, red lines will be crossed again and again; international humanitarian law will be trampled on; war crimes will be committed. And until there is action by you, there will be no accountability,&quot; O&#39;Brien said.&nbsp;

The council has been divided over how to end the nearly six-year war, with Syrian ally Russia, backed by China, protecting President Bashar al-Assad from council action by vetoing several resolutions, including a bid to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court.&nbsp;

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, named 13 Syrian military commanders she said had been involved in killing and injuring civilians since 2011 through air and ground assaults, and detaining and torturing civilians.&nbsp;

&quot;The United States will not let those who have commanded units involved in these actions hide anonymously behind the facade of the Assad regime,&quot; Power told the council.&nbsp;

&quot;Those behind such attacks must know that we and the international community are watching their actions, documenting their abuses, and one day, they will be held accountable,&quot; she said.&nbsp;

However, Russian Deputy U.N. Ambassador Vladimir Safronkov accused Power of being hypocritical by not naming militants for killing civilians, and criticised her for naming the Syrian military commanders.&nbsp;

&quot;You forgot even about your own golden standard of the presumption of innocence,&quot; Safronkov told the Security Council. &quot;This is something that can only be decided by legal proceedings. This is something that is elementary.&quot;

(Reuters)

Some 850,000 of those people are trapped by government forces, the rest by IS and other armed forces

The number of besieged Syrians has more than doubled over the past year to nearly one million, the United Nations aid chief told the Security Council on Monday, as the United States named 13 Syrian military commanders it accused of killing civilians. Some 850,000 of those people are besieged by government forces, the United Nations said, while the rest are trapped by Islamic State militants and other armed groups. "There is nothing subtle or complicated about the practise of besiegement. Civilians are being isolated, starved, bombed and denied medical attention and humanitarian assistance in order to force them to submit or flee," U.N. aid chief Stephen O'Brien told the 15-member council during a monthly briefing. O'Brien again urged strong action from the Security Council to back its resolutions calling for an end to attacks on civilians, humanitarian aid access and a lifting of sieges. "Without strong backing from each of you, red lines will be crossed again and again; international humanitarian law will be trampled on; war crimes will be committed. And until there is action by you, there will be no accountability," O'Brien said. The council has been divided over how to end the nearly six-year war, with Syrian ally Russia, backed by China, protecting President Bashar al-Assad from council action by vetoing several resolutions, including a bid to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, named 13 Syrian military commanders she said had been involved in killing and injuring civilians since 2011 through air and ground assaults, and detaining and torturing civilians. "The United States will not let those who have commanded units involved in these actions hide anonymously behind the facade of the Assad regime," Power told the council. "Those behind such attacks must know that we and the international community are watching their actions, documenting their abuses, and one day, they will be held accountable," she said. However, Russian Deputy U.N. Ambassador Vladimir Safronkov accused Power of being hypocritical by not naming militants for killing civilians, and criticised her for naming the Syrian military commanders. "You forgot even about your own golden standard of the presumption of innocence," Safronkov told the Security Council. "This is something that can only be decided by legal proceedings. This is something that is elementary." (Reuters)

Number of besieged Syrians doubled to 1 million in past year: UN

When Islamic State took control of large parts of Iraq in 2014, many people fled their homes fearing violence.&nbsp;Two years on, a coalition comprising Iraqi forces, the Peshmerga Kurdish forces, the Popular Mobilisation Units and several international forces have succeeded in reclaiming large swathes of the IS-held territory.

Many people now want to go back to their lives, their towns, their villages. They are itching to abandon the refugee camps or the temporary accommodations they currently live in and return to the safe confines of their homes.

However, the process is not easy and poses significant challenges.

Having been embedded with the Liwa al-Muntadhir for three days, it is clear that obstacles for people to return to their homes are both practical and cultural.

Liwa al-Muntadhir is affiliated to al-Hashd al-Shaabi, or Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), an umbrella organisation formed by Shiite Muslims who took up arms against Islamic State on the insistence of their spiritual leader, the Ayatollah Ali Sistani.

In a tiny hamlet, some 20 kilometres&nbsp;from Mosul and close to the small PMF base of Keherz, a de-miner clears the area of booby traps and improvised explosive devices (IED). &ldquo;This man works day and night to clear the villages from bombs. Only today he found 35 rudimental bombs in two villages,&rdquo; says one of the soldiers escorting us.&nbsp;

Explosive devices are hidden everywhere --&nbsp;inside homes, warehouses, sheepfolds, along the streets and&nbsp;underneath haystacks.

Some of the devices are extremely dangerous, made of two parts, one placed underneath the other. The first part of the device is normally visible, placed just a few centimetres underground. The second part is placed some 20 centimetres deeper. Deactivating such bombs is fraught with danger because they are more likely to explode when one tries to pull&nbsp;out the second part of the device.

It is&nbsp;not just explosives of that ilk that are giving de-miners sleepless nights. There are bombs hidden in the village that can detonate if someone uses a phone or a walkie-talkie in the vicinity. A phone call in the wrong place could easily cost someone&rsquo;s life.

This small settlement was once home to a rural community, mainly shepherds. A little over 50 people resided here in the ten houses before IS came in. It is neither well-connected&nbsp;nor located in a strategic area, nevertheless, Islamic State&rsquo;s fighters took time and effort to fill this place with explosives. This gives a clear idea of the level of danger the Iraqi army and the civilians face while getting close&nbsp;to the centre of Mosul, once home to a population of 2.5 million.

Bombs are not the only obstacle for people to return though --&nbsp;and&nbsp;paradoxically, not even the most dangerous. Neutralising these devices is a risky and a time-consuming affair but once the bombs are defused, the problem is gone.&nbsp;

It is the religious and sectarian obstacles that are far more dangerous.

All areas surrounding the city of Mosul are mainly Sunni-dominant and the consistent presence of the al-Hashd al-Shaabi, a mainly Shia organisation, scares many inhabitants.

There is no official figure&nbsp;but the organisation counts on roughly 70,000&nbsp;men and has claimed its right to participate in what could be the final step of the Iraqi war against the caliphate. It is an organisation made up of many minor groups. Some of them have a long history in Iraq and are directly connected with the Iran-backed Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI).

Iraq&#39;s central government -- mainly consisting of Shia politicians --&nbsp;has also been&nbsp;in direct touch with them and&nbsp;views the organisation as a legitimate force.&nbsp;

The impression is that of a political energy, originating from the religious majority of Iraq and aiming to establish its presence on the ground after more than thirty years of the Saddam Hussein&rsquo;s Sunni-led dictatorship.

The road ahead

Al-Hasd al-Shaabi forces now have full control of territories in the south and west of Mosul. Their main goal is to occupy all roads leading to Syria, both to cut IS&rsquo; supply chain and to prevent them from entering the neighbouring country where Islamic State still controls a consistent area.&nbsp;

&ldquo;We are going to finish Daesh (Islamic State) inside Iraq. We are going to bury them here, they will not go to Syria,&rdquo; says the Liwa al-Munthadir unit commander Said Ahmed.

Their current operation is to weed out IS fighters from the town of Tal Afar, which is located on a highway leading to Syria and west of Mosul. Although the battle is currently on, al-Hashd al-Shaabi fighters managed to take over the town&rsquo;s airport on the night of November 16.

From the town of al-Qayyarah to the city of Mosul, everything is under their control -- from the frontline to all law enforcement activities.&nbsp;

Many civilians who were living in Sunni-controlled areas are now under al-Hashd al-Shaabi&#39;s control, but people are now scared to go back to their villages, fearing sectarian violence.

During operations to reconquer other major cities under Islamic State control, especially Fallujah, members of the al-Hasd al-Shaabi had been accused by the United Nations to have committed heinous crimes against civilians who they believed had supported IS&#39; caliphate.

&ldquo;This is not true,&rdquo; says the unit&rsquo;s commander Said Ahmed. &ldquo;Daesh commits all these crimes and then accuses us. They tell the civilians that we will burn their houses, but this is not true. We are here to protect everyone in Iraq, we are all Iraqis, be it&nbsp;Sunnis, Yazidis or&nbsp;Christians. We are here to fight Daesh, which for us is not (a) Muslim (organisation).&rdquo;

Physical violence is not the only fear many Sunni Muslims have.&nbsp;There are other subtle forms of violence which are keeping them away. Living as a Sunni under a newly Shia-controlled town could make it difficult to find a good job&nbsp;or a good house, for instance.

The potential problems of coexistence between the two communities is a major challenge for the future of Iraq and, if mismanaged, could pave the way for a dangerous thirst for revenge within the many Sunni tribes living in the country.&nbsp;

(WION)

Besides the hundreds of bombs planted by Islamic State, Sunnis are concerned about the growing influence of Shias in the region

When Islamic State took control of large parts of Iraq in 2014, many people fled their homes fearing violence. Two years on, a coalition comprising Iraqi forces, the Peshmerga Kurdish forces, the Popular Mobilisation Units and several international forces have succeeded in reclaiming large swathes of the IS-held territory. Many people now want to go back to their lives, their towns, their villages. They are itching to abandon the refugee camps or the temporary accommodations they currently live in and return to the safe confines of their homes. However, the process is not easy and poses significant challenges. Having been embedded with the Liwa al-Muntadhir for three days, it is clear that obstacles for people to return to their homes are both practical and cultural. Liwa al-Muntadhir is affiliated to al-Hashd al-Shaabi, or Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), an umbrella organisation formed by Shiite Muslims who took up arms against Islamic State on the insistence of their spiritual leader, the Ayatollah Ali Sistani. In a tiny hamlet, some 20 kilometres from Mosul and close to the small PMF base of Keherz, a de-miner clears the area of booby traps and improvised explosive devices (IED). “This man works day and night to clear the villages from bombs. Only today he found 35 rudimental bombs in two villages,” says one of the soldiers escorting us. Explosive devices are hidden everywhere -- inside homes, warehouses, sheepfolds, along the streets and underneath haystacks. Some of the devices are extremely dangerous, made of two parts, one placed underneath the other. The first part of the device is normally visible, placed just a few centimetres underground. The second part is placed some 20 centimetres deeper. Deactivating such bombs is fraught with danger because they are more likely to explode when one tries to pull out the second part of the device. It is not just explosives of that ilk that are giving de-miners sleepless nights. There are bombs hidden in the village that can detonate if someone uses a phone or a walkie-talkie in the vicinity. A phone call in the wrong place could easily cost someone’s life. This small settlement was once home to a rural community, mainly shepherds. A little over 50 people resided here in the ten houses before IS came in. It is neither well-connected nor located in a strategic area, nevertheless, Islamic State’s fighters took time and effort to fill this place with explosives. This gives a clear idea of the level of danger the Iraqi army and the civilians face while getting close to the centre of Mosul, once home to a population of 2.5 million. Bombs are not the only obstacle for people to return though -- and paradoxically, not even the most dangerous. Neutralising these devices is a risky and a time-consuming affair but once the bombs are defused, the problem is gone. It is the religious and sectarian obstacles that are far more dangerous. All areas surrounding the city of Mosul are mainly Sunni-dominant and the consistent presence of the al-Hashd al-Shaabi, a mainly Shia organisation, scares many inhabitants. There is no official figure but the organisation counts on roughly 70,000 men and has claimed its right to participate in what could be the final step of the Iraqi war against the caliphate. It is an organisation made up of many minor groups. Some of them have a long history in Iraq and are directly connected with the Iran-backed Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI). Iraq's central government -- mainly consisting of Shia politicians -- has also been in direct touch with them and views the organisation as a legitimate force. The impression is that of a political energy, originating from the religious majority of Iraq and aiming to establish its presence on the ground after more than thirty years of the Saddam Hussein’s Sunni-led dictatorship. The road ahead Al-Hasd al-Shaabi forces now have full control of territories in the south and west of Mosul. Their main goal is to occupy all roads leading to Syria, both to cut IS’ supply chain and to prevent them from entering the neighbouring country where Islamic State still controls a consistent area. “We are going to finish Daesh (Islamic State) inside Iraq. We are going to bury them here, they will not go to Syria,” says the Liwa al-Munthadir unit commander Said Ahmed. Their current operation is to weed out IS fighters from the town of Tal Afar, which is located on a highway leading to Syria and west of Mosul. Although the battle is currently on, al-Hashd al-Shaabi fighters managed to take over the town’s airport on the night of November 16. From the town of al-Qayyarah to the city of Mosul, everything is under their control -- from the frontline to all law enforcement activities. Many civilians who were living in Sunni-controlled areas are now under al-Hashd al-Shaabi's control, but people are now scared to go back to their villages, fearing sectarian violence. During operations to reconquer other major cities under Islamic State control, especially Fallujah, members of the al-Hasd al-Shaabi had been accused by the United Nations to have committed heinous crimes against civilians who they believed had supported IS' caliphate. “This is not true,” says the unit’s commander Said Ahmed. “Daesh commits all these crimes and then accuses us. They tell the civilians that we will burn their houses, but this is not true. We are here to protect everyone in Iraq, we are all Iraqis, be it Sunnis, Yazidis or Christians. We are here to fight Daesh, which for us is not (a) Muslim (organisation).” Physical violence is not the only fear many Sunni Muslims have. There are other subtle forms of violence which are keeping them away. Living as a Sunni under a newly Shia-controlled town could make it difficult to find a good job or a good house, for instance. The potential problems of coexistence between the two communities is a major challenge for the future of Iraq and, if mismanaged, could pave the way for a dangerous thirst for revenge within the many Sunni tribes living in the country. (WION)

Active bombs, sectarian backlash create obstacles to Iraqis' homecoming

Jihadists belonging to the so-called Islamic State group may have manufactured sulphur mustard gas used in attacks in Syria and Iraq themselves, the head of a global watchdog told AFP Friday.

Samples analysed by experts with the Organisation for the Prohibition of&nbsp;Chemical&nbsp;Weapons &quot;suggest that this substance may have been produced by ISIS itself,&quot; the body&#39;s director general Ahmet Uzumcu said, adding it was of &quot;poor quality but still harmful&quot; and the development was &quot;extremely worrying&quot;.

The global watchdog tasked with destroying&nbsp;chemical&nbsp;weapons is probing more than 20 reports of the alleged use of toxic arms in Syria since August, its chief told AFP Friday.

Experts with the Organisation for the Prohibition of&nbsp;Chemical&nbsp;Weapons also believe the so-called Islamic State group may have itself manufactured &nbsp;mustard gas used in attacks in Syria and Iraq, the body&#39;s director general Ahmet Uzumcu said.

It was an &quot;extremely worrying&quot; development for the OPCW, he said, as the organisation marks its 20th anniversary in 2017 having overseen the destruction of 94 per cent of the world&#39;s declared&nbsp;chemical&nbsp;weapons.

With the United States and Russia now on target to destroy their last remaining stockpiles within the next seven years, Uzumcu said stopping jihadists and individual groups getting hold of&nbsp;chemical&nbsp;weapons was &quot;a challenge&quot; which was &quot;at the top of the agenda&quot; for the organisation based in The Hague.

He was speaking exclusively to AFP only hours after the UN Security Council extended the mandate for another year of a special joint UN and OPCW panel to allow it to investigate&nbsp;chemical&nbsp;attacks which have been reported in Syria this year.

Since&nbsp;August 1&nbsp;there had been a number of allegations, by both the Syrian regime and the opposition rebels, of the &quot;use of chlorine and unidentified agents in Aleppo and in northern parts of Syria&quot; such as Idlib, he said.

Vigilance needed

The OPCW is already &quot;collecting information and analysing&quot; it, the OPCW director general said, to see if the allegations &quot;are credible or not in order to deepen our investigation&quot;.

&quot;The number (of allegations) is quite high. I counted more than 20,&quot; said Uzumcu, revealing that even&nbsp;on Thursday&nbsp;the Syrian authorities had sent to the OPCW fresh reports of&nbsp;chemical&nbsp;weapons use against them.

The panel set up by the UN, known as the Joint Investigative Mechanism, has already determined during a year-long probe that Syrian government forces carried out three chlorine gas attacks on villages in 2014 and 2015.

It was the first time that an international inquiry pointed the finger of blame at President Bashar al-Assad and his forces, after years of denial from Damascus since the start of the civil war in 2011.&nbsp;

The joint panel also found that Islamic State, which captured a large swathe of Iraq and Syria in 2014, was behind a mustard gas attack in Syria in August 2015.

Samples of mustard gas taken from attacks in Syria and Iraq have been analysed by the OPCW&#39;s laboratories in The Netherlands and &quot;the findings do suggest that this substance may have been produced by ISIS itself,&quot; said Uzumcu.

It was &quot;poor quality, but still harmful ... and it was weaponised so it&#39;s extremely worrying,&quot; the OPCW chief said.

&quot;Especially given the fact that there are several foreign fighters in those countries who may go back to their countries of origin one day. This requires a high-degree of vigilance within our countries.&quot;&nbsp;

OPCW experts were now &quot;trying to prioritise&quot; the fresh allegations out of Syria as &quot;I don&#39;t think we will be able to investigate them all,&quot; Uzumcu said, highlighting the difficulties of working in a war zone.

Serious threat

After an OPCW team hit a home-made roadside bomb in Syria in early 2014, experts can no longer travel outside of Damascus. They interview witnesses, sometimes in person, and gather material through a variety of sources.&nbsp;

The Syrian government has provided information about alleged&nbsp;chemical&nbsp;weapons attacks against regime forces which they have reported to the OPCW, but despite requests about alleged attacks in opposition-held areas &quot;we didn&#39;t receive any input on those&quot;, Uzumcu said.

Only four nations have not yet signed up to the&nbsp;Chemical&nbsp;Weapons Convention -- Egypt, Israel, North Korea and South Sudan.

The OPCW&#39;s 192 member nations are now preparing for their annual conference here which opens on&nbsp;November 28, and comes after its policy-making body last week issued an unprecedented condemnation of Syria and IS for using&nbsp;chemical&nbsp;weapons.&nbsp;A Syrian representative is expected to attend the talks.

Uzumcu also revealed that a special team of up to 15 people has been established in the past year ready to deploy&nbsp;within 24 hours&nbsp;if any state asks for help following a suspected&nbsp;chemical&nbsp;attack, perhaps by militant or extremist groups.

&quot;We take very seriously this threat, I&#39;m personally concerned. This is a real threat,&quot; he said.

(AFP)

Organisation for the Prohibition of?Chemical?Weapons said they were of 'poor quality' but harmful nevertheless

Jihadists belonging to the so-called Islamic State group may have manufactured sulphur mustard gas used in attacks in Syria and Iraq themselves, the head of a global watchdog told AFP Friday. Samples analysed by experts with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons "suggest that this substance may have been produced by ISIS itself," the body's director general Ahmet Uzumcu said, adding it was of "poor quality but still harmful" and the development was "extremely worrying". The global watchdog tasked with destroying chemical weapons is probing more than 20 reports of the alleged use of toxic arms in Syria since August, its chief told AFP Friday. Experts with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons also believe the so-called Islamic State group may have itself manufactured mustard gas used in attacks in Syria and Iraq, the body's director general Ahmet Uzumcu said. It was an "extremely worrying" development for the OPCW, he said, as the organisation marks its 20th anniversary in 2017 having overseen the destruction of 94 per cent of the world's declared chemical weapons. With the United States and Russia now on target to destroy their last remaining stockpiles within the next seven years, Uzumcu said stopping jihadists and individual groups getting hold of chemical weapons was "a challenge" which was "at the top of the agenda" for the organisation based in The Hague. He was speaking exclusively to AFP only hours after the UN Security Council extended the mandate for another year of a special joint UN and OPCW panel to allow it to investigate chemical attacks which have been reported in Syria this year. Since August 1 there had been a number of allegations, by both the Syrian regime and the opposition rebels, of the "use of chlorine and unidentified agents in Aleppo and in northern parts of Syria" such as Idlib, he said. Vigilance needed The OPCW is already "collecting information and analysing" it, the OPCW director general said, to see if the allegations "are credible or not in order to deepen our investigation". "The number (of allegations) is quite high. I counted more than 20," said Uzumcu, revealing that even on Thursday the Syrian authorities had sent to the OPCW fresh reports of chemical weapons use against them. The panel set up by the UN, known as the Joint Investigative Mechanism, has already determined during a year-long probe that Syrian government forces carried out three chlorine gas attacks on villages in 2014 and 2015. It was the first time that an international inquiry pointed the finger of blame at President Bashar al-Assad and his forces, after years of denial from Damascus since the start of the civil war in 2011. The joint panel also found that Islamic State, which captured a large swathe of Iraq and Syria in 2014, was behind a mustard gas attack in Syria in August 2015. Samples of mustard gas taken from attacks in Syria and Iraq have been analysed by the OPCW's laboratories in The Netherlands and "the findings do suggest that this substance may have been produced by ISIS itself," said Uzumcu. It was "poor quality, but still harmful ... and it was weaponised so it's extremely worrying," the OPCW chief said. "Especially given the fact that there are several foreign fighters in those countries who may go back to their countries of origin one day. This requires a high-degree of vigilance within our countries." OPCW experts were now "trying to prioritise" the fresh allegations out of Syria as "I don't think we will be able to investigate them all," Uzumcu said, highlighting the difficulties of working in a war zone. Serious threat After an OPCW team hit a home-made roadside bomb in Syria in early 2014, experts can no longer travel outside of Damascus. They interview witnesses, sometimes in person, and gather material through a variety of sources. The Syrian government has provided information about alleged chemical weapons attacks against regime forces which they have reported to the OPCW, but despite requests about alleged attacks in opposition-held areas "we didn't receive any input on those", Uzumcu said. Only four nations have not yet signed up to the Chemical Weapons Convention -- Egypt, Israel, North Korea and South Sudan. The OPCW's 192 member nations are now preparing for their annual conference here which opens on November 28, and comes after its policy-making body last week issued an unprecedented condemnation of Syria and IS for using chemical weapons. A Syrian representative is expected to attend the talks. Uzumcu also revealed that a special team of up to 15 people has been established in the past year ready to deploy within 24 hours if any state asks for help following a suspected chemical attack, perhaps by militant or extremist groups. "We take very seriously this threat, I'm personally concerned. This is a real threat," he said. (AFP)

Islamic State likely making chemical weapons by themselves: Watchdog

Iraqi Shi&#39;ite militias said on Wednesday they had driven Islamic State fighters from an air base west of Mosul, a victory which would threaten the Sunni group&#39;s supply route from Syria to its last major stronghold in Iraq.

 
&quot;The airport of Tal Afar has been liberated,&quot; Yusif al-Kallabi, a spokesman for Popular Mobilisation, a coalition of mainly Iranian-backed militias, told Iraqi state TV.&nbsp;

 
The capture of the base, if confirmed, could be a significant development in the campaign to recapture Mosul, Islamic State&#39;s de facto capital since its forces swept through Iraq in 2014 and set up a self-declared caliphate in a swathe of Syria and northern Iraq.

 
Tal Afar lies about 60 km (38 miles) west of Mosul on the main road to Syria. Its seizure could also alarm Turkey, which is wary of Iraqi Shi&#39;ite involvement in the civil war in Syria.

 
&quot;Tal Afar will be the starting block for the liberation of all the area...to the Syrian border and beyond the Syria border,&quot; said Hadi al-Amiri, head of Badr Organisation, Popular Mobilisation&#39;s largest component, in a video clip.

 
While the Shi&#39;ite coalition is fighting Islamic State west of Mosul, regular army and police units are trying to advance from the other sides, backed by Kurdish Peshmerga fighters deployed in the north and the east.

 
Iraqi counter-terrorism forces breached Islamic State defences in east Mosul two weeks ago but have faced resistance from the militants, who have fought back with suicide car bombs, snipers and waves of counter-attacks.

 
The campaign that began on Oct. 17 with air and ground support from a U.S.-led coalition is the biggest military operation in Iraq in more than a decade of turmoil unleashed by the 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

 
Popular Mobilisation, known locally by its Arabic name Hashid Shaabi, has said it plans to use Tal Afar base to take the battle against Islamic State into Syria, fighting on the side of President Bashar al-Assad, an ally of Iran.

 
Although it officially reports to Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, it is mainly trained and equipped by Iran.

 
Popular Mobilisation&#39;s advance towards Tal Afar, which had a mixed population of mainly Shi`ite and Sunni Turkmen before Islamic State captured it in 2014, has raised the prospect of sectarian strife and alarmed neighbouring Turkey.

 
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said last month that Turkey was reinforcing its troops on the border with Iraq and would respond if the militias &quot;cause terror&quot; in Tal Afar.

 
Iraq&#39;s Abadi has sought to calm fears that the operation to recapture Tal Afar would ignite sectarian tension or escalate problems with Turkey, saying the attacking force that would enter the town will reflect its religious and ethnic make-up.

 
The Nineveh region surrounding Mosul is a mosaic of ethnic and religious communities - Arabs, Turkmen, Kurds, Yazidis, Christians, Sunnis, Shi&#39;tes - though Sunni Arabs comprise the overwhelming majority.

 
Kurds may keep territory 
The autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) suggested on Wednesday it would try to expand the area it rules in northern Iraq to include surrounding villages and towns captured by Kurdish fighters from Islamic State.

 
Kurdish Peshmerga forces &quot;will not retreat from areas retaken&quot; from Islamic State militants in Iraq, Kurdistan President Massoud Barzani said, according to Rudaw TV station.

 
Barzani&#39;s comment could rile the central government in Baghdad, which opposes his plans to expand the autonomous area, even though the two sides have been fighting together against Islamic State in Mosul.&nbsp;

 
The collapse of the Iraqi army two years ago in the face of Islamic State allowed the KRG to extend its rule over the oil-rich region of Kirkuk.

 
The government forces have been fighting in a dozen of the roughly 60 neighbourhoods on the eastern part of Mosul, which is divided by the Tigris River. They have yet to enter from the northern and the southern sides.

 
Iraqi officials say the militants have used the city&#39;s more than one million remaining residents as human shields, firing from rooftops of inhabited houses and using a network of tunnels to launch ambushes in the midst of residential areas.

 
While the presence of civilians has slowed the advance, Iraqi officials say some of their operations have been assisted by information provided by residents about Islamic State military positions.

 
Trying to stop the flow of any information out of Mosul, the militants have cracked down on communications, banning the use of mobile phones and also confiscating satellite dishes to prevent people from seeing the progress made by Iraqi forces.

 
The group has also killed civilians suspected of helping the attacking forces, sometime putting their bodies on display around the city.

 
Iraqi military estimates put the number of Islamic State fighters in the city at 5,000 to 6,000. Facing them is a 100,000-strong coalition of Iraqi government forces, Kurdish fighters and Shi&#39;ite paramilitary units.

 
Iraqi authorities have not published a casualty toll for the campaign overall - either for security forces, civilians or Islamic State fighters. The warring sides claim to have inflicted hundreds of casualties in enemy ranks.

 
Nearly 57,000 people have been displaced because of the fighting from villages and towns around the city to government-held areas, according to U.N. estimates.

 
The figure does not include the tens of thousands of people rounded up in villages around Mosul and forced to accompany Islamic State fighters to cover their retreat towards the city.

&nbsp;

(Reuters)

The ousting of IS fighters from an air base west of Mosul has given Iraqi militia a chance to threaten the crucial supply route

Iraqi Shi'ite militias said on Wednesday they had driven Islamic State fighters from an air base west of Mosul, a victory which would threaten the Sunni group's supply route from Syria to its last major stronghold in Iraq. "The airport of Tal Afar has been liberated," Yusif al-Kallabi, a spokesman for Popular Mobilisation, a coalition of mainly Iranian-backed militias, told Iraqi state TV. The capture of the base, if confirmed, could be a significant development in the campaign to recapture Mosul, Islamic State's de facto capital since its forces swept through Iraq in 2014 and set up a self-declared caliphate in a swathe of Syria and northern Iraq. Tal Afar lies about 60 km (38 miles) west of Mosul on the main road to Syria. Its seizure could also alarm Turkey, which is wary of Iraqi Shi'ite involvement in the civil war in Syria. "Tal Afar will be the starting block for the liberation of all the area...to the Syrian border and beyond the Syria border," said Hadi al-Amiri, head of Badr Organisation, Popular Mobilisation's largest component, in a video clip. While the Shi'ite coalition is fighting Islamic State west of Mosul, regular army and police units are trying to advance from the other sides, backed by Kurdish Peshmerga fighters deployed in the north and the east. Iraqi counter-terrorism forces breached Islamic State defences in east Mosul two weeks ago but have faced resistance from the militants, who have fought back with suicide car bombs, snipers and waves of counter-attacks. The campaign that began on Oct. 17 with air and ground support from a U.S.-led coalition is the biggest military operation in Iraq in more than a decade of turmoil unleashed by the 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. Popular Mobilisation, known locally by its Arabic name Hashid Shaabi, has said it plans to use Tal Afar base to take the battle against Islamic State into Syria, fighting on the side of President Bashar al-Assad, an ally of Iran. Although it officially reports to Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, it is mainly trained and equipped by Iran. Popular Mobilisation's advance towards Tal Afar, which had a mixed population of mainly Shi`ite and Sunni Turkmen before Islamic State captured it in 2014, has raised the prospect of sectarian strife and alarmed neighbouring Turkey. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said last month that Turkey was reinforcing its troops on the border with Iraq and would respond if the militias "cause terror" in Tal Afar. Iraq's Abadi has sought to calm fears that the operation to recapture Tal Afar would ignite sectarian tension or escalate problems with Turkey, saying the attacking force that would enter the town will reflect its religious and ethnic make-up. The Nineveh region surrounding Mosul is a mosaic of ethnic and religious communities - Arabs, Turkmen, Kurds, Yazidis, Christians, Sunnis, Shi'tes - though Sunni Arabs comprise the overwhelming majority. Kurds may keep territory The autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) suggested on Wednesday it would try to expand the area it rules in northern Iraq to include surrounding villages and towns captured by Kurdish fighters from Islamic State. Kurdish Peshmerga forces "will not retreat from areas retaken" from Islamic State militants in Iraq, Kurdistan President Massoud Barzani said, according to Rudaw TV station. Barzani's comment could rile the central government in Baghdad, which opposes his plans to expand the autonomous area, even though the two sides have been fighting together against Islamic State in Mosul. The collapse of the Iraqi army two years ago in the face of Islamic State allowed the KRG to extend its rule over the oil-rich region of Kirkuk. The government forces have been fighting in a dozen of the roughly 60 neighbourhoods on the eastern part of Mosul, which is divided by the Tigris River. They have yet to enter from the northern and the southern sides. Iraqi officials say the militants have used the city's more than one million remaining residents as human shields, firing from rooftops of inhabited houses and using a network of tunnels to launch ambushes in the midst of residential areas. While the presence of civilians has slowed the advance, Iraqi officials say some of their operations have been assisted by information provided by residents about Islamic State military positions. Trying to stop the flow of any information out of Mosul, the militants have cracked down on communications, banning the use of mobile phones and also confiscating satellite dishes to prevent people from seeing the progress made by Iraqi forces. The group has also killed civilians suspected of helping the attacking forces, sometime putting their bodies on display around the city. Iraqi military estimates put the number of Islamic State fighters in the city at 5,000 to 6,000. Facing them is a 100,000-strong coalition of Iraqi government forces, Kurdish fighters and Shi'ite paramilitary units. Iraqi authorities have not published a casualty toll for the campaign overall - either for security forces, civilians or Islamic State fighters. The warring sides claim to have inflicted hundreds of casualties in enemy ranks. Nearly 57,000 people have been displaced because of the fighting from villages and towns around the city to government-held areas, according to U.N. estimates. The figure does not include the tens of thousands of people rounded up in villages around Mosul and forced to accompany Islamic State fighters to cover their retreat towards the city. (Reuters)

Iraqi militia threatens Islamic State''s supply route to Syria

Iraqi Brigadier General Saad Maan stated on November 15 that the country&rsquo;s army has now secured a large area of&nbsp;eastern Mosul, the de facto capital city of the Islamic State in Iraq. During a press conference in the Qayyarah base, the main hub for the operations to reconquer the city, he said&nbsp;&quot;more than a third of this (eastern) side has been liberated&rdquo;.

US Navy Captain&nbsp;Jeff Davis told reporters at the Pentagon that despite the undeniable success in the &nbsp;operations, the battle is nowhere near over. &quot;It may be one-third cleared in terms of acreage, but it&#39;s not one-third clear in terms of challenge and task ahead,&quot; he said. &quot;As they get closer to the centre of the city, it&#39;s going to get more dense and more fierce in the fighting.&quot;

The Tigris river flows within the city, serving as the dividing line between the city&#39;s&nbsp;eastern&nbsp;and western side, the first being slightly bigger. In order to gain control over Mosul, it is primarily important to first defeat the Islamic State on the eastern side of the city and control the main five bridges crossing the river in order to isolate the remaining terrorists.

The Mosul offensive began on October 17 and succeeded in clearing the majority of the villages surrounding the city from Islamic State presence. Peshmergas, the Kurdistan regional&rsquo;s army, contributed significantly to the operations, attacking and defeating the Islamic State in their northern and northeastern territories.

After the last offensive against the town of Bashiqa, Peshmergas are likely to stop their operation. According to the agreement done with the Iraqi government, they were not supposed to enter the city of Mosul, their part of the war has now come to an end and they will secure and patrol all the reconquered areas.

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According to Iraq&#39;s&nbsp;military establishment&nbsp;the battle will proceed&nbsp;as scheduled, but they make no mystery about the many difficulties they&nbsp;face. The Islamic State is organising a strategic&nbsp;resistance,&nbsp;using the city&rsquo;s geography in their favour. Mosul, like many&nbsp;Arab towns, has&nbsp;congested neighbourhoods and many small lanes;&nbsp;it is easy to end up caught in ambushes. It is also difficult to enter the city with tanks.&nbsp;The only way to advance is in limited convoys of armoured vehicles slowly driving in the streets under heavy gunfire, mortar&nbsp;fire, suicide attacks and Improvised Explosive Devices. The Islamic State has also built a sophisticated and wide network of underground tunnels which allows them to move unseen all around the neighbourhood they control.

Brigadier General Saad Maan said that, so far, 955 IS terrorists have been killed and 108 arrested during the last phase of the offensive. There are no official figures about the casualties among the soldiers. Hospitals close to the city are receiving dozens of patients with gunfire injuries everyday, but there is no official figure regarding civilians killed during the operations.&nbsp;

The many civilians still within the city slow&nbsp;the offensive, especially airstrikes. The Islamic State often choose normal civilian houses as its bases and it is therefore difficult to understand how to proceed without killing innocent people.&nbsp;

It is very difficult to gather intelligence insights from Mosul since IS heavily controls&nbsp;all&nbsp;communications,&nbsp;and punishes with cruel death&nbsp;whoever is found guilty of any suspicious activity. This is the fate that befell&nbsp;the more than hundred persons found in a mass grave in the city of Hamam al-Alil, who were mostly policemen and people who provided useful information to the Iraqi army about IS movements in the area.

Many civilians are leaving the reconquered neighbourhood of the cities to reach the camps set up by the many international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) active in the country. According to data released by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the number of individuals who fled Mosul alone is 48,750. More than 56,000 are believed to have left their houses since the beginning of the operations, men, women and children.&nbsp;

(WION)

The Islamic State is?using Mosul's geography in their favour: congested neighbourhoods and small laneways make ambushing easy

Iraqi Brigadier General Saad Maan stated on November 15 that the country’s army has now secured a large area of eastern Mosul, the de facto capital city of the Islamic State in Iraq. During a press conference in the Qayyarah base, the main hub for the operations to reconquer the city, he said "more than a third of this (eastern) side has been liberated”. US Navy Captain Jeff Davis told reporters at the Pentagon that despite the undeniable success in the operations, the battle is nowhere near over. "It may be one-third cleared in terms of acreage, but it's not one-third clear in terms of challenge and task ahead," he said. "As they get closer to the centre of the city, it's going to get more dense and more fierce in the fighting." The Tigris river flows within the city, serving as the dividing line between the city's eastern and western side, the first being slightly bigger. In order to gain control over Mosul, it is primarily important to first defeat the Islamic State on the eastern side of the city and control the main five bridges crossing the river in order to isolate the remaining terrorists. The Mosul offensive began on October 17 and succeeded in clearing the majority of the villages surrounding the city from Islamic State presence. Peshmergas, the Kurdistan regional’s army, contributed significantly to the operations, attacking and defeating the Islamic State in their northern and northeastern territories. After the last offensive against the town of Bashiqa, Peshmergas are likely to stop their operation. According to the agreement done with the Iraqi government, they were not supposed to enter the city of Mosul, their part of the war has now come to an end and they will secure and patrol all the reconquered areas. The many civilians still within the city slow the offensive, especially airstrikes. The Islamic State often choose normal civilian houses as its bases, and it is therefore difficult to understand how to proceed without killing innocent people. × According to Iraq's military establishment the battle will proceed as scheduled, but they make no mystery about the many difficulties they face. The Islamic State is organising a strategic resistance, using the city’s geography in their favour. Mosul, like many Arab towns, has congested neighbourhoods and many small lanes; it is easy to end up caught in ambushes. It is also difficult to enter the city with tanks. The only way to advance is in limited convoys of armoured vehicles slowly driving in the streets under heavy gunfire, mortar fire, suicide attacks and Improvised Explosive Devices. The Islamic State has also built a sophisticated and wide network of underground tunnels which allows them to move unseen all around the neighbourhood they control. Brigadier General Saad Maan said that, so far, 955 IS terrorists have been killed and 108 arrested during the last phase of the offensive. There are no official figures about the casualties among the soldiers. Hospitals close to the city are receiving dozens of patients with gunfire injuries everyday, but there is no official figure regarding civilians killed during the operations. The many civilians still within the city slow the offensive, especially airstrikes. The Islamic State often choose normal civilian houses as its bases and it is therefore difficult to understand how to proceed without killing innocent people. It is very difficult to gather intelligence insights from Mosul since IS heavily controls all communications, and punishes with cruel death whoever is found guilty of any suspicious activity. This is the fate that befell the more than hundred persons found in a mass grave in the city of Hamam al-Alil, who were mostly policemen and people who provided useful information to the Iraqi army about IS movements in the area. Many civilians are leaving the reconquered neighbourhood of the cities to reach the camps set up by the many international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) active in the country. According to data released by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the number of individuals who fled Mosul alone is 48,750. More than 56,000 are believed to have left their houses since the beginning of the operations, men, women and children. (WION)

Fighting IS: The state of the Mosul offensive

Intense air strikes resumed in rebel-held districts of eastern Aleppo after a weeks-long pause on Tuesday, killing at least three people, according to residents and a war monitor.

Syrian state television said the Damascus government&#39;s air force took part in strikes against &quot;terrorist strongholds&quot; in Aleppo&#39;s Old City while Russia said it had struck Islamic State and former Nusra Front sites elsewhere in Syria, without mentioning Aleppo. The bombardment appeared to mark the end of a pause in strikes on targets inside the city declared by Syria&#39;s government and Russia on October 18.

&quot;Our houses are shaking from the pressure. Planes are soaring above us and the bombardment is around us,&quot; said Modar Shekho, a resident of eastern Aleppo. Both rocket strikes by jets and barrel bombs dropped by helicopters were used, residents and a war monitor said. State-owned Ikhabariyah television reported large troop deployments along several main fronts in the Aleppo theatre in preparation for a major ground offensive that it said was imminent and awaiting &quot;zero hour&quot; to begin.

&nbsp;

Trump

The renewed violence in Aleppo will be closely followed in Washington where President-elect Donald Trump has signalled he intends to take a different approach to Syria from that of President Barack Obama, who has backed some rebel groups. Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose approach in Syria has been praised by the US&nbsp;president-elect, spoke by phone on Monday and agreed to &quot;combine efforts to tackle international terrorism and extremism&quot;, the Kremlin said.

&nbsp;

Divisions in divisions

Aleppo has become the fiercest front in Syria&#39;s five-and-a-half-year war, pitting President Bashar al-Assad, supported by Russia, Iran and Shi&#39;ite militias against Sunni rebels including groups backed by Turkey, the United States and Gulf monarchies.

Damascus describes all the rebels fighting to oust Assad, which include both nationalist groups and jihadist factions banned by Western countries, as terrorists. Islamic State does not operate in rebel-held areas, including eastern Aleppo, but the former Nusra Front, now known as Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, does.

Aleppo has for years been divided into government-held western and rebel-held eastern sectors but the Syrian army and its allies managed to isolate and besiege the insurgent districts during the summer. Its allies include Iran&#39;s Revolutionary Guards, Lebanon&#39;s Hezbollah and Iraqi Shi&#39;ite militias.

A government offensive to retake eastern districts raged from late September to late October, backed by an intense aerial bombardment that the United Nations said killed hundreds and drew condemnation from Western countries and rights groups. However, after Damascus and Moscow announced their pause in strikes last month, a move they said was to let those who wished to quit besieged areas, rebels launched their own assault that killed dozens of civilians in west Aleppo, according to the UN.

&nbsp;

Syria&#39;s army and its allies reversed all the gains made by the rebels, who had attacked Aleppo&#39;s government-held western fringes from outside the city, and then intensified their bombardment in insurgent-held areas nearby, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, said.

On Monday and early Tuesday, air strikes hit hospitals in three towns and villages in rebel-held areas to the west of Aleppo, putting them all out of action. Damascus and Moscow both deny targeting hospitals. Other strikes, including some by suspected Russian cruise missiles, hit Saraqeb in Idlib, a province near Aleppo where many of the rebel factions have a large presence.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday Russia had launched attacks in Idlib and Homs provinces using missiles and jets from the country&#39;s only aircraft carrier, which recently arrived in the eastern Mediterranean.

&quot;We carried out exhaustive advance research on all targets,&quot; said Shoigu. &quot;We are talking about warehouses with ammunition, terrorist training centres...and factories,&quot; said Shoigu, adding that the strikes would continue. Rebels and residents in eastern Aleppo have said for more than a week that they expected a resumption in air strikes and a new assault by the army and its allies after the aircraft carrier arrived near Syria and Moscow said the pause would end.

Strikes hit the Haidariya, Hanano and Sakhour neighbourhoods, according to civil defence official Ibrahim Abu al-Laith. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strikes also hit the Sheikh Faris, Bab al-Nairab, Qadi Askar and Qaterji districts.

The Observatory and the Civil Defence rescue organisation both reported that three people had been killed and others wounded in the air strikes. &quot;It&#39;s all air strikes and parachute bombs. Today, the bombing is violent...There hasn&#39;t been this kind of attack in more than 15 days,&quot; said Abu al-Laith in Aleppo.

(Reuters)

The strikes on Tuesday killed at least three people, residents and a war monitor said

Intense air strikes resumed in rebel-held districts of eastern Aleppo after a weeks-long pause on Tuesday, killing at least three people, according to residents and a war monitor. Syrian state television said the Damascus government's air force took part in strikes against "terrorist strongholds" in Aleppo's Old City while Russia said it had struck Islamic State and former Nusra Front sites elsewhere in Syria, without mentioning Aleppo. The bombardment appeared to mark the end of a pause in strikes on targets inside the city declared by Syria's government and Russia on October 18. "Our houses are shaking from the pressure. Planes are soaring above us and the bombardment is around us," said Modar Shekho, a resident of eastern Aleppo. Both rocket strikes by jets and barrel bombs dropped by helicopters were used, residents and a war monitor said. State-owned Ikhabariyah television reported large troop deployments along several main fronts in the Aleppo theatre in preparation for a major ground offensive that it said was imminent and awaiting "zero hour" to begin. Trump The renewed violence in Aleppo will be closely followed in Washington where President-elect Donald Trump has signalled he intends to take a different approach to Syria from that of President Barack Obama, who has backed some rebel groups. Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose approach in Syria has been praised by the US president-elect, spoke by phone on Monday and agreed to "combine efforts to tackle international terrorism and extremism", the Kremlin said. Divisions in divisions Aleppo has become the fiercest front in Syria's five-and-a-half-year war, pitting President Bashar al-Assad, supported by Russia, Iran and Shi'ite militias against Sunni rebels including groups backed by Turkey, the United States and Gulf monarchies. Damascus describes all the rebels fighting to oust Assad, which include both nationalist groups and jihadist factions banned by Western countries, as terrorists. Islamic State does not operate in rebel-held areas, including eastern Aleppo, but the former Nusra Front, now known as Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, does. Aleppo has for years been divided into government-held western and rebel-held eastern sectors but the Syrian army and its allies managed to isolate and besiege the insurgent districts during the summer. Its allies include Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Lebanon's Hezbollah and Iraqi Shi'ite militias. A government offensive to retake eastern districts raged from late September to late October, backed by an intense aerial bombardment that the United Nations said killed hundreds and drew condemnation from Western countries and rights groups. However, after Damascus and Moscow announced their pause in strikes last month, a move they said was to let those who wished to quit besieged areas, rebels launched their own assault that killed dozens of civilians in west Aleppo, according to the UN. Syria's army and its allies reversed all the gains made by the rebels, who had attacked Aleppo's government-held western fringes from outside the city, and then intensified their bombardment in insurgent-held areas nearby, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, said. On Monday and early Tuesday, air strikes hit hospitals in three towns and villages in rebel-held areas to the west of Aleppo, putting them all out of action. Damascus and Moscow both deny targeting hospitals. Other strikes, including some by suspected Russian cruise missiles, hit Saraqeb in Idlib, a province near Aleppo where many of the rebel factions have a large presence. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday Russia had launched attacks in Idlib and Homs provinces using missiles and jets from the country's only aircraft carrier, which recently arrived in the eastern Mediterranean. "We carried out exhaustive advance research on all targets," said Shoigu. "We are talking about warehouses with ammunition, terrorist training centres...and factories," said Shoigu, adding that the strikes would continue. Rebels and residents in eastern Aleppo have said for more than a week that they expected a resumption in air strikes and a new assault by the army and its allies after the aircraft carrier arrived near Syria and Moscow said the pause would end. Strikes hit the Haidariya, Hanano and Sakhour neighbourhoods, according to civil defence official Ibrahim Abu al-Laith. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strikes also hit the Sheikh Faris, Bab al-Nairab, Qadi Askar and Qaterji districts. The Observatory and the Civil Defence rescue organisation both reported that three people had been killed and others wounded in the air strikes. "It's all air strikes and parachute bombs. Today, the bombing is violent...There hasn't been this kind of attack in more than 15 days," said Abu al-Laith in Aleppo. (Reuters)

Air strikes hit rebel-held east Aleppo after weeks-long pause

The anti-terrorist squad of India&#39;s northwestern state of Rajasthan has arrested an alleged Islamic State (IS) operative in Sikar district who was involved in collecting and transferring funds for the terror organisation from Dubai.

&quot;The accused identified as Jamil Ahemad (41) works in Dubai. He is a sympathiser and operative of ISIS. He had been raising funds from India, Bangladesh and UAE and transferring to the ISIS for the last two years through hawala,&quot; ADG-ATS Umesh Mishra said.

&quot;He was on our radar for some time. He came to India recently and visited his ancestral house in Fatehpur eight days back. He was picked up by us interrogation and was placed under arrest yesterday,&quot; he told PTI.

Ahemad was in touch with other ISIS operatives on social media platform. An MBA graduate, Ahemad was working as the Assistant Financial Manager at a reputed firm in Dubai since 2003.

He has a house in Mumbai where his wife and children live, Mishra said.

&quot;Our one team is in Mumbai and conducing searches at his house with the help of Mumbai ATS,&quot; he said today.

Mishra said that the accused, who has been arrested under prevention of unlawful activities act, has revealed his connections in the ISIS and says that he has no regret.

&quot;He is completely remorseless and supports the organisation. He said that those (terrorists) are fighting for a cause,&quot; the officer said, adding, that he is being interrogated.

(PTI)

The accused was allegedly involved in collecting and transferring funds for the terror organisation from Dubai

The anti-terrorist squad of India's northwestern state of Rajasthan has arrested an alleged Islamic State (IS) operative in Sikar district who was involved in collecting and transferring funds for the terror organisation from Dubai. "The accused identified as Jamil Ahemad (41) works in Dubai. He is a sympathiser and operative of ISIS. He had been raising funds from India, Bangladesh and UAE and transferring to the ISIS for the last two years through hawala," ADG-ATS Umesh Mishra said. "He was on our radar for some time. He came to India recently and visited his ancestral house in Fatehpur eight days back. He was picked up by us interrogation and was placed under arrest yesterday," he told PTI. Ahemad was in touch with other ISIS operatives on social media platform. An MBA graduate, Ahemad was working as the Assistant Financial Manager at a reputed firm in Dubai since 2003. He has a house in Mumbai where his wife and children live, Mishra said. "Our one team is in Mumbai and conducing searches at his house with the help of Mumbai ATS," he said today. Mishra said that the accused, who has been arrested under prevention of unlawful activities act, has revealed his connections in the ISIS and says that he has no regret. "He is completely remorseless and supports the organisation. He said that those (terrorists) are fighting for a cause," the officer said, adding, that he is being interrogated. (PTI)

Alleged Islamic State operative arrested in Rajasthan

Syrian President Bashar al Assad said on Tuesday that he hopes to see&nbsp;an ally in US President-elect Donald Trump if he &quot;lives up to his promise&quot; of fighting terrorists.&nbsp;

&quot;What about the countervailing forces within the (US) administration?&quot; Assad told a Portuguese television channel in reference to lobbies&nbsp;within the administration which influence the president.&nbsp;

Unlike Obama&#39;s policy,&nbsp;Trump has questioned the idea of&nbsp;backing the rebels instead of Assad, noting that he didn&#39;t like him but &quot;Assad is killing ISIS&quot;.

&quot;That&#39;s why for us it&#39;s still dubious whether he (Trump) can do or live up to his promises or not,&quot; Assad said. &quot;That is why we are very cautious in judging him...but let&#39;s say if he is going to fight the terrorists, of course we are going to be ally, natural ally with the Russians, with the Iranians,&quot; he added.

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

Trump has questioned the idea of?backing the rebels instead of Assad, noting that, while he didn't like him, 'Assad is killing ISIS'

Syrian President Bashar al Assad said on Tuesday that he hopes to see an ally in US President-elect Donald Trump if he "lives up to his promise" of fighting terrorists. "What about the countervailing forces within the (US) administration?" Assad told a Portuguese television channel in reference to lobbies within the administration which influence the president. Unlike Obama's policy, Trump has questioned the idea of backing the rebels instead of Assad, noting that he didn't like him but "Assad is killing ISIS". "That's why for us it's still dubious whether he (Trump) can do or live up to his promises or not," Assad said. "That is why we are very cautious in judging him...but let's say if he is going to fight the terrorists, of course we are going to be ally, natural ally with the Russians, with the Iranians," he added. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Syrian President hopes for 'natural ally' in Trump

An attack on an Indonesian church killed a toddler on Monday, police said, the latest assault on a religious minority in the Muslim-majority country, news agency AFP reported.

An attacker wearing a t-shirt with the word &quot;jihad&quot; on it threw explosives at the church on Borneo island on Sunday.

The Molotov cocktail thrown by the man on the motorbike injured four small children including the two-year-old Intan Olivia Marbun.

The youngsters, aged between two and four, had been playing in the car park of the church in the city of Samarinda at the time of the attack, reported AFP.

&quot;Unfortunately the doctors could not save the victim. She died early this morning,&quot; local police spokesman Fajar Setiawan told AFP. The two-year-old had suffered severe burn injuries.

The spokesman added that the other children were being treated in hospital. &quot;We hope they can come home soon,&quot; said Setiawan.

The 32-year-old suspected attacker has been arrested. He is a former terror convict from the West Java town of Bogor who was sentenced to three and a half years in prison over a 2011 terror attack and was released in July 2014, Press trust of India reported.

A &nbsp;teenager obsessed with the Islamic State stabbed a priest in a church in August. He also tried to detonate a homemade bomb. Four civilians and four attackers were killed in a suicide bombing and gun attack in Jakarta in January.

Indonesia, the world&#39;s most populous Muslim nation, has carried out a sustained crackdown on militant networks since the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, PTI said

(With inputs from agencies)

The attacker wearing a t-shirt with the word 'jihad' threw explosives at the church on Borneo island, killing one child and wounding three

An attack on an Indonesian church killed a toddler on Monday, police said, the latest assault on a religious minority in the Muslim-majority country, news agency AFP reported. An attacker wearing a t-shirt with the word "jihad" on it threw explosives at the church on Borneo island on Sunday. The Molotov cocktail thrown by the man on the motorbike injured four small children including the two-year-old Intan Olivia Marbun. The youngsters, aged between two and four, had been playing in the car park of the church in the city of Samarinda at the time of the attack, reported AFP. "Unfortunately the doctors could not save the victim. She died early this morning," local police spokesman Fajar Setiawan told AFP. The two-year-old had suffered severe burn injuries. The spokesman added that the other children were being treated in hospital. "We hope they can come home soon," said Setiawan. The 32-year-old suspected attacker has been arrested. He is a former terror convict from the West Java town of Bogor who was sentenced to three and a half years in prison over a 2011 terror attack and was released in July 2014, Press trust of India reported. A teenager obsessed with the Islamic State stabbed a priest in a church in August. He also tried to detonate a homemade bomb. Four civilians and four attackers were killed in a suicide bombing and gun attack in Jakarta in January. Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, has carried out a sustained crackdown on militant networks since the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, PTI said (With inputs from agencies)

Indonesia: 2-year-old killed in church attack, suspect arrested

The executive body of the global chemical weapons watchdog voted on Friday to condemn the use of banned toxic agents by the Syrian government and by the militant group Islamic State, a source who took part in the closed session said.

Roughly two-thirds of the 41 members on the Executive Council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), endorsed a text compiled by Spain, sources told Reuters.

An initial US&nbsp;draft was replaced with a compromise text drafted by Spain, which dropped a reference to sanctions against those responsible for violations of the Chemical Weapons Convention, sources added.

The OPCW&#39;s Executive Council, which meets behind closed doors, seldom votes on such matters, generally operating through consensus. But this text was supported by 28 members, including Germany, France, the United States, and Britain.

It was opposed by Russia, China, Sudan, and Iran. There were nine abstentions. Russia and Iran are Syrian President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s main allies against rebels seeking to overthrow him. Western and Gulf Arab states back the rebels.

&quot;There is a clear determination across the international community to hold those who have used these heinous weapons to account,&quot; said British foreign minister Boris Johnson in a statement responding to the vote.

But a US-Russian split over Syria highlighted continuing divisions. It was these two countries that in 2013 took the lead in getting the Damascus government to join the OPCW and avert threatened US-led military intervention in Syria&#39;s civil war.

A 13-month international inquiry by the OPCW and United Nations concluded in a series of reports that Syrian government forces, including helicopter squadrons, were responsible for the use of chlorine barrel bombs against civilians.

The OPCW-UN&nbsp;mission found that the Syrian government carried out three toxic attacks in March and April of last year, while Islamic State militants had used sulphur mustard gas.

The findings set the stage for a U.N. Security Council showdown between the five veto-wielding powers, likely pitting Russia and China against the United States, Britain, and France over how those responsible for the attacks should be held accountable.

Syrian authorities deny having used chemical weapons in the conflict. Islamic State has not commented.

(Reuters)

Roughly two-thirds of the 41 members on the Executive Council of OPCW endorsed a text compiled by Spain

The executive body of the global chemical weapons watchdog voted on Friday to condemn the use of banned toxic agents by the Syrian government and by the militant group Islamic State, a source who took part in the closed session said. Roughly two-thirds of the 41 members on the Executive Council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), endorsed a text compiled by Spain, sources told Reuters. An initial US draft was replaced with a compromise text drafted by Spain, which dropped a reference to sanctions against those responsible for violations of the Chemical Weapons Convention, sources added. The OPCW's Executive Council, which meets behind closed doors, seldom votes on such matters, generally operating through consensus. But this text was supported by 28 members, including Germany, France, the United States, and Britain. It was opposed by Russia, China, Sudan, and Iran. There were nine abstentions. Russia and Iran are Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's main allies against rebels seeking to overthrow him. Western and Gulf Arab states back the rebels. "There is a clear determination across the international community to hold those who have used these heinous weapons to account," said British foreign minister Boris Johnson in a statement responding to the vote. But a US-Russian split over Syria highlighted continuing divisions. It was these two countries that in 2013 took the lead in getting the Damascus government to join the OPCW and avert threatened US-led military intervention in Syria's civil war. A 13-month international inquiry by the OPCW and United Nations concluded in a series of reports that Syrian government forces, including helicopter squadrons, were responsible for the use of chlorine barrel bombs against civilians. The OPCW-UN mission found that the Syrian government carried out three toxic attacks in March and April of last year, while Islamic State militants had used sulphur mustard gas. The findings set the stage for a U.N. Security Council showdown between the five veto-wielding powers, likely pitting Russia and China against the United States, Britain, and France over how those responsible for the attacks should be held accountable. Syrian authorities deny having used chemical weapons in the conflict. Islamic State has not commented. (Reuters)

Watchdog condemns Syrian government, IS use of banned chemical weapons

Elite Iraqi forces were engaged in &quot;intense&quot; fighting with jihadists in eastern Mosul on Saturday as they tried to fortify positions before advancing further into the city, an officer said.

Iraqi forces launched a massive operation to retake the country&#39;s second city from the Islamic State group on October 17, and the Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) special forces have pushed the jihadists back from some Mosul neighbourhoods.

But there are still weeks if not months of fighting ahead in the battle to recapture the last IS-held Iraqi city.

&quot;The fighting is intense this morning. We&#39;re trying to fortify our positions in Arbajiyah before continuing our attack into Al-Bakr,&quot; said Staff Lieutenant Colonel Muntadhar Salem of CTS, referring to two Mosul areas.

CTS forces launched an assault on Arbajiyah the day before, and Salem said that they were in control of the area on Saturday.

IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces backed by US-led air strikes have since regained significant ground from the jihadists.

(AFP)

An officer said Elite Iraqi forces were fighting the Islamic State as they tried to fortify positions before advancing further into the city

Elite Iraqi forces were engaged in "intense" fighting with jihadists in eastern Mosul on Saturday as they tried to fortify positions before advancing further into the city, an officer said. Iraqi forces launched a massive operation to retake the country's second city from the Islamic State group on October 17, and the Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) special forces have pushed the jihadists back from some Mosul neighbourhoods. But there are still weeks if not months of fighting ahead in the battle to recapture the last IS-held Iraqi city. "The fighting is intense this morning. We're trying to fortify our positions in Arbajiyah before continuing our attack into Al-Bakr," said Staff Lieutenant Colonel Muntadhar Salem of CTS, referring to two Mosul areas. CTS forces launched an assault on Arbajiyah the day before, and Salem said that they were in control of the area on Saturday. IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces backed by US-led air strikes have since regained significant ground from the jihadists. (AFP)

'Intense' fighting in east Mosul: Officer

Amnesty International said on Thursday that Iraqi government forces tortured and killed villagers south of Mosul, the first such report of alleged rights abuse in a US-backed campaign to retake the city from Islamic State.

The New York-based rights group said victims included &quot;up to six&quot; people found last month in the Shura and Qayyara sub-districts who security forces suspected of ties to the ultra-hardline jihadist group which seized a third of Iraqi territory in 2014.

&quot;Men in Federal Police uniform have carried out multiple unlawful killings, apprehending and then deliberately killing in cold blood residents in villages south of Mosul,&quot; said Lynn Maalouf, deputy director for research at Amnesty&#39;s Beirut office.

Spokesmen for the federal police and the Interior Ministry, to which they belong, could not be reached for comment.

The Mosul operation, involving a 100,000-strong alliance of troops, security forces, Kurdish peshmerga and Shi&#39;ite Muslim militias and backed by U.S.-led air strikes, has entered its fourth week but has so far gained just a small foothold in the city.

Amnesty&#39;s report described several incidents on or around October 21 in which separate groups of men were beaten with cables and rifle butts before being shot to death. In one case, a man&#39;s head had been severed from his body, it said.

Amnesty said that. without accountability, the alleged abuses risked being repeated in other towns and villages as the Mosul offensive continues.

(Reuters)

The rights groups said the victims included 'up to six' people whom security forces suspected of ties to Islamic State

Amnesty International said on Thursday that Iraqi government forces tortured and killed villagers south of Mosul, the first such report of alleged rights abuse in a US-backed campaign to retake the city from Islamic State. The New York-based rights group said victims included "up to six" people found last month in the Shura and Qayyara sub-districts who security forces suspected of ties to the ultra-hardline jihadist group which seized a third of Iraqi territory in 2014. "Men in Federal Police uniform have carried out multiple unlawful killings, apprehending and then deliberately killing in cold blood residents in villages south of Mosul," said Lynn Maalouf, deputy director for research at Amnesty's Beirut office. Spokesmen for the federal police and the Interior Ministry, to which they belong, could not be reached for comment. The Mosul operation, involving a 100,000-strong alliance of troops, security forces, Kurdish peshmerga and Shi'ite Muslim militias and backed by U.S.-led air strikes, has entered its fourth week but has so far gained just a small foothold in the city. Amnesty's report described several incidents on or around October 21 in which separate groups of men were beaten with cables and rifle butts before being shot to death. In one case, a man's head had been severed from his body, it said. Amnesty said that. without accountability, the alleged abuses risked being repeated in other towns and villages as the Mosul offensive continues. (Reuters)

Iraqi govt forces tortured, killed civilians south of Mosul: Amnesty

Iraqi Kurdish forces have seized the town of Bashiqa near Mosul from the Islamic State group, an official said Tuesday, as US-backed militia forces advanced on the jihadists&#39; Syrian stronghold Raqa.

Capturing Bashiqa would be a final step in securing the eastern approaches to Mosul, three weeks into an offensive by Iraqi forces to retake the country&#39;s second city.

Iraqi troops have also seized the town of Hamam al-Alil south of Mosul, and Tuesday investigators carried out an initial examination of a mass grave site discovered in the area.

Bashiqa was under the &quot;complete control&quot; of Kurdish peshmerga forces, Jabbar Yawar, secretary general of the Kurdish regional ministry responsible for the fighters, told AFP.

&quot;Our forces are clearing mines and sweeping the city,&quot; Yawar said.

An AFP correspondent on the outskirts of Bashiqa said clashes were continuing, with three air strikes hitting the town and gunfire and an explosion heard.

The peshmerga said there were still some suicide bombers and snipers there, and about five percent of Bashiqa remained under jihadist control.

Iraqi forces have been tightening the noose around Mosul since launching the offensive on October 17, with elite troops last week breaching city limits.

Upping pressure on the jihadists, the Kurdish-Arab Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militia alliance on Saturday began its own offensive against IS&#39;s other main bastion, Raqa in Syria.

Raqa and Mosul are the last major cities in Syria and Iraq under IS control, and their capture would deal a knockout blow to the self-styled &quot;caliphate&quot; it declared in mid-2014.

&#39;Determined to succeed&#39;

The US-led coalition that launched operations against IS two years ago is providing crucial backing to both offensives, with air strikes and special forces advisers on the ground.

SDF forces have been pushing south from areas near the Turkish border towards Raqa, and alliance spokeswoman Jihan Sheikh Ahmed said Tuesday they had moved to within 36 kilometres (22 miles) of the city.

&quot;Two more villages have been taken since yesterday,&quot; she told AFP, adding that SDF forces had so far advanced 14 kilometres (nine miles) closer to Raqa from Ain Issa, the operation&#39;s main staging point.

&quot;The fighting continues; morale is good and our fighters are determined that this offensive will succeed,&quot; she said.

The fighting has prompted a steady trickle of civilians to flee IS territory, most heading towards Ain Issa.

&quot;We were afraid of the planes, and we were afraid of the IS fighters,&quot; said 34-year-old Wazira Al-Jeely from Al-Tuwaila village.

&quot;When the strikes started, we took off our burqas and said &#39;we&#39;re done with you&#39; and we ran away.&quot;

Dozens fled the area aboard pick-up trucks and vans. Some left on mopeds, while others escaped on foot with their sheep and goats.

SDF fighters stopped them a few kilometers from Ain Issa, checking their identities and searching belongings to avoid infiltration by jihadists.

As in the battle for Mosul, the goal of the Raqa offensive is to surround and isolate the jihadists inside the city before mounting a street-to-street assault.

In both cases officials are warning of long and bloody battles ahead, with IS expected to put up fierce resistance and use trapped civilians as human shields.

More than a million people are believed to be in Mosul. Raqa in 2011 had a pre-war population of some 240,000, and more than 80,000 people have since fled there from elsewhere in Syria.

Iraqi forces scored another victory against IS on Monday by establishing full control over Hamam al-Alil, about 15 kilometres from the edge of Mosul and the last town of note on the way to the city from the south.

Mass grave site&nbsp;

They said a mass grave was found at an agricultural college in the area, with the offensive&#39;s Joint Operations Command saying &quot;100 bodies of citizens with their heads cut off&quot; had been uncovered.

An AFP journalist Tuesday said body parts and bones were visible among rubbish dumped there.

Men in Iraqi security forces uniforms used ropes to pull two bodies, one headless, from the grave, and also removed a decapitated head.

&quot;Today, the team conducted an initial examination,&quot; said Mohammed Taher al-Tamimi, an Iraqi cabinet official.

Tamimi said the victims had been blindfolded with their hands and feet bound.

He said around 25 bodies were initially visible, but investigators believed &quot;very large numbers&quot; of corpses were there.

Dhiyab Tareq, a 32-year-old from the area, said he had heard shots when IS carried out executions at the site.

&quot;I was sitting close to the door and heard the gunshots,&quot; Tareq said, adding that the next day IS members boasted about killing security forces members.

IS&#39;s rule has been marked by atrocities including mass beheadings and other executions.

(AFP)

Raqa and Mosul are now the last major cities in Syria and Iraq under IS control

Iraqi Kurdish forces have seized the town of Bashiqa near Mosul from the Islamic State group, an official said Tuesday, as US-backed militia forces advanced on the jihadists' Syrian stronghold Raqa. Capturing Bashiqa would be a final step in securing the eastern approaches to Mosul, three weeks into an offensive by Iraqi forces to retake the country's second city. Iraqi troops have also seized the town of Hamam al-Alil south of Mosul, and Tuesday investigators carried out an initial examination of a mass grave site discovered in the area. Bashiqa was under the "complete control" of Kurdish peshmerga forces, Jabbar Yawar, secretary general of the Kurdish regional ministry responsible for the fighters, told AFP. "Our forces are clearing mines and sweeping the city," Yawar said. An AFP correspondent on the outskirts of Bashiqa said clashes were continuing, with three air strikes hitting the town and gunfire and an explosion heard. The peshmerga said there were still some suicide bombers and snipers there, and about five percent of Bashiqa remained under jihadist control. Iraqi forces have been tightening the noose around Mosul since launching the offensive on October 17, with elite troops last week breaching city limits. Upping pressure on the jihadists, the Kurdish-Arab Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militia alliance on Saturday began its own offensive against IS's other main bastion, Raqa in Syria. Raqa and Mosul are the last major cities in Syria and Iraq under IS control, and their capture would deal a knockout blow to the self-styled "caliphate" it declared in mid-2014. 'Determined to succeed' The US-led coalition that launched operations against IS two years ago is providing crucial backing to both offensives, with air strikes and special forces advisers on the ground. SDF forces have been pushing south from areas near the Turkish border towards Raqa, and alliance spokeswoman Jihan Sheikh Ahmed said Tuesday they had moved to within 36 kilometres (22 miles) of the city. "Two more villages have been taken since yesterday," she told AFP, adding that SDF forces had so far advanced 14 kilometres (nine miles) closer to Raqa from Ain Issa, the operation's main staging point. "The fighting continues; morale is good and our fighters are determined that this offensive will succeed," she said. The fighting has prompted a steady trickle of civilians to flee IS territory, most heading towards Ain Issa. "We were afraid of the planes, and we were afraid of the IS fighters," said 34-year-old Wazira Al-Jeely from Al-Tuwaila village. "When the strikes started, we took off our burqas and said 'we're done with you' and we ran away." Dozens fled the area aboard pick-up trucks and vans. Some left on mopeds, while others escaped on foot with their sheep and goats. SDF fighters stopped them a few kilometers from Ain Issa, checking their identities and searching belongings to avoid infiltration by jihadists. As in the battle for Mosul, the goal of the Raqa offensive is to surround and isolate the jihadists inside the city before mounting a street-to-street assault. In both cases officials are warning of long and bloody battles ahead, with IS expected to put up fierce resistance and use trapped civilians as human shields. More than a million people are believed to be in Mosul. Raqa in 2011 had a pre-war population of some 240,000, and more than 80,000 people have since fled there from elsewhere in Syria. Iraqi forces scored another victory against IS on Monday by establishing full control over Hamam al-Alil, about 15 kilometres from the edge of Mosul and the last town of note on the way to the city from the south. Mass grave site They said a mass grave was found at an agricultural college in the area, with the offensive's Joint Operations Command saying "100 bodies of citizens with their heads cut off" had been uncovered. An AFP journalist Tuesday said body parts and bones were visible among rubbish dumped there. Men in Iraqi security forces uniforms used ropes to pull two bodies, one headless, from the grave, and also removed a decapitated head. "Today, the team conducted an initial examination," said Mohammed Taher al-Tamimi, an Iraqi cabinet official. Tamimi said the victims had been blindfolded with their hands and feet bound. He said around 25 bodies were initially visible, but investigators believed "very large numbers" of corpses were there. Dhiyab Tareq, a 32-year-old from the area, said he had heard shots when IS carried out executions at the site. "I was sitting close to the door and heard the gunshots," Tareq said, adding that the next day IS members boasted about killing security forces members. IS's rule has been marked by atrocities including mass beheadings and other executions. (AFP)

Iraqi Kurdish forces seize IS-held town of Bashiqa near Mosul,says official

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