President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday said it was not possible for Ankara to stay on the sidelines of the US-backed Iraqi offensive against Islamic State in Mosul city.

&quot;We will be in the operation and we will be at the table,&quot; Erdogan said in a televised speech, AFP reported. &quot;Our brothers are there and our relatives are there. It is out of the question that we are not involved.&quot;

The Islamic State has held Mosul city since June 2014. The offensive to retake Iraq&#39;s second city has been hindered by a disagreement between Ankara and Baghdad over planning.

Turkey is worried over the possible involvement of Iraqi Shiite and anti-Ankara Kurdish militia in the offensive. Baghdad dislikes the presence of a contingent of Turkish troops in Bashiqa, north of Mosul. But Erdogan has clearly said that the troops will stay in Bashiqa.

&quot;No-one should expect us to leave Bashiqa. We are there and have made all kinds of operations against Daesh (IS).&quot;

Erdogan warned Turkey last week that if their&nbsp;concerns were not alleviated, they would consider a plan &quot;B&quot;&nbsp;or &quot;C&quot;.

Deputy prime minister Numan Kurtulmus said a diplomatic delegation led by foreign ministry undersecretary&nbsp;Umit Yalcin was on their way to the Iraqi capital for talks. He, however, warned of the dangers of a migrant influx.&nbsp;With some three million Syrians and Iraqis already in Turkey, the operation could go wrong.

&quot;If Mosul goes wrong, if people are forced to flee, where will they go? Presumably, they won&#39;t go to Washington. They will flee to Turkey,&quot; he said during a press conference in Ankara.&nbsp;&quot;That&#39;s why we say the Mosul operation must be done properly.&quot;

Kurtulmus reaffirmed Turkey&#39;s insistence that Mosul must retain its identity as a Sunni Arab majority city once IS is ousted, AFP reported.

&quot;Changing the sectarian demographic balance of Mosul will risk leading to serious problems,&quot; he said, saying powers needed to make sure the operation does not turn into a sectarian conflict.

(WION with inputs from AFP)

The offensive to retake Iraq's second city from Islamic State has been hindered by a disagreement between Ankara and Baghdad over planning

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday said it was not possible for Ankara to stay on the sidelines of the US-backed Iraqi offensive against Islamic State in Mosul city. "We will be in the operation and we will be at the table," Erdogan said in a televised speech, AFP reported. "Our brothers are there and our relatives are there. It is out of the question that we are not involved." The Islamic State has held Mosul city since June 2014. The offensive to retake Iraq's second city has been hindered by a disagreement between Ankara and Baghdad over planning. Turkey is worried over the possible involvement of Iraqi Shiite and anti-Ankara Kurdish militia in the offensive. Baghdad dislikes the presence of a contingent of Turkish troops in Bashiqa, north of Mosul. But Erdogan has clearly said that the troops will stay in Bashiqa. "No-one should expect us to leave Bashiqa. We are there and have made all kinds of operations against Daesh (IS)." Erdogan warned Turkey last week that if their concerns were not alleviated, they would consider a plan "B" or "C". Deputy prime minister Numan Kurtulmus said a diplomatic delegation led by foreign ministry undersecretary Umit Yalcin was on their way to the Iraqi capital for talks. He, however, warned of the dangers of a migrant influx. With some three million Syrians and Iraqis already in Turkey, the operation could go wrong. "If Mosul goes wrong, if people are forced to flee, where will they go? Presumably, they won't go to Washington. They will flee to Turkey," he said during a press conference in Ankara. "That's why we say the Mosul operation must be done properly." Kurtulmus reaffirmed Turkey's insistence that Mosul must retain its identity as a Sunni Arab majority city once IS is ousted, AFP reported. "Changing the sectarian demographic balance of Mosul will risk leading to serious problems," he said, saying powers needed to make sure the operation does not turn into a sectarian conflict. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Turkish President Erdogan: Will take part in Mosul offensive against IS

Operations to retake the city of Mosul from the Islamic State group have begun, Iraq&#39;s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on state television today.

&quot;The time of victory has come and operations to liberate Mosul have started,&quot; the PM said&nbsp;in an address broadcast by the Iraqiya channel. &quot;Today I declare the start of these victorious operations to free you from the violence and terrorism of Daesh (IS),&quot; he added. 
 
He clarified that only the army and police forces will enter Mosul. &quot;The force leading liberation operations is the brave Iraqi army with the national police and they are the ones that will enter Mosul, not others.&quot;

US is providing both ground and air support to the Iraqi forces. Kurdish forces are moving in from the eastern part of the city. 
 
The offensive to reclaim the IS stronghold has been planned for months. US-backed Iraqi forces recently retook key positions around the town of Qayyarah, 60 kilometres south of Mosul, setting the stage for the final attack.

Iraq&#39;s second-largest city, Mosul, which is the last major stronghold of the Islamic State in Iraq, has been under IS-control since 2014. A successful offensive would effectively destroy the Iraqi half of Islamic State &#39;caliphate&#39;.

The fight to retake the Sunni-majority city is expected to be the biggest battle in Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion.

IS fighters, who have a history of using civilians as human shields, have placed traps across the city, dug tunnels and recruited children as spies ahead of the offensive, Reuters had earlier reported.

The United Nations has warned that it could also create the biggest humanitarian crisis in the world, uprooting as much as 1 million people. Overstretched medical facilities in and around the city have also warned against a humanitarian disaster and the lack of adequate infrastructure to deal with it.

(WION with inputs from agencies)

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi made the announcement in a televised broadcast

Operations to retake the city of Mosul from the Islamic State group have begun, Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on state television today. "The time of victory has come and operations to liberate Mosul have started," the PM said in an address broadcast by the Iraqiya channel. "Today I declare the start of these victorious operations to free you from the violence and terrorism of Daesh (IS)," he added. He clarified that only the army and police forces will enter Mosul. "The force leading liberation operations is the brave Iraqi army with the national police and they are the ones that will enter Mosul, not others." US is providing both ground and air support to the Iraqi forces. Kurdish forces are moving in from the eastern part of the city. The offensive to reclaim the IS stronghold has been planned for months. US-backed Iraqi forces recently retook key positions around the town of Qayyarah, 60 kilometres south of Mosul, setting the stage for the final attack. Iraq's second-largest city, Mosul, which is the last major stronghold of the Islamic State in Iraq, has been under IS-control since 2014. A successful offensive would effectively destroy the Iraqi half of Islamic State 'caliphate'. The fight to retake the Sunni-majority city is expected to be the biggest battle in Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion. IS fighters, who have a history of using civilians as human shields, have placed traps across the city, dug tunnels and recruited children as spies ahead of the offensive, Reuters had earlier reported. The United Nations has warned that it could also create the biggest humanitarian crisis in the world, uprooting as much as 1 million people. Overstretched medical facilities in and around the city have also warned against a humanitarian disaster and the lack of adequate infrastructure to deal with it. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Iraq PM announces operation to 'liberate' Mosul from IS

A suicide bombing targeting Shiite Muslims killed at least two people in Baghdad on Sunday, officials said, a day after the deadliest attack to hit the Iraqi capital in months.

The bombing in central Baghdad, which targeted a tent where Shiites distribute food as part of annual religious commemorations, also wounded at least four people, officials said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State jihadist group frequently carries out suicide bombings targeting Shiites, whom it considers heretics.

The blast came a day after an IS-claimed suicide bombing at a funeral killed at least 34 people -- the deadliest attack in Baghdad since another IS suicide bombing left more than 300 dead in early July.

The attacks come as Iraqi forces prepare for an offensive in northern Iraq to retake Mosul, the last IS-held city in the country, after regaining much of the territory the jihadists seized in 2014 and 2015.

The launch of the operation is expected to be announced soon, but it will mark only the start of a battle that is likely to be the most difficult and complex yet in the war against IS.

(AFP) 
&nbsp;

The blast comes a day after an IS-claimed suicide bombing at a funeral killed at least 34

A suicide bombing targeting Shiite Muslims killed at least two people in Baghdad on Sunday, officials said, a day after the deadliest attack to hit the Iraqi capital in months. The bombing in central Baghdad, which targeted a tent where Shiites distribute food as part of annual religious commemorations, also wounded at least four people, officials said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State jihadist group frequently carries out suicide bombings targeting Shiites, whom it considers heretics. The blast came a day after an IS-claimed suicide bombing at a funeral killed at least 34 people -- the deadliest attack in Baghdad since another IS suicide bombing left more than 300 dead in early July. The attacks come as Iraqi forces prepare for an offensive in northern Iraq to retake Mosul, the last IS-held city in the country, after regaining much of the territory the jihadists seized in 2014 and 2015. The launch of the operation is expected to be announced soon, but it will mark only the start of a battle that is likely to be the most difficult and complex yet in the war against IS. (AFP)

Suicide bombing in Baghdad kill at least two

Islamic State has crushed a rebellion plot in&nbsp;Mosul, led by one of the group&#39;s commanders who aimed to switch sides and help deliver the caliphate&#39;s Iraqi capital to government forces, residents and Iraqi security officials said.

&nbsp;

Islamic State (IS) executed 58 people suspected of taking part in the plot after it was uncovered last week. Residents, who spoke to Reuters from some of the few locations in the city that have phone service, said the plotters were killed by drowning and their bodies were buried in a mass grave in a wasteland on the outskirts of the city.

&nbsp;

Among them was a local aide of IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who led the plotters, according to matching accounts given by five residents, by Hisham al-Hashimi, an expert on IS affairs that advises the government in Baghdad and by colonel Ahmed al-Taie, from&nbsp;Mosul&#39;s Nineveh province Operation Command&#39;s military intelligence.

&nbsp;

Reuters is not publishing the name of the plot leader to avoid increasing the safety risk for his family, nor the identities of those inside the city who spoke about the plot.

&nbsp;

The aim of the plotters was to undermine Islamic State&#39;s defence of&nbsp;Mosul&nbsp;in the upcoming fight, expected to be the biggest battle in Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion.

&nbsp;

Mosul&nbsp;is the last major stronghold of Islamic State in Iraq. With a pre-war population of around 2 million, it is at least five times the size of any other city Islamic State has controlled. Iraqi officials say a massive ground assault could begin this month, backed by US&nbsp;air power, Kurdish security forces and Shi&#39;ite and Sunni irregular units.

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<h5>The aim of the plotters was to undermine Islamic State&#39;s defence of&nbsp;Mosul&nbsp;in the upcoming fight, expected to be the biggest battle in Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion.</h5>
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A successful offensive would effectively destroy the Iraqi half of the caliphate that the group declared when it swept through northern Iraq in 2014. But the United Nations says it could also create the biggest humanitarian crisis in the world, in a worst case scenario uprooting 1 million people.

Islamic State fighters are dug in to defend the city, and have a history of using civilians as human shields when defending territory.

&nbsp;

Signs of cracks&nbsp;

According to Hashimi, the dissidents were arrested after one of them was caught with a message on his phone mentioning a transfer of weapons. He confessed during interrogation that weapons were being hidden in three locations, to be used in a rebellion to support the Iraqi Army when it closes in on&nbsp;Mosul.

&nbsp;

IS raided the three houses used to hide the weapons on October&nbsp;4, Hashimi said.

&nbsp;

&ldquo;Those were Daesh members who turned against the group in&nbsp;Mosul,&quot; said Iraqi Counterterrorism Service spokesman Sabah al-Numani in Baghdad, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State. &quot;This is a clear sign that the terrorist organisation has started to lose support not only from the population, but even from its own members.&rdquo;

&nbsp;

A spokesman for the US-led military coalition which conducts air strikes on Islamic State targets in Syria and Iraq was unable to confirm or deny the accounts of the thwarted plot.

&nbsp;

Signs of cracks inside the &quot;caliphate&quot; appeared this year as the ultra-hardline Sunni group was forced out of half the territory it overran two years ago in northern and western Iraq.

&nbsp;

Some people in&nbsp;Mosul&nbsp;have been expressing their refusal of the harsh rules of IS&nbsp;by spray-painting the letter M, for the Arabic word that means resistance, on city walls, or &quot;wanted&quot; on houses of its militants. Such activity is punished by death.

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Numani said his service has succeeded in the past two months in opening contact channels with &ldquo;operatives&rdquo; who began communicating intelligence that helped conduct air strikes on the insurgents&#39; command centres and locations in&nbsp;Mosul.

&nbsp;

A list with the names of the 58 executed plotters was given to a hospital to inform their families but their bodies were not returned, the residents said.

&nbsp;

&ldquo;Some of the executed relatives sent old women to ask about the bodies. Daesh rebuked them and told them no bodies, no graves, those traitors are apostates and it is forbidden to bury them in Muslim cemeteries,&rdquo; said one resident whose relative was among those executed.

&nbsp;

&ldquo;After the failed coup, Daesh withdrew the special identity cards it issued for its local commanders, to prevent them from fleeing&nbsp;Mosul&nbsp;with their families,&rdquo; Colonel al-Taie said.

&nbsp;

A&nbsp;Mosul&nbsp;resident said Islamic State had appointed a new official, Muhsin Abdul Kareem Oghlu, a leader of a sniper unit with a reputation as a die-hard, to assist its governor of&nbsp;Mosul, Ahmed Khalaf Agab al-Jabouri, in keeping control.

&nbsp;

Islamic State militants have placed booby traps across the city of&nbsp;Mosul, dug tunnels and recruited children as spies in anticipation of the offensive.

&nbsp;

(Reuters)&nbsp;

Islamic State (IS) executed 58 people suspected of taking part in the plot after it was uncovered last week

Islamic State has crushed a rebellion plot in Mosul, led by one of the group's commanders who aimed to switch sides and help deliver the caliphate's Iraqi capital to government forces, residents and Iraqi security officials said. Islamic State (IS) executed 58 people suspected of taking part in the plot after it was uncovered last week. Residents, who spoke to Reuters from some of the few locations in the city that have phone service, said the plotters were killed by drowning and their bodies were buried in a mass grave in a wasteland on the outskirts of the city. Among them was a local aide of IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who led the plotters, according to matching accounts given by five residents, by Hisham al-Hashimi, an expert on IS affairs that advises the government in Baghdad and by colonel Ahmed al-Taie, from Mosul's Nineveh province Operation Command's military intelligence. Reuters is not publishing the name of the plot leader to avoid increasing the safety risk for his family, nor the identities of those inside the city who spoke about the plot. The aim of the plotters was to undermine Islamic State's defence of Mosul in the upcoming fight, expected to be the biggest battle in Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion. Mosul is the last major stronghold of Islamic State in Iraq. With a pre-war population of around 2 million, it is at least five times the size of any other city Islamic State has controlled. Iraqi officials say a massive ground assault could begin this month, backed by US air power, Kurdish security forces and Shi'ite and Sunni irregular units. The aim of the plotters was to undermine Islamic State's defence of Mosul in the upcoming fight, expected to be the biggest battle in Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion. × A successful offensive would effectively destroy the Iraqi half of the caliphate that the group declared when it swept through northern Iraq in 2014. But the United Nations says it could also create the biggest humanitarian crisis in the world, in a worst case scenario uprooting 1 million people. Islamic State fighters are dug in to defend the city, and have a history of using civilians as human shields when defending territory. Signs of cracks According to Hashimi, the dissidents were arrested after one of them was caught with a message on his phone mentioning a transfer of weapons. He confessed during interrogation that weapons were being hidden in three locations, to be used in a rebellion to support the Iraqi Army when it closes in on Mosul. IS raided the three houses used to hide the weapons on October 4, Hashimi said. “Those were Daesh members who turned against the group in Mosul," said Iraqi Counterterrorism Service spokesman Sabah al-Numani in Baghdad, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State. "This is a clear sign that the terrorist organisation has started to lose support not only from the population, but even from its own members.” A spokesman for the US-led military coalition which conducts air strikes on Islamic State targets in Syria and Iraq was unable to confirm or deny the accounts of the thwarted plot. Signs of cracks inside the "caliphate" appeared this year as the ultra-hardline Sunni group was forced out of half the territory it overran two years ago in northern and western Iraq. Some people in Mosul have been expressing their refusal of the harsh rules of IS by spray-painting the letter M, for the Arabic word that means resistance, on city walls, or "wanted" on houses of its militants. Such activity is punished by death. Signs of cracks inside the "caliphate" appeared this year as the ultra-hardline Sunni group was forced out of half the territory it overran two years ago in northern and western Iraq. × Numani said his service has succeeded in the past two months in opening contact channels with “operatives” who began communicating intelligence that helped conduct air strikes on the insurgents' command centres and locations in Mosul. A list with the names of the 58 executed plotters was given to a hospital to inform their families but their bodies were not returned, the residents said. “Some of the executed relatives sent old women to ask about the bodies. Daesh rebuked them and told them no bodies, no graves, those traitors are apostates and it is forbidden to bury them in Muslim cemeteries,” said one resident whose relative was among those executed. “After the failed coup, Daesh withdrew the special identity cards it issued for its local commanders, to prevent them from fleeing Mosul with their families,” Colonel al-Taie said. A Mosul resident said Islamic State had appointed a new official, Muhsin Abdul Kareem Oghlu, a leader of a sniper unit with a reputation as a die-hard, to assist its governor of Mosul, Ahmed Khalaf Agab al-Jabouri, in keeping control. Islamic State militants have placed booby traps across the city of Mosul, dug tunnels and recruited children as spies in anticipation of the offensive. (Reuters)

As Iraqi Army closes in, Islamic State foils rebel plot in Mosul

Democratic US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Monday said her Republican rival Donald Trump&#39;s rhetoric against resettling refugees in the United States is helping the cause of militant groups.&nbsp; 
 
Clinton said Trump&#39;s words are helping the Islamic State militant group to recruit more fighters. She went on to call him&nbsp;&quot;a recruiting sergeant for terrorists&quot; in her campaign in White Plains, New York.&nbsp; 
 
She said militants are turning it into a religious conflict and using Trump&#39;s rhetoric as a recruiting tool.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We know that a lot of the rhetoric we heard from Donald Trump has been seized on by terrorists, in particular, ISIS, because they are looking to make this into a war against Islam, rather than a war against Jihadists,&quot; Clinton said. 
 
Trump has called for a ban on resettling refugees in the United States from Syria and other violence-wracked Middle Eastern nations, which could go against him in the elections.&nbsp; 
 
Clinton sought to show a steady hand in the wake of the weekend bomb blasts in New York and New Jersey. She urged Americans to remain calm but vigilant. 
 
&quot;This threat is real, but so is our resolve. Americans will not cower. We will prevail. We will defend our country and we will defeat the evil, twisted ideology of the terrorists,&quot; Clinton said. 
 
In his appearance on a chat show, Trump demanded radical change.&nbsp; 
 
Trump&#39;s campaign rubbished Clinton&#39;s response as a &quot;disgusting attempt to distract&quot; from failures to tackle the Islamic State group. 
 
He sought to show that these latest attacks are an inevitable result of Clinton and Obama&#39;s weak handed anti-terror and immigration policies. 
 
&quot;Our country has been weak. We&#39;re letting people in by the thousands and tens of thousands. I&#39;ve been saying you&#39;ve got to stop it,&quot; Trump told Fox. 
 
The recent attacks have renewed the focus on terrorism and put national security at center-stage as both candidates prepare for their first debate on Monday at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

Republican candidate Donald Trump's campaign said rival Hillary Clinton was trying to divert attention from their failures to tackle terror

Democratic US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Monday said her Republican rival Donald Trump's rhetoric against resettling refugees in the United States is helping the cause of militant groups. Clinton said Trump's words are helping the Islamic State militant group to recruit more fighters. She went on to call him "a recruiting sergeant for terrorists" in her campaign in White Plains, New York. She said militants are turning it into a religious conflict and using Trump's rhetoric as a recruiting tool. "We know that a lot of the rhetoric we heard from Donald Trump has been seized on by terrorists, in particular, ISIS, because they are looking to make this into a war against Islam, rather than a war against Jihadists," Clinton said. Trump has called for a ban on resettling refugees in the United States from Syria and other violence-wracked Middle Eastern nations, which could go against him in the elections. Clinton sought to show a steady hand in the wake of the weekend bomb blasts in New York and New Jersey. She urged Americans to remain calm but vigilant. "This threat is real, but so is our resolve. Americans will not cower. We will prevail. We will defend our country and we will defeat the evil, twisted ideology of the terrorists," Clinton said. In his appearance on a chat show, Trump demanded radical change. Trump's campaign rubbished Clinton's response as a "disgusting attempt to distract" from failures to tackle the Islamic State group. He sought to show that these latest attacks are an inevitable result of Clinton and Obama's weak handed anti-terror and immigration policies. "Our country has been weak. We're letting people in by the thousands and tens of thousands. I've been saying you've got to stop it," Trump told Fox. The recent attacks have renewed the focus on terrorism and put national security at center-stage as both candidates prepare for their first debate on Monday at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Clinton says Trump's rhetoric helping Islamic State

Lawyers for the lone surviving suspect of 2015 Paris attacks, in which 138 people were killed and over 368 others injured, said they will not defend him anymore, Reuters reported today.

Lawyers&nbsp;Frank Berton and Sven Mary, in a television interview, announced they had decided to drop Salah Abdeslam&#39;s defence over his silence and refusal to answer questions.

&quot;We don&#39;t think that he will speak and he will use the right to remain silent,&quot; said lawyer Frank Berton.

Berton said Abdeslam had chosen to remain quiet to mark his protest against the constant surveillance in his high-security prison cell.

&quot;We have seen him slide away. Being watched all the time, with infrared at night, that drives one crazy, and that is a consequence of a political decision (to put Abdeslam on continuous monitoring,&quot; Reuters quoted Berton as saying.???

&quot;When you have the feeling of being there to make social visits to the prison, that is the moment when a decision has to be made,&quot; added Sven Mary.

Abdeslam was transferred to France to face charges for the coordinated assaults on Paris bars, restaurants, a concert hall and the national stadium&nbsp;on&nbsp;April 27.&nbsp;

He has been accused of supplying logistical support to the assailants, driving them to target locations and helping them manufacture explosives used in the attack.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from agencies)

&nbsp;

Salah Abdeslam has remained quiet to mark his protest against the 24-hours-a-day camera monitoring in his jail, one of his lawyers said

Lawyers for the lone surviving suspect of 2015 Paris attacks, in which 138 people were killed and over 368 others injured, said they will not defend him anymore, Reuters reported today. Lawyers Frank Berton and Sven Mary, in a television interview, announced they had decided to drop Salah Abdeslam's defence over his silence and refusal to answer questions. "We don't think that he will speak and he will use the right to remain silent," said lawyer Frank Berton. Berton said Abdeslam had chosen to remain quiet to mark his protest against the constant surveillance in his high-security prison cell. "We have seen him slide away. Being watched all the time, with infrared at night, that drives one crazy, and that is a consequence of a political decision (to put Abdeslam on continuous monitoring," Reuters quoted Berton as saying.??? "When you have the feeling of being there to make social visits to the prison, that is the moment when a decision has to be made," added Sven Mary. Abdeslam was transferred to France to face charges for the coordinated assaults on Paris bars, restaurants, a concert hall and the national stadium on April 27. He has been accused of supplying logistical support to the assailants, driving them to target locations and helping them manufacture explosives used in the attack. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Lawyers 'will not defend' main Paris attacks suspect

While travelling to Qayyarah, a two-hour-drive from Mosul, WION had the chance to interview Iraqi Army Major General Najim al-Jabouri soon after he met Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in Baghdad. He is the commander of the Nineveh Operations, an offensive that aims to liberate south of Mosul. He is in-charge of the Mosul offensive and currently leads approximately 25,000 men.

WION: How are you preparing for the Mosul operation? 

General al-Jabouri: Our troops are ready to attack Islamic State in Mosul and retake the city. The coalition forces gave us good training, equipped us with modern equipment. We are just waiting for the prime minister&nbsp;to give us the order to attack. We are confident about the battle since we have liberated many cities, important cities in Nineveh (governorate), including Qayyara a few weeks ago. Right now, we are now coordinating with the Peshmerga (Kurdish military forces). Some brigades have already moved to the station areas near Mosul.

WION: How long will the battle last? And do you expect a large presence of IS&nbsp;fighters?

al-Jabouri:&nbsp;I think&nbsp;IS&nbsp;is not as strong as it was two months ago or six months ago. They have lost many good fighters. Many of them were killed, many of them got injured and many of them escaped.

IS is different from Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda believed in a cause but the majority of IS jihadists are like the mafia &mdash;&nbsp;they look for money, they look for women, they look for power.

A few months ago when we began the battle in Qayyarah, we faced strong fighters. The foreigners were especially strong. But the group has weakened. Now, we hardly lose our men even during intense gunfights. The last battle in Qayyarah, four or five days ago, we killed 66 people of theirs and lost not even a single one of ours. Also, we hardly face any foreign fighters anymore.

The local fighters are not that good because they are only interested in earning money. Such attitude is destroying the moral of IS.

The loss in Qayyarah was also financially damaging for IS. They are losing $1 million every day since they lost out in Qayyarah. When they were here, they stole oil and sold about a hundred trucks of it every day.

WION: How important will local support be&nbsp;in your battle for Mosul? 

al-Jabouri:&nbsp;Their (residents of Mosul) support&nbsp;is very vital. Even the strongest security force&nbsp;will be unable to defeat IS if they don&#39;t get support from the locals.

If the locals did not give IS a safe haven, it would have been impossible for them to grow in strength.

In my view, people were unhappy with the security forces in Iraq. This was one of the main reasons for IS to thrive in the area. We worked very hard to change this relationship, we built many bridges between us and the people. You are free to go&nbsp;to Qayyarah and to other villages and ask the people about us. Now, locals support us whenever we fight the IS. This will build the future of this area and Iraq.

WION: Will Shia militia organisation Hal Al-Hashd Al-Sha&#39;abi have any role during the Mosul Operation?

al-Jabouri:&nbsp;Maybe we will need their support. Only the commander-in-chief (the Iraqi prime minister) can decide on such matters. But they will not enter the city if we need them. They will have to go to the desert to cut off IS&#39; supplies. But the battle will be mainly fought by the Iraqi army, the Iraqi counter-terrorism forces and the police. The Peshmerga will help us as well.

WION: What do you make of Turkey&#39;s role? 

al-Jabouri:&nbsp;About the Turkish &hellip; I am a military commander, these are issues concerning the central (Iraqi) government and Turkey, but as an Iraqi &hellip; we don&rsquo;t need boots on the ground here. We don&#39;t even need the coalition forces. We depend on them for training, for advice&nbsp;and for launch air strikes on IS&nbsp;positions. If Turkey is part of the coalition forces, it works for me. If they do what the coalition forces&nbsp;say, I don&#39;t think there would be a problem. But we do not need anybody to act independently.

WION: Are you afraid that after Mosul, IS&nbsp;will launch suicide attacks across Iraq?

al-Jabouri:&nbsp;They do not have the capability to do such things.

WION: Do you plan to liberate Hawija before Mosul?

al-Jabouri:&nbsp;Hawija is not under my command, but I think the government is thinking about it. Mosul is the head of a snake, the last castle for the IS. But I think if we had retaken Mosul earlier, even before Ramani and before every other area, we would have wiped out Daesh (Islamic State) much earlier.&nbsp;

WION: So you think the strategy was wrong?

al-Jabouri:&nbsp;No, this is my view. I think the head of the snake is Mosul because it is a big city, it has good foundation, many factories and&nbsp;many resources. IS in Iraq and even in Syria rely on resources coming from Mosul.

WION: If IS&nbsp;fighters manage to escape Iraq and enter Syria, will the Iraqi army follow them and help Syrian forces fight them?&nbsp;

al-Jabouri:&nbsp;If my commander-in-chief gives me an order, I will follow them in Syria, in Nigeria, everywhere.&nbsp;

(WION)

Possibly the most important military person in West Asia, who is leading 25,000 men, spoke to WION about the fight against Islamic State

While travelling to Qayyarah, a two-hour-drive from Mosul, WION had the chance to interview Iraqi Army Major General Najim al-Jabouri soon after he met Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in Baghdad. He is the commander of the Nineveh Operations, an offensive that aims to liberate south of Mosul. He is in-charge of the Mosul offensive and currently leads approximately 25,000 men. WION: How are you preparing for the Mosul operation? General al-Jabouri: Our troops are ready to attack Islamic State in Mosul and retake the city. The coalition forces gave us good training, equipped us with modern equipment. We are just waiting for the prime minister to give us the order to attack. We are confident about the battle since we have liberated many cities, important cities in Nineveh (governorate), including Qayyara a few weeks ago. Right now, we are now coordinating with the Peshmerga (Kurdish military forces). Some brigades have already moved to the station areas near Mosul. WION: How long will the battle last? And do you expect a large presence of IS fighters? al-Jabouri: I think IS is not as strong as it was two months ago or six months ago. They have lost many good fighters. Many of them were killed, many of them got injured and many of them escaped. IS is different from Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda believed in a cause but the majority of IS jihadists are like the mafia — they look for money, they look for women, they look for power. A few months ago when we began the battle in Qayyarah, we faced strong fighters. The foreigners were especially strong. But the group has weakened. Now, we hardly lose our men even during intense gunfights. The last battle in Qayyarah, four or five days ago, we killed 66 people of theirs and lost not even a single one of ours. Also, we hardly face any foreign fighters anymore. The local fighters are not that good because they are only interested in earning money. Such attitude is destroying the moral of IS. The loss in Qayyarah was also financially damaging for IS. They are losing $1 million every day since they lost out in Qayyarah. When they were here, they stole oil and sold about a hundred trucks of it every day. WION: How important will local support be in your battle for Mosul? al-Jabouri: Their (residents of Mosul) support is very vital. Even the strongest security force will be unable to defeat IS if they don't get support from the locals. If the locals did not give IS a safe haven, it would have been impossible for them to grow in strength. In my view, people were unhappy with the security forces in Iraq. This was one of the main reasons for IS to thrive in the area. We worked very hard to change this relationship, we built many bridges between us and the people. You are free to go to Qayyarah and to other villages and ask the people about us. Now, locals support us whenever we fight the IS. This will build the future of this area and Iraq. WION: Will Shia militia organisation Hal Al-Hashd Al-Sha'abi have any role during the Mosul Operation? al-Jabouri: Maybe we will need their support. Only the commander-in-chief (the Iraqi prime minister) can decide on such matters. But they will not enter the city if we need them. They will have to go to the desert to cut off IS' supplies. But the battle will be mainly fought by the Iraqi army, the Iraqi counter-terrorism forces and the police. The Peshmerga will help us as well. WION: What do you make of Turkey's role? al-Jabouri: About the Turkish … I am a military commander, these are issues concerning the central (Iraqi) government and Turkey, but as an Iraqi … we don’t need boots on the ground here. We don't even need the coalition forces. We depend on them for training, for advice and for launch air strikes on IS positions. If Turkey is part of the coalition forces, it works for me. If they do what the coalition forces say, I don't think there would be a problem. But we do not need anybody to act independently. WION: Are you afraid that after Mosul, IS will launch suicide attacks across Iraq? al-Jabouri: They do not have the capability to do such things. WION: Do you plan to liberate Hawija before Mosul? al-Jabouri: Hawija is not under my command, but I think the government is thinking about it. Mosul is the head of a snake, the last castle for the IS. But I think if we had retaken Mosul earlier, even before Ramani and before every other area, we would have wiped out Daesh (Islamic State) much earlier. WION: So you think the strategy was wrong? al-Jabouri: No, this is my view. I think the head of the snake is Mosul because it is a big city, it has good foundation, many factories and many resources. IS in Iraq and even in Syria rely on resources coming from Mosul. WION: If IS fighters manage to escape Iraq and enter Syria, will the Iraqi army follow them and help Syrian forces fight them? al-Jabouri: If my commander-in-chief gives me an order, I will follow them in Syria, in Nigeria, everywhere. (WION)

Iraqi army poised to retake 'Islamic State's last castle of Mosul', Major General Najim al-Jabouri tells WION

At least 17 people were killed after a gunman&nbsp;entered a Shia shrine in the Afghan capital of Kabul Tuesday evening and opened fire on worshippers.

Islamic State claimed responsibility&nbsp;for the attack in a statement released online, Reuters reported.

The attack began just before&nbsp;8 pm&nbsp;local time, police&nbsp;said, with witnesses reporting an explosion followed by gunfire.&nbsp;

Hundreds of Shia Muslims had gathered at the&nbsp;Karte Sakhi, one of Kabul&#39;s largest, to&nbsp;observe the Shiite holy day of Ashura which commemorates&nbsp;the death of a grandson of the prophet.&nbsp;&nbsp;

A police officer was among the dead and&nbsp;36 people were wounded in the attack, Reuters reported interior ministry spokesperson Sediq Sediqqi as saying.&nbsp;

Ministry of public health officials, however,&nbsp;said at least 43 people were injured and were taken to hospitals in the city for treatment.&nbsp;

Initial reports put the number of attackers at three&nbsp;but Sediqqi said police special forces who responded to the attack found and killed only one gunman, Reuters reported.&nbsp;

Reuters reported Jamshid Jan, who witnessed the attack, as saying the attacker was dressed in a police uniform.&nbsp;

An angry crowd surrounded and kicked at the suspected attacker&#39;s dead body, with some vowing to burn his remains, before police intervened, Reuters reported.&nbsp;

Two police sources put the number of attackers at three, but they differed on how many of the gunmen remained alive.

Interior ministry spokesperson Sedeqqi said the police killed one gunman.&nbsp;

Security forces at the scene had evacuated the shrine,&nbsp;Kabul police chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi told Reuters.

It remains unclear as to who is responsible for&nbsp;the deadly attack. The Taliban has denied any involvement.

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

&nbsp;

Hundreds of worshippers had gathered at the Karte Sakhi shrine, one of Kabul's largest, to observe the holy day of Ashura

At least 17 people were killed after a gunman entered a Shia shrine in the Afghan capital of Kabul Tuesday evening and opened fire on worshippers. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement released online, Reuters reported. The attack began just before 8 pm local time, police said, with witnesses reporting an explosion followed by gunfire. Hundreds of Shia Muslims had gathered at the Karte Sakhi, one of Kabul's largest, to observe the Shiite holy day of Ashura which commemorates the death of a grandson of the prophet. A police officer was among the dead and 36 people were wounded in the attack, Reuters reported interior ministry spokesperson Sediq Sediqqi as saying. Ministry of public health officials, however, said at least 43 people were injured and were taken to hospitals in the city for treatment. Initial reports put the number of attackers at three but Sediqqi said police special forces who responded to the attack found and killed only one gunman, Reuters reported. Reuters reported Jamshid Jan, who witnessed the attack, as saying the attacker was dressed in a police uniform. An angry crowd surrounded and kicked at the suspected attacker's dead body, with some vowing to burn his remains, before police intervened, Reuters reported. Two police sources put the number of attackers at three, but they differed on how many of the gunmen remained alive. Interior ministry spokesperson Sedeqqi said the police killed one gunman. Security forces at the scene had evacuated the shrine, Kabul police chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi told Reuters. It remains unclear as to who is responsible for the deadly attack. The Taliban has denied any involvement. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Afghanistan: 17 dead after gunman opens fire on Shia shrine, IS claims responsibility

The Turkish military said 38 Islamic State militants have been killed in US-led coalition air strikes and clashes in northern Syria on Sunday.&nbsp;

The army said in a statement that 14 militants were killed while attempting to enter rebel-controlled Akhtarin and Turkmen Bareh villages, situated three kilometers east of Dabiq.&nbsp;

In the same area, 17 more were killed by coalition air strikes dubbed &quot;Euphrates Shield&quot; by the Turkish army.

The army also said two Syrian rebels had been killed and 19 injured in a fresh fight against the IS.&nbsp;

The military also targeted the Kurdish militia which is seen as a threat to Turkey.&nbsp;

According to Reuters, Turkey-backed Syrian rebels have been pushing towards Dabiq, an IS stronghold, since August. &nbsp;

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

The Turkish army also said two Syrian rebels had been killed and 19 injured during an offensive against Islamic State

The Turkish military said 38 Islamic State militants have been killed in US-led coalition air strikes and clashes in northern Syria on Sunday. The army said in a statement that 14 militants were killed while attempting to enter rebel-controlled Akhtarin and Turkmen Bareh villages, situated three kilometers east of Dabiq. In the same area, 17 more were killed by coalition air strikes dubbed "Euphrates Shield" by the Turkish army. The army also said two Syrian rebels had been killed and 19 injured in a fresh fight against the IS. The military also targeted the Kurdish militia which is seen as a threat to Turkey. According to Reuters, Turkey-backed Syrian rebels have been pushing towards Dabiq, an IS stronghold, since August. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

38 Islamic State fighters killed in northern Syria: Turkey

After kilometres of a perfectly built road crossing along an empty and harsh desert Iraqi environment, a small checkpoint appears.&nbsp;

&ldquo;Documents! Where are you going?,&rdquo; an official says. &nbsp;

&ldquo;Mahkmour.&rdquo; The small town is roughly a hundred kilometres south of Mosul. Its hospital, which receives several injured by firearms on a daily basis, will be one of the many structures close to the southern frontline of the Mosul offensive. &nbsp;

&ldquo;No, you can&rsquo;t go to Mahkmour. Speak with the commander,&rdquo; says roughly, a soldier pointing towards an old house on the top of a hill.

The post seems to represent the current Iraqi situation, a place where war has become constant. Military life has become so routine and normal that soldiers care little to exhibit an image of order and discipline. Their rooms are not as the ones we usually imagine: tidy, clean, modular. Probably they were, but after spending years in the same checkpoint in the middle of Iraq, aesthetic becomes less important day by day. Beds are slightly sloppy, evidence of one of the many early and hasty wakening. Shoes are everywhere and weapons - mainly AK-47 - lie on the beds and under the pillows. Walls are not well painted and the floors not too clean. It resembles a long-term jail but without the family pictures, drawings, books or posters, nothing which helps to understand the identity of the people living there. Everything looks impersonal, only imperfections personalise the place: an open packet of cigarettes on the bed, a sun cream tube on a pillow, a movie ticket on the floor, an ashtray full of cigarettes&rsquo; butt on the end of a rifle.&nbsp;

The whole atmosphere is the one of a place where nobody wants to be, but it is forced to.

The commander sits in the operational room, his fatigue is open and worn in a casual way, it is slightly bigger than his size. He does not speak a single word of English, only German which he learned when training in Koln. A young Peshmerga soldier approaches the window, he speaks French and is willing to help. &ldquo;I studied French at the university of Mosul before Daesh came,&rdquo; he says. The university has now been shut down, he decided to voluntarily join the Peshmerga army after he was forced to flee Mosul with his family. &nbsp;

&ldquo;Why are you going there?&rdquo;, asks the commander swatting a fly in a swift motion.&nbsp;

&ldquo;We want to visit the hospital close to the frontline and understand how things are going there.&rdquo;

The atmosphere is calm, almost dozy due to the noon heat. The commander looks at us with the expression of a man who found on his way an annoying event which he would have preferably avoided, but now is forced to manage. Several phone calls later the hospital manager agreed to pick us up and take us to Doctor Saman, who prefers not to disclose his surname.

&ldquo;Fighting is going on in many areas between Mahkmour and Mosul and everyday we have to heal firearms injuries and send the patients to the bigger hospital in Erbil&rdquo;. The hospital is clean, but small, too small for the number of injured who could arrive once the official operations to liberate Mosul starts.&nbsp;

&ldquo;I think the doctors are not enough for this situation of war. I think the equipment here is not enough. I think that even the medication we have in order to stabilise a patient, especially in case of emergency, from the frontline is not enough. I am asking the Kurdistan Regional Government to provide us with further medication, further staff,&rdquo; says doctor Saman.

&ldquo;How many doctors you have here?&rdquo;

&ldquo;We do not have resident doctors. We have rotating doctors coming for a six-day-a-month shift from the capital city (Erbil) and two medical assistants.&rdquo;

The situation in Mahkmour&rsquo;s medical facility does not differ from the several others in the area. These structures were mostly built for small towns, and meant to be primary media points with the function of stabilising a patient and send him or her to larger, better-equipped hospitals.&nbsp;

The city lies close to what will most likely be the battle of Mosul&rsquo;s southern frontline. It won&rsquo;t be easy to manage the impact of the major ground operation in Iraq, that has been constantly battered since the last four years.&nbsp;

Every time a patient with bullet injuries arrives, doctors have to inform the national security agency, the Asayish which comes in to assess if the patient is a possible Islamic State terrorist.

&ldquo;As a doctor there is not even a need to ask this question. My job is to save everyone so even if I have to heal a Daesh terrorist I do it, then the security will do the rest.&rdquo;

A car with three members of the Asayish reaches us in the hospital parking and does not abandon us from that moment onwards, primarily to control our movements. This is something else which happens in war torn areas: limitations.

There are places where you can&rsquo;t go, things you can&rsquo;t do, words you can&rsquo;t say, streets you can&rsquo;t walk. This is what war does beside claiming lives: it is pervasive, it pauses normality. Whatever the topic, war and its consequences will sooner or later appear. Speaking with a barber while shaving you discover he fled Mosul, the fruit seller at the corner lost his brother in Sinjial against Daesh one year ago, the neighbour&rsquo;s son left his studies to join the army and fight. Casual interlocutors over a tea or a cigarette have always a war story to tell.

It invades minds and movements and becomes a constant, unwanted guest in the majority of conversations and considerations.

(WION) 
&nbsp;

Four years of fighting and destruction have left hospitals scant, and Iraqis impassive to war

After kilometres of a perfectly built road crossing along an empty and harsh desert Iraqi environment, a small checkpoint appears. “Documents! Where are you going?,” an official says. “Mahkmour.” The small town is roughly a hundred kilometres south of Mosul. Its hospital, which receives several injured by firearms on a daily basis, will be one of the many structures close to the southern frontline of the Mosul offensive. “No, you can’t go to Mahkmour. Speak with the commander,” says roughly, a soldier pointing towards an old house on the top of a hill. The post seems to represent the current Iraqi situation, a place where war has become constant. Military life has become so routine and normal that soldiers care little to exhibit an image of order and discipline. Their rooms are not as the ones we usually imagine: tidy, clean, modular. Probably they were, but after spending years in the same checkpoint in the middle of Iraq, aesthetic becomes less important day by day. Beds are slightly sloppy, evidence of one of the many early and hasty wakening. Shoes are everywhere and weapons - mainly AK-47 - lie on the beds and under the pillows. Walls are not well painted and the floors not too clean. It resembles a long-term jail but without the family pictures, drawings, books or posters, nothing which helps to understand the identity of the people living there. Everything looks impersonal, only imperfections personalise the place: an open packet of cigarettes on the bed, a sun cream tube on a pillow, a movie ticket on the floor, an ashtray full of cigarettes’ butt on the end of a rifle. The whole atmosphere is the one of a place where nobody wants to be, but it is forced to. The commander sits in the operational room, his fatigue is open and worn in a casual way, it is slightly bigger than his size. He does not speak a single word of English, only German which he learned when training in Koln. A young Peshmerga soldier approaches the window, he speaks French and is willing to help. “I studied French at the university of Mosul before Daesh came,” he says. The university has now been shut down, he decided to voluntarily join the Peshmerga army after he was forced to flee Mosul with his family. “Why are you going there?”, asks the commander swatting a fly in a swift motion. “We want to visit the hospital close to the frontline and understand how things are going there.” The atmosphere is calm, almost dozy due to the noon heat. The commander looks at us with the expression of a man who found on his way an annoying event which he would have preferably avoided, but now is forced to manage. Several phone calls later the hospital manager agreed to pick us up and take us to Doctor Saman, who prefers not to disclose his surname. “Fighting is going on in many areas between Mahkmour and Mosul and everyday we have to heal firearms injuries and send the patients to the bigger hospital in Erbil”. The hospital is clean, but small, too small for the number of injured who could arrive once the official operations to liberate Mosul starts. “I think the doctors are not enough for this situation of war. I think the equipment here is not enough. I think that even the medication we have in order to stabilise a patient, especially in case of emergency, from the frontline is not enough. I am asking the Kurdistan Regional Government to provide us with further medication, further staff,” says doctor Saman. “How many doctors you have here?” “We do not have resident doctors. We have rotating doctors coming for a six-day-a-month shift from the capital city (Erbil) and two medical assistants.” The situation in Mahkmour’s medical facility does not differ from the several others in the area. These structures were mostly built for small towns, and meant to be primary media points with the function of stabilising a patient and send him or her to larger, better-equipped hospitals. The city lies close to what will most likely be the battle of Mosul’s southern frontline. It won’t be easy to manage the impact of the major ground operation in Iraq, that has been constantly battered since the last four years. Every time a patient with bullet injuries arrives, doctors have to inform the national security agency, the Asayish which comes in to assess if the patient is a possible Islamic State terrorist. “As a doctor there is not even a need to ask this question. My job is to save everyone so even if I have to heal a Daesh terrorist I do it, then the security will do the rest.” A car with three members of the Asayish reaches us in the hospital parking and does not abandon us from that moment onwards, primarily to control our movements. This is something else which happens in war torn areas: limitations. There are places where you can’t go, things you can’t do, words you can’t say, streets you can’t walk. This is what war does beside claiming lives: it is pervasive, it pauses normality. Whatever the topic, war and its consequences will sooner or later appear. Speaking with a barber while shaving you discover he fled Mosul, the fruit seller at the corner lost his brother in Sinjial against Daesh one year ago, the neighbour’s son left his studies to join the army and fight. Casual interlocutors over a tea or a cigarette have always a war story to tell. It invades minds and movements and becomes a constant, unwanted guest in the majority of conversations and considerations. (WION)

Life in Mosul: Iraq's medical facilities fear humanitarian disaster as another battle approaches

A new World Bank study suggests that Islamic State recruits are better educated than their average countryman.&nbsp;The revelation challenges the popular notion that the Syria- and Iraq-based extremist group attracts the poor and the marginalised.

In its recently released study, &quot;Economic and Social Inclusion to Prevent Violent Extremism,&quot; the World Bank attempts to provide a socio-economic explanation for Islamic State&#39;s global support base.&nbsp;

The study reveals that almost all the fighters joining Iraq and Syria-based forces of the IS were significantly better educated than the average citizen in their home countries, whether&nbsp;in Africa, Europe, &nbsp;or the Middle East.

And that those signing up to become suicide bombers belonged to an even more educated class. The report says the data clearly indicates&nbsp;&quot;poverty is not a driver of radicalisation into violent extremism.&quot;&nbsp;

The World Bank study was based on a leaked Islamic State database of 331 recruits.&nbsp;Of them,&nbsp;only 17 per cent had not finished high school. The education of the recruits&nbsp;coming from eastern European was marginally below average. But &quot;foreign recruits from the Middle East, North Africa and South and East Asia are significantly more educated than what is typical in their region,&quot; says the bank report.

Almost 25 per cent of them had had a&nbsp;university-level education.&nbsp;

Furthermore, those volunteering to become suicide bombers -- one in nine -- were almost as educated as those seeking administerial roles. The report says, &quot;The proportions of administrators but also of suicide fighters increase with education.&quot;

Approximately 30 per cent of the recruits indicated their preference for positions they wanted in Islamic State. Most of the recruits reportedly held jobs before joining the IS. However, many of those opting to become suicide bombers indicated that they were either unemployed or served the military in their home countries. &nbsp;

Observing the recruiting trends of the extremist group, also known as Daesh, the report says, &quot;We find that Daesh did not recruit its foreign workforce among the poor and less educated, but rather the opposite. Instead, the lack of economic inclusion seems to explain the extent of radicalisation into violent extremism.&quot; &nbsp;The study says, &quot;An important finding is that these individuals are far from being uneducated or illiterate. Most claim to have attended secondary school and a large fraction have gone on to study at university.&quot;

(WION)

Those volunteering to become suicide bombers -- one in nine -- were almost as educated as those seeking administerial roles

A new World Bank study suggests that Islamic State recruits are better educated than their average countryman. The revelation challenges the popular notion that the Syria- and Iraq-based extremist group attracts the poor and the marginalised. In its recently released study, "Economic and Social Inclusion to Prevent Violent Extremism," the World Bank attempts to provide a socio-economic explanation for Islamic State's global support base. The study reveals that almost all the fighters joining Iraq and Syria-based forces of the IS were significantly better educated than the average citizen in their home countries, whether in Africa, Europe, or the Middle East. And that those signing up to become suicide bombers belonged to an even more educated class. The report says the data clearly indicates "poverty is not a driver of radicalisation into violent extremism." The World Bank study was based on a leaked Islamic State database of 331 recruits. Of them, only 17 per cent had not finished high school. The education of the recruits coming from eastern European was marginally below average. But "foreign recruits from the Middle East, North Africa and South and East Asia are significantly more educated than what is typical in their region," says the bank report. Almost 25 per cent of them had had a university-level education. Furthermore, those volunteering to become suicide bombers -- one in nine -- were almost as educated as those seeking administerial roles. The report says, "The proportions of administrators but also of suicide fighters increase with education." Approximately 30 per cent of the recruits indicated their preference for positions they wanted in Islamic State. Most of the recruits reportedly held jobs before joining the IS. However, many of those opting to become suicide bombers indicated that they were either unemployed or served the military in their home countries. Observing the recruiting trends of the extremist group, also known as Daesh, the report says, "We find that Daesh did not recruit its foreign workforce among the poor and less educated, but rather the opposite. Instead, the lack of economic inclusion seems to explain the extent of radicalisation into violent extremism." The study says, "An important finding is that these individuals are far from being uneducated or illiterate. Most claim to have attended secondary school and a large fraction have gone on to study at university." (WION)

Islamic State recruits more educated than average: World Bank study

The Maldives National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) and Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) held talks aimed at&nbsp;stopping the financing&nbsp;of terrorism.

The discussion was held at the Ministry of Defence and National Security, and was headed by the Minister of Defence, &nbsp;Adam Shareef Umar, and the Governor of MMA, Dr&nbsp;Azeema Adam.

The discussion was centered on possible collaborative measures that could be taken against financing&nbsp;terrorism, as well as money laundering.

The Maldives established the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) in order to combat the growing threat of radicalisation and extremism in the country.

Citing the&nbsp;Indian Intelligence Bureau, Media Report says that&nbsp;the future threat of Islamic State (IS)&nbsp;in&nbsp;South Asia&nbsp;could be from the Maldives, rather than from Bangladesh.

This intelligence report said, in addition to the people who have already joined to the terrorist group, IS&nbsp;may have as many as 500 sympathisers in the Maldives.

There are conflicting accounts of the IS presence in Bangladesh. Prime Minister Sheik Hasina has denied that IS has any presence in the country at all, and attributed the rash of high-profile killings that plagued the country this summer to a local&nbsp;offshoot&nbsp;of&nbsp;al-Qaeda.

But groups like Stratfor, a global intelligence company based in Austin, Texas, have issued reports stating&nbsp;that IS is focusing on expanding in Bangladesh.

(WION)

The discussions aimed at uprooting terrorism come as reports indicate that Islamic State may be expanding in the Maldives

The Maldives National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) and Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) held talks aimed at stopping the financing of terrorism. The discussion was held at the Ministry of Defence and National Security, and was headed by the Minister of Defence, Adam Shareef Umar, and the Governor of MMA, Dr Azeema Adam. The discussion was centered on possible collaborative measures that could be taken against financing terrorism, as well as money laundering. The Maldives established the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) in order to combat the growing threat of radicalisation and extremism in the country. Citing the Indian Intelligence Bureau, Media Report says that the future threat of Islamic State (IS) in South Asia could be from the Maldives, rather than from Bangladesh. This intelligence report said, in addition to the people who have already joined to the terrorist group, IS may have as many as 500 sympathisers in the Maldives. There are conflicting accounts of the IS presence in Bangladesh. Prime Minister Sheik Hasina has denied that IS has any presence in the country at all, and attributed the rash of high-profile killings that plagued the country this summer to a local offshoot of al-Qaeda. But groups like Stratfor, a global intelligence company based in Austin, Texas, have issued reports stating that IS is focusing on expanding in Bangladesh. (WION)

Maldives officials hold talks to stop terrorism funding

At least 10 people were killed today and about 30 were wounded in Iraqi capital in a suicide attack claimed by the Islamic State &nbsp;(IS) on two Shi&#39;ite majority areas, international news agency AFP reported.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Reuters, however, put the death toll at 11.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

While one of the attacks was reported in &nbsp;the Amil neighbourhood of southern Baghdad, where at least six people were killed, &nbsp;the other attack was reported in the eastern Mashtal district, according to Reuters.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

In the second attack, the &nbsp;bomber detonated explosives near a garage for taxis and buses and a tent providing refreshments to passersby as part of a Shiite religious ritual, reported AFP.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

IS later claimed the attack in a statement, saying it targetted the Shi&#39;ite events commemorating the slaying of Prophet Mohammad&#39;s grandson Hussein, according to Reuters.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Shi'ite events commemorating the slaying of Prophet Mohammad's grandson Hussein were targetted in the suicide attacks, IS said

At least 10 people were killed today and about 30 were wounded in Iraqi capital in a suicide attack claimed by the Islamic State (IS) on two Shi'ite majority areas, international news agency AFP reported. Reuters, however, put the death toll at 11. While one of the attacks was reported in the Amil neighbourhood of southern Baghdad, where at least six people were killed, the other attack was reported in the eastern Mashtal district, according to Reuters. In the second attack, the bomber detonated explosives near a garage for taxis and buses and a tent providing refreshments to passersby as part of a Shiite religious ritual, reported AFP. IS later claimed the attack in a statement, saying it targetted the Shi'ite events commemorating the slaying of Prophet Mohammad's grandson Hussein, according to Reuters. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Islamic State suicide bombers target Shia processions in Baghdad, at least 10 killed

India&#39;s National Investigation Agency (NIA) along with teams of police officials from the southern states of Kerala, Delhi and Telangana arrested six youth on charges of plotting terror attacks. The agency officials said that the youth, who belonged to Tamil Nadu and Kerala, entered into criminal conspiracy and allegedly formed a terror module after being inspired by the dreaded Islamic State (IS) outfit. All the accused are to be produced in a special NIA court in Kerala&rsquo;s Ernakulam where the probe agency will be seeking their police custody.

The accused have been identified as Manseed (30), Abu Basheer (29), Swalih Mohamad (26), Safwan (30), Jasim(25) and Ramshad Nageelan Kandiyil (24).While Abu Basheer hails from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, the rest of the youth belong to Kozhikode, Kannur, Mallapuram and Thrissur in Kerala. According to the NIA, the accused were allegedly collecting explosives to target important persons and places of public importance.

&ldquo;Credible information was received that some youth from Kerala and Tamil Nadu along with their accomplices have entered into a criminal conspiracy to commit terrorist acts by collecting explosives and other offensive material for targeting important persons and places of public importance in various parts of south lndia,&rdquo; said NIA spokesperson Alok Mittal. NIA on Sunday said that the information was passed on to the Central government which directed the agency to investigate the case.

&ldquo;Acting on the information, the NIA teams along with Kerala Police, Delhi police and Telangana police, launched surveillance on the movements of the accused involved in the conspiracy. During searches conducted today in the districts of Kozikhode and Kannur in Kerala, 6 persons, have been arrested for their involvement in the conspiracy. Five of them were arrested while they were conducting a meeting at Kanakamala hilltop, Kannur district, Kerala. During subsequent searches, another person was detained from Kuttiyadi in Kozhikode district and arrested later on,&rdquo; said NIA officials.

The agency registered a case at its Kochi branch and booked the accused under sections 120B (criminal conspiracy) 121 )Waging, or attempting to wage war, or abetting waging of war, against the Government of India), 121A (conspiracy to commit offences punishable by section )and 122 (collecting arms) of the Indian Penal code and other sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The agency also said that during the searches, incriminating material including electronic devices have been seized from their possession and search of their premises. Follow-up searches are being conducted by NIA in Chennai, Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu and Kannur, Kozikhode and Mallapuram in Kerala with support of Tamil Nadu and Kerala police.

(This piece first appeared in DNA)

The youth allegedly entered into criminal conspiracy and formed a terror module after being inspired by the Islamic State, police said

India's National Investigation Agency (NIA) along with teams of police officials from the southern states of Kerala, Delhi and Telangana arrested six youth on charges of plotting terror attacks. The agency officials said that the youth, who belonged to Tamil Nadu and Kerala, entered into criminal conspiracy and allegedly formed a terror module after being inspired by the dreaded Islamic State (IS) outfit. All the accused are to be produced in a special NIA court in Kerala’s Ernakulam where the probe agency will be seeking their police custody. The accused have been identified as Manseed (30), Abu Basheer (29), Swalih Mohamad (26), Safwan (30), Jasim(25) and Ramshad Nageelan Kandiyil (24).While Abu Basheer hails from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, the rest of the youth belong to Kozhikode, Kannur, Mallapuram and Thrissur in Kerala. According to the NIA, the accused were allegedly collecting explosives to target important persons and places of public importance. “Credible information was received that some youth from Kerala and Tamil Nadu along with their accomplices have entered into a criminal conspiracy to commit terrorist acts by collecting explosives and other offensive material for targeting important persons and places of public importance in various parts of south lndia,” said NIA spokesperson Alok Mittal. NIA on Sunday said that the information was passed on to the Central government which directed the agency to investigate the case. “Acting on the information, the NIA teams along with Kerala Police, Delhi police and Telangana police, launched surveillance on the movements of the accused involved in the conspiracy. During searches conducted today in the districts of Kozikhode and Kannur in Kerala, 6 persons, have been arrested for their involvement in the conspiracy. Five of them were arrested while they were conducting a meeting at Kanakamala hilltop, Kannur district, Kerala. During subsequent searches, another person was detained from Kuttiyadi in Kozhikode district and arrested later on,” said NIA officials. The agency registered a case at its Kochi branch and booked the accused under sections 120B (criminal conspiracy) 121 )Waging, or attempting to wage war, or abetting waging of war, against the Government of India), 121A (conspiracy to commit offences punishable by section )and 122 (collecting arms) of the Indian Penal code and other sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The agency also said that during the searches, incriminating material including electronic devices have been seized from their possession and search of their premises. Follow-up searches are being conducted by NIA in Chennai, Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu and Kannur, Kozikhode and Mallapuram in Kerala with support of Tamil Nadu and Kerala police. (This piece first appeared in DNA)

India's investigation agency arrests six 'IS-inspired' youth

Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria, the two major cities controlled by the Islamic State, will be the twin epicentres of the most crucial battle&nbsp;against the terrorist organisation&#39;s hold in West Asia. While the attack against Raqqa is hostage to political games between Turkey and the United States (US), everything suggests that the attack against IS (Islamic State) in Mosul will happen before 2016-end. &nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
US secretary of defence Ashton Carter recently agreed to send another 600 special forces for training the Iraqi army before the attack on Mosul. The contingent will add to the 4,400 US troops already on Iraqi soil. &nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Last week&rsquo;s military operations near Mosul succeeded in depriving the IS&nbsp;of its last oil wells. Iraqi oil minister Jabbar-al-Luaibi declared on Wednesday that the terrorist organisation no longer controlled any oil well in the country.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
This is just the latest blow against the IS in Northern Iraq. A month ago IS lost the Qayyara oilfield to the Iraqi forces who are since then preparing to march northward. This is apart from the several villages that were liberated. In December 2015, IS lost the city of Sinjar to the Kurdish Peshmerga army and Yazidi fighters.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
What Mosul&#39;s capture meant&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Mosul fell to IS in 2014 and represented a crucial victory. It is the largest city under the control of IS, as well as the second largest Iraqi city.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;&nbsp; 
Conquering a city means taking full possession of all its resources and Mosul was a &ldquo;goldmine&rdquo; both from a military as well as economic perspective &nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
IS seized all weapon and ammunition left behind by the regular forces during their retreat, a precious arsenal that guaranteed control over Mosul and made further military operations in the vicinity possible. &nbsp; 
&nbsp;

&nbsp;

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Not losing Mosul is now as important to IS as it was once to conquer it. (WION)
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&nbsp;

Mosul had long been an operational base for the US forces and the weapons and vehicles left behind were relatively new and up-to-date. To add to this, a good number of arms and ammunitions could also be sourced from the city&#39;s many police stations that lay abandoned. &nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Immediate financial liquidity is also one of the fallouts of taking over a city. All the cash available in banks, post offices, government offices, hospitals and many other institutions contributed to the IS fund for paying soldiers and also compensated for losses incurred in war. &nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Oil, however, was the real booty to be won in Mosul. &nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Ammunition eventually runs out, as does cash. Oil does not. It is the most enduring economic resource of the whole region and every country in the world wants to buy it at half price &ndash; nevermind the seller. And IS capitalised on this.

&#39;Iraqi HQ&#39; key to IS hold over West Asia&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
IS does not control oil wells any more. This means it has to rely on other resources for sustaining an attack. The terror organisation is probably not running out of cash immediately, but in the long run they will be forced to increase taxation to sustain their expenses, which will likely undermine their relationship with the local population.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
And more isolated a city gets, the more every sort of resource becomes expensive. If the main external supplies are then cut, cash becomes useless. &nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Not losing Mosul is now as important to IS as it was once to conquer it. &nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
An IS defeat here will deprive them of what they call their &quot;Iraqi headquarter&quot;. A loss which will deliver a huge psychological blow on IS affiliates and on the ambition of being a State. How can a State which claims to be willing to rule West Asia not have a &ldquo;capital city&rdquo; in Iraq? How can a State transmit an image of power and the capability to govern if it is not able to defend its major cities? And, without such major centres and their resources, how will this State economically survive and pay its soldiers and employees? &nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Many IS terrorists are believed to be fighting only for the pay rather than for a cause and economic difficulties are not likely to make brave warriors of them.

The combatants up for the final fight

The final fight for Mosul won&rsquo;t be easy. All sides will fight till the very end. &nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
US President Barack Obama would obviously like to close his second term with a big win against IS terrorists. A US victory could also improve the shaky chances of Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton finally making it to the White House after the elections in November. &nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Iraqi regular army and the government want to regain a crucial portion of its territory to restore their legitimacy, access to oil extraction, and the reputation of its forces that have often been perceived as victims of internal conflict and polarisation -- something that led to losses, not the least that of Mosul.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Kurdish Peshmergas are willing to secure their regional borders and get Iraqi Kurdistan back to the pre-IS economic boom phase, a time when the local media described its capital city, Erbil, as &ldquo;the new Dubai&rdquo;. &nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
It is, however, not the only aim of the Kurdish Peshmergas, and talks between their President, Masoud Barzani, and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi are to happen soon in Baghdad. The meeting is expected to decide the future of the Kirkuk oil plants that have been under Peshmerga control since they pushed the IS out. The oil plants were previously administrated by the central government of Iraq. &nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
The IS, on the other hand, has a lot to lose and is definitely alert about an upcoming offensive. It has been preparing and this suggests the battle will be bloody and long, most probably involving a lot of house-to-house operations. The only advantage of the current situation is that the preparation for the defence of Mosul has slowed the IS&#39;s political proselytism. &nbsp; 
Organisations under attack are often forced to redirect their resources and energies in preparing the defence phase and this leaves less time for consensus building, the very pillar of every organisation and of every resistance against a siege.

From strategy to ethnicity: Challenges in the aftermath&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
If the US air force, the Iraqi army and the Kurdish Peshmerga storm Mosul together from any direction, an Islamic State&rsquo;s victory is very unlikely. &nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Open battle is not the strategy IS prefers most. There is a concrete risk that cells active all over the world will be ordered, or will independently decide, to carry out as many attacks as possible against civilians. &nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
This will internationalise the conflict and open several fronts in the mainlands of all the countries taking part in a possible attack against Mosul.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
However, military challenges are not the only expected outcomes of this offensive. A &nbsp;massive surge of civilians is expected to reach Iraq and Kurdistan and the many non-governmental organisations on the ground are already at work to set up emergency camps.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
The complex social fabric of Iraq poses several challenges for a Mosul aftermath even before the battle has begun. Who will eventually rule the city and how is a crucial decision. &nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Mosul&rsquo;s residents are predominantly Sunni as it is located in western Iraq, but the country&rsquo;s army has relied heavily on Shiite militias to win their battles against IS in the area. &nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
If these militias play a crucial role in the battle of Mosul, residents of the cities will probably not show their solidarity, and in an urban battle the support of the local population counts more than anything else. &nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
It could be that Sunni inhabitants of Mosul decide to shelter and help IS terrorists - who are also Sunni - in order to avoid a Shiite supremacy in the city government. &nbsp;&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
There are several other unofficial armed groups willing to take part in Mosul&rsquo;s battle, with or without official invitation. These include Sunni local tribes, Assyrian Christian groups and Iran-backed Shia groups who will not hesitate to open minor fronts within the battle to avoid rival control of neighbourhoods. A war-within-the-war scenario similar to what has been going on in Syria&rsquo;s Aleppo. &nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
The mix of participants, all eager to claim their part in the liberation of Mosul, poses a major threat for the future stability of the city if a shellproof and binding political agreement is not secured before the attack.

(Edited by Anuradha Mukherjee, WION)

IS has lost control over oil wells and now the battle to liberate the largest Iraqi city under terrorist control will begin before year end

Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria, the two major cities controlled by the Islamic State, will be the twin epicentres of the most crucial battle against the terrorist organisation's hold in West Asia. While the attack against Raqqa is hostage to political games between Turkey and the United States (US), everything suggests that the attack against IS (Islamic State) in Mosul will happen before 2016-end. US secretary of defence Ashton Carter recently agreed to send another 600 special forces for training the Iraqi army before the attack on Mosul. The contingent will add to the 4,400 US troops already on Iraqi soil. Last week’s military operations near Mosul succeeded in depriving the IS of its last oil wells. Iraqi oil minister Jabbar-al-Luaibi declared on Wednesday that the terrorist organisation no longer controlled any oil well in the country. This is just the latest blow against the IS in Northern Iraq. A month ago IS lost the Qayyara oilfield to the Iraqi forces who are since then preparing to march northward. This is apart from the several villages that were liberated. In December 2015, IS lost the city of Sinjar to the Kurdish Peshmerga army and Yazidi fighters. What Mosul's capture meant Mosul fell to IS in 2014 and represented a crucial victory. It is the largest city under the control of IS, as well as the second largest Iraqi city. Conquering a city means taking full possession of all its resources and Mosul was a “goldmine” both from a military as well as economic perspective IS seized all weapon and ammunition left behind by the regular forces during their retreat, a precious arsenal that guaranteed control over Mosul and made further military operations in the vicinity possible. Not losing Mosul is now as important to IS as it was once to conquer it. (WION) × Mosul had long been an operational base for the US forces and the weapons and vehicles left behind were relatively new and up-to-date. To add to this, a good number of arms and ammunitions could also be sourced from the city's many police stations that lay abandoned. Immediate financial liquidity is also one of the fallouts of taking over a city. All the cash available in banks, post offices, government offices, hospitals and many other institutions contributed to the IS fund for paying soldiers and also compensated for losses incurred in war. Oil, however, was the real booty to be won in Mosul. Ammunition eventually runs out, as does cash. Oil does not. It is the most enduring economic resource of the whole region and every country in the world wants to buy it at half price – nevermind the seller. And IS capitalised on this. 'Iraqi HQ' key to IS hold over West Asia IS does not control oil wells any more. This means it has to rely on other resources for sustaining an attack. The terror organisation is probably not running out of cash immediately, but in the long run they will be forced to increase taxation to sustain their expenses, which will likely undermine their relationship with the local population. And more isolated a city gets, the more every sort of resource becomes expensive. If the main external supplies are then cut, cash becomes useless. Not losing Mosul is now as important to IS as it was once to conquer it. An IS defeat here will deprive them of what they call their "Iraqi headquarter". A loss which will deliver a huge psychological blow on IS affiliates and on the ambition of being a State. How can a State which claims to be willing to rule West Asia not have a “capital city” in Iraq? How can a State transmit an image of power and the capability to govern if it is not able to defend its major cities? And, without such major centres and their resources, how will this State economically survive and pay its soldiers and employees? Many IS terrorists are believed to be fighting only for the pay rather than for a cause and economic difficulties are not likely to make brave warriors of them. The combatants up for the final fight The final fight for Mosul won’t be easy. All sides will fight till the very end. US President Barack Obama would obviously like to close his second term with a big win against IS terrorists. A US victory could also improve the shaky chances of Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton finally making it to the White House after the elections in November. Iraqi regular army and the government want to regain a crucial portion of its territory to restore their legitimacy, access to oil extraction, and the reputation of its forces that have often been perceived as victims of internal conflict and polarisation -- something that led to losses, not the least that of Mosul. Kurdish Peshmergas are willing to secure their regional borders and get Iraqi Kurdistan back to the pre-IS economic boom phase, a time when the local media described its capital city, Erbil, as “the new Dubai”. It is, however, not the only aim of the Kurdish Peshmergas, and talks between their President, Masoud Barzani, and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi are to happen soon in Baghdad. The meeting is expected to decide the future of the Kirkuk oil plants that have been under Peshmerga control since they pushed the IS out. The oil plants were previously administrated by the central government of Iraq. The IS, on the other hand, has a lot to lose and is definitely alert about an upcoming offensive. It has been preparing and this suggests the battle will be bloody and long, most probably involving a lot of house-to-house operations. The only advantage of the current situation is that the preparation for the defence of Mosul has slowed the IS's political proselytism. Organisations under attack are often forced to redirect their resources and energies in preparing the defence phase and this leaves less time for consensus building, the very pillar of every organisation and of every resistance against a siege. From strategy to ethnicity: Challenges in the aftermath If the US air force, the Iraqi army and the Kurdish Peshmerga storm Mosul together from any direction, an Islamic State’s victory is very unlikely. Open battle is not the strategy IS prefers most. There is a concrete risk that cells active all over the world will be ordered, or will independently decide, to carry out as many attacks as possible against civilians. This will internationalise the conflict and open several fronts in the mainlands of all the countries taking part in a possible attack against Mosul. However, military challenges are not the only expected outcomes of this offensive. A massive surge of civilians is expected to reach Iraq and Kurdistan and the many non-governmental organisations on the ground are already at work to set up emergency camps. The complex social fabric of Iraq poses several challenges for a Mosul aftermath even before the battle has begun. Who will eventually rule the city and how is a crucial decision. Mosul’s residents are predominantly Sunni as it is located in western Iraq, but the country’s army has relied heavily on Shiite militias to win their battles against IS in the area. If these militias play a crucial role in the battle of Mosul, residents of the cities will probably not show their solidarity, and in an urban battle the support of the local population counts more than anything else. It could be that Sunni inhabitants of Mosul decide to shelter and help IS terrorists - who are also Sunni - in order to avoid a Shiite supremacy in the city government. There are several other unofficial armed groups willing to take part in Mosul’s battle, with or without official invitation. These include Sunni local tribes, Assyrian Christian groups and Iran-backed Shia groups who will not hesitate to open minor fronts within the battle to avoid rival control of neighbourhoods. A war-within-the-war scenario similar to what has been going on in Syria’s Aleppo. The mix of participants, all eager to claim their part in the liberation of Mosul, poses a major threat for the future stability of the city if a shellproof and binding political agreement is not secured before the attack. (Edited by Anuradha Mukherjee, WION)

West Asia's fate lies in balance over Mosul's liberation from IS

Egypt&#39;s top assisstant prosecutor general survived the car bomb explosion in the eastern suburb of Cairo on Thursday evening.&nbsp;

According to the interior ministry, Abdel Aziz was on his way home in Cairo when a car parked beside his motorcade exploded.&nbsp;

&quot;A bomb in a car parked on the side of the road exploded after deputy prosecutor general Zakareya Abdel Aziz drove past&quot; in an upmarket district of eastern Cairo, the ministry said in a statement.

A civilian was wounded but the Aziz and his bodyguards escaped unscathed.&nbsp;

Twenty kg worth of TNT-- explosive Trinitrotoluene-- was packed and detonated inside a car using a mobile phone, a state news agency quoted a security source as saying.&nbsp;

Hundreds of senior officials, soldiers and police have been killed in the Islamist insurgency led by the terror group Islamic State and the Muslim Brotherhood.&nbsp;

Just last month, Egypt&#39;s former Grand and&nbsp;an Islamist groups critic&nbsp;Mufti Ali Gomaa was targeted by two men on motorcycle who fired on him as he entered the mosque.&nbsp;

Last year, the country&#39;s prosecutor general Hisham Barakat was assassinated by a car bomb in June.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

 
&nbsp;

Abdel Aziz was on his way home in Cairo when the car beside his motorcade exploded, the interior ministry said

Egypt's top assisstant prosecutor general survived the car bomb explosion in the eastern suburb of Cairo on Thursday evening. According to the interior ministry, Abdel Aziz was on his way home in Cairo when a car parked beside his motorcade exploded. "A bomb in a car parked on the side of the road exploded after deputy prosecutor general Zakareya Abdel Aziz drove past" in an upmarket district of eastern Cairo, the ministry said in a statement. A civilian was wounded but the Aziz and his bodyguards escaped unscathed. Twenty kg worth of TNT-- explosive Trinitrotoluene-- was packed and detonated inside a car using a mobile phone, a state news agency quoted a security source as saying. Hundreds of senior officials, soldiers and police have been killed in the Islamist insurgency led by the terror group Islamic State and the Muslim Brotherhood. Just last month, Egypt's former Grand and an Islamist groups critic Mufti Ali Gomaa was targeted by two men on motorcycle who fired on him as he entered the mosque. Last year, the country's prosecutor general Hisham Barakat was assassinated by a car bomb in June. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Egypt assistant prosecutor general survives assassination attempt

The Islamic State is likely to mustard gas as the Iraqi forces advance to re-take Mosul, IS group&#39;s last main stronghold in Iraq, a Pentagon spokeman said on Monday. 
 
&quot;We can fully expect that as this road towards Mosul progresses, ISIL is likely to try to use it again,&quot; Jeff Davis was quoted as saying by AFP.&nbsp; 
 
Davis said that IS&#39;s ability to weaponise mustard agent has been rudimentary. Their mustard gas is typically a powder bound together with tar. The gas is more of an irritant than lethal, Davis said. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s not generally in a lethal concentration. It&#39;s more of an irritant than anything else, but again, not something we view as militarily significant,&quot; he said, noting that the gas form of mustard agent used in the First World War was far more lethal, Reuters reported. 
 
&quot;We recognise this is real. They&#39;re dead set on it. They would love to be able to use chemical weapons against us, against the Iraqis as they move forward. We are making every effort to make sure that we&#39;re ready for it.&quot; 
 
Davis added that Iraqi soldiers have been given training and have practiced to be in a situation of exposure to the IS chemical weapon. The United states has provided more than 50,000 gas masks to the Iraqi forces, he said. 
 
&quot;We want to make sure that the Iraqi security forces and the Peshmergas (Kurdish fighters) have the ability to detect this and to defend against it,&quot; Davis said. 
 
A rocket was launched, with a possible chemical agent, against US soldiers at a base near Qayyarah, a northern town in Iraq. The Pentagon suspects that the IS group used mustard gas in the attack last week. 
 
Hundreds of US troops are working to prepare an airfield for an Iraqi offensive to recapture the city of Mosul neat the base, Reuters reported. 
 
Iraqi security forces, backed by US-led coalition air power, are in the final weeks of preparing operations ahead of an assault to recapture Mosul, according to AFP.&nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

According to the spokesman, the IS group's mustard gas is 'not generally in a lethal concentration' but more of an irritant

The Islamic State is likely to mustard gas as the Iraqi forces advance to re-take Mosul, IS group's last main stronghold in Iraq, a Pentagon spokeman said on Monday. "We can fully expect that as this road towards Mosul progresses, ISIL is likely to try to use it again," Jeff Davis was quoted as saying by AFP. Davis said that IS's ability to weaponise mustard agent has been rudimentary. Their mustard gas is typically a powder bound together with tar. The gas is more of an irritant than lethal, Davis said. "It's not generally in a lethal concentration. It's more of an irritant than anything else, but again, not something we view as militarily significant," he said, noting that the gas form of mustard agent used in the First World War was far more lethal, Reuters reported. "We recognise this is real. They're dead set on it. They would love to be able to use chemical weapons against us, against the Iraqis as they move forward. We are making every effort to make sure that we're ready for it." Davis added that Iraqi soldiers have been given training and have practiced to be in a situation of exposure to the IS chemical weapon. The United states has provided more than 50,000 gas masks to the Iraqi forces, he said. "We want to make sure that the Iraqi security forces and the Peshmergas (Kurdish fighters) have the ability to detect this and to defend against it," Davis said. A rocket was launched, with a possible chemical agent, against US soldiers at a base near Qayyarah, a northern town in Iraq. The Pentagon suspects that the IS group used mustard gas in the attack last week. Hundreds of US troops are working to prepare an airfield for an Iraqi offensive to recapture the city of Mosul neat the base, Reuters reported. Iraqi security forces, backed by US-led coalition air power, are in the final weeks of preparing operations ahead of an assault to recapture Mosul, according to AFP. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Pentagon: Islamic State could use mustard gas to defend Mosul

Bombings targeting shopping areas in Shiite districts of the Iraqi capital today killed at least 17 people and wounded more than 50, security and medical officials said.

The Islamic State jihadist group claimed an attack in the Baghdad Jadida neighbourhood in the east of the city, saying it was carried out by a man wearing an explosive vest.

Officials said at least eight people were killed and at least 29 wounded in Baghdad Jadida, although some said the area was hit by a roadside bomb as well as a suicide bomber.

Conflicting accounts are common in the confused aftermath of attacks in Iraq: police at the scene said it was hit by a roadside bomb that wounded six people but left no fatalities.

Another suicide bomber targeted the Bayaa area in south Baghdad, killing at least nine people and wounding at least 26, officials said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for that attack, but IS frequently carries out suicide bombers targeting Iraqi Shiite Muslims, whom it considers to be heretics.

Today&#39;s violence came two days after another suicide bombing claimed by IS killed six people in western Baghdad.

A day before that, bomb and gun attacks claimed by the jihadist group killed 12 people in the area of Tikrit, a city north of the capital. 
Iraqi forces are preparing for a push on Mosul, the last IS-held city in the country, after regaining much of the Iraqi territory the jihadists seized in June 2014.

But IS has maintained the ability to carry out attacks in government-controlled areas even as the jihadist group lost ground, and it is likely to increasingly turn to such insurgent tactics if it loses Mosul.

(AFP)

The Islamic State jihadist group claimed the attack in the Baghdad Jadida neighbourhood in the east of the city

Bombings targeting shopping areas in Shiite districts of the Iraqi capital today killed at least 17 people and wounded more than 50, security and medical officials said. The Islamic State jihadist group claimed an attack in the Baghdad Jadida neighbourhood in the east of the city, saying it was carried out by a man wearing an explosive vest. Officials said at least eight people were killed and at least 29 wounded in Baghdad Jadida, although some said the area was hit by a roadside bomb as well as a suicide bomber. Conflicting accounts are common in the confused aftermath of attacks in Iraq: police at the scene said it was hit by a roadside bomb that wounded six people but left no fatalities. Another suicide bomber targeted the Bayaa area in south Baghdad, killing at least nine people and wounding at least 26, officials said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for that attack, but IS frequently carries out suicide bombers targeting Iraqi Shiite Muslims, whom it considers to be heretics. Today's violence came two days after another suicide bombing claimed by IS killed six people in western Baghdad. A day before that, bomb and gun attacks claimed by the jihadist group killed 12 people in the area of Tikrit, a city north of the capital. Iraqi forces are preparing for a push on Mosul, the last IS-held city in the country, after regaining much of the Iraqi territory the jihadists seized in June 2014. But IS has maintained the ability to carry out attacks in government-controlled areas even as the jihadist group lost ground, and it is likely to increasingly turn to such insurgent tactics if it loses Mosul. (AFP)

Bombings kill at least 17 in Baghdad: Officials

More than 1,000 Islamic State (IS) boats have been sunk by the US-led coalition&rsquo;s warplanes, with 65 of them destroyed this month, PTI reported. 
 
The IS has been using watercraft to transport fighters and execute attacks through the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Iraq. 
 
The coalition had also provided CNN with a video of a September 10 airstrike against an IS unit aboard a boat near Bayji, Iraq. 
 
Operation Inherent Resolve spokesperson Colonel Joseph Scrocca informed that barges, skiffs and motorised watercraft have been observed operating along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. 
 
The coalition bombs have also targeted bridges used by the IS. 
 
The coalition strikes took place near Qayyara and Sultan Abdallah towns, along the Tigris river south of the IS-held city of Mosul. 
 
(WION with inputs from PTI)

The IS has been using watercraft to transport fighters and execute attacks through the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Iraq

More than 1,000 Islamic State (IS) boats have been sunk by the US-led coalition’s warplanes, with 65 of them destroyed this month, PTI reported. The IS has been using watercraft to transport fighters and execute attacks through the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Iraq. The coalition had also provided CNN with a video of a September 10 airstrike against an IS unit aboard a boat near Bayji, Iraq. Operation Inherent Resolve spokesperson Colonel Joseph Scrocca informed that barges, skiffs and motorised watercraft have been observed operating along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The coalition bombs have also targeted bridges used by the IS. The coalition strikes took place near Qayyara and Sultan Abdallah towns, along the Tigris river south of the IS-held city of Mosul. (WION with inputs from PTI)

'US has sunk 100 Islamic State boats to stop watercraft moves'

By Pooja Mehta 
 
Islamic State recently released a 15-minute video in Bangla language glorifying the five Dhaka attackers and urging the youth of Bangladesh to join them. 
 
The video was released by At-Tamkin, the official media channel of Bangla IS. 
 
It initially exhorts the Bangladesh youth to spread Islam through &lsquo;jihad&rsquo; across the world. 
 
The second half of the video blames Islamic scholars for preventing the youth from joining the banned terror outfit. 
 
The final segment of the clip shows how IS jihadists are being targeted in Iraq. It then instigates its viewers to pick up arms and wage a war against the people responsible for such crackdowns. 
 
It also glorifies the five men responsible for the Gulshan attack. The five attackers &mdash;&nbsp;Nibras Islam, Rohan Imtiaz, Khairul Islam Payel, Shafiqul Islam Uzzal and Meer Saameh Mubasser &mdash;&nbsp;launch a blistering attack on the Bangladesh government, seemingly recorded ahead of the Gulshan attack. 
 
&ldquo;No matter how advanced you are in the field of technology or the kind of arms you have, no one will be able to save you from us. I urge all the youth of Bangladesh to pick up arms and wage a war against the kaafir, they do not deserve to live,&rdquo; Meer Saameh Mubasser is seen saying in the video. 
 
On the night of July 1, 2016, over 20 people were killed after they were taken hostage by five Islamic State militants in the Dhaka&rsquo;s high-security zone of Gulshan. Among the killed were several foreign nationals, including one Indian national. 
 
It ends with a song in Bangla, &lsquo;eseche caliphate, jege otho mujaheed&rsquo;, meaning that the caliphate is here, the warrior must rise for the cause of jihad. 
 
This is the second such video released by the Islamic State&rsquo;s Bangladesh wing. 
 
(WION)

The video urges Bangladeshi youth to join the Islamic State and spread Islam through 'jihad'

By Pooja Mehta Islamic State recently released a 15-minute video in Bangla language glorifying the five Dhaka attackers and urging the youth of Bangladesh to join them. The video was released by At-Tamkin, the official media channel of Bangla IS. It initially exhorts the Bangladesh youth to spread Islam through ‘jihad’ across the world. The second half of the video blames Islamic scholars for preventing the youth from joining the banned terror outfit. The final segment of the clip shows how IS jihadists are being targeted in Iraq. It then instigates its viewers to pick up arms and wage a war against the people responsible for such crackdowns. It also glorifies the five men responsible for the Gulshan attack. The five attackers — Nibras Islam, Rohan Imtiaz, Khairul Islam Payel, Shafiqul Islam Uzzal and Meer Saameh Mubasser — launch a blistering attack on the Bangladesh government, seemingly recorded ahead of the Gulshan attack. “No matter how advanced you are in the field of technology or the kind of arms you have, no one will be able to save you from us. I urge all the youth of Bangladesh to pick up arms and wage a war against the kaafir, they do not deserve to live,” Meer Saameh Mubasser is seen saying in the video. On the night of July 1, 2016, over 20 people were killed after they were taken hostage by five Islamic State militants in the Dhaka’s high-security zone of Gulshan. Among the killed were several foreign nationals, including one Indian national. It ends with a song in Bangla, ‘eseche caliphate, jege otho mujaheed’, meaning that the caliphate is here, the warrior must rise for the cause of jihad. This is the second such video released by the Islamic State’s Bangladesh wing. (WION)

Islamic State releases video glorifying Dhaka attackers

Syria&#39;s nearly week-old ceasefire was facing a crucial deadline on Monday as the Syrian army said the truce could expire later in the day after a particularly bloody weekend. 
 
The deal came into effect on the evening of September 12, backed by world powers hoping that it could bring an end to Syria&#39;s brutal five-year conflict. 
 
But after several days of relative calm, fighting escalated across major battlefronts, culminating in a deadly US-led air raid on a Syrian army position and fresh strikes on Aleppo. 
 
The strike on Syrian soldiers has strained relations between the deal&#39;s primary sponsors, Washington and Moscow, who had said they would increase cooperation against jihadist groups if the truce held for a week. 
 
A senior military source in Damascus told AFP that the truce would expire Monday at 7:00 pm (1600 GMT) if no extension was announced. 
 
&quot;The current situation leaves much to be desired,&quot; Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said, blasting the US-led strike on Syria&#39;s army which he said &quot;is still the only party respecting the ceasefire&quot;. 
 
&quot;All of this puts the ceasefire in danger,&quot; he said, also without commenting on whether the truce would be extended.&nbsp; 
 
Since September 12, a total of 26 civilians, including eight children, have been killed in areas where the truce had been set to take hold, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. 
 
The bloodiest day for civilians was Sunday, when a barrel bomb attack killed 10 in a southern rebel-held town and one woman was killed in the first raids on Aleppo since the truce began. 
 
On Monday, fierce clashes were reported from all across Damascus as Syria&#39;s military launched &quot;a major military operation&quot; against rebels. 
 
&quot;The army blocked a huge attack by the Faylaq al-Sham group and is beginning a major military operation on the edges of the capital,&quot; a military source said. 
 
But forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad were once again on the back foot near the eastern city of Deir Ezzor, where they have been battling Islamic State group jihadists since last year. 
 
The Observatory said IS militants seized Jabal Therdeh, a set of hills overlooking the Deir Ezzor airbase -- from Russia-backed Syrian soldiers on Sunday. 
 
A military source in Deir Ezzor told AFP on Monday the army had begun a new operation backed by Russian and Syrian warplanes to roll back IS&#39;s advance. 
 
&quot;The army has redeployed around Jabal Therdeh after a fierce attack by Daesh,&quot; he said, using the Arabic acronym for IS. 
 
Syria&#39;s military accused the US-led air coalition of paving the way for IS, after a strike by coalition forces on Jabal Therdeh killed at least 62 Syrian soldiers on Saturday. 
 
Senior government adviser Buthaina Shaaban told AFP on Sunday Damascus believed the raid had been &quot;intentional&quot;. 
 
Russia called the strike a &quot;bad omen&quot; for its deal with the US to halt Syria&#39;s war, which has killed more than 300,000 people since it erupted in 2011. 
 
Under the agreement, fighting was to halt across Syria and humanitarian aid would reach civilians living in increasingly dire humanitarian conditions. 
 
On Monday, convoys of food and medical aid were en route to two hard-to-reach areas in Syria, said David Swanson, a spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. 
 
The first would reach the rebel-held town of Talbisseh, where at least two people were killed by shelling during the truce. 
 
Swanson said the aid would be enough for 84,000 people in the area. 
 
Another 78,000 people living in and around Greater Orum in the north of Aleppo province would also receive wheat flour and health supplies, Swanson told AFP. 
 
But aid convoys to the rebel-held districts of Aleppo city were still stuck on Syria&#39;s border with Turkey Monday, he said. 
 
UN humanitarian chief Stephen O&#39;Brien said he was &quot;pained&quot; that Aleppo&#39;s residents had still not received promised aid deliveries. 
 
&quot;I am pained and disappointed that a United Nations convoy has yet to cross into Syria from Turkey, and safely reach eastern Aleppo, where up to 275,000 people remain trapped without food, water, proper shelter or medical care,&quot; O&#39;Brien said.&nbsp; 
 
(AFP)

The US air raid that killed as many as 83 Syrian soldiers has strained relations between the ceasefire's primary sponsors -- the US & Russia

Syria's nearly week-old ceasefire was facing a crucial deadline on Monday as the Syrian army said the truce could expire later in the day after a particularly bloody weekend. The deal came into effect on the evening of September 12, backed by world powers hoping that it could bring an end to Syria's brutal five-year conflict. But after several days of relative calm, fighting escalated across major battlefronts, culminating in a deadly US-led air raid on a Syrian army position and fresh strikes on Aleppo. The strike on Syrian soldiers has strained relations between the deal's primary sponsors, Washington and Moscow, who had said they would increase cooperation against jihadist groups if the truce held for a week. A senior military source in Damascus told AFP that the truce would expire Monday at 7:00 pm (1600 GMT) if no extension was announced. "The current situation leaves much to be desired," Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said, blasting the US-led strike on Syria's army which he said "is still the only party respecting the ceasefire". "All of this puts the ceasefire in danger," he said, also without commenting on whether the truce would be extended. Since September 12, a total of 26 civilians, including eight children, have been killed in areas where the truce had been set to take hold, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The bloodiest day for civilians was Sunday, when a barrel bomb attack killed 10 in a southern rebel-held town and one woman was killed in the first raids on Aleppo since the truce began. On Monday, fierce clashes were reported from all across Damascus as Syria's military launched "a major military operation" against rebels. "The army blocked a huge attack by the Faylaq al-Sham group and is beginning a major military operation on the edges of the capital," a military source said. But forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad were once again on the back foot near the eastern city of Deir Ezzor, where they have been battling Islamic State group jihadists since last year. The Observatory said IS militants seized Jabal Therdeh, a set of hills overlooking the Deir Ezzor airbase -- from Russia-backed Syrian soldiers on Sunday. A military source in Deir Ezzor told AFP on Monday the army had begun a new operation backed by Russian and Syrian warplanes to roll back IS's advance. "The army has redeployed around Jabal Therdeh after a fierce attack by Daesh," he said, using the Arabic acronym for IS. Syria's military accused the US-led air coalition of paving the way for IS, after a strike by coalition forces on Jabal Therdeh killed at least 62 Syrian soldiers on Saturday. Senior government adviser Buthaina Shaaban told AFP on Sunday Damascus believed the raid had been "intentional". Russia called the strike a "bad omen" for its deal with the US to halt Syria's war, which has killed more than 300,000 people since it erupted in 2011. Under the agreement, fighting was to halt across Syria and humanitarian aid would reach civilians living in increasingly dire humanitarian conditions. On Monday, convoys of food and medical aid were en route to two hard-to-reach areas in Syria, said David Swanson, a spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The first would reach the rebel-held town of Talbisseh, where at least two people were killed by shelling during the truce. Swanson said the aid would be enough for 84,000 people in the area. Another 78,000 people living in and around Greater Orum in the north of Aleppo province would also receive wheat flour and health supplies, Swanson told AFP. But aid convoys to the rebel-held districts of Aleppo city were still stuck on Syria's border with Turkey Monday, he said. UN humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien said he was "pained" that Aleppo's residents had still not received promised aid deliveries. "I am pained and disappointed that a United Nations convoy has yet to cross into Syria from Turkey, and safely reach eastern Aleppo, where up to 275,000 people remain trapped without food, water, proper shelter or medical care," O'Brien said. (AFP)

Syria truce may end Monday evening

The Pentagon has admitted that US-led coalition aircraft hit a Syrian army position&nbsp;in the east of the country on Saturday.&nbsp; 
 
Syrian state media reported the raid near the Deir Ezzor airport around 1700 hours local time.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Warplanes from the American coalition hit one of the Syrian army&#39;s positions... near the Deir Ezzor airport,&quot; the statement said. 
 
A Pentagon statement said, &quot;Coalition forces believed they were striking an Islamic State fighting position.&quot; 
 
&quot;The coalition air strike was halted immediately when coalition officials were informed by Russian officials that it was possible the personnel and vehicles targeted were part of the Syrian military,&quot; the statement read. 
 
The monitoring group in the area, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 83 soldiers were killed in the raids on Jabal Therdeh, southwest of the Deir Ezzor airport. 
 
The coalition strikes are believed to have hit two hilltops near the airport.&nbsp; 
 
A Syrian military source also claimed rounds were fired at the wounded soldiers and paramedics from the planes.&nbsp; 
 
The raids have allowed the Islamic State militant group to advance on government troops in the region.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;This is a dangerous and bold attack against the Syrian state and army, and clear evidence that the United States and its allies support the terrorist group Islamic State,&quot; Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said. 
 
The militant group on Saturday afternoon claimed it had seized full control of Jabal Therdeh, which overlooks the Deir Ezzor airport.&nbsp; 
 
Syria&#39;s biggest ally, Russia, said 62 Syrian soldiers were killed and at least 100 more wounded in strikes by &quot;warplanes from the international coalition&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
Russia has cast doubt over the prospects of the ceasefire negotiated with the United States. Under the fragile deal which into force on Monday, the fighting is to be halted on all fronts.&nbsp; 
 
But Moscow raised questions over Washington&#39;s commitment to the deal and said the situation had worsened.&nbsp; 
 
Moscow and Washington are to begin joint military operations against Islamic State in Syria, as the next step in the ceasefire deal, provided it holds for a week.&nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the raid killed at least 83 soldiers

The Pentagon has admitted that US-led coalition aircraft hit a Syrian army position in the east of the country on Saturday. Syrian state media reported the raid near the Deir Ezzor airport around 1700 hours local time. "Warplanes from the American coalition hit one of the Syrian army's positions... near the Deir Ezzor airport," the statement said. A Pentagon statement said, "Coalition forces believed they were striking an Islamic State fighting position." "The coalition air strike was halted immediately when coalition officials were informed by Russian officials that it was possible the personnel and vehicles targeted were part of the Syrian military," the statement read. The monitoring group in the area, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 83 soldiers were killed in the raids on Jabal Therdeh, southwest of the Deir Ezzor airport. The coalition strikes are believed to have hit two hilltops near the airport. A Syrian military source also claimed rounds were fired at the wounded soldiers and paramedics from the planes. The raids have allowed the Islamic State militant group to advance on government troops in the region. "This is a dangerous and bold attack against the Syrian state and army, and clear evidence that the United States and its allies support the terrorist group Islamic State," Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said. The militant group on Saturday afternoon claimed it had seized full control of Jabal Therdeh, which overlooks the Deir Ezzor airport. Syria's biggest ally, Russia, said 62 Syrian soldiers were killed and at least 100 more wounded in strikes by "warplanes from the international coalition". Russia has cast doubt over the prospects of the ceasefire negotiated with the United States. Under the fragile deal which into force on Monday, the fighting is to be halted on all fronts. But Moscow raised questions over Washington's commitment to the deal and said the situation had worsened. Moscow and Washington are to begin joint military operations against Islamic State in Syria, as the next step in the ceasefire deal, provided it holds for a week. (WION with inputs from agencies)

US air raid hits Syrian government troops, allow IS militants to advance

UN-backed Libyan forces renewed its fight against the Islamic State militants in the city of Sirte, after a two-week pause.&nbsp; 
 
The pro-government forces pressed an offensive pounding the militant holdouts with heavy artillery.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Our forces are using heavy artillery to target the positions where Daesh (IS) holdouts are cowering,&quot; they said in a statement. 
 
Heavy shelling was noted inside the Sirte city, targeting militants. Two fighters had been killed and six more were wounded and brought to the Misrata central hospital.&nbsp; 
 
The forces killed at least two suicide bombers before the militants could detonate their vehicles.&nbsp; 
 
The spokesman for the loyalist forces said the field commanders held several meetings before the decision was taken to resume the offensive after the two-week lull.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Progress is now being achieved and our forces are clashing with Daesh fighters,&quot; he told AFP. 
 
Several buildings were seized in fierce clashes, including a school that was turned into an Islamic State workshop for assembling bombs.&nbsp; 
 
Libyan troops have made significant advances in Sirte with the help of US air strikes and helicopter raids.&nbsp; 
 
But suicide bombing and sniper fire have slowed the offensive by the pro-government forces. 
 
Losing the city of Sirte would be a major blow for the militant group that had taken captured in the city on June last year.&nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

The pro-government forces pounded Islamic State holdouts with heavy artillery in its renewed offensive to retake city of Sirte

UN-backed Libyan forces renewed its fight against the Islamic State militants in the city of Sirte, after a two-week pause. The pro-government forces pressed an offensive pounding the militant holdouts with heavy artillery. "Our forces are using heavy artillery to target the positions where Daesh (IS) holdouts are cowering," they said in a statement. Heavy shelling was noted inside the Sirte city, targeting militants. Two fighters had been killed and six more were wounded and brought to the Misrata central hospital. The forces killed at least two suicide bombers before the militants could detonate their vehicles. The spokesman for the loyalist forces said the field commanders held several meetings before the decision was taken to resume the offensive after the two-week lull. "Progress is now being achieved and our forces are clashing with Daesh fighters," he told AFP. Several buildings were seized in fierce clashes, including a school that was turned into an Islamic State workshop for assembling bombs. Libyan troops have made significant advances in Sirte with the help of US air strikes and helicopter raids. But suicide bombing and sniper fire have slowed the offensive by the pro-government forces. Losing the city of Sirte would be a major blow for the militant group that had taken captured in the city on June last year. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Libyan forces renew fight against Islamic State in Sirte after two-week lull

Terrorism charges were filed by&nbsp;Brazilian prosecutors on Friday&nbsp;against eight people, accused of plotting attacks and recruiting followers for terrorist organisations ahead of the Rio Olympics held last month.&nbsp; 
 
The eight Brazillian nationals were arrested in July for organising what the authorities described as an &quot;amateur&quot; terrorist cell that had sworn loyalty to the Islamic State, international news agency AFP reported today.&nbsp; 
 
The prosecutors reportedly asked a court to charge all eight accused, including two minors, with &quot;recruitment and promotion of a terrorist organisation.&quot; 
 
The&nbsp;police intercepted messages sent using the cell phone application Telegram in which the suspects discussed &quot;the idea that they had to step out of the virtual realm and start acting for real,&quot; prosecutor Rafael Brum told a news conference. The investigation was dubbed as Operation Hashtag.&nbsp; 
 
While there was no direct evidence of concrete plot or an actual link with the Islamic State group,&nbsp;the discussions included the possibility of staging an attack on the Games and tips on home-made bomb-making. But there was no evidence of a he added. 
 
The Brazilian authorities received an initial tip-off about the group from the FBI in the United States, prosecutors said.&nbsp; 
 
Meanwhile, six other suspects remain under investigation. 
 
The Olympics, which were held from August 5 to 21, went off without major incident despite security fears. Some 85,000 police and soldiers were deployed for the event. 
 
(WION with inputs from AFP)&nbsp; 
 
 
 
&nbsp;

The Brazillian nationals were arrested in July for organising what the authorities described as an 'amateur' terrorist cell

Terrorism charges were filed by Brazilian prosecutors on Friday against eight people, accused of plotting attacks and recruiting followers for terrorist organisations ahead of the Rio Olympics held last month. The eight Brazillian nationals were arrested in July for organising what the authorities described as an "amateur" terrorist cell that had sworn loyalty to the Islamic State, international news agency AFP reported today. The prosecutors reportedly asked a court to charge all eight accused, including two minors, with "recruitment and promotion of a terrorist organisation." The police intercepted messages sent using the cell phone application Telegram in which the suspects discussed "the idea that they had to step out of the virtual realm and start acting for real," prosecutor Rafael Brum told a news conference. The investigation was dubbed as Operation Hashtag. While there was no direct evidence of concrete plot or an actual link with the Islamic State group, the discussions included the possibility of staging an attack on the Games and tips on home-made bomb-making. But there was no evidence of a he added. The Brazilian authorities received an initial tip-off about the group from the FBI in the United States, prosecutors said. Meanwhile, six other suspects remain under investigation. The Olympics, which were held from August 5 to 21, went off without major incident despite security fears. Some 85,000 police and soldiers were deployed for the event. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Brazil prosecutors file terror charges against 8 accused of plotting attacks before Olympics

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