Like I mentioned last week, Iraqi forces have been launching major offensives into West Mosul, hoping to recapture the half of the city still under ISIL control, with 600,000 civilians still trapped within the western portion of the city. Recently, Iraqi Forces have claimed responsibility for liberating the key neighborhoods of al-Kur and al-Tawafa, which they state will allow safe passage… Read more »
Al Jazeera: At least 22 members of pro-government forces have been killed in a rebel attack on a mosque inside a military base in Yemen, according to medical sources. Two missiles fired by Houthi rebels on Friday hit worshippers in Sirwa, western Marib province. The first missile hit the mosque inside the Kofal military camp during prayers, while the second struck… Read more »
Al Jazeera: Iraqi forces in Mosul have said they have captured two key neighbourhoods in its offensive to retake the western part of the city from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS). Adel Ahmed, the captain of the federal police, said control of the al-Kur and al-Tawafa will allow for a safe corridor for civilians… Read more »
Al Jazeera: A car bomb exploded in the Iraqi capital on Monday, killing at least 21 people and wounding 43 others in a mainly Shia district in southwestern Baghdad. The attack – as Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi met US President Donald Trump in Washington, DC – targeted a busy commercial district of the Hay al-Amel suburb, according to police and hospital… Read more »
Al Jazeera: Dozens of people were killed earlier this week in a suspected US-led coalition air raid that hit a school sheltering displaced people near Raqqa, ISIL’s self-declared capital in Syria, according to a monitoring group. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Wednesday that its contacts had counted at least 33 bodies at the site near the village… Read more »
In both Iraq and Syria, anti-ISIL forces have been making tremendous strides in their fight against the Islamic State. Starting with Syria, the ancient city of Palmyra has recently been recaptured by the Syrian government with the backing of Russia and Iran. Palmyra, the UNESCO world heritage site, has been heavily contested, with the city itself being captured by ISIL… Read more »
Al Jazeera: The advance slowed during several days of bad weather, but was renewed on Sunday. The latest gains have brought government troops and police closer to Mosul’s densely populated Old City, where hundreds of thousands of civilians are believed to still be trapped under ISIL rule. The Iraqi government says 65,000 people have left Mosul in an attempt to… Read more »
Al Jazeera: US-backed Syrian fighters have cut the last main road out of Raqqa, the de-facto capital of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group, according to Kurdish military sources and a Britain-based monitor. If confirmed, it would be a major advance for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US-backed mainly Kurdish Syrian group, in its phased… Read more »
Al Jazeera: The Syrian army said it has recaptured the ancient city of Palmyra from ISIL for the second time in a year with help from allied forces and Russian warplanes. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group seized Palmyra in a surprise advance in December after having been driven out eight months before. “With backing from the… Read more »
Al Jazeera: Bahrain says it has uncovered an international “terrorist cell” comprising 54 members, with police arresting 25 suspects in the Gulf country. The group includes 12 based in Iran and Iraq, one in Germany and 41 – including 10 who escaped prison in January – from Bahrain, the information ministry said on Friday in a statement sent to Al Jazeera. The statement did… Read more »