Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
From the Russian Perspective: Operation on Denazification of Ukraine: operational summary May 2nd (updated) |
2022-05-03 |
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. [NewsFrontInfo] 23:12 A total of 11,550 people were evacuated from dangerous areas of Ukraine, Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics during the day. ![]() 22:25 High-precision air-based missiles of the Russian Federation hit 38 military facilities of Ukraine in a day. 21:50 In Kherson, members of the territorial defense, prepared for sabotage, are being disarmed. 21:50 Ukrainian militants in a number of cities equipped their positions and placed equipment in schools and a psychiatric hospital, said Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev, head of the National Defense Control Center of the Russian Federation. "In Barvenkovo, Kharkiv region, in the building of the Regional Psychiatric Hospital No. 2, the nationalists equipped a strong point, and civilians are forcibly kept in the basement," the general said. 21:00 Russian air defense systems destroyed three Ukrainian Bayraktar-TB2 drones near Zmeiny Island. 21:00 Operational-tactical and army aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces hit 13 strongholds of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. 20:59 High-precision air-launched missiles hit 36 Ukrainian military facilities during the day. 20:59 During the day, the missile forces of the Russian Federation hit the command post of the Ukrainian 93rd Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. 20:58 Artillery units of the Russian Federation destroyed up to 170 nationalists, as well as 36 units of weapons and military equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. 19:51 The missile hit the target in Odessa. According to reports, the blow was struck at the Shkolny airfield, where military aviation is based. 19:50 Explosions in Nikolaev, smoke rises from the impact over one of the districts. 19:49 The United States handed over to Kyiv 80 percent of the American howitzers allocated to them - Pentagon. 19:10 In Odessa, several explosions sounded again. Residents report three rocket attacks on targets in the vicinity of the city. 19:06 There is an air raid alert in Nikolaev. 19:05 The Russian Armed Forces defeated the radio intelligence of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the Izyum Front. In the Kharkiv region, Russian troops attacked the 164th air defense radio intelligence brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The surviving cars were captured. Most of the technical means are very obsolete and are unlikely to be used. 17:57 Kharkiv was shelled again. 17:55 Americans are loading M777 howitzers to be sent to Ukraine. 17:55 Pentagon: The United States is trying to make the situation around Ukraine become a strategic failure of the Russian Federation. 17:06 Humanitarian aid was delivered to the village of Malaya Belozerka, Zaporozhye region. 17:05 In the liberated Vasilievka, on the eve of May 9, posters with the heroes of the Great Patriotic War appeared. 17:04 NATO weapons turned out to be useless - a Ukrainian prisoner. 16:04 In the Kherson region, in all the churches of the Novokakhovka Orthodox diocese today, memorial services are being held for those who died during the fire in the Odessa House of Trade Unions on May 2, 2014. In Odessa itself, any mourning events in memory of the monstrous tragedy are prohibited. Since yesterday evening, the city authorities have introduced a "protracted" curfew, which will last until 5:00 on May 3. 15:03 In Moscow, on the anniversary of the tragedy in Odessa, a procession is being held to the Ukrainian embassy. On May 2, 2014, about 2,000 people gathered to honor the memory of the dead. 15:01 In Chernobaevka, Kherson region, the Russian flag was raised. 14:01 On May 1, Melitopol begins to introduce the ruble into money circulation. This will ensure payments to pensioners, as well as salaries of public sector employees. Within a few months there will be a transition period when both currencies will be in circulation, then a full transition to the Russian ruble will take place. 14:00 At least one rocket hit the bridge near the Zatoka settlement, through which fuel supplies from Romania to Odessa go. Previously, the bridge has twice become the target of missile strikes. 12:47 Former member of the Turkish parliament from the ruling Justice and Development Party Shamil Tayyar reacted sharply to Vladimir Zelensky's statements about Russian tourists in Turkey. "Stupid comedian!" - the ex-MP wrote, noting that Zelensky was "offended by Turkey" because of the Russians on vacation. In his opinion, during an interview with the Greek channel, Zelensky "was talking nonsense." 12:46 Footage of fierce battles in the Izyum direction, taken from the UAV. The Armed Forces of Ukraine took up defense in the hangars and were eventually destroyed. 12:46 A strike was made on an object in Odessa, a cloud of smoke over the city. 12:45 Residents of Kherson reported an explosion in the vicinity of the Chernobaevka settlement. 12:44 The media reported thousands of foreigners fighting on the side of Ukraine. 12:00 Today, the Russian Guard is issuing humanitarian aid in the following settlements: Slavyanka, Rozovka, Novovladimirovka, Volkovka, Oktyabrskoye. 11:57 Operational-tactical and army aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces hit 27 strongholds of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. 11:56 VKS high-precision air-launched missiles hit 38 Ukrainian military facilities in a day. 11:56 Since the beginning of the military operation, 146 planes, 112 helicopters and 683 drones of Ukraine have been destroyed. 11:56 Russian air defense systems destroyed 10 Ukrainian drones and two Tochka-U missiles in a day. 11:55 During an air battle near Slavyansk, a Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter was shot down. 11:02 A captured serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine: drugs are being distributed to the Ukrainian military under the guise of an anesthetic. 11:00 In Melitopol, liberated by Russian troops, the new city administration has written off all debts of citizens for public services. This support measure was announced back in March. 10:59 From tomorrow, schools number 6 and 11 will start working in Melitopol. Kindergartens number 41, 48 and 99 and art school number 2 will also open. 09:46 In Melitopol, they began to pay in rubles in stores. 09:39 In Melitopol, the Banner of Victory was raised on the flagpole near the monument of the Boundary Stone. |
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Africa North |
Man Shot Dead in Libyan Capital by Masked Gunmen |
2021-09-24 |
[LIBYAREVIEW] On Wednesday, Abdel-Hakim al-Thaaban, a resident of the al-Ghararat area in Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... was shot by unknown button men, sources told Libya’s Alsaaa24 News.The sources pointed out that the incident occurred near the Jaafar al-Tayyar mosque, as al-Thaaban was attending the dawn prayers. Gunmen fired four rounds at him from close range into his back before fleeing the scene. Libya continues to suffer from extrajudicial killings forced disappearances, rape, and kidnappings by gangs. Libya ranked 20th among the most insecure countries, according to the Numbeo Crime Index. The war-torn country received a high rating of 62.00. Tripoli ranked 50th globally in the Crime Index’s classification for cities, the second-highest in the Arab world, after Damascus was given first place. The city of Tripoli was given a rating of 64.27, due to high levels of crime and insecurity. It is currently controlled by the Government of National Accord (GNA). The Crime Prevalence Index aims to assess the general level of crime in 135 countries around the world. The crime index is based on several criteria; such as murder, robbery, and rape. Last month, the body of a military field commander was found rubbed out in his car in the Janzour area, west of Tripoli. The man was identified as Tariq Mahmoud Qalia, a member of the Burkan al-Ghadab (Volcano of Rage) operation, who participated in the armed conflict between the Government of National Accord (GNA), and the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA). Sources from the region said Qalia was with his friends in Janzour yesterday, before they lost contact with him late at night. |
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Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
Lebanese FM meets with US Ambassador to discuss media ban |
2020-06-30 |
[ALMASDARNEWS] The Lebanese media reported on Monday, that Lebanese Foreign Minister Nassif Hitti met the American Ambassador to Leb![]() Dorothy Shea at the Pine Palace in Beirut, where they touched on the judicial decision, which sparked widespread controversy in Lebanese circles. The Lebanese website, al-Tayyar, conveyed the statements of the Foreign Minister who stressed the freedom of the media and the right of expression, which are sacred rights. They also frankly discussed the current developments on the local scene, and the two sides touched on the bilateral relations that bring together the two countries and the Lebanese and American peoples. He even stressed the importance of cooperation between the two governments in all fields in order to support Lebanon to get out of the economic crisis that it suffers from. In the same context, the Supreme Judicial Council summoned the Judge of Urgent Matters in Muhammad Mazeh to listen to him, noting that "the judge will not meet the summons, and he will submit his resignation at 11 before tomorrow noon tomorrow Tuesday." The judge previously issued a decree banning the U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon from making media statements after a remark criticizing the government last Friday. |
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Africa North | |
Syrian armed factions ink ceasefire agreement in Cairo | |
2018-07-31 | |
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The deal, guaranteed by Russia and through the mediation of Head of the Syrian Tayyar al-Al-Ghad current Ahmed al-Jarba, calls for unifying efforts to combat terrorism and work on reaching a political settlement of the Syrian crisis, according to Egypt’s state-run Middle East News Agency (MENA). The agreement also calls for the return of refugees and displaced to their home regions, in addition to releasing detainees. The Egyptian leadership has always expressed support for a political settlement for the Syrian crisis in a way that ends bloodshed in Syria and maintains the unity of its territories. Since its eruption in March 2011, the Syrian crisis has claimed the lives of about half a million people and displaced and maimed over 14 million others. Russian troops in Syria have been launching bombing campaigns in support of the government forces, while a U.S.-led international anti-terror coalition has been launching ![]() ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not reallyMoslems.... (IS) targets in the conflict-stricken country. The United Nations ...an idea whose time has gone... has verified that more than 7,000 children have bit the dust or been injured in the Syrian conflict since 2013 ‐ and cites unverified reports putting the number "way beyond 20,000," a U.N. envoy said Friday. Virginia Gamba, the special representative for children in conflict, told the Security Council that since the beginning of 2018, the U.N. has verified over 1,200 violations against children. These include more than 600 children killed or maimed and over 180 recruited or used by government forces or gangs, she said. | |
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Arabia |
Saudi authorities arrest assistant professor in crackdown on dissent |
2018-07-22 |
[PRESSTV] Saudi authorities have tossed in the calabooseDrop the heater, Studs, or you're hist'try! a university lecturer as part of an ongoing crackdown against Moslem preachers and intellectuals led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ... ![]() ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... as of 2016.... The rights group ALQST, which is an independent non-governmental organization advocating human rights ...which often include carefully measured allowances of freedomat the convenience of the state... in Saudi Arabia, announced in a post on its official Twitter page on Saturday that Dr. Musaed al-Tayyar were tossed into the calaboose. The post added that the 53-year-old Tayyar is an associate professor at King Saud University in the Saudi capital Riyadh. He has written many books on Islamic teachings and participated in debates on the Holy Koran, the holy book of Moslems. The academic is not known to have commented on political issues, which raises questions about the motives behind his arrest. Saudi Arabia has recently stepped up politically-motivated arrests, prosecution, and conviction of peaceful dissident writers and human rights campaigners. Saudi officials have also intensified security measures in the kingdom’s Shia-populated Eastern Province. Eastern Province has been the scene of peaceful demonstrations since February 2011. Protesters have been demanding reforms, freedom of expression, the release of political prisoners, and an end to economic and religious discrimination against the oil-rich region. |
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Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
Syrian armed opposition factions sign ceasefire agreement in Cairo under Egypt sponsorship, Russian guarantees |
2018-07-18 |
[AlAhram] A number of armed Syrian opposition factions in the coastal region of Syria have signed on Monday evening a cease-fire agreement in Cairo under the sponsorship of the Egyptian General Intelligence, guranteed by the Federal Republic of Russia, and by Sheikh Ahmed al-Jarba, the head of the Syrian Tayyar al-Al-Ghad current. The deal included an agreement on participation in efforts to combat terrorism, and working towards reaching a political settlement to the Syrian crisis, the return of refugees and displaced to their residences, and the releasing of detainees. Other Syrian armed factions in the North Homs country side, including Gaish al-Tawhid, have also signed an agreement under the sponsorship of Egypt, guaranteed by Russia and through the mediation of Sheikh Ahmed al-Jarba to join the efforts to combat terrorism in Syria and found a peace and security force in the area. The leaders of the Syrian factions, which signed the agreement in the meetings in Cairo, thanked the Egyptian President's Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi for the efforts Egypt is exerting to resolve the Syrian crisis and alleviate the humanitarian suffering of the Syrian people. The front man of the Syrian Ghad Current, Munzir Akbik, said in statements to journalists that the Cairo agreement concerning the countryside of Homs deals with residents' concerns about the Syrian regime’s intervention in those areas, and the fears that the displaced would be returned but without the young men who were conscripted by the regime. The agreement states that a security force will be established of 1,000 personnel, mainly from Gaish al-Tawhid members, to maintain security in the Homs countryside, and this guarantee the young men will return to the area to complete their military service there. Akbik cited serious moves from the Russian side, who pledged to communicate with Bashir al-Assad’s regime to prevent any intervention, in addition to guaranteeing the safe return of displaced people to their villages and cities. Regarding the other agreement involving the coastal region, Akbik stated that the ceasefire deal included the first coastal division faction, which pledged to halt its exchange of fire with regime forces and join counter-terrorism efforts against al-Qaeda and ISIS terrorists. |
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Africa Horn |
Ex-Sudan tourism minister won’t visit national museum because of ‘idol display’ |
2018-07-13 |
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Dr. Mohammed Abdel Karim al-Had, the former Sudanese Minister of Tourism, said that he would never visit Sudan’s National Museum as it displays idols, according to several newspaper reports. Al-Had has a PhD in strategic planning and had worked in several positions before becoming the Tourism minister. Sudan’s National Museum includes several statues and monuments of the ancient Sudanese kingdoms and is one of the largest museums in the country, located in the capital Khartoum. Sudanese newspaper al-Tayyar published Had’s comments on Wednesday on its front page which then received wide reactions on social media. |
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Iraq | |
Ninevah and Mosul: 2 bombs, a clash, arrests, and another Yezidi mass grave | |
2017-12-14 | |
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Anbar (Iraqinews.com) A security source said five women were arrested at Tal Afar district in Mosul while trying to infiltrate into the Iraqi-Syrian border. They were taken to a police station for interrogation, the source told Baghdad Today website. Thirteen security personnel killed in clashes with IS members, west of Mosul Mosul (IraqiNews.com) Thirteen security personnel, including a leader, were killed on Tuesday in an armed attack launched by Islamic State militants, west of Mosul, Al-Quds Al-Arabi reported. “Around 100 IS members launched an attack against military barracks and checkpoints of al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces) in the desert region of Tal Sufuk, west of Mosul, near Iraqi-Syrian borders,” Cap. Sabhan al-Wardi, of the army, said. “Clashes occurred between both sides for an hour, before the militants retreated back to the depth of the desert after military reinforcements from the army joined the PMFs,” he added. “PMFs lost 13 fighters, including leader known as Abu Jaafar al-Tayyar. Some of their machinery were highly damaged,” according to Wardi. “Two trucks of the militants were found destroyed with blood on them, however, no bodies of the militants were found, which indicates that the group took back its victims and injured before retreating.” Three people injured in bomb explosion at Mosul house Nineveh (Iraqinews.com) Three people were injured after a bomb exploded at a house in Mosul city on Wednesday, a security source told Shafaq News. “Unidentified gunmen hurled a bomb at a house owned by a brother of an IS militant at al-Askari (military) district south of Mosul, injuring three people,” the source said. Three Iraqi police members killed in blast west of Mosul Mosul (IraqiNews.com) Three Iraqi Federal Police members were killed in a blast that targeted their patrol in western Mosul, a security official was quoted saying Wednesday. Rudaw quoted the Cap. Saad al-Jubouri, from the Federal Police, saying that an advanced explosive device exploded late Tuesday in a five-vehicle police patrol passing at Hakna, Zummar, west of Mosul, killing three members and wounding a fourth. He said the road had been fully secured by the forces, suggesting that the bomb was recently planted. Mass grave with relics of 50 people found in Nineveh’s Sinjar Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) A mass grave containing the relics of at least 50 people was found in western Nineveh, according to a security source quoted on Wednesday. Shafaq News quoted the source saying that security forces ran into the grave in Sinjar, northwest of Mosul. The forces await expert teams to arrive and explore the finding, according to the source. As Iraqi troops recaptured areas held by Islamic State militants since October 2016, they have regularly run into mass graves of civilians and security agents executed by militants for fleeing the group’s havens or collaborating with security forces. Sinjar is the habitat of the Iraqi Yazidi religious minority, which came under the international spotlights after Islamic State militants took over the region in 2014, massacred and enslaved them in the thousands. | |
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Arabia | ||
Imprisoned Saudi royals doing ‘hard time’ in the Ritz Carlton hotel | ||
2017-11-07 | ||
[ALMASDARNEWS] Several Saudi princes were recently tossed in the calaboosePlease don't kill me! by federal police forces in the capital city of Riyadh after an n anti-corruption campaign was launched by the King Salman ...either the largest species of Pacific salmon or the current Sheikh of the Burnin' Sands, Cutodian of the Two Holy Mosquesand Lord of Most of the Arabians.... regime this past weekend. Among the princes arrested by the Saudi authorities was the billionaire Talal bin Waleed, al-Arabiya TV reported on Sunday. The apprehended princes were pictured at the Ritz Carlton on Monday, sleeping on side-by-side mattresses provided by the luxury hotel. Photos of the imprisoned princes at the Ritz Carlton quickly went viral on Twitter and Facebook, today, as several users mocked not only the apprehended men, but also, the Saudi regime. Saudi Arabia purge widens with 'arrest, no-fly list' [Al Jazeera] Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... 's anti-corruption purge has widened after one of the country's top businessmen was reportedly detained, accounts were frozen and a no-fly list was drawn up. On Monday, Nasser bin Aqeel al-Tayyar, a board member at Saudi Arabia's biggest travel company, was reportedly added to the list detainees, which already included some of the country's most influential officials and entrepreneurs. Among those detained are 11 princes, four ministers and several former ministers, in what is seen as an unprecedented crackdown that has shaken the kingdom. The dramatic steps were the latest in a series of measures by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to assert power over the country and its previous leaders. On Saturday, King Salman ...either the largest species of Pacific salmon or the current Sheikh of the Burnin' Sands, Cutodian of the Two Holy Mosquesand Lord of Most of the Arabians.... bin Abdulaziz Al Saud announced that his son, the crown prince, would oversee a newly formed anti-graft commission that would purge the country of corruption.
"Saudi anti-corruption authorities... have worked painstakingly for three years to investigate the crimes in question," he added. The information ministry on Sunday said the bank accounts of those arrested will be "frozen" and any assets related to the corruption cases will be registered as state property.
Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal The 62-year-old flamboyant billionaire tycoon, ranked among the richest men in the world, was among those arrested in the crackdown. The Kingdom Holding Company -- in which the prince has a majority stake -- owns The Savoy in London, the Fairmont Plaza and the famed George V hotel in Paris. Prince Miteb bin Abdullah The 64-year-old son of the late king Abdullah was ousted as the head of the Saudi Arabian National Guard, an elite internal security force. He was once seen as a leading contender for the throne. Waleed bin Ibrahim al-Ibrahim He is a brother-in-law of the late king Fahd and owner of the Middle East Broadcasting Company (MBC), one of the most influential satellite networks in the Arab world. He was among those detained. Prince Turki bin Abdullah The son of the late Saudi king Abdullah and the former governor of Riyadh province was among those arrested. Adel bin Mohammad Faqih The minister of economy and planning, once the point man for the kingdom's sweeping economic reforms, was ousted from his post in favour of his deputy. He is the former mayor of the Red Sea city of Jeddah and previously also served as labour minister. Ibrahim al-Assaf One of those detained is Ibrahim al-Assaf, a former finance minister who this year represented King Salman at the G20 summit in Germany. | ||
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India-Pakistan |
Body parts of shrine ‘bomber’ preserved, says CTD |
2017-02-26 |
![]() CTD SSP Omer Shahid Hamid, who is leading one of the investigation teams, speaking at a presser and later on speaking to Dawn, said that DNA samples of the suspected attacker had been taken for identification purpose. However, facts are stubborn; statistics are more pliable... he regretted that if there had been a nationwide DNA database, it would have helped them to ascertain the identity of the bomber more easily. Mr Hamid said three separate teams were working on the case -- one was led by another CTD SSP, Pervez Chandio, and another by the district police of Jamshoro and Dadu. He disclosed that several persons had been taken into custody by the CTD and the district police for interrogation but so far no ’hard and fast’ evidence had emerged during the investigation. The CTD SSP said they had some leads and were working on them. Mr Hamid said that since 2010, suspected Death Eater Hafeez Brohi, or Pandrani, had been found involved in all terror acts in upper Sindh and that the police suspected his network’s involvement in the deadly kaboom in Sehwan. He said Brohi had remained associated with the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi ... a 'more violent' offshoot of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistain. LeJ's purpose in life is to murder anyone who's not of utmost religious purity, starting with Shiites but including Brelvis, Ahmadis, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Rosicrucians, and just about anyone else you can think of. They are currently a wholly-owned subsidiary of al-Qaeda ... "It did not mean that we are ruling out other options," he added. The CTD official said they were also questioning a detained suspect, Usman, who was tossed in the slammer Drop the heater, Studs, or you're hist'try! during a botched suicide kaboom in Shikarpur recently. Earlier, speaking at a presser, Mr Hamid said the CTD team had arrested three suspected hitmen in Malir’s Jaffar-e-Tayyar Society. "The held hitmen [have been] identified as Anwar Husain, Asif Mumtaz and Khurram Shaharyar" belonging to the "Muttahida Qaumi Movement ...English: United National Movement, generally known as MQM, is the 3rd largest political party and the largest secular political party in Pakistain with particular strength in Sindh. From 1992 to 1999, the MQM was the target of the Pak Army's Operation Cleanup leaving thousands of urdu speaking civilians dead... -Pakistain," claimed the CTD official. |
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Iraq |
Iraqi forces push deeper into western Mosul as civilians flee |
2017-02-26 |
![]() ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... on Saturday after retaking the city’s airport from Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not reallyMoslems.... and punching into built-up areas of the jihadists’ last major stronghold in the country. Troops advanced in several more populated, built-up southern districts and about 1,000 civilians walked across the frontlines, the largest displacement since fighting began a week ago in a bid to deal Islamic State a decisive blow. The new offensive comes after government forces and their allies finished clearing Islamic State from eastern Mosul last month, confining the bully boyz to the western sector of the city bisected by the Tigris river. Commanders expect the battle in western Mosul to be more difficult, in part because tanks and armored vehicles cannot pass through the narrow alleyways that crisscross ancient districts of the city. But Iraqi forces have so far made quick advances on multiple fronts, capturing the northern city’s airport on Thursday, which they plan to use as a support zone, and breaching a three-meter high berm and trench set up by Islamic State. The advancing forces are now less than three kilometers (two miles) from the mosque in Mosul’s old city where Islamic State leader His Supreme Immensity, Caliph of the Faithful and Galactic Overlord, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi ...formerly merely the head of ISIL and a veteran of the Bagram jailhouse. Looks like a new messiah to bajillions of Moslems, like just another dead-eyed mass murder to the rest of us... declared a caliphate in 2014 spanning Iraq and Syria, sparking an international military campaign to defeat the group. Losing Mosul would likely deal a hammer blow to the krazed killers’ dream of statehood, but they still control swathes of territory in Syria and patches of northern and western Iraq from where they could fight a guerrilla-style insurgency in Iraq, and plot attacks on the West. Federal police and an elite Interior Ministry unit known as Rapid Response have completely recaptured Hawi al-Josaq just north of the airport and begun clearing houses in the Tayyaran district, said Brigadier General Hisham Abdul Kadhim. Islamic State was resisting with snipers and roadside kabooms, he said. Separately, counter-terrorism forces were advancing on two directions towards Wadi Hajr and Mamoun districts, said Lieutenant General Abdelwahab al-Saadi, a senior commander. "Clearing operations are ongoing and our forces have entered those areas," he told Rooters on a hill overlooking the battle. Saadi said an Islamic State suicide boom-mobile had been destroyed on Saturday morning before reaching its target. CIVILIANS START TO FLEE The campaign involves a 100,000-strong force of Iraqi troops, Shi’ite militias and Sunni tribal fighters. It is backed by a U.S.-led coalition that provides vital air support as well as on-the-ground guidance and training. Western advisors are increasingly present close to the frontline, helping coordinate air strikes and advising Iraqi forces as the battle unfolds. About a thousand civilians, mostly women and kiddies, walked out of southwestern parts of Mosul on Saturday and climbed into military trucks taking them to camps further south. The United Nations ...aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society... says up to 400,000 people may have to leave their homes during the new offensive as food and fuel runs out in western Mosul. Aid groups warned on Friday that the most dangerous phase of the offensive was about to begin. Some of the people fleeing the Mamoun area said they were originally from Hammam al-Alil, south of Mosul, but were forced to move four months ago as Islamic State retreated north into the city. "They began shelling us arbitrarily, so we hid in the bathrooms. When the security forces came, they yelled to us so we fled to them," said civilian Mahmoud Nawwaf. The government is encouraging residents to stay in their homes whenever possible, as they did in eastern Mosul where fewer people fled than expected. A Rooters correspondent near the airport saw nine families living in a house where residents with full beards served trays of tea to security forces. Some said Islamic State had forced them to move from Samarra, 250 km (160 miles) south of Mosul. Abu Naba, 37, said he was surprised at how quickly the murderous Moslems had been driven out. "We could hear their voices outside and 15 minutes later they were gone," he said. A woman with a baby wrapped in a blanket on her lap said she had given birth in the house 22 days ago because it was too dangerous to reach a hospital. |
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