Iraq

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced on Iraqi television early Monday that the long-awaited offensive to retake the Daesh stronghold in Iraq has begun.

Iraqi Prime Minister Announces Launch of Operation to Retake Mosul from Daesh
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201610171046396767-Iraq-Mosul-Daesh/

The offensive, expected to be bloody, is predicted to last for weeks, if not longer, experts say.

Violence has sparked outside the city in recent days, and a strike on Sunday on one of Mosul's main bridges was seen as one of several indications the battle's launch was imminent.

On Saturday, reports emerged that US howitzers deployed about 13 miles from the Mosul’s city center opened fire against Daesh positions while the US-led coalition carried out a number of airstrikes.

Leaflets declaring "Victory Time" were reportedly dumped over the city on Sunday. US troops are said to be playing a "supporting role" in the offensive, with the Iraqi army and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters making up the bulk of the 30,000-strong force.

Washington recently announced the deployment of 600 additional US troops to help with the city's recapture, bringing the total number of US force management personnel to move than 5,000, according to the Pentagon.

Around half of the city's original population of more than 2 million remain in Mosul, and UN refugee officials say most of them could flee once fighting begins, which would create what one representative has called "one of the largest man-made displacement crises of recent times," according to CNN.

Camps are reportedly being set up to accommodate those who leave the city. Mosul, Iraq's second biggest city, along with a number of other northern and western Iraqi cities and towns, was seized in 2014 during a Daesh offensive.

Yemen's Ansarullah on Sunday once again demanded an international probe into an airstrike that killed more than 213 people at a funeral, after a Saudi-led coalition admitted "wrongly" hitting it.

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Yemen's Ansarullah Repeats Call for International Probe into Saudi Funeral Strike
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950725001460

The 8 October raid, condemned by Human Rights Watch as an "apparent war crime," was one of the deadliest air strikes since the pro-government coalition launched an air campaign against Yemen in March 2015, Middle East Eye reported.

The coalition's acknowledgement that it wrongly hit the funeral "does not clear its leadership of violating international humanitarian law and all humanitarian norms and conventions," said the Yemen's foreign ministry.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon "should form an independent and international investigation committee headed by a high-profile, neutral and international personality as soon as possible to probe war crimes committed by the coalition in Yemen," it said in a statement.

The Riyadh-based coalition acknowledged on Saturday that the airstrike was based on "incorrect information".

It pledged "appropriate action" against those responsible and compensation for families of the victims.

The documents released by Wikileaks show that Israel has sought to build a military airbase in Saudi Arabia to launch attacks against Iran.

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Wikileaks: Israel after Building Airbase in S. Arabia to Attack Iran
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950725001385

The Palestine news website quoted Israeli radio as reporting that the Wikileaks documents which are based on the emails sent to former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, show that Israel is still thinking of an airbase in Saudi Arabia and using the country's soil against Iran's nuclear and military centers.

According to the documents, Israel also sought to deploy a large number of its advanced fighter jets in Saudi Arabia to carry out operations against Iran.

Wikileaks had also released similar documents in 2012.

Also in 2010, the Times had reported that Saudi Arabia has practiced standing down its anti-aircraft systems to allow Israeli warplanes passage on their way to attack Iran's nuclear installations, adding that the Saudis have allocated a narrow corridor of airspace in the north of the country.

Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf, the Saudi envoy to the UK, speaking to the London-based Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat, denied that report, saying such a move "would be against the policy adopted and followed by the Kingdom."

The announcement came on the same day that Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook released a statement regarding U.S. strikes on three radar sites in Houthi-controlled territory on Yemen’s Red Sea Coast.

4,500 Sailors, Marines to Deploy from San Diego on Makin Island Ready Group
http://timesofsandiego.com/military/2016/10/12/nearly-4500-active-duty-military-personnel-to-deploy-from-san-diego-oct-14/

Wednesday October 12, 2016 - The Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group is scheduled to depart Naval Base San Diego to the Pacific, Middle East and the Horn of Africa on Friday, the Navy announced Wednesday.

Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group (MKIARG) is comprised of the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island, amphibious transport dock ship USS Somerset and amphibious dock landing ship USS Comstock.

More than 1,100 Sailors and 1,500 Marines will deploy aboard Makin Island; 375 Sailors and 700 Marines will deploy aboard Somerset; and 410 Sailors and 400 Marines will deploy aboard Comstock. During deployment they will operate with the embarked forces of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), Amphibious Squadron Five, the “Blackjacks” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 21 and detachments from Assault Craft Unit 5.

While deployed, the team will provide maritime security operations, crisis response capability, theater security cooperation and forward naval presence, according to the U.S. Navy.

With ships, aircraft, troops, and logistical equipment, the U.S. Navy states “the MKIARG/MEU is a self-contained and self-sustained task force capable of conducting everything from combat operations to providing humanitarian assistance.”

U.S. Navy Capt. Michael Crary, Commander, Amphibious Squadron Five, and Marine Col. Clay Tipton will lead the MKIARG/MEU team on the mission.

The announcement came on the same day that Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook released a statement regarding U.S. strikes on three radar sites in Houthi-controlled territory on Yemen’s Red Sea Coast:

“The strikes — authorized by President Obama at the recommendation of Secretary of Defense Ash Carter and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Joseph Dunford — targeted radar sites involved in the recent missile launches threatening USS Mason and other vessels operating in international waters in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb. These limited self-defense strikes were conducted to protect our personnel, our ships, and our freedom of navigation in this important maritime passageway. The United States will respond to any further threat to our ships and commercial traffic, as appropriate, and will continue to maintain our freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandeb, and elsewhere around the world.”

According to Cook’s statement, initial assessments show the strikes destroyed the sites.

(Note) - In the comment section, several complained that the reporter was placing the Navy Sailor's in danger by the info in the article. This is the reply:

Times of San Diego

Several readers have expressed concern that operational security was endangered by this article. Times of San Diego published only the information expressly provided by the Navy public affairs office in San Diego in connection with this deployment. We never publish operational information unless it is provided by the Navy for public dissemination. After seeing these comments, we double checked with the Navy and were told the information in this article is OK to publish.

BREAKING:

Huge explosion rocks central Baghdad

http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/10/17/489430/Iraq-Baghdad-bombing-Shias

An explosion has rocked a central district in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, as waves of bombings that had partially decreased in frequency seem to have again become a routine feature of daily life in the city over the past weeks.

No immediate reports were available on possible casualties from the Monday explosion.

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Yemen urges UN to put end to Saudi war

http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/10/17/489420/Yemen-Supreme-Political-Council-Saudi-war

Yemen’s top governing body has called on the United Nations (UN) and the Security Council to intervene in order to put an end to the atrocious Saudi Arabian war on Yemen.

Saleh al-Samad, the head of Yemen’s Supreme Political Council, in two separate letters addressed to outgoing UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and President of the Security Council Vitaly Churkin on Sunday, said that the Saudi-led coalition waging war on Yemen has been committing “vicious and unprecedented” crimes against innocent Yemeni civilians over the past 18 months.

Samad pointed to the October 8 airstrikes against a crowded funeral ceremony in the capital city of Sana’a, saying that more than 700 people lost their lives and sustained injuries in the “horrendous massacre.”

He expressed surprise at the UN and the Security Council’s “indifference” toward such crimes, saying the apathy meant that the two institutions were shirking their responsibilities.

The senior Yemeni official argued that the inaction of the UN and the Security Council has further exacerbated the sufferings of the Yemeni people.

Samad also called on the two institutions to secure an immediate end to Saudi Arabia’s aerial, naval and ground attacks against Yemen and stop the Saudi aerial and naval blockades on his country.

Saudi Arabia has been engaged in the deadly war against Yemen since March 2015. Riyadh’s aggression, which the UN says has killed more than 10,000, was launched in an unsuccessful attempt to bring Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi — an ally of Riyadh who has resigned as Yemen’s president — back to power.

Prerequisites for UN-backed peace talks

Meanwhile, the spokesman for Yemen’s Houthi Ansarullah movement has set preconditions for the resumption of UN-sponsored peace talks for Yemen, which was earlier demanded by the US and the UK.

Mohamed Abdel-Salam said on Sunday that any ceasefire for Yemen must be all-encompassing and the Saudi-led blockades on the war-torn Arab country must be removed before the peace talks can be resumed.

Abel-Salam said peace talks would be “a waste of time” of they are conducted when Saudi strikes on Yemen continue.

His remarks came in reaction to the US and Britain’s call for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Yemen.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday that UN Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed would work through the details of a ceasefire in Yemen and its implementation in case the warring parties reach a consensus and move forward with the goal.

On August 7, UN-brokered peace talks on the Yemeni conflict ended without an agreement in Kuwait.

The negotiations between delegates from the Houthi Ansarullah movement and the former Yemeni government had begun on April 21.

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At Least 70 Iraqi Soldiers Dead in Suicide Bomber Attack on Convoy in Mosul

https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201610171046423614-suicide-bomber-attack-mosul-convoy/

A suicide bomber has struck an Iraqi military convoy east of Mosul, killing at least 70 soldiers, claims Kurdish news agency Firat.

According to the news agency, the attack took place near the village of Bilawet, as Iraqi troops advanced towards Mosul to liberate it from Daesh fighters. The suicide bomber was reportedly a member of the terrorist organization, also knows as the Islamic State.

https://youtu.be/GjBI4hyO2-8

On Sunday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi announced the start of the military operation to retake Mosul from Daesh terrorists.

According to local media, about 30,000 Iraqi soldiers and 4,000 Kurdish Peshmerga fighters are taking part in the operation.

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Hashd Al-Shaabi: US-Led Warplanes Ignore ISIL's Military Convoys Fleeing Mosul to Syria

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950726001477

"Much surprised the ISIL convoys that have been escaping from Mosul to Syria have not come under attack by the coalition fighter jets," a Hashd al-Shaabi source said.

He said that the ISIL is now confused in Mosul as the Iraqi security forces have gained a lot of information about the concentration centers of the terrorist group in Mosul.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar Al-Abadi announced early on Monday that the country's armed forces and popular troops had started large-scale operation to take back the ISIL's self-proclaimed capital, Mosul.

Prime Minister Al-Abadi appeared on the state TV an hour after midnight to declare that his country's army, security and mobilized volunteer troops have started the long-awaited offensive to take back the country's second-largest city.

"The hour has come and the moment of great victory is near," Al-Abadi said early on Monday in a speech on state TV, flanked by the armed forces' top commanders.

Al-Abadi vowed that the military troops will take maximum caution to save civilian lives and avoid collateral damage in the city that is believed to still be home to over a million people.

The premier asked the civilian population to raise white flags over their buildings and contact the government troops for any kind of helpful information that they might have about ISIL militants.

“We urge you, the heroic people of Mosul, to cooperate with our security forces to rescue you,” the Prime Minister added.

Mosul in Nineveh province that is ISIL's last stronghold in Iraq was occupied by the terrorist cult on June 10, 2014 and its liberation marks an era of demise for ISIL in Iraq.

Mosul was the first city taken by the terrorist group and it was there that ISIL Leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi declared his so-called caliphate on June 29, 2014.

ISIL could stretch control over 40 percent of Iraq after it took Mosul over two years ago, but now holds only 10 percent of the country after losing battles in such major cities as Beiji, Tikrit, Fallujah and Ramadi in the last one year.

Mosul is of paramount importance both to Iraq and the ISIL as it is in an oil-rich region close to the borders with Syria and Turkey, while it has been a regional trade hub for the last several centuries. In addition to smuggling crude stolen from the oil wells of Nineveh, ISIL also levied forceful taxes for various reasons from the over 1-million-strong population that is still believed to be living in the city. Loss of Mosul will inflict a major blow to the terrorist cult as it will lose a major source of its revenues.

Iraqi army troops and volunteer forces (Hashd al-Shaabi) had been deployed 15 kilometers from Mosul two days ago.

"The reconnaissance operation in Mosul ended; we are waiting for the operations to kick off," Hashd al-Shaabi announced in a statement on Saturday.

Iraq's military forces have been bringing in a large number of troops, weapons, ammunition, armored vehicles, personnel carriers, tanks and other types of military equipment in preparation for the operation for the last several weeks, but many military and state officials and popular forces' commanders were slamming the US for pressurizing Baghdad to delay the operation for the last several months, a view that was even supported by US presidential candidate Donald Trump.

In his second televised debate with Hillary Clinton, Trump asked why the US has been hindering the operation for such a long time to give ISIL commanders and top brass to escape to Syria.

ISIL has also been preparing for the operation for the last several weeks. The terrorist group has reportedly used thousands of prisoners to dig a complicated network of tunnels and trenches around the city and filled the wide trench dug around the city with oil to put it on fire as it expects the city to go under siege by Iraq's joint military troops. The terrorist group has opened multiple fronts to confront the government troops.

Meantime, many ISIL top commanders, including Al-Baghdadi himself and his deputies, as well as their family members have left the city for Raqqa, the terrorist cult's second self-proclaimed capital.

Al-Baghdadi and his top aides left the city last week, while local sources in Nineveh disclosed on Sunday that the families of the ISIL terrorists that had left Mosul just arrived in the town of Merkedeh in Syria's Hasaka province.

"The ISIL commanders, including al-Baghdadi, are escaping Mosul to Syria," Iraqi Kurdistan Democrat Party's media director Saeed Mamouziti said last week.

He said that al-Baghdadi has also ordered his followers to completely destroy Mosul if they are defeated in the war against Iraq's joint military forces.

Later Mamouziti said that the ISIL militants were fleeing the city since the long-awaited large-scale operation to free Mosul was expected to be launched in the following days.

Meantime, local sources revealed that "ISIL commanders' families, including over 25 foreign families, escorted by military convoys reached the town of Merkedeh" on Sunday.

Earlier on Sunday, local sources in Nineveh province disclosed that the ISIL has brought to a halt all activities of its security offices in the city of Mosul.

"The ISIL has recently issued a circular in Mosul city according to which all its offices will halt operation until further notice," a local source said.

The source noted that the ISIL has already evacuated its security offices in several districts of Mosul in recent days, while many ISIL members seem confused to see the rush in their commanders' actions.

The US has also been pressuring Baghdad to keep the Hashd Al-Shaabi away from the operation, but they are now deployed to the battlefield after Prime Minister al-Abadi, the commander-in-chief of Iraq's armed forces, personally approved their participation in the Mosul operation last week.

The Iraqi media had earlier reported that the Mosul operations would start from several directions, the most important of which are al-Qayyara axis located 60 kilometers to the South of Mosul and Sahl Nineveh some 20 kilometers to the East of the city.

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Photos: Iraqis protest against Turkish occupation near Mosul

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/photos-iraqis-protest-turkish-occupation-near-mosul/

Thousands of Iraqis have come out to demonstrate near the Turkish consulate in Baghdad.

This is spurred by the Turkish occupation in areas of northern Iraq near ISIS-held Mosul, Iraq's second largest city.

Turkey's President Erdogan has adamantly tried to push for Turkish involvement in the liberation of Mosul despite protests from Baghdad.

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US Arab allies seek to sow division among Iraqis, Analyst says

http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/10/18/489560/Iraq-Mosul-Daesh-ISIS-ISIL

Iraqi forces have started a massive operation to liberate the town of Mosul from Daesh terrorists. According to military sources, the operation, which kicked off on Sunday, is advancing from three directions, namely the south, the east, and the northeast of the city, with the participation of 60,000 forces.

Talking on Press TV's 'The Debate' show, political commentator Ammar Waqqaf described unity among different Iraqi ethnic and religious groups as the only way towards victory over Daesh terrorists.

“If we could draw a general picture here, there is a tendency in the region to divide the populations under Sunni and Shia flags,” Waqqaf said.

According to the analyst, pitting Sunni Arabs in Iraq against the Shias is basically a recipe written by some of the US regional allies, such a Saudi Arabia, to keep Iraq divided and to preserve their own influence in the country.

“There is so much propaganda, so much pressure. People of Mosul, people of the western Iraq, are pushed to go and seek salvation with the likes of Daesh sometimes just to get rid of this monster called 'Shia Arabs' in Iraq.”

So, it is very essential for every single Iraqi to participate in the liberation of Mosul, Waqqaf underscored, adding that a citizen from Basra must not be indifferent towards the conflict in Mosul, because unity is the only way for Iraqis to build a stable state, otherwise, war would continue forever.

Meanwhile, asked about the fate of Iraq after the liberation of Mosul, George Washington University professor Nabil Mikhail, also present on the show, answered that every kind of scenario is possible for the future of Iraq, except for a civil war because Iraqis are exhausted of internal conflicts.

"I think that [there] would be a lot of tension and there are also a lot of rivalries with competing powers like Kurds," Mikhail said.
“To make a long story short, everything depends on how Iraq will assert its sovereignty. I want Prime Minister of Iraq Haidar al-Abadi to be as visible as possible to exercise his role as commander-in-chief of the Iraqi forces, to call every member of the anti-ISIL coalition to respect the borders of Iraq, and to express genuine respect for the neighboring countries.”

He also reiterated that the fate of the war against Daesh in Mosul is closely tied to that of Aleppo in Syria, because victory in Mosul would encourage Russian and Syrian forces to quickly put an end to Daesh's presence in Aleppo, a measure that would have certain implications for the United States as the leader of the anti-Assad coalition.

“Let us just make Mosul free and clean of terrorists. Let Iraq assert its sovereignty and see what other regional implications would be,” Mikhail concluded.

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Iran Air Force conducts e-warfare drills

http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/10/18/489576/Iran-Air-Force-Isfahan

Iran’s Air Force has successfully conducted electronic warfare as part of large-scale three-day military drills in the central province of Isfahan.

The e-warfare exercises were held on Tuesday, the second day of ongoing drills codenamed Fada’eeyan-e Harim-e Velayat 6 (The Devotees of the Velayat Sanctuary 6).

Brigadier General Massoud Rouzkhosh, the spokesman for the maneuvers, said the Air Force used advanced communications systems and secure wireless or wire-connected networks, flight apparatus systems, and tactical systems during the drills.

The application of deceptive jamming methods against mock enemy radars were among the electronic warfare tactics employed by Falcon 50 aircraft on the second day, he said.

Later through the day, interceptor F-14 aircraft conducted aerial surveillance and other operations, while F-14 and MiG-29 fighters engaged in dogfights.

The drills also deploy domestically-built Sa’eqeh, F-4, F-5, and Sukhoi Su-24 jets, transport aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles, as well as a wide range of projectiles, including smart bombs and laser-guided missiles.

Rouzkhosh said among the maneuvers’ points of strength were the amplification of the force’s firepower and the enhancement of its precision targeting capabilities.

Iran says its military might poses no threat to other countries, stating that its defense doctrine is based on deterrence.

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UN announces 3 day truce in Yemen

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/un-announces-3-day-truce-in-yemen/

Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, the United Nations special envoy for Yemen, announced a three-day ceasefire that will begin on 23:59 local time on Wednesday and continue for 72 hours.

"The special envoy welcomes the restoration of the cessation of hostilities, which will spare the Yemeni people further bloodshed and will allow for the expanded delivery of humanitarian assistance," added the statement by the envoy.

It claims that all Yemeni parties involved in the war have agreed to the ceasefire,but it remains to be seen if Saudi Arabia will halt its aggression.

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John Kerry welcomes 72-hour ceasefire in Yemen

http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/10/19/489704/US-Kerry-Yemen-ceasefire

US Secretary of State John Kerry has welcomed the announcement of a three-day ceasefire due to come into force in the war-torn country on Wednesday midnight.

Kerry urged all sides of the conflict to halt military activities and help facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to Yemenis across the country.

"We ask the parties to take all steps necessary to advance the implementation of this cessation, call on them to sustain it, and strongly encourage its unconditional renewal,” Kerry said in a statement on Tuesday.

Kerry repeated an urgent appeal by United Nations special envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed to allow the delivery of humanitarian supplies and personnel throughout the country.

"The people of Yemen are depending on the full cooperation of all parties with the special envoy's request," Kerry said. "We note again that peaceful resolution of this conflict requires compromises and commitments by everyone.”

On Monday, Cheikh Ahmed announced a 72-hour ceasefire agreement, saying it was subject to renewal.

The ceasefire announcement has drawn a positive reaction from Iran which has called on Yemen’s warring sides to live up to its terms.

There have already been several attempts to halt the deadly Saudi aggression against Yemen, but such efforts have been stymied.

On Sunday, the US, UK and the UN called on the warring sides in the conflict in Yemen to declare an immediate ceasefire. The call was made following a meeting between UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, Kerry and Cheikh Ahmed in London.

More than 10,000 people have died since Saudi Arabia launched a campaign to crush the Ansarullah movement and their allies and reinstate the resigned president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a staunch ally of Riyadh.

The Saudi campaign has come under heavy criticism since an airstrike last week on a funeral in the Yemeni capital Sana'a killed at least 140 people.

The US military provides aerial refueling to Saudi bombers conducting airstrikes on Yemen. Washington has also been providing logistic and surveillance support to the kingdom in the bloody campaign.

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All parties must respect Yemen ceasefire: Russia

http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/10/19/489705/Russia-UN-Yemen

Russia and the United Nations have emphasized the need for all concerned parties in Yemen to abide by a UN-brokered ceasefire, which is scheduled to take effect as of Thursday.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov and the UN secretary general’s special envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, made the comments in a Tuesday meeting in Moscow, the TASS news agency quoted the Russian Foreign Ministry as saying.

The two sides also called for efforts to improve the humanitarian situation in Yemen and facilitate the resumption of negotiations on the conflict in the country. Previous talks did not bring back any more than agreements on prisoner exchange.

During the talks, “the two diplomats discussed in detail the prospects for a political and diplomatic settlement in Yemen and the role of the UN and its Security Council in supporting peace efforts in light of the ceasefire announced by the special envoy the day before, which comes into effect overnight to October 20.”

The UN envoy announced the truce on Monday, saying it would take effect at 23:59 local time on Wednesday. The official noted that assurances had been received from all Yemeni parties engaged in the conflict, and that the given time period was subject to renewal.

On Wednesday, Yemen’s Supreme Political Council, the country’s top governing body, welcomed the ceasefire, while demanding the Saudi invaders to end military attacks and lift its curbs on air, sea and land transport.

The Houthi-run council announced “positive engagement” with the ceasefire plan, saying Yemen needed an immediate, lasting and comprehensive truce without conditions.

Heavily backed by Saudi airpower, gunmen loyal to Yemen’s former government, have been fighting against the Houthi Ansarullah and allied army forces to restore ex-president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi.

The Saudi military campaign, which started in March 2015, has killed more than 10,000 people. The regime has a long record of truce violations during the war.

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Yemen truce begins amid pressure on Saudis

http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/10/20/489850/Middle-East-Yemen-Ceasefire

A fresh ceasefire has gone into effect in Yemen, which started a minute before midnight on Wednesday, and will continue for 72 hours.

The United Nations envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, said all parties to the conflict have agreed that the initial time period is subject to renewal and could be extended to last longer.

The ceasefire, which was brokered by the UN, followed days of fierce clashes between Saudi-led invasion forces and Yemeni troops under the command of the Supreme Political Council.

On Tuesday, the UN special envoy for Yemen was in Moscow reviewing recent developments with the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov.

The two diplomats reportedly discussed the chances of resolving the Yemen conflict through diplomatic channels and the role of the UN and the Security Council in supporting peace efforts.

Cheikh Ahmed met US Secretary of State John Kerry and UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson earlier in London, where the Western diplomats emphasized the need for an immediate ceasefire in Yemen as well.

Saudi ally and former Yemeni president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir also announced their agreement with a ceasefire.

The Houthi-run Supreme Political Council, the top governing body, welcomed the ceasefire but demanded the Saudi invaders halt military attacks. It said Yemen needed an immediate, lasting and comprehensive truce without conditions.

Fighting in Yemen re-escalated after earlier peace talks, also mediated by the UN and held in Kuwait, collapsed in August.

Houthis had declared that they were ready for disarmament and withdrawal of their forces from areas under their control if a comprehensive political agreement is reached in which Hadi would have no role.

However, gunmen loyal to Hadi backed by Saudi forces have been fighting against the Houthi Ansarullah and allied army forces to restore the fugitive ex-president.

Riyadh is currently under increasing pressure from the international community as well as its allies in the West in the wake of a recent airstrike which killed more than 140 people in Sana'a.

On Wednesday, British minister for the Middle East, Tobias Ellwood, said the early October attack on a funeral was a “deliberate error” and had been ordered by Saudi rulers.

Saudi Arabia initially denied responsibility for the fatal attack but on Saturday it finally admitted that the attack was launched by one of it warplanes, which "wrongly targeted" the funeral gathering.

The Saudi-led military campaign to restore Hadi, which started in March 2015, has killed at least 10,000 people.

The kingdom is also under pressure at home where a sense of being stuck in a quagmire is growing more than ever as Yemen's retaliatory attacks are becoming more exact and lethal and the cost of the war is taking a crippling toll on the Saudi economy.

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I have a feeling that if/when the terrorist cults are exterminated and the Middle East gains some semblance of freedom (and unity through common enemy and shared suffering), Saudi Arabia is gonna have a day of reckoning. Perhaps they will be defeated in Yemen if aid can be provided.

They have abused and pissed off too many people for too long

BREAKING:

US military member killed in northern Iraq

https://www.rt.com/usa/363555-us-casualty-iraq-isis/

One US service member has been killed by an improvised explosive device in northern Iraq, according to the headquarters of Operation Inherent Resolve, the US-led effort against Islamic State.

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16 killed as militants attack government buildings in Kirkuk

http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/10/21/489990/Iraq-Kirkuk-Militant-attack

At least 16 people have been killed in militant attacks on government-run facilities in Iraq’s northern Province of Kirkuk, official sources say.

Iraqi security sources said gunmen wearing explosive vests raided multiple government targets in Kirkuk Province, including a police headquarters and a power plant, early on Friday.

At least 16 people, including 12 Iraqi administrators and engineers as well as four Iranian technicians, lost their lives during the militant raid on the power plant in Dibis District of Kirkuk, the region’s mayor Abdullah Nureddin al-Salehi and other local officials told AFP.

The Takfiri Daesh terror group claimed responsibility for the attacks.

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Saudi airstrikes violate Yemen’s UN-brokered brief truce

http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/10/21/489979/Saudi-Arabia-air-strikes-Yemen-UN-monitors-attacks-funeral-Sanaa

Two separate deadly Saudi airstrikes against civilian sites in Yemen’s northwestern provinces of Amran and Sa'ada have broken the United Nations-brokered ceasefire in the war-ravaged Arabian Peninsula state.

Three people lost their lives on Thursday, when Saudi fighter jets struck a bridge in the Harf Sufyan district of Amran province, located 53 kilometers northwest of the capital Sana’a, Yemen’s Arabic-language al-Masirah television network reported.

Another three people were killed in the Baqim district of Sa’ada when Saudi warplanes struck a residential building.

The fatal aerial attacks came on the same day that Yemeni army soldiers and fighters from allied Popular Committees targeted a gathering of militiamen loyal to the resigned Yemeni president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, in the Maslub district of the country's northern province of Jawf.

Informed sources, requesting anonymity, said at least 15 Saudi-backed gunmen were killed in the attack, while 30 others suffered injuries.

A 72-hour ceasefire went into effect in Yemen shortly before Wednesday midnight to allow aid to reach families trapped in towns and villages cut off by months of fighting between warring factions.

'Sana’a funeral attack violated humanitarian law'

In another development, United Nations sanctions monitors have told the Security Council that the October 8 Saudi airstrikes against a crowded funeral ceremony in Sana’a was in breach of international humanitarian law.

The UN officials said they found “in respect of the second airstrike, the Saudi Arabia-led coalition violated its obligations in respect of hors de combat and the wounded in this 'double tap' attack.”

International humanitarian law prohibits attacks against hors de combat - fighters incapable of defending themselves - the wounded, and medical personnel and units.

“The second airstrike, which occurred three to eight minutes after the first airstrike, almost certainly resulted in more casualties to the already wounded and the first responders," the UN monitors said.

“These first responders included civilians who immediately entered the area after the first airstrike to provide urgent first aid and undertake casualty evacuation,” they said.
The United Nations says some 140 people were killed in the attack on the funeral and several hundred more were injured.

Saudi Arabia has been engaged in the deadly campaign against Yemen since March 2015. Riyadh’s aggression, which has killed more than 10,000 in Yemen, was launched in an attempt to restore power to Hadi, a staunch ally of Riyadh who has resigned his post as Yemen’s president but seeks to force his way back into power. The campaign also seeks to undermine the Houthi Ansarullah movement.

The UN puts the death toll from the military aggression at about 10,000. UNICEF announced on October 4 that violence had left over two million Yemeni children out of school.

UNICEF Representative in Yemen Julien Harneis said 350,000 children had received no education last year due to the deadly violence, which led to the closure of many schools across Yemen.

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RT is launching the LIFE attack of ISIS on Kirkuk since two hours. There are also clear voices conversing with each other to be heard, a pity I don´t understand their conversation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANUA_96_yr8&feature=em-lss

Added: I just went back at 1.35 h where civils and soldiers are shooting without the most elementary protection for their life as they are just standing behind a kind of open barrier, while they doesn´t really pay attention from the shots of their suposed enemies. Seems like the next step proving to the rest of the world Putin´s worldwide threat.

US-Led Coalition Conducts ‘Massive’ Airstrikes Near Iraq’s Mosul - US Envoy

https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201610211046597701-us-coalition-mosul/

The US-led coalition against Daesh has carried out massive airstrikes in the operation to retake the Iraqi city of Mosul from the terror group, the US presidential envoy to the coalition, Brett McGurk, said on Friday.

McGurk was traveling to Erbil to meet with US, Iraqi and Kurdish officials coordinating the Mosul campaign.

"Massive coalition airstrikes today on Mosul fronts," McGurk said in a Twitter post. "Also supporting the Peshmerga and people of Kirkuk [to] wipe out infiltrating Daesh cells."

Earlier on Friday, Daesh militants launched an attack on several locations in the northern city of Kirkuk, about 110 miles from Mosul.

Kirkuk’s governor said police repelled the attack and militants did not capture any government buildings.

About 30,000 Iraqi soldiers and 4,000 Kurdish Peshmerga fighters are reported to be taking part in the Mosul operation, backed by artillery and airstrikes carried out by the US-led international coalition.

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Iraq: Kurdish Forces Down ISIL's Spy Drone East of Mosul

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950730000739

"The Kurdish forces shot down the drone with small arms in the Easter side of Mosul. The terrorist group is using drones for reconnaissance and monitoring of our positions and movements,” the spokesperson for the KRG told RIA Novosti.

Mosul is the country’s second-largest city and has been under ISIL's occupation since June 2014.

On October 17, Iraqi Prime Minister Heidar al-Abadi announced the start of the military operation to retake Mosul from ISIL terror group.

According to local media, about 30,000 Iraqi soldiers and 4,000 Kurdish Peshmerga fighters are taking part in the Mosul operation.

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15 Iraqi women slain in US-led airstrike in Kirkuk province

http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/10/21/490070/Iraq-USled-strike-funeral-Kirkuk-civilians-killed-injured

At least 15 women have lost their lives and scores of other civilians have sustained injuries when fighter jets operated by the so-called US-led coalition struck a mourning procession in Iraq’s oil-rich northern province of Kirkuk.

Local official Amir Huda Karam said the aerial attack targeted a Shia place of worship in the town of Daquq, located approximately 180 kilometers north of the capital Baghdad, on Friday.

US-led strike on the heels of Daesh attack

The tragic incident came just hours after three Daesh Takfiri terrorists attacked a power plant in the town of Dibis, located 55 kilometers northwest of Kirkuk, and blew themselves up, killing 18 people, including three Iranians.

Security sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the slain Iranian technicians were carrying out maintenance at the facility.

The sources added that some of the surviving militants had blocked off the road between the town and the power station.

Crude oil production facilities were not affected as a result of the assault, and power supply remained uninterrupted.

Multiple explosions, meanwhile, ripped through Kirkuk and bursts of machine gun fire could be heard across the northeastern oil city.

Witnesses, requesting anonymity, said much of the fighting was focused on a government compound in the city.

Kirkuk Governor Najmadin Karim, however, stated that militants had not managed to take control of any government buildings in the city, located 236 kilometers north of Baghdad.

A curfew is now in effect and streets are largely deserted amid fears of militant snipers.

Local authorities say some of the assailants are still holed up in a hotel and a mosque in the middle of Kirkuk.

Lieutenant General Talib Shaghati, commander of Iraq's Joint Operations Command, said the attackers in Kirkuk came from outside the city.

The Takfiri Daesh terrorist group later claimed responsibility for the attacks in Dibis in online statements.

The assaults came four days after nearly 30,000 army soldiers, fighters from pro-government Popular Mobilization Units and Kurdish Peshmerga forces launched a massive and multi-pronged operation to retake the city of Mosul from Daesh militants.

Iraqi journalist killed in Kirkuk

Additionally, a senior correspondent for the regional and state-run Turkmeneli television network has been fatally shot by a Daesh sniper in Kirkuk.

An unnamed police colonel said 30-year-old Ahmet Haceroglo (seen above) was struck by a sniper bullet to the chest and died of his wounds as he was covering incidents in Kirkuk.

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A US coalition soldier was killed in an ISIL blast during the fourth day of the Mosul liberation operation, local media said Friday.

Iraq: First US Casualty Reported in Mosul Operation
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950730000675

The unnamed soldier was the first American to die in the drive to remove ISIL from Northern Iraq, ARA news reported.

“On October 20, 2016, a US service member died from wounds sustained in an improvised explosive device blast in Northern Iraq,” the US-led coalition said in a statement.

The American serviceman was killed alongside the Kurdish Peshmerga as part of a new operation, launched on October 20.

More than 10,000 soldiers are advancing from the North and Northeast flanks of Mosul city.

The Peshmerga’s immediate objective is to seize a stretch of territory from the Tigris River to the town of Bashiqa.

Kurdish fighters downed a spy drone of the ISIL terrorist group in an area East of the Iraqi city of Mosul, a spokesperson for the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) Ministry of Peshmerga said on Friday.

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Iraq: Kurdish Forces Down ISIL's Spy Drone East of Mosul
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950730000739

"The Kurdish forces shot down the drone with small arms in the Easter side of Mosul. The terrorist group is using drones for reconnaissance and monitoring of our positions and movements,” the spokesperson for the KRG told RIA Novosti.

Daesh terrorist group has executed 284 men and boys in the Mosul area amid the Iraqi army's offensive to drive the militants out of the city, media reported Saturday.

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Daesh Militants Execute Over 280 Residents of Mosul Area Amid Army Offensive
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201610221046607544-daesh-militants-execte-mosul-offensive/

According to CNN, citing an Iraqi intelligence source, those killed were used as a human shield against the attacks against the terrorists by the Iraq forces and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters.

Daesh, outlawed in many countries worldwide, is said to have used a bulldozer to dump the dead bodies of the executed in a mass grave in the northern part of the city, the channel said.

At least 24 people including 4 Iranians were killed and dozens of others wounded in multiple attacks by ISIL terrorists on police compound and a power plant in the Iraqi Northern city of Kirkuk. [PHOTOS]

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4 Iranian Technicians Killed in ISIL Attack on Iraqi Power Plant in Kirkuk
http://en.farsnews.com/imgrep.aspx?nn=13950730000582

Saudi Arabia violates Yemen ceasefire again

http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/10/21/490097/Yemen-Saudi-Arabia-Jizan

The Saudi regime has once again violated the ceasefire in Yemen, carrying out airstrikes on the impoverished Arab country.

Saudi Arabia launched rocket attacks against several areas in the Yemeni province of Sa’ada on Friday. According to Yemen's al-Masirah news website, the rockets hit residential areas in Shada district.

On Thursday, six people were killed in airstrikes by Saudi warplanes on Sa'ada and the province of Amran.

The Yemeni army and popular committees launched retaliatory attacks on Saudi military positions in the southwestern province of Jizan.

Al-Masirah reported that the Yemeni forces fired rockets and artillery shells at the Saudi military camp of Mosem and other posts in the east of the town of Samtah on Friday.

About 10,000 Yemenis have been killed since the regime in Riyadh launched its deadly campaign against Yemen in March 2015. The military aggression was meant to undermine the Houthi Ansarullah movement and to restore power to Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a staunch ally of Riyadh and Yemen’s president who has resigned and fled the capital. Hadi seeks to force his way back into power.

A 72-hour ceasefire went into effect in Yemen shortly before Wednesday midnight to allow aid to reach families trapped in towns and villages cut off by months of fighting.

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Yemeni forces hit military convoy in Saudi Arabia +Video

http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/10/22/490157/Yemen-Saudi-Arabia-Najran-military-convoy

Yemeni forces have targeted a convoy of Saudi military forces and Saudi mercenaries in Saudi Arabia’s southwest with a rocket.

The retaliatory rocket attack was carried out against the convoy by Yemen’s army and fighters of the Ansarullah movement in the al-Khazra’ district of Saudi Arabia’s Najran region on Friday, Yemen’s al-Masirah television said.

The report said the attack killed and injured a large number of the Saudis forces and mercenaries.

About 10,000 Yemenis have been killed since the regime in Riyadh launched its deadly campaign against Yemen in March 2015. The military aggression was meant to reinstall Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a staunch ally of Riyadh who has resigned as Yemen’s president.

A 72-hour ceasefire went into effect in Yemen shortly before Wednesday midnight to allow aid to reach the families trapped in towns and villages cut off by months of Saudi bombing.

The Saudi military has repeatedly violated the ceasefire, however.

On Saturday, Saudi jets hit the al-Maton district in the northwestern Yemeni province of Jawf, killing one Yemeni civilian.

Saudi Arabia launched rocket attacks against several areas in the Yemeni province of Sa’ada on Friday. According to al-Masirah, the rockets hit residential areas in the Shada district.

On Thursday, six people were killed in airstrikes by Saudi warplanes on Sa’ada and the province of Amran.

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Another U.S. "Oop's" moment?

The Russian Defense Ministry said Saturday that the US-led coalition launched strikes on a funeral procession in the Iraqi town of Daquq near the city of Kirkuk, killing dozens of civilians.

US-Led Coalition Strikes Funeral Procession in Iraqi Town - Russian MoD
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201610221046620020-us-coalition-iraq-funerals/

Daesh terrorist group is not operating in the area, where dozens of Iraqis, including women and children, have been killed as a result of the coalition's airstrikes.

The Russian Defense Ministry's spokesman called coalition's stikes on residential areas "war crimes."

"We have repeatedly noted that such deadly strikes on residential areas that lhave all signs of war crimes have become almost a daily routine for the aviation of the international coalition," Konashenkov noted.

"On October 21, Russian reconnaissance means detected airstrikes of two warplanes on Daquq town located near Kirkuk where no Daesh militants are present, according to our data," Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said. "According to witnesses' reports, a mourning procession has been mistakenly identified by the coalition's aviation as a group of militants. Dozens of Iraqi civilians, including women and children died." The Russian Defense Ministry said that it monitores the operation to retake Mosul, adding the the US-led coalition aircraft have conducted 22 sorties and launched 19 airstrikes over the past 24 hours.

The US-led coalition denied carrying out the airstrikes on the Iraqi city of Daquq that resulted in about 20 civilian deaths, the representative for the multinational operation Inherent Resolve said Saturday.

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US-Led Coalition Denies Involvement in Daquq Airstrikes Against Civilians
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201610221046623270-airstrike-coalition-iraq/

According to the representative, the coalition registers all claims of protocol breaches and seriously investigates them.

"At this time, we cannot associate the alleged civilian casualties with any Coalition strikes in the area. The Coalition adheres to targeting processes and procedures aimed to minimize risks to non-combatants," the operation representative told RIA Novosti.

Daesh's offensive on the city of Kirkuk about 86 miles east of Mosul, during which the militants captured several districts, seems to be aimed at distracting advancing Iraqi forces, a source in the Russian Defense Ministry said Saturday.

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Daesh's Attack on Kirkuk 'Took Coalition by Surprise' Amid Mosul Operation
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201610221046616174-kirkuk-mosul-iraq/

On Friday, media reported that Daesh militants had launched an attack on several venues across the northern city of Kirkuk. The city lies some 110 miles away from Mosul, which Iraq is trying to liberate from Daesh. Later, Iraqi security forces repelled the attack.

"Yesterday, Daesh militants, belonging to the group that holds Mosul, attacked the city of Kirkuk 140 kilometers [86 miles] east of Mosul, took seven districts and continue advancing. Apparently, the militants have started this attack as a diversion. The militants' offensive has taken the coalition forces by surprise," the source told RIA Novosti. According to the source, the militants took over the Kirkuk prison and recruited the inmates.

Nearly 1,000 people had to be treated for breathing problems after ISIL terrorists set a sulphur plant ablaze in Mishraq, South of the Iraqi city of Mosul, Reuters reported, citing hospital sources.

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Nearly 1,000 Reportedly Treated for Breathing Problems after ISIL Torches Sulphur Plant near Mosul
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950801001395

Medics at the hospital in Qayyara, which is located near Mosul, said that no deaths have been reported as a result of the blaze, but, according to an Iraqi official, two villagers close to the factory died after coming in contact with the toxic substance, RT reported.

Iraqi commander Qusay Hamid Kadhem told AFP that ISIL had set the sulphur plant near Mosul ablaze two days ago, causing the death of two civilians from the nearby villages.

On Friday, a Reuters photographer reported seeing plumes of smoke coming from the plant filling the air with toxic gasses. Breathing in sulfur dioxide affects the lungs, causing severe breathing difficulties, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR).

US military officials confirmed on Saturday that winds had carried in fumes from the burning sulphur plant, forcing US forces at Qayyarah West Airfield near Mosul to use protective masks.

“The winds have actually shifted South, so, as a precautionary measure, the troops at Qayyarah West have donned their personal protective equipment – continuing their operations at this point in time,” an official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Turkey has sent troops to Iraq to extend its influence, but not to combat Daesh terrorist group, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi said Saturday.

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Iraqi PM: Turkey Fights in Iraq for Own Influence, Not Against Terrorism
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950801001318

Relations between Turkey and Iraq deteriorated after Turkey dispatched its troops in Iraq allegedly to fight against ISIL in late 2015, Sputnik reported.

The Turkish government said its forces would participate in the operation on the liberation of Mosul, however, Iraqi authorities claim they had not given their consent for this participation.

"Turkey does not fight against Daesh, it fights for its interests and extension on influence," Abadi said during the Islamic forum in Baghdad, as quoted by Rudaw news agency.

On Friday, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said that Iraq and Turkey reached preliminary agreement on the framework of Turkish military participation in the fight against Daesh.

Iraqi government spokesman Saad al-Hudaythi said later on the same day that no concrete agreements had been reached yet.

A recent meeting of the senior commanders of the Iraqi volunteer forces (Hashd al-Shaabi) conveyed the message of their preparedness to confront the Turkish army's military incursion into their country and also prevent the relocation of the terrorists from Iraq to Syria, political analysts believe.

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Analysts: Hashd Al-Shaabi Resolved to Confront Turkish Military Presence in Iraq
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950801001131

Political observers in Iraq say that the historic meeting by Iraqi volunteer forces' leaders has the clear message that they are determined to fight against any security and political challenge, more importantly the war against the ISIL, as well as Turkey's military presence in Iraq," Political Expert on Iraq Amir Saedi said.

Hoe said the Iraqi volunteer forces showed that they are united in confronting the terrorists, specially the ISIL, and said, "The second message of the Hashd al-Shaabi meeting is to Ankara, telling Erdogan that despite differences among these groups they have adopted a single stance vis-à-vis Turkish military presence in Iraq."

Meantime, Iraqi strategist Fazel Abu Raqif also said that the message of the Iraqi volunteer forces' meeting focused on opposition to the Turkish military incursion into their country.

The ISIL terrorist group arrested, at least, 200 residents of Deir Ezzur city in Eastern Syria and sent them to Mosul in Northern Iraq to help the terrorists resist against the large-scale operation of the Iraqi Army troops and popular forces.

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Syria: ISIL Forcing Deir Ezzur Residents to Go to Mosul Battlefield
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950801000916

The ISIL security forces, specially those under the command of notorious Emad al-Kamouleh, captured at least 200 young men in Deir Ezzur and dispatched them to the Syria-Iraq border to be sent to Mosul battlefield.

Local sources said that ISIL has also arrested all former members of Kata'eb al-Hor, Fatah al-Sham Front (formerly known as the al-Nusra Front) and Ahrar al-Sham, who had participated in ISIL's ideological courses, to dispatch them to Iraq's battlefields.

Reports said also on Friday that ISIL's senior official in charge of procurement of arms and ammunition in Iraq arrived in the self-proclaimed capital of the Takfiri group in Syria, calling for the rapid dispatch of more weapons and fighters to Mosul.

"Abu Balal Mesri arrived in Raqqa to talk to the group's leadership in Syria to provide ISIL's terrorists in Iraq with more arms and munitions to enable them to resist against the Iraqi army troops and popular allies," local sources said, citing ISIL low rank commanders in Raqqa.