Iraq

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The first autumn snowfall covered Tehran on Tuesday. [PHOTOS]
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The Mosul liberation operation continued on Tuesday as Iraq's volunteer forces (Hashd al-Shaabi) started the fourth phase of the military operations in areas on the Western side of Mosul.

Battle for Mosul Day 36: Hashd Al-Shaabi Kicks Off 4th Phase of Mosul Operation
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Hashd Al-Shaabi Kicks Off 4th Phase of Military Operations West of Mosul

Iraq's volunteer forces (Hashd al-Shaabi) started the fourth phase of the military operations in areas on the Western side of Mosul on Tuesday.

The main purpose of the third phase of the military operations in Western Mosul is to help Iraq's joint military forces to take control of areas between Tal Afar and the Syrian border, Hashd al-Shaabi said in a statement on Tuesday.

The statement reiterated that another objective of the fresh military campaign in Western Mosul is to cut off the terrorists' remaining supply routes from Tal Afar to the Syrian border.

It said that the Iraqi volunteer forces plan to advance further after seizing back more lands to the West of Mosul city.

US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter and Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) President Masoud Barzani spoke about the ongoing campaign to liberate the city of Mosul from Daesh terror group, Department of Defense spokesman Peter Cook said in a briefing on Tuesday.

Pentagon Chief Discussed Mosul Operation With Iraqi Kurdistan's President
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201611221047729596-carter-barzani-mosul-campaign/

According to Cook, Carter noted actions of Iraqi Kurds in Mosul with approval.

"Secretary Carter thanked President Barzani for the courage of Kurdish fighters and for the KRG’s cooperation with the central government in Baghdad and the coalition in planning and executing operations to free Mosul," Cook told reporters.

 

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Sputnik Arabic has obtained documents, found in Iraq's city of Mosul, revealing the full names of Daesh militants, names of the units of terrorist organizations and their heads, as well as a full list of stolen Russian weapons in their possession.

EXCLUSIVE: Sputnik Reveals Stolen Russian Weapons in Daesh Militants' Possession
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201611251047823451-iraq-daesh-russian-weapons/

The documents were found in one of Daesh's bunkers in the south-east of Iraq's second-largest city of Mosul.

Each of the four documents has a list of Daesh militants and the names of stolen Russian weapons they have in their possession. All the documents have the Daesh logo in the left-hand upper corner and Wilayat Ninawa (Mosul province preciously occupied by Daesh) inscription in the center.

One of the documents shows a list of Daesh militants, each of whom is in possession of a Kalashnikov assault rifle and five replaceable magazines.

Other documents specify registration numbers of Kalashnikov assault rifles, RPG-7 shoulder-launched anti-tank grenade launchers, bullpup straight-pull bolt-action rifles, VSSK Vykhlop magazine-fed sniper rifles and other weaponry. Commenting on the above documents, General Behnam Abbush told Sputnik that the terrorists have obtained the Russian-made weapons from military depots in Iraq and from terrorists in Syria after Daesh captured vast territories in these two countries. The general said that the Iraqi army abandoned the bulk of their weapons when the terrorists overran Mosul back in 2014. Behnam Abbush told to Sputnik that the above documents should be taken to court as they contain the full names of Daesh militants, the names of the terrorist organizations units and their leaders.

A truck bomb Thursday ripped through a petrol station where buses packed with pilgrims returning from the Arba'een commemoration in the Iraqi city of Karbala were parked, security officials said.

Truck Bomb Blast Targets Pilgrims in Iraq, Several Casualties Reported
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Several Iranian nationals, who were in Iraq for the Arba'een pilgrimage that ended on Monday, were among the victims, said Iraq's Joint Operations Command, AFP reported.

"At least seven buses with pilgrims were inside the petrol station at the time," a police lieutenant colonel said.

The blast struck in the village of Shomali, 120 kilometers (75 miles) Southeast of the capital Baghdad and around 80 kilometers (50 miles) from Karbala.

According to a security official, several civilians were killed and wounded, including Iranians.

"Those buses were loaded with Iranians, Bahrainis and Iraqis. Ambulances and civil defence are on their way to the site," a police intelligence source told AFP.

Reuters also quoted police and medical sources saying that the incident was a suicide attack at a gas station in al-Hilla city, 100 km (60 miles) south of Baghdad and said at least 12 civilians were killed and 10 more were wounded.

According to the sources the attack took place at gas station with an adjacent restaurant used by Iranian pilgrims to rest on their way back from the Arba'een pilgrimage in the Shiite holy city of Karbala.

No side has claimed responsibility for the attack, but ISIL terror group has mounted similar attacks in areas outside their control in an attempt to undermine the military campaign in Mosul, the group's last remaining city in Iraq.

Between 17 and 20 million people visited Karbala, home to the mausoleum of Imam Hussein, for Arba'een, which is one of the world's largest religious events.

A little boy who was forcefully being trained by the ISIL in the so-called “lion cubs" camps disclosed that the terrorist group has transferred hundreds of Iraqi children to Syria before leaving the Eastern districts of Mosul.

Hundreds of Abducted Iraqi Children Transferred to Syria by ISIL
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The Iraqi boy who has managed to flee from the ISIL's notorious camps said children are forcefully taken to the terrorist group's camps and are even forced to kill their own family members there.

He added that the ISIL takes children to military camps and severely punishes their parents if faced with their opposition.

"The ISIL militants make children in lion cubs camps to undergo difficult trainings that even adults cannot bear, including smashing a piece of wood on their bellies and breaking bricks on their heads," the child said on the condition of anonymity for the fear of his life.

He added that the ISIL sends the children to the front lines and even forces them to kill their family members, saying that a number of children have also practiced execution and beheading.

Opposition groups disclosed on their media pages last month that over 155 child soldiers had finished their military courses in an ISIL-held training camp in Raqqa and were to be sent to battlefields in Northern Aleppo.

The Smart news website reported that the first group of child soldiers, who were trained in ISIL's Abu Mohammad al-Adnani Military Camp in the town of al-Tabaqa in Western Raqqa, will join their elder comrades to fight against rival terrorist groups in Northern Aleppo.

"The first groups of ISIL's child soldiers in al-Adnani camp were between the ages of 14 and 18 and have been dispatched to the war fronts. The total number of child soldiers in al-Adnani camp stands at around 350," the news website said.

Also, reports said in August that the ISIL was holding thousands of young boys captive in Syria and Iraq, where it was teaching them how to become deadly child soldiers.

The group reportedly gave up on turning adults into terrorists and instead focused on turning out a new generation of what it calls “lion cubs”.

A 14-year-old child who managed to escape from ISIL lands said that the leaders of the group told him and other boys that they should sacrifice everything, even themselves. The child fled when he was ordered to kill his brother.

According to the boy, ISIL thought children on only how to kill their enemies and how to show full loyalty to their commander.

Most of the children are from Syria. Of the 89 cases eulogized by the ISIL in the past 13 months, 39% died detonating a vehicle born IED device and 33% were killed as foot soldiers. Some 4% killed themselves while committing mass casualty attacks against civilians, and 6% died as propagandists embedded with brigades.

In an ISIL video released in 2015, a boy was shown beheading a Syrian soldier under adult supervision.

Also last year, another video showed 25 child soldiers shooting 25 captured Syrian soldiers in the head.

The ISIL terrorist group executed 15 soldiers from the Iraqi Army in the city of Mosul, in Iraq’s northwestern Nineveh Province.

ISIL Terrorists Execute 15 Iraqi soldiers in Mosul
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Informed local sources said that the soldiers were taken as prisoners by ISIL during clashes with the Iraqi Army in southwestern Mosul last week, ARA News reported.

ISIL militants publicly beheaded the 15 Iraqi soldiers in Central Mosul, and paraded their bodies across the city’s streets.

“Hundreds of people witnessed the execution. ISIL promoted the capture and execution of those soldiers as a victory for the organization against the US-backed forces,” head of Nineveh Media Centre Raafat al-Zarari said.

This comes amid intensifying fighting between Iraqi forces and ISIL in the vicinity of Mosul and in some parts of the city.

 

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Yemenis agree on truce beginning November 17: Kerry
http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2016/11/15/493729/Yemen-truce-Kerry-Houthis

Warring sides of the conflict in Yemen have agreed on a swift ceasefire agreement starting in the coming days, US Secretary of State John Kerry says.

Kerry said on Tuesday that both the Houthi Ansarullah movement and an alliance of militants loyal to Yemen's former President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, who fight under the support of Saudi Arabia, had agreed to a cessation of hostilities starting on November 17.

Kerry, who was speaking to journalists in the United Arab Emirates, said the two sides had also agreed to work for the establishment of a unity government by the end of the year.

Kerry embarked on a regional tour on Monday meant for resolving the conflict in Yemen and Syria. In his first stop in Oman, he held talks with senior officials of the Sultanate in a bid to use their influence on Yemen's Houthi fighters. Oman is the only Arab country in the Persian Gulf region that has refused to contribute to Saudi Arabia’s deadly campaign against Yemenis. Kerry then flew to Abu Dhabi for talks mostly centered on Syria.

Kerry’s bid to find a solution to the crisis in Yemen comes months after the United Nations failed to clinch an agreement between representatives of the Houthis and Hadi at the end of months-long negotiations in Kuwait.

More than 10,000 people have lost their lives since Saudis started the campaign against Yemen in March 2015. The Houthis say most of those killed have been civilians directly targeted in Saudi airstrikes. Rights campaigners and UN bodies have also confirmed the killing of civilians on a massive scale as a result of the Saudi campaign.

Today, Friday 25 November, WikiLeaks releases the Yemen Files. .

Yemen Files
https://wikileaks.org/yemen-files/releases/

The Yemen Files are a collection of more than 500 documents from the United States embassy in Sana'a, Yemen. Comprising more than 200 emails and 300 PDFs, the collection details official documents and correspondence pertaining to the Office for Military Cooperation (OMC) located at the US embassy. The collection spans the period from 2009 until just before the war in Yemen broke out in earnest during March 2015. This time period covers both Hillary Clinton's term as Secretary of State (20092013) and the first two years of Secretary John Kerry’s tenure.

Julian Assange said: "The war in Yemen has produced 3.15 million internally displaced persons. Although the United States government has provided most of the bombs and is deeply involved in the conduct of the war itself reportage on the war in English is conspicuously rare."

Yemen is of significant strategic interest as Yemen controls a narrow choke-point to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal through which 11% of the world's petroleum passes each day. In addition, Yemen borders Saudi Arabia (to the north) and Oman (to the east) and has access to the Arabian Sea, through which another 20% of the world's petroleum passes from the Strait of Hormuz (including the oil of Saudi Arabia and Iran). Saudi Arabia seeks to control a port in Yemen to avoid the potential constriction of its oil shipments by by Iran along the Strait of Hormuz or by countries which can control its other oil shipment path along the Red Sea.

The Yemen Files offer documentary evidence of the US arming, training and funding of Yemeni forces in the years building up to the war. The documents reveal, among other things, procurement of many different weapon types: aircraft, vessels, vehicles, proposals for maritime border security control and Yemeni procurement of US biometric systems.

A US presence remained in the country until February 2015, when the US closed its embassy due to the continuing unrest between different factions in the country. The war broke out a month later.

 

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Daesh has "sustained heavy losses" as Iraqi security forces and Kurdish fighters continue a large-scale operation to liberate Mosul, the second largest city in Iraq, Said Mamuzini, a representative of the Kurdistan Democratic Party in Mosul, told Sputnik, describing the offensive as "successful."

Daesh 'Sustaining Heavy Losses' in Mosul as Iraqi Forces Push Forward
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201611281047924564-daesh-losses-mosul-offensive/

"Fighting in eastern Mosul has intensified in recent days. The Iraqi Armed Forces have succeeded in pushing the militants out of several key areas. Ziyad Ğurufa, Daesh's 'information minister' responsible for Iraq, was killed in an airstrike carried out by the Iraqi military. He was a member of the inner circle of Daesh's leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi," he said.

A total of 28 people were killed and some 50 injured after Daesh shelled the Iraqi city of Mosul, Lebanese Al Mayadeen TV channel reported Sunday.

Daesh Shelling Kills 28, Wounds 50 People in Mosul
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201611271047895157-daesh-shelling-mosul/

According to the TV channel, terrorists shelled a district in the north of Mosul. Women and children are reportedly among the victims.

The Mosul liberation operation led by Iraqi army, Shia militia, Kurdish armed forces and US-led coalition air forces is ongoing since October. The city was under control of the Daesh terrorist organization (outlawed in Russia) since 2014.

At least five people were killed on Sunday after the National Iranian Oil Company's (NIOC) helicopter crashed in the Caspian Sea, local media reported.

At Least 5 People Killed in Iran's Helicopter Crash in Caspian Sea
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201611271047886430-iran-helicopter-crash/

The helicopter carrying five people crashed in the Iranian Mazandaran province killing everyone aboard, the Iranian Mehr news agency said, citing Governor of Mazandaran's town of Behshahr Khalegh Sajjadi.

The media outlet added that the helicopter crashed because of the technical failure. Earlier in the year, another helicopter had crashed in Mazandaran after it had ran into power cables, when it had tried to land.

 

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A total of 29 members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) outlawed in Turkey were killed and 16 injured by the Turkish Armed Forces in Iraq’s northern region of Qandil, the country’s General Staff said in a statement Wednesday.

Turkish Armed Forces Kill 29 PKK Members in Northern Iraq – General Staff
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201611301048019077-turkey-pkk-iraq/

Tensions between Ankara and Turkish Kurds escalated in July 2015 when a ceasefire between Turkey and the PKK collapsed over a series of terrorist attacks, allegedly committed by PKK members.

“On November 27, airstrikes were carried out against targets of the separatist terrorist organization (PKK) during the operation in Qandil region in northern Iraq. According to the intelligence information as of November 29, 29 terrorists were killed and 16 injured,” the statement read.

The troops of the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service have liberated one more district in the eastern part of the northern country's city of Mosul occupied by the Daesh terrorist group, a source in the service told RIA Novosti on Wednesday.

Iraqi Troops Liberate One More District in Eastern Mosul From Daesh
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201611301048012001-mosul-daesh-liberation/

On Tuesday, Iraq’s anti-terror chief Lt. Gen. Abdel Ghani Asadi said that his counterterrorism service had liberated 25 districts of Mosul in the ongoing operation.

The troops of the Iraqi service had forced Daesh militants from the eastern Mosul's district of Aha Sania, the source said.

The US-led international coalition's air force has eliminated 58 Daesh terrorists in and around the Iraqi city of Mosul over the past 24 hours, the Iraqi Defense Ministry said Wednesday.

US-Led Coalition Kills Over 50 Daesh Militants in Iraqi Mosul
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201611301048011884-coalition-daesh-mosul/

According to the ministry, the coalition conducted airstrikes to support an Iraqi ground offensive, inflicting casualties among the terrorists and destroying their military equipment, including some cars, packed with explosives.

Daesh terrorists are killing residents of Iraqi Mosul refusing to put rocket launchers on the roofs of their houses, Ravina Shamdasani, a United Nations human rights spokeswoman, said Tuesday.

Daesh Kills Mosul Civilians for Refusal to Install Rocket Launchers on Roofs
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201611291047963517-daesh-mosul-rocket-launchers/

Other civilian victims of Daesh reportedly suffered for allegedly leaking information or attempting to escape the city held by the terrorist group.

"On November 11, ISIL [Daesh] reportedly shot and killed 12 civilians in Bakir neighbourhood of eastern Mosul city for allegedly refusing to let it install rockets on the rooftops of their houses," Shamdasani said, as quoted by the Sky News outlet.

The Iraqi army launched a new operation to defeat a small enclave of ISIL militants in Salaheddin province on Tuesday, in retaliation against a string of suicide attacks in Samarra the day before.

Iraqi Forces Target ISIL Enclave in 'Mop-up Operation'
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Joint Special Operations Command said in a press release on Tuesday that popular forces, fighting with the 60th brigade, were dispatched to the small village of Kanauus, near al-Shirqat to fight ISIL, New Arab reported.

"The operation came very late, but it is very important as ISIL carries out attacks from this village, including the attack on Samarra yesterday," Sheikh Wadah al-Obeidi, leader of a local tribal coalition said.

Obeidi said that Iraqi airstrikes were being used in the attack on ISIL defences, which were being steadily subdued.

"There's a possibility that the village could be liberated within a day or two," he said.

Meanwhile, Badr News reported that Iraqi security forces were managed on Tuesday, to liberate two villages at the left coast of Sharqat.

A statement by the military media said that “the Salaheddin operations command’s troops have managed to free the villages of Shayal al-Abli and Shayal al-Imam on the left coast of Sharqat district in the Eastern axis of the Tigris River”.

The statement explained that “the Iraqi forces that liberated the villages have raised the Iraqi flag on their buildings after inflicting ISIL terror group great losses in lives and equipment”.

Earlier, a local council member for the town of Sharqat, Salim al-Jubouri said in an interview that the Iraqi government had previously neglected various pockets of ISIL fighters in its mission to capture Mosul.

"The mistake made by security agents was to neglect the pockets of areas under the control of ISIL.

"They ignored all the warning signs and didn't act until it was too late, we suffered losses as a result of that, like yesterday in Samarra."

A senior Yemeni commander disclosed that a large number of pro-Saudi mercenaries have fled the battlefield as the Saudi government has ceased its support for them.

Commander: Saudi Mercenaries Fleeing War As Riyadh Gov't Cuts Financial Support
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"After the Saudi government stopped its financial support for the terrorists and militias loyal to the Saudi regime, a growing wave of the terrorists are leaving the Saudi-led Arab coalition military bases," Senior Ansarullah Commander Hossein Al-Houthi said.

Al-Houthi's remarks came as the Saudi media have resorted to censoring the news on the pro-Saudi forces' fatalities.

However, the Saudi media's silence about fatalities of the Saudi mercenaries has not worked as the social media are covering the developments with relevant videos and photos round the clock.

On Sunday, the Yemeni army and popular forces targeted and pounded the Saudi military bases in Assir and Najran provinces with missiles, killing and injuring several Saudi army troops.

The Yemeni forces pounded al-Hejleh, al-Dis and al-Makhrouq military bases in Najran in Southern Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia's al-Massial military base in Assir province also came under the Yemeni forces' attack.

Several Saudi forces were killed and many more were injured in the attack on their military bases and positions in Najran and Assir provinces.

Earlier on Sunday, the Yemeni army's missile unit hit several vessels of the Saudi-led Arab coalition with Katyusha rockets in the Southwestern waters of Ta'iz province.

"Five Saudi-led coalition vessels came under Yemeni rocket attacks in the coastal waters of the city of Zobab in Southwestern Ta'iz on Sunday morning," al-Masirah news channel quoted an unnamed military source as saying.

Meantime, the Yemeni forces targeted an armored military vehicle of the Saudi mercenaries in al-Mahzar region in Ta'iz province.

Military commanders announced on Saturday, the Yemeni army and popular forces have continued their advances in Ta'iz in the last four days, and inflicted 150 casualties on Saudi-backed militias in different parts of the province.

"The Yemeni forces attacked the gathering centers of the pro-Saudi militias in the Southern part of the city of Zobab in Ta'iz province and killed tens of terrorists," Senior Ansarullah Commander Ali al-Houthi said.

"The pro-Saudi mercenaries targeted and destroyed people's houses in Ta'iz province after they sustained major defeats in tough battles with the Yemeni forces in al-Shabakeh and Qashabeh regions as well as al-Hamra village on the outskirts of the city of al-Waziyeh," al-Houthi added.

Meantime, battlefield sources said nearly 150 pro-Hadi militias and Saudi mercenaries have been killed in fierce clashes with the Yemeni forces in Ta'iz province.

Also, the Arabic-language media quoted an unnamed Yemeni security commander as saying that over 60 Saudi mercenaries have been killed in clashes in Jahmalieh region of Ta'iz.

Meantime, a source, close to Qatiyat Battalions terrorist group which is under the command of Adnan Zariq in Ta'iz, said that at least 80 of their militants, including several senior commanders have been killed in clashes over past three days.

The source admitted that the Yemeni forces repelled the terrorist groups' attacks on strategic heights of al-Salsal and Ja'sheh in Saleh and blocked their penetration into al-Houban region.

Also, a Yemeni military source said the Eastern side of Ta'iz city frequently comes under attack by the Saudi-backed troops as it is the gate to al-Houban region in Northern Ta'iz where the Yemen army and popular forces have gathered.

"The Yemeni forces clashed with Saudi mercenaries in Saleh valley, and killed several of them despite the Saudi fighter jets air support for the militias," the source said.

Meantime, the Yemeni forces took control of the town of Saleh to the East of Ta'iz city and fortified their military positions around the town.

In late August, the Yemeni army and popular forces started military operations to win back Ta'iz province.

On Tuesday, the Yemeni army continued its advances in several regions in Ta'iz province, killing several militias loyal to Saudi Arabia, including senior commanders.

At least 25 Saudi mercenaries and their commanders were killed in fierce clashes with the Syrian army in the city of Ta'iz.

The leader of Yemen’s Ansarullah movement said the newly-formed National Salvation Government is aimed at boosting efforts to run the country’s domestic affairs and better serve the nation, saying everyone must work to pave the way for an eventual popular victory.

Ansarullah Chief: New Government Aims at Better Serving Yemenis
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Abdul-Malik al-Houthi made the remarks on the occasion of the 49th anniversary of South Yemen’s independence from Britain in the 1960s, Al Masirah reported.

“The formation of the National Salvation Government is of great importance as it will consolidate positions inside the country and efforts to provide service to the people,” he said.

“Everyone should make efforts so the Yemeni people emerge victorious in the end.”

Houthi also urged the public to hold rallies in support of the new administration and ignore efforts made by certain parties to create division among the nation’s ranks.

Earlier on Tuesday, the new Yemeni government was sworn in after the Ansarullah movement and their allies announced its formation.

The National Salvation Government is to replace the Supreme Political Council, which was set up earlier this year by Ansarullah and the General People’s Congress, the party of former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, to run the country’s affairs.

The new administration has vowed to help UN efforts to bring about peace in the country.

The Ansarullah forces took control of state affairs in 2014 after former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi resigned despite Ansarullah calls to review the decision, a move that created more chaos in a country already grappling with al-Qaeda terror threats.

Hadi then fled to the Saudi capital, Riyadh, before returning to the port city of Aden earlier this year.

The Ansarullah movement and the Yemeni army have also been defending Yemen against the deadly Saudi military campaign, which was launched in March 2015 with the aim of reinstalling Hadi, a close Riyadh ally.

Also on Tuesday, the head of the new government Abdul-Aziz bin Habtoor said the formation of the ruling structure was a vital step towards the arrangement of Yemen's internal affairs and dealing with the consequences of the Saudi aggression.

He asserted that the Saudi crimes against Yemeni people would not go unanswered.

Habtoor added the sheer number of the operational sorties conducted by the Saudi military since March 2015, namely 150,000, was a testament to the true nature of the Saudi aggression.

 

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ISIL snipers shot dead 15 children in Iraq's battleground Northern city of Mosul as they were desperately running for a safe haven, a security source told local media.

15 Iraqi Children Killed by ISIL Snipers in Mosul
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The security source told Arabic-language al-Sumeriya News that ISIL snipers targeted the children as they were trying to reach the Iraqi security forces' position in the ISIL-held city.

The source added that ISIL terrorists who frequently target the homeless and displaced children have deliberately killed the 15 children in the streets of Mosul.

ISIL employs the most horrible methods to kill Mosul's displaced residents including using them as human shields or blowing them up with booby-trap bombs as well as targeting children by sniper shots to prevent them from leaving the battleground city.

Earlier in the day, at least 26 ISIL militants were killed when Iraqi security forces liberated another district in Mosul and a village just outside the militant-held city during the massive military campaign to retake the ISIL's last bastion in the war-hit country.

Iraqi forces reported they are progressing steadily in their operations to liberate the ISIL-held city of Mosul from its terrorist occupants.

Iraqi troops have entered the Northeastern neighborhood of Qahera, where they commenced operations to purge ISIL militants from it and surrounding districts.

Iraqi security forces, supported by volunteer forces and other groups have been on a major campaign to liberate Mosul since mid October.

Iraq's elite Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) said they are progressing steadily in their operations to liberate the ISIL-held city of Mosul from its terrorist occupants

Commander: Iraqi Elite Forces Progressing Steadily in Mosul
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950911000374

CTS troops have entered the Northeastern neighborhood of Qahera, where they commenced operations to purge ISIL militants from it and surrounding districts, presstv reported.

Major General Abdul Ghani al-Asadi, a CTS commander, told reporters that after deployment the troops split up into two groups heading South and North.

“The troops made good progress in both directions according to plan. Troops heading South secured almost 70 percent of al-Ikha neighborhood, which is an important neighborhood,” he said.

He noted that the forces had now surrounded the al-Ilam, al-Tamim and al-Noor neighborhoods, and were preparing to cut off the supply routes to the al-Quds and al-Karama neighborhoods

Dozens of ISIL terrorists were reportedly killed when an ammunition warehouse used by the terrorist group West of the Northern Iraqi city of Mosul went off on Thursday, media reported.

Dozens of Terrorists Dead as ISIL's Munitions Warehouse West of Mosul Explodes
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950911000568

Al Mayadeen TV channel said the ammunition warehouse in the Northwest of Tal Afar airport in Western Mosul was apparently used by the terrorist group to store mines, IEDs and other weapons.

There were no immediate reports on possible causes of the incident.

The report came as Iraqi forces say they are progressing steadily in the operations to liberate the ISIL-held city of Mosul from its terrorist occupants.

Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units liberated two more villages close to Mosul. Some 2,300 families, whom ISIL terrorists were using as human shields, were also freed during the offensives to free al-Buthah and al-Salehiyah villages.

After months of preparation, Iraqi army soldiers, backed by volunteer fighters and Kurdish Peshmerga forces, launched an operation on October 17 to retake Mosul from ISIL terrorists.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has vowed that Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city and ISIL's last urban stronghold in the country, will be fully recaptured by year-end.

 

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The ISIL terrorist group has forced thousands of residents of Mosul, who were fed up with being mistreated by the terrorist group, to pay up to $1,000 to leave the city, local officials said on Saturday.

ISIL Levying Cash Toll to Allow Mosul Residents to Leave City
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950913000816

"A sum of 9,000 Iraqi citizens in Mosul have paid between $500 to $1,000 to the ISIL terrorists in order to be allowed to leave the city," Public Relations Director of al-Houl Military Camp Birfan Hossein said, adding that the citizens have paid the money and left Mosul and sought "refuge in the town of al-Houl in the Eastern part of Syria's Hasaka province".

The official did not mention if the exodus to al-Houl has been a forced relocation or the citizens have moved to Eastern Syria at their own will.

Hossein noted that the Mosul citizens have now settled in al-Houl camp, and said, "More residents of Mosul are expected to leave Mosul and its surrounding areas as clashes between the government troops and the ISIL have heightened."

In early October, local sources in Nineveh province disclosed that the ISIL has collected all the cash available in Mosul on the pretext of changing them with the terrorist group's own currency.

"The ISIL has retrieved a lot of banknotes claiming that it intends to replace them with banknotes that have ISIL's seal on them," a local source said.

The source noted that the ISIL has issued an order according to which all cash money should be retrieved from Iraqi markets, and said, "This move by the ISIL has infuriated the people of Mosul."

Also in October, local sources in Nineveh disclosed that the ISIL has conducted house-to-house search in the city of Mosul for more than 10 hours to confiscate the television sets and cell phones to prevent the public from hearing the news of the recent advances by Iraq's joint military forces in the province.

"The ISIL is taking strange and confused decisions as the Iraqi army and volunteer forces (Hashd al-Shaabi) are making remarkable advances in Mosul city," an informed local source said.

The source, meantime, said that the ISIL has also ordered closure of the photography studios in Mosul city for the time being.

The Charles de Gaulle, France’s lone aircraft carrier, is set to return to France this December for scheduled maintenance, a move that could deal a blow to the US-led coalition against ISIL.

Anti-ISIL Coalition Loses Key French Aircraft Carrier to Maintenance
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950913000370

Refueling and maintaining the massive flattop cannot be delayed any longer, according to French officials, but France is intent on assisting the effort against ISIL in other ways, Sputnik reported.

"Daesh is enduring tremendous pressure," Rear Admiral Olivier Lebas said, adding, "it’s very important to maintain this high pressure to take advantage of this positive momentum in the theater."

Previously, French President Francois Hollande had postponed the maintenance, expected to last about a year. The Charles de Gaulle has deployed over 1,000 airstrikes over Iraq and Syria since the start of September 2015, Stars and Stripes reports, including at least 100 strikes since the battle over Mosul began.

Iraqi and Kurdish forces have continued their push into Mosul as Russian allies have advanced into Aleppo.

Meanwhile, Kurdish forces are also working to isolate Raqqa, Daesh’s capital, according to Stars and Stripes.

More than 100 Saudi-backed mercenaries fled their bases after sustaining heavy casualties in Yemen's Ta'iz and Ma'rib provinces and after delayed payments by Riyadh.

Saudi-Backed Mercenaries Leaving War in Yemen
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950913000659

Senior Yemeni commander Ali al-Houthi told FNA on Saturday that there have been "heavy clashes between the Yemeni forces and the Saudi mercenaries in the Eastern parts of Ma'rib", adding that the Saudi-backed mercenaries sustained heavy death toll during the battle.

"Tens of the Saudi-backed forces have been killed and wounded in Ta'iz and Ma'rib provinces," he said, and continued, "Also, over 100 Saudi coalition-backed mercenaries have fled their bases after their wages were delayed and cut."

In relevant remarks late last month, another Yemeni commander also disclosed that a large number of pro-Saudi mercenaries have fled the battlefield as the Saudi government has ceased its support for them.

"After the Saudi government stopped its financial support for the terrorists and militias loyal to the Saudi regime, a growing wave of the terrorists are leaving the Saudi-led Arab coalition military bases," Senior Ansarullah Commander Hossein Al-Houthi said.

 

[angelburst29]

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The UN mission in Iraq, UNAMI, will stop publicizing military casualty figures after the Joint Operations Command of the Iraqi military complained the UN’s figures for November were “much exaggerated.”

Would that have something to do with a possible "planned massive ground offensive" in the works where there's a real chance of "heavy casualties?
And is the planned offensive being staged to convince our newly elected President Trump, that he needs to keep an inflated Military budget in the Middle East, even though Trump is against what has happened in Iraq via the U.S. and the Pentagon?

US Assault Ships in Mediterranean Might Mean Soon Ground Operation
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201612041048150530-us-mediterranean-ground-operation/

"Travelling through the canal and into the Mediterranean Sea marked a significant milestone for the 4,000 Sailors and Marines of the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) as they enter the final stages of their six-month deployment," the statement reads.

The US might be nurturing plans to enforce its military presence in Iraq, he further suggested.

"Aleppo is being finally liberated by the Syrian army, which means that the militants the US bet on as a possible alternative to President Bashar Assad will soon be defeated. However for the US, their defeat in Aleppo would be catastrophic as they will lose the tip of the military spear and won't any longer be able exercise any real political influence on the ongoing processes in Syria," Sivkov explained.

The possibility of losing control over western Syria is even worse given the lack of any success in the operation to retake Mosul, he said. Thus the US might has decided to enforce it ground troops in Iraq.

The UN Will Cease to Publish Iraq Military Casualty Figures
http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-un-will-cease-to-publish-iraq-military-casualty-figures/5560308

“UNAMI acknowledges that the military figures were largely unverified,” reads a statement published by the UN’s Iraqi mission on Saturday.

On Thursday, UNAMI reported that 1,959 Iraqi Security Forces, including army, police, and Peshmerga, had been killed in the month of November.

In their statement on Saturday, UNAMI admitted that obtaining accurate figures was difficult given the active conflict and few reliable sources. They noted that their requests for numbers from official government sources had gone unanswered.

the Mission shall discontinue the publication of military casualty figures unless a sound methodology of verification can be found to better substantiate the figures being reported,” UNAMI stated.

Earlier on Saturday morning, the War Media Cell of the Joint Operations Command had published a statement saying the UN’s information was inaccurate. They added that such a false report “comes in the favor of Daesh [ISIS] who is working on exaggerations intended to influence the course of Ninawa operations.”

On Thursday, the Kurdistan Regional Government released figures of the number of Peshmerga killed in the two and a half years of war against ISIS. From mid-2014 through to November 21, 2016, they stated, 1,604 Peshmerga have been killed, 9,461 have been wounded, and 62 are missing.

In order to nip Daesh's resurgence efforts in the bud (if the terrorist group will finally be crushed), the US-led coalition should continue its military engagement and stay in Iraq in particular, the Pentagon chief said.

US Coalition Needs to Stay in Iraq After Defeat of Daesh - Pentagon Chief
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201612041048143520-us-troops-iraq-daesh-carter/

US and allied forces should stay in Iraq after Daesh terrorists are defeated, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said at the Reagan National Defense Forum in California.

"To make sure that once defeated ISIL [Daesh] stays defeated we need to continue to counter foreign fighters trying to escape and ISIL’s attempts to relocate or reinvent itself. To do so, not only the US but the coalition must endure and remain militarily engaged," Carter said Saturday.

"In Iraq in particular, it will be necessary for the coalition to provide sustained assistance and carry on our work to train, equip and support local police, border guards and other forces to hold areas cleared of ISIL," he continued.

Carter said the US-led international coalition’s campaign had delivered "significant results" on the ground since last year and the militants were on a path to lasting defeat.

In the Daesh stronghold of Mosul in northern Iraq, local security forces have isolated the city with the help of the coalition’s airstrikes, he said, and are taking back eastern districts on their way westward.

The Republican hopeful admitted that Washington had supported those people who had "turned out to be far worse" than toppled Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

'Look What We Did in Iraq': Trump Blasts US for Destabilizing Middle East
https://sputniknews.com/us/201512301032519380-trump-us-daesh-middle-east/

The United States has “totally destabilized” the Middle East, Donald Trump said during a campaign rally speech in South Carolina on Wednesday.

We backed people that turned out to be far worse than [Libyan leader Muammar] Gaddafi. Look what we did in Iraq,” Trump continued.

He underscored his dislike of questions about a potential strategy against Daesh, because answering them would inform the terror group of future plans and would render the United States “unpredictable.”

“I do not want to tell ISIS [Daesh] what I’m going to do to knock the hell out of them,” Trump stated.

He added that the US had a lot of real problems including relations with China and Russia and criticized President Barack Obama for "always talking about global warming" instead of tackling those issues.

According to a recent CNN/ORC poll, a majority of US voters say they support presidential candidates Trump and US Senator Ted Cruz for the Republican presidential nomination.

Voters have voiced their belief that Trump and Cruz are the best candidates to handle the US economy, immigration as well as Daesh (Islamic State). The terror group is outlawed in many countries around the world, including in Russia.

Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump criticized US President Barack Obama for watching the new Star Wars movie instead of fighting Islamic extremism.

Trump Accuses Obama of Watching Movies Instead of Battling Terrorism
https://sputniknews.com/us/201512301032492613-donald-trump-barack-obama-star-wars/

Before going for his vacation in Hawaii, President Obama joked that the "most important" thing happening at the White House was him watching the new Star Wars movie.

Trump was quick to notice that and he quickly attacked the President: "We're in a serious war [and] our president is busy with another war," a new video ad said on Trump's Instagram account.

"We need a real president. Time for a leader with real priorities," Trump's ad said.

 

[angelburst29]

Iraqi Federal Police Commander General Shaker Judat disclosed that his forces have discovered and seized the media center of the ISIL terrorist group in the city of Mosul in Nineveh province.

Commander: Iraqi Federal Police Captures ISIL's Media Center in Mosul City
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950915000631

"The ISIL's media center was captured in al-Mashraq square in the Southern part of Hamam al-Alil in Southern Mosul by the Iraqi Federal Police," the Arabic-language al-Manar satellite TV quoted Judat as saying.

Judat went on to say that his forces also seized the ISIL's visual equipment, including cameras and videos, as well as important documents in the media center.

On Sunday, Iraq's joint military forces recaptured a number of more villages near Mosul in Nineveh province.

ISIL terrorists arrested 35 former intelligence officers of the Iraqi army to the West of the city of Hawija, and took them to the undisclosed direction.

ISIL Captures 35 Former Iraqi Intelligence Officers in Kirkuk Province
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950915000698

ISIL militants captured 35 former members of Iraqi military intelligence service near the city of Hawija in the Kirkuk province of Iraq, media reported on Monday, Sputnik reported.

"ISIL militants arrested this night 35 former intelligence officers of the Iraqi army… to the West of the city of Hawija, and took them to the undisclosed direction," a law enforcement source was quoted as saying by Al Mada Press.

The officers were detained for "cooperation with the Iraqi security forces," which continue offensive toward Al-Zab area near Hawija.

Kirkuk lies some 108 miles away from Mosul, considered to be the terror group’s main stronghold in Iraq. The Iraqi government launched on October 17 an operation to retake Mosul from the ISIL.

The Yemeni army and popular forces continued their advances in the Southern provinces of Saudi Arabia, and took control of a military base in Najran province.

Yemeni Forces Continue Advances, Capture Military Base in Southern Saudi Arabia
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950915000818

"The Yemeni forces captured a military base with all its military equipment near the city of Najran," Senior Ansarullah Commander Ali al-Hamzani told FNA on Monday.

He said that the Yemeni army and popular forces have intensified their military operations deep inside Saudi Arabia as they are sustaining further losses and casualties.

Al-Hamzani said that the Saudi troops backed by African mercenaries intend to prevent the Yemeni forces' advances in the Southern parts of Najran province, adding that the Yemeni army's snipers shot dead a Saudi military man in al-Tabeh al-Hamra, while Saudi Arabia's Jabal al-Doud also came under Yemeni missile attack.

The commander went on to say that the Yemeni army's artillery hit hard Saudi Arabia's Malhama military site and wounded several military men there.

The Yemeni army and popular forces' artillery units targeted Saudi Arabia's military position in Jizan province in the Southern part of the kingdom, inflicting heavy losses on their armored vehicles, media reports said.

Saudi Military Base Sustains Heavy Losses in Yemeni Artillery Attack in Jizan
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950915000487

Saudi Arabia's al-Sharqan military base in Jizan province came under the Yemeni army's artillery attacks," the Arabic-language al-Mayadeen television quoted Yemeni military sources as saying on Monday.

The sources said that at least seven armored military vehicles in al-Sharqan military base were destroyed in the Yemeni artillery shelling.

On Sunday, the Yemeni army and popular forces attacked a Saudi military convoy in al-Jawf province, killing a number of officers and soldiers, while they also destroyed several arms and ammunition depots of the Saudi army in a different battlefield in the Kingdom's Southern provinces.

The Saudi military convoy in Sabrin region of al-Jawf province came under the Yemeni forces' attack, killing at least 7 Saudi military men, including officers.

In Jizan province, the Yemeni forces also killed three Saudi soldiers.

The Yemeni forces also destroyed the arms depot of the Saudi army in al-Zobreh military base in Jizan province.

Local security sources disclosed that unidentified men killed a senior ISIL commander in a knife attack in the center of the city of Mosul.

Unknown Assailants Kill ISIL's Afghan Commander in Mosul
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950914001423

"An Afghan commander of the terrorist group has been stabbed dead by an unknown assailant as he was leaving an ISIL military base in al-Nasr region in Mosul city center," the Arabic-language media quoted an unnamed security source as saying on Sunday.

The source, meantime, said that the number of ISIL terrorists is decreasing as the Iraqi forces are heading towards Mosul city center.

In a relevant development in late November, local security sources disclosed that a senior Moroccan ISIL commander was gunned down by unknown assailants West of the city of Mosul.

"Unknown armed men killed ISIL's commander while he was driving in his car in the town of Ba'aj West of Mosul city," the Arabic-language media outlets quoted an unnamed security source as saying.

The source noted that the slain ISIL commander had Moroccan nationality and was responsible for the execution of a large number of Izadi women and females in Mosul.

In a relevant development in mid-September, informed sources announced that the official spokesman of the ISIL terrorist group in Mosul in Northern Nineveh was shot dead by unknown attackers.

"ISIL's Spokesman in Mosul Abu Isaac was driving his car in Central Mosul when a group of three gunmen ambushed him and opened fire on his car, killing Abu Isaac and two of his bodyguards," the sources said.

"Abu Isaac was transferred to the al-Adli hospital in Central Mosul, but he was already dead," they further added.

 

[angelburst29]

The Iraqi volunteer forces (Hashd al-Shaabi) captured the key region of Tal Abta near the city of Mosul, media reports said on Tuesday.

Report: Iraqi Forces Win Back Strategic Tal Abta region
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950916001443

Tal Abta region is now under the full control of Hashd al-Shaabi, the Arabic-language al-Mayadeen satellite television reported.

The Iraqi volunteer forces laid siege on the ISIL terrorists in Tal Abta on Sunday.

"Tal Abta region is now under Hashd al-Shaabi's full siege from four different directions, while they also took back several more villages in the surrounding areas," Hashd al-Shaabi Commander Mohammad al-Basri said.

He reiterated that recapturing Tal Abta which is regarded as one of the most important command centers of the ISIL near the Western flank of Mosul will pave the way for the Iraqi forces' further advances towards the centers of Tal Afar and Mosul cities.

The commander said that Tal Abta's capture can greatly help maintain security of a network of routes and supply lines in Nineveh province because it is linked to Tal Afar in the North and Al-Ba'aj in the West while it is also situated near the strategic Nineveh road.

Iraqi army troops continued their advances in Nineveh province, and managed to take control of an ISIL-controlled hospital in the Western flank of Mosul.

Iraqi Army Takes Control of Key Hospital in Western Mosul
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950916001174

"The Iraqi army's 9th Armored Brigade troops entered al-Salam hospital in Western Mosul and purged the hospital of terrorists," the Arabic-language al-Forat news quoted Commander of Nineveh Liberation Operation General Abdel Amir Yarallah as saying on Tuesday.

On Monday, Commander of Iraq's Counterterrorism Forces Wahab al-Saedi disclosed that ISIL's so-called oil minister has been killed in Nineveh province.

"Abu Izzam, ISIL's oil minister, was killed by Iraqi security forces during the operations in areas and villages East of the city of Mosul," al-Saedi said.

Earlier on Monday, Iraqi Federal Police Commander General Shaker Judat disclosed that his forces have discovered and seized the media center of the ISIL terrorist group in the city of Mosul in Nineveh province.

Mosul Governor Hossein Hajem announced that the Iraqi police department has dispatched fresh forces to take part in the Mosul liberation operation

Iraqi Police Sends Police Reinforcements to Fight ISIL in Mosul
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950916001374

"The reinforcement forces have moved from the Iraqi Federal Police Center in al-Qayyara towards the city of Mosul to take part in the ongoing military operations," Hajem said.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Iraqi army announced the liberation of six villages South of the ISIL-held city of Mosul and further advances inside the battleground city.

The army's 6th Brigade, the 17th Division, said the troops of the division have liberated the villages over the past three days, adding they will continue operations to liberate the remaining villages before heading to Hawija.

Iraqi warplanes airdropped leaflets on Tuesday over the terrorist-held areas in the cities of Mosul, Hawija and Qaem in Nineveh province, urging militants to give up the fight and surrender themselves to the authorities.

Iraqi Warplanes Drop Surrender-Now Leaflets for ISIL Terrorists over Mosul, Hawija
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950916000936

The ISIL terrorists are warned in the leaflets that they are spending their last days in Nineveh province.

The report came as Iraqi forces say they are progressing steadily in the operations to liberate the ISIL-held city of Mosul from its terrorist occupants.

After months of preparation, Iraqi army soldiers, backed by volunteer fighters and Kurdish Peshmerga forces, launched an operation on October 17 to retake Mosul from ISIL terrorists.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has vowed that Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city and ISIL's last urban stronghold in the country, will be fully recaptured by year-end.

Six Pakistani sailors have been reported killed after their boat was hit in a Saudi airstrike on Sunday, in the Yemeni province of Ta’izz off the Mukha coast on the Gulf of Aden.

Six Pakistani Sailors Killed, Six Unaccounted For After Saudi Airstrike in Yemen
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201612071048252042-saudi-airstrike-kills-pakistani-sailors/

The Yemeni news agency Saba is reporting that the boat, carrying 12 Pakistani sailors, was struck by Saudi jets, and that 6 sailors remain missing. This occurs as Jordan’s military campaign against Yemen continues. Riyadh began its move against Sana'a in 2015, as part of "Operation Decisive Storm" when former Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi ordered an attack against allied forces and Houthi Ansarullah fighters.

During a bombing in the Sa’ada province a young girl was killed, while her father and two of her brothers were injured, in a campaign targeting a residential building in the Razih district. Another bombing in the Baqim district, also in Sa’ada, killed a mother and injured her two children.

 

[angelburst29]

U.S. First Shields Its Torturers and War Criminals From Prosecution, Now Officially Honors Them
https://theintercept.com/2015/12/04/u-s-first-shields-its-torturers-and-war-criminals-from-prosecution-now-officially-honors-them/

As vice president, Dick Cheney was a prime architect of the worldwide torture regime implemented by the U.S. government (which extended far beyond waterboarding), as well as the invasion and destruction of Iraq, which caused the deaths of at least 500,000 people and more likely over a million. As such, he is one of the planet’s most notorious war criminals.

President Obama made the decision in early 2009 to block the Justice Department from criminally investigating and prosecuting Cheney and his fellow torturers, as well as to protect them from foreign investigations and even civil liability sought by torture victims. Obama did that notwithstanding a campaign decree that even top Bush officials are subject to the rule of law and, more importantly, notwithstanding a treaty signed in 1984 by Ronald Reagan requiring that all signatory states criminally prosecute their own torturers. Obama’s immunizing Bush-era torturers converted torture from a global taboo and decades-old crime into a reasonable, debatable policy question, which is why so many GOP candidates are now openly suggesting its use.

But now, the Obama administration has moved from legally protecting Bush-era war criminals to honoring and gushing over them in public. Yesterday, the House of Representatives unveiled a marble bust of former Vice President Cheney, which — until a person of conscience vandalizes or destroys it — will reside in Emancipation Hall of the U.S. Capitol.

At the unveiling ceremony, Cheney was, in the playful words of NPR, “lightly roasted” — as though he’s some sort of grumpy though beloved avuncular stand-up comic. Along with George W. Bush, one of the speakers in attendance was Vice President Joe Biden, who spoke movingly of Cheney’s kind and generous soul:

As I look around this room and up on the platform, I want to say thank you for letting me crash your family reunion. I’m afraid I’ve blown his cover. I actually like Dick Cheney. … I can say without fear of contradiction, there’s never one single time been a harsh word, not one single time in our entire relationship.

Leading American news outlets got in on the fun, as they always do, using the joviality of the event to promote their news accounts and generate visits to their sites:

As NPR put it, “This was not an event for Cheney critics — on the war or torture or related topics.” Totally: why let some unpleasant war criminality ruin a perfectly uplifting ceremony?

It is a long-standing trope among self-flattering Westerners and their allies that a key difference between “us” and “them” (Muslim radicals) is that “they” honor and memorialize their terrorists and celebrate them as “martyrs” while we scorn and prosecute our own.

Yesterday, the U.S. government unambiguously signaled to the world that not only does it regard itself as entirely exempt from the laws of wars, the principal Nuremberg prohibition against aggressive invasions, and global prohibitions on torture (something that has been self-evident for many years), but believes that the official perpetrators should be honored and memorialized provided they engage in these crimes on behalf of the U.S. government. That’s a message that most of the U.S. media and thus large parts of the American population will not hear, but much of the world will hear it quite loudly and clearly. How could they not?

In other news, U.S. officials this week conceded that a man kept in a cage for 13 years at Guantánamo, the now 37-year-old Mustafa al-Aziz al-Shamiri, was there due to “mistaken identity.” As Joe Biden said yesterday, “I actually like Dick Cheney.”

Shawqi Awad Balzuhair, a Yemeni national, has been transferred from the Guantanamo Bay detention center to the West African country of Cape Verde, having spent 14 years and two months in confinement, the US Department of Defense said Sunday.

US Transfers Yemeni Prisoner of Guantanamo to Cape Verde – Defense Department
https://sputniknews.com/us/201612041048156320-guantanamo-prisoner-transfer/

04.12.2016 - In July, Guantanamo Bay Periodic Review Boards (PRBs) cleared Balzuhair, along with two other detainees, for release.

"As a result of that review, which examined a number of factors, including security issues, Balzuhair was recommended for transfer by consensus of the six departments and agencies comprising the Periodic Review Board. The Periodic Review Board process was established by the president's March 7, 2011 Executive Order 13567," the Pentagon said in a statement. After his release, a total of 59 prisoners will remain at the US base in Cuba. Balzuhair has been held at the detention facility since October 2002 after his capture along with five other suspected al-Qaeda militants in Pakistan a month before.

Several airstrikes on a Daesh-controlled village near the border of Iraq and Syria have resulted in dozens of deaths, including that of women and children, two parliamentarians and nearby hospitals have confirmed.

Dozens of Civilians Killed in Airstrike on Iraq-Syria Border
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201612071048294323-civilians-killed-airstrike-border-daesh/

The strikes were directed at a Daesh-held village along the Iraqi-Syrian border in the Anbar province of Iraq. While eight militants were among the casualties delivered to the morgue in the Qa’im hospital, according to the hospital’s medics, the bombings also saw 55 civilians killed, including 12 women and 19 children.

An Anbar legislator corroborated the figure, citing that 55 civilians had been killed in the airstrikes. Another lawmaker told Reuters that 60 people had been killed.

Daesh’s news media arm, Amaq, released footage of the airstrike aftermath, and said that the Iraqi air force was responsible for the incident, according to Reuters. The footage also reportedly shows charred corpses lining the village streets, as well as burning vehicles and decimated buildings. Other reports indicate that it is too early to say which party is responsible.

Qa’im is some 270 miles (434km) southwest of Mosul, which a US-led coalition is currently campaigning to seize from Daesh control.

 

[angelburst29]

Bagram Blast: Explosion Hits US Airbase in Afghanistan, Taliban Claims Responsibility
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950822000557

At least 14 others were wounded in the blast, local district governor Haji Shookor told the BBC.

The Taliban said one of their suicide bombers had carried out the attack, which reportedly hit a dining area.

The base, near Kabul, has come under frequent attack, as the Taliban step up operations before the onset of winter.

The attack is a serious security breach of one of the best fortified military compounds in Afghanistan.

Bagram was hit while people gathered to celebrate Veteran's Day.

General John W Nicholson, US Army commander in Afghanistan, said in a statement:

''[To] the family and friends of those wounded in today's attack, let me assure you they are receiving the best care possible, and we will keep them in our thoughts today."

He said the incident was being investigated but did not disclose the nationalities of the casualties.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the blast had inflicted "heavy casualties on US invaders".

US Army Sgt. 1st Class Allan Brown died this week at a hospital in his home state of Maryland from injuries suffered in a suicide-bomb attack on an airbase in Afghanistan, the Department of Defense announced.

US Soldier Dies From Injuries in November Airbase Attack in Afghanistan
https://sputniknews.com/us/201612081048299209-us-soldier-dies/

Brown, 46, was caught up in an terrorist attack in Bagram, Afghanistan, that occurred on November 12.

Killed in last month’s attack were soldiers John Perry, 30, of California, and Tyler Iubelt, 20, of Illinois, along with two civilian contractors. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the bombing, calling it revenge for US airstrikes. In July, Obama announced that the United States would keep 8,400 US military personnel in Afghanistan until the end of his administration, despite previous plans to reduce the force level to 5,500.

Elite US special-operations forces such as the Navy SEALs are being pushed to their operating limit, congressman Ryan Zinke told Sputnik.

Elite US Special Forces Exhausted by 'Unclear, Restrictive Rules of Engagement'
https://sputniknews.com/us/201612081048300243-us-special-forces-overused/

Zinke, a former SEAL who currently is the sole member of the US House of Representatives from the state of Montana, said that US Special Operations Command, including the Navy SEALS, are "under strain and frustrated, with unclear and restrictive rules of engagement."

“SEALs are definitely being overused," the Republican congressman added. “They are deployed 260 days of the year and performing missions that conventional forces can handle.”

There is sentiment among many special-ops personnel that a growing number of missions involving tasks, such as humanitarian-aid delivery and embassy support, should be carried out by conventional military forces. In the US Air Force, special forces are increasingly used for combat search-and-rescue missions that previously fell within the purview of conventional forces.

To be effective, SEAL (Sea, Air and Land) and Army Delta Force teams must be quick and agile in entering and exiting combat missions. That, in turn, requires constant training – but that is interrupted when civilian and military commanders demand to use special forces in conventional roles. The Special Operations Command supervises more than 70,000 personnel from across the US military – Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force. Service members are present in 105 countries overtly providing training and assistance or covertly targeting, capturing or killing adversaries.

The US-led coalition against Daesh carried out a requested strike by Iraqi forces on a hospital building in Mosul that was used by the terrorist group, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a report.

US Coalition Strikes Hospital Building in Mosul - Central Command
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201612081048296869-us-coalition-hit-hospital-mosul/

CENTCOM explained that on December 6, Iraqi Security Forces attempted to seize Daesh-used Al Salem hospital complex in Mosul that served as a base of operations and command and control headquarters for the terrorists.

"On Dec. 7th, after Iraqi forces continued to receive heavy and sustained machine gun and rocket propelled grenade fire from ISIL [Islamic State] fighters in a building on the hospital complex, they requested immediate support from the Coalition," the release said on Wednesday. In support of the Iraqi Security Forces, Coalition aircraft conducted a precision strike on the location to target enemy fighters firing on Iraqi forces."

The operation to liberate Mosul, which was occupied by Daesh in June 2014, has been ongoing since mid-October.

The offensive is led by Iraqi soldiers and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and is backed by the US-led coalition.

US Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter Daesh Brett McGurk commended the collaboration between Kurdish Peshmerga and Iraqi forces in the campaign to retake Mosul, the US Department of State said in a release on Wednesday after McGurk met with Iraqi Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani.

US Envoy Praises Peshmerga-Iraqi Army Teamwork in Battle for Mosul
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201612081048296098-peshmerga-iraqi-forces-cooperation/

The US special envoy traveled to the eastern axis of the Mosul offensive, where he met with members of the Kurdish Peshmerga and Iraqi Army to review progress in the operation, according to the release.

"He [McGurk] praised the performance and sacrifices of the Kurdish Peshmerga, and welcomed the unprecedented cooperation between Peshmerga and Iraqi Security Forces in the ongoing Mosul operation," the release stated.

McGurk also encouraged all Kurdish political parties to settle their differences and maintain the necessary unity that is "essential for a strong and flourishing Iraqi Kurdistan Region."

During the eighth day of his visit to Iraq, McGurk met with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and other senior government officials. The Kurdish Peshmerga forces are participating in the operation to retake Iraq's second largest city of Mosul from Daesh in an operation led by the Iraqi armed forces.

Fierce clashes erupted in Mosul’s al-Salam neighborhood, as Iraqi forces make gains against ISIL terrorists deep inside the Northern city and advance closer to the Tigris River, which divides the city into Eastern and Western sides.

Heavy Clashes in Mosul District as Iraqi Troops Advance against ISIL
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950917001572

The Iraqi army's 9th Armored Division announced the recapture of al-Salam Hospital in Eastern Mosul on Tuesday, however, fighting continued on Wednesday in the al-Salam neighborhood, where the five-storey medical institution is situated, presstv reported.

The ISIL elements were said to have been using the hospital’s upper floors and roof as sniper positions for some time.

"We advanced in al-Salam district but the situation is difficult, there is heavy fighting," said Iraqi Brigadier General Shaker Kadhem, adding, "We took control of al-Salam Hospital, which was a command Center for ISIL."

He further noted that the latest push in Mosul was aimed at meeting up with the elite Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) forces on the banks of the Tigris in Mosul’s Southeast.

A senior unidentified CTS officer also said the fighting in al-Salam district was fierce and the Iraqi army had called for backup.

 

[seek10]

IRAQI SPECIAL FORCES SUFFER HEAVY DEFEAT IN SOUTHEASTERN MOSUL – PHOTO REPORT

Over the past few days, the Iraqi Army took control of several districts in the east and north of Mosul. After a series of airstrikes of the US-led coalition, the Iraqi Special Forces managed to capture the large neighborhood of Intisar, located in the south-eastern outskirts of the city. A highway, leading from Mosul to Kirkuk, allows to reach the city center from the place, and Iraqi military decided to use this chance.

On December 5, the Special Forces of anti-terrorist units and the so-called Golden Division began to move along the road, leading from Mosul to Kirkuk, through the neighborhoods of Mithaq and Wahda in the direction of the city center. On December 6, Iraqi troops made a breakthrough and dislodged terrorists of the Islamic State (IS) group from the Mashfa al-Salam hospital; however, militants did not allow Iraqi soldiers to consolidate their positions there.
...
As a result of the attacks of the IS suicide bombers and ‘friendly airstrikes’ of the coalition’s air power, the Iraqi Army suffered heavy losses, which were called ‘catastrophic’ by local accounts in social networks. According to various sources, from 90 to 200 Iraqi servicemen were killed, while more than 100 others were wounded. Several soldiers, who survived after the airstrikes on the hospital, were captured by terrorists. Up to 10 pieces of military hardware, mainly infantry combat vehicles and the Humvee vehicles, were destroyed by explosions. In fact, an assault team of the Iraqi Army, which broke through to the Mashfa al-Salam hospital, was liquidated during

and then
REUTERS ACCUSES IRAN OF FAILED FIRST STAGE OF TAKING OF MOSUL

I wonder whether this is a deliberate bombing. May be, US changed its mind and no longer wants Mosul to be liberated.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

US to deploy 1,700 troops to Iraq to fight ISIS

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/us-to-deploy-1700-troops-to-iraq-to-fight-isis/

The US Army announced on Wednesday that it will deploy 1,700 soldiers in early 2017 to assist the Iraqi forces in their right against ISIS in Mosul.

The soldiers will be from the soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division, based at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.

The U.S. Central Command area of responsibility to take part in Operation Inherent Resolve, according to an Army press release.

“The 2nd Brigade Combat Team is highly trained, disciplined and fit,” said Col. Patrick Work, commander of 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne.

“Readiness is our top priority; our paratroopers are prepared for this deployment in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. Our team looks forward to this important mission and our opportunity to assist our Iraqi partners,” Work added.

 

[angelburst29]

US to deploy 1,700 troops to Iraq to fight ISIS

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/us-to-deploy-1700-troops-to-iraq-to-fight-isis/

The US Army announced on Wednesday that it will deploy 1,700 soldiers in early 2017 to assist the Iraqi forces in their right against ISIS in Mosul.

The soldiers will be from the soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division, based at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.

The U.S. Central Command area of responsibility to take part in Operation Inherent Resolve, according to an Army press release.

“The 2nd Brigade Combat Team is highly trained, disciplined and fit,” said Col. Patrick Work, commander of 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne.

“Readiness is our top priority; our paratroopers are prepared for this deployment in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. Our team looks forward to this important mission and our opportunity to assist our Iraqi partners,” Work added.

I am cross-posting this from the Putin-Syrian thread. It might be beneficial to keep track of these large deployments? 1700 Paratroopers is a large deployment to be sending to Iraq? Add 4,400 Infantry soldiers heading to Germany, then Poland, which will be spread across eastern Europe from the Baltic to the Black Sea - also starting in January. There is the feeling, these two deployments are part of something much bigger - in the works?

* The 1700 Paratroopers are part of Operation Inherent Resolve.
* The 4400 Infantry Soldiers are part of Operation Atlantic Resolve.

Fort Carson prepares for biggest deployment to Europe since Cold War
http://kdvr.com/2016/11/30/fort-carson-prepares-for-biggest-deployment-to-europe-since-cold-war/

November 30, 2016 - Approximately 4,400 soldiers are headed to eastern Europe for a nine-month deployment, the Colorado Springs Gazette reports.

They’ll bring along more than 2,800 vehicles, including 72-ton tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles, containers, trailers and a few thousand firearms.

The 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, began loading the first trains that will send a heavy brigade’s worth of equipment overseas in support of Atlantic Resolve, Army officials said on Facebook last week.

“The Army is now working to shore up North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies against rising Russian aggression,” the Gazette reported. “The centerpiece of that effort will be the 3rd Brigade, which will be spread across eastern Europe from the Baltic to the Black Sea starting in January.”

The rail operations at Fort Carson will continue over the next month, Staff Sgt. Ange Desinor wrote in the Mountaineer.

Rosales said the plan is to move all the equipment to Poland within a couple of weeks of its arrival to Germany.

“The full set of equipment will arrive in Bremerhaven, Germany, and then move by rail, commercial line haul and military convoy to Poland, where 3rd ABCT will consolidate before dispersing units to Germany and across six other countries from Estonia to Bulgaria,” Desinor wrote.