Video posted online on Saturday (November 19) by the Islamic State-affiliated Amaq News Agency appears to show clashes between IS fighters and Iraqi forces near Mosul in Iraq. The first clip purports to show Islamic State fighters firing heavy machineguns at unspecified targets on the outskirts of Aden, east of Mosul. The footage also appears […]
Continue ReadingThis video posted on social media purports to show rebel fighters in the village of Dabiq, Syria. Rebels — as well as Turkey, which backs them — said they fully captured the village from Islamic State on Sunday. Their victory forced the jihadists from their symbolic stronghold where they had promised to fight a final, […]
Continue ReadingIraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Monday announced the start of an offensive to retake Mosul, the capital of Islamic State’s so-called caliphate in Iraq. “I announce today the start of the heroic operations to free you from the terror and the oppression of Daesh,” he said in a speech on state TV, using an […]
Continue ReadingAs Iraqi forces prepare to attack Islamic State in its de facto capital of Mosul, residents inside the city and others who have managed to escape expressed relief at the prospect their home could be liberated from the extremist group’s harsh rule. But they also warned that if the assault is successful, the city’s Sunni-majority […]
Continue ReadingIraq’s military said on Sunday it was preparing to launch an offensive to retake the Islamic State stronghold of Falluja and told residents to get ready to leave before fighting started. Families who could not flee should raise white flags to mark their location in the city 50 km (30 miles) west of Baghdad, the […]
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