Middle Orient News

US Defence Secretary visits Jordan

US Defence Secretary James Mattis arrived Monday in the Jordanian capital Amman, state-run news agency Petra reported, part of a tour that also includes stops in Turkey and Ukraine. Mattis met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II, where they discussed Syrian safe zones, the refugee crisis the war has produced, and …

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US forces shell Daesh positions in Iraq’s Tal Afar

U.S. forces are taking part in an ongoing military operation to dislodge the Daesh terrorist group from Iraq’s northwestern Tal Afar district, according to an Iraqi military source. “U.S. forces stationed at the Kahrez base are pounding Daesh positions inside the city,” Army Captain Ihab al-Yasseri said on Monday.

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Iraqi troops retake 5 villages in Tal Afar

Iraqi troops have retaken five villages in Tal Afar town, located northwest of Iraq, from Islamic State, Tal Afar Operations Command announced on Monday. In a statement by the Joint Operations Command and the War Media Cell, Lt.Gen. Abdul Amir Yarallah said the army’s elite Counter-Terrorism Service managed to free …

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US Defense Secretary to visit Turkey, Jordan, Ukraine

US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Saturday will begin a five-day trip to Jordan, Turkey and the Ukraine, Pentagon officials announced Friday. The trip is intended “to reaffirm the enduring US commitment to strategic partnerships,” the officials said. Mattis will begin his engagements Monday in Jordan by meeting with King …

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Iraq: Popular Mobilization to field 20.000 fighters for Tal Afar battle

Iraq: The pro-government Popular Mobilization Forces will field 20.000 fighters for the anticipated offensive to retake the town of Tal Afar, Islamic State’s last bastion i Nineveh province, a spokesperson said. PMF spokesman Ahmed al-Assadi said Friday that 20.000 fighters will take part in the imminent battle, saying that the …

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Iraq cities can take up to 25 years of work to clear explosives

The wires protruding from the small, misshapen stuffed animal revealed the deadly booby-trap tucked inside. For the people of Mosul, the sophisticated bomb was a reminder of how difficult it will be to return to homes littered with hidden explosives by Daesh militants and dotted with the remnants of undetonated …

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US-led coalition raids kill 17 Daesh terrorists in Tal Afar

U.S.-led coalition warplanes and Iraqi forces pounded Daesh positions in the northwestern city of Tal Afar on Tuesday, killing at least 17 terrorists, according to an Iraqi military officer. Lieutenant Colonel Shams al-Din al-Anbari said the attacks targeted Daesh arms depots and training sites in the city.

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