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An Iraqi court on Sunday sentenced three French citizens to death after they were found guilty of joining the Islamic State group, the first IS members from France to be handed capital punishment, a court official said. Captured in Syria by a US-backed force fighting the jihadists, Kevin Gonot, Leonard Lopez and Salim Machou were transferred to Iraq for trial. They have 30 days to appeal. Iraq has taken custody of thousands of jihadists repatriated […]
by Tony Gamal-Gabriel with W.G. Dunlop in Baghdad Agence France-Presse MOSUL, Iraq – Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory over “brutality and terrorism” in Mosul on Monday, announcing his forces had ended the Islamic State group’s rule over the country’s second city. Standing with members of the security forces, Abadi hailed the retaking of Mosul — where Islamic State dealt Iraqi troops a devastating defeat three years ago — as a key moment in […]
by Delil Souleiman Agence France-Presse RAQA, Syria (AFP) – Khalil al-Hussein fled the Islamic State group’s Syrian stronghold Raqa 18 months ago, but now he is back and fighting to help oust the jihadists from his hometown. The 25-year-old is one of several members of a Kurdish-Arab alliance fighting IS who are originally from the northern city. The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces began an operation to capture Raqa last year, and finally entered the city […]
by Ali Noorani and Eric Randolph Agence France-Presse TEHRAN, Iran – Gunmen and suicide bombers stormed Iran’s parliament and the shrine of its revolutionary leader on Wednesday, killing 12 people in the first attacks in the country claimed by the Islamic State group. Dozens were injured in the attacks, which targeted two of Iran’s most potent symbols: its parliament complex in central Tehran and the mausoleum of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini who led the 1979 […]
by Ian Timberlake with David Harding in Doha Agence France-Presse RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Saudi Arabia and several of its allies on Monday cut relations with Qatar, accusing it of supporting extremism, in the biggest diplomatic crisis to have hit the region in years. Bahrain, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen and the Maldives also severed ties with gas-rich Qatar, which Riyadh accused of supporting groups, including some backed by Iran, “that aim to destabilize […]
by Maya Gebeily Agence France-Presse BEIRUT, Lebanon -A jihadist assault led by suicide bombers killed dozens Tuesday at a camp for the displaced near Syria’s border with Iraq, as pressure grows on the Islamic State group in both countries. The violence left at least 38 people dead and came as another surprise IS attack on Tuesday killed 10 soldiers in Iraq, to the south along the border. The jihadist group appears to be lashing out […]
by Mona Salem Agence France-Presse ALEXANDRIA, Egypt – Hundreds gathered Monday to mourn 45 Egyptians killed in jihadist bombings, after Cairo declared a state of emergency following the attacks on two Coptic churches. The Islamic State group said it was behind the twin bombings that targeted services at churches in the cities of Tanta and Alexandria, and threatened further attacks. Sunday’s first bombing at the Mar Girgis church in Tanta city north of Cairo killed […]
by Dave Clark Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States – The US-led coalition against the Islamic State group vowed to crush the jihadists Wednesday at a meeting overshadowed by an attack in London and civilian deaths in Syria. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson welcomed his counterparts from the mainly Western and Arab 68-nation alliance to Washington with a promise to hunt down IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. But he also warned the coalition is “not in […]
by Tony Gamal-Gabriel Agence France-Presse MOUSL, Iraq – Iraqi forces said Monday that they have taken more territory from jihadists and were searching for militants and bombs on the edge of the Old City as they press an offensive in west Mosul. They are also striking IS with armed drones as part of a renewed push launched on March 5 that has forced the jihadists out of several neighbourhoods and key sites, including the famed Mosul […]
by Usman SHARIFI Agence France-Presse KABUL, Afghanistan -The Islamic State group claimed a spectacular assault on Afghanistan’s largest military hospital that bore the hallmarks of the Taliban, prompting officials to voice misgivings as IS’s nascent presence in the country dwindles. IS claimed via its propaganda agency Amaq that its fighters dressed as doctors stormed the Sardar Daud Khan hospital in Kabul on Wednesday, reportedly killing around 50 people — hours after the Taliban denied responsibility. […]
by Tony Gamal-Gabriel with Delil Souleiman in Manbij Agence France-Presse MOSUL, Iraq – Iraqi forces worked to clear bombs and flush out any remaining jihadists in retaken areas of west Mosul Wednesday to set the stage for an offensive against the Old City. Supported by US-led air strikes, the forces have made steady progress in their battle to seize Iraq’s second city from the Islamic State group, announcing the recapture of three more areas on […]
by Sara Hussein Agence France-Presse TALUL AL-ATSHANA, Iraq – Much of the fighting for west Mosul will be at close quarters, but Iraq’s battle against the Islamic State group is also being waged in the open desert. On a dusty ridge west of Iraq’s second city, the army’s 9th Division is advancing through exposed territory in a push to sever the road between west Mosul and the IS-held town of Tal Afar. The main route from […]
