by Sara Hussein Agence France Presse SOUTH OF MOSUL, Iraq (AFP) — Hundreds of civilians fled through the desert Tuesday to escape fighting and privation in Mosul, joining thousands of others who left their homes amid dire conditions in the city’s west. Iraqi forces launched a major push on February 19 to recapture the west of Mosul from the Islamic State jihadist group, retaking the airport and then advancing north. Security forces reached the southernmost […]
Tag: jihadist
Russia air strike ‘accidentally’ kills 3 Turkish troops in Syria
by Stuart WILLIAMS Agence France Presse ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) — Three Turkish soldiers were “accidentally” killed and 11 wounded on Thursday when a Russian air strike targeting jihadists in Syria hit a building where the troops were deployed, the Turkish army said. With Moscow and Ankara cooperating ever more closely on Syria, President Vladimir Putin quickly reached out to Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan to express condolences and promise better future coordination. The Russian plane […]
Kuwait jails Filipina for joining IS jihadists
KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait (AFP) — A Kuwaiti court on Monday sentenced a Filipino woman to 10 years in jail after convicting her of joining the Islamic State jihadist group and plotting attacks. The ruling, which is not final, also calls for deporting the 32-year old after serving her term. The woman was arrested in August, two months after arriving in the oil-rich Gulf state to work as a domestic helper. At the time, the interior […]
Fight to the end, IS boss Baghdadi urges Mosul jihadists
by Sarah Benhaida with Ali Choukeir in Baghdad GOGJALI, Iraq (AFP) — Jihadist leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi called on his fighters to resist as Iraqi forces were poised Thursday to enter the city of Mosul where he declared a “caliphate” two years ago. The appeal was made in an audio recording released on the Internet and purported to be by the elusive leader of the Islamic State group, his first message this year. “Do not […]
Iraqis flee home as Mosul battle gathers steam
by W.G. Dunlop and Safa Majeed TINA, Iraq (AFP) — Families who fled their village in the early days of the battle to retake Mosul from jihadists sit on the dusty ground amid discarded plastic bottles and other trash. This group is one of the first of what the United Nations said could be up to a million people who flee their homes during the operation to recapture Iraq’s second city, which has been held […]
Syria rebels capture emblematic IS stronghold Dabiq
DABIQ, Syria (AFP) — Turkish-backed rebels capture the emblematic northern Syrian town of Dabiq from the Islamic State group, dealing a major symbolic blow to the jihadists. https://youtu.be/m3X3I0dcXkg
German police arrest Syrian bomb plot suspect
by Hui Min NEO BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — German police on Monday arrested a Syrian man suspected of plotting a jihadist bomb attack, after a massive manhunt lasting almost two days. Security had been stepped up at airports and train stations after Jaber Albakr, 22, went on the run Saturday, when police raided his apartment and found several hundred grams of “an explosive substance more dangerous than TNT”. “We’ve succeeded, really overjoyed: the terror suspect […]
Former Qaeda in Syria confirms a leader killed in raid
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A jihadist group that was formerly Al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria on Monday confirmed that an air strike killed a senior leader after the Pentagon said it had targeted him. Ahmed Salama Mabrouk, an Egyptian also known by his nom de guerre Abu Faraj “was martyred after a coalition air strike in the west of Idlib province,” the Fateh al-Sham Front said in a statement on the Telegram app. Born in […]
Air strike kills top jihadist rebel commander in Syria
BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) – by Rouba El Husseini The commander of Syria’s largest rebel coalition has been killed in an air strike near Aleppo, in what analysts say is the biggest blow to the alliance since its formation. The strike on a meeting of leaders of the Army of Conquest came after a major defeat for the rebels, which saw them once again besieged inside Aleppo after a pro-government advance this week. Former Al-Qaeda affiliate […]
Iraq mourns after more than 200 killed in Baghdad bombing
by W.G. Dunlop BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFP) — Iraqis on Monday mourned the more than 200 people killed by a jihadist-claimed suicide car bombing that was among the deadliest ever attacks in the country. The blast, which the Islamic State group said it carried out, hit the Karrada district early Sunday as the area was packed with shoppers ahead of this week’s holiday marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. The attack sparked […]
Ten killed in jihadist suicide bombing in Cameroon
YAOUNDE, Cameroon (AFP) — A suicide bombing by a Boko Haram jihadist has killed at least 10 people in northern Cameroon, a security source said Thursday. It was the latest in a spate of attacks blamed on the Nigeria-based Islamist militant group in northern Cameroon, which have driven tens of thousands of people from their homes. The security source said the attacker blew himself up in the town of Djakana near the Nigerian border overnight. “Seven […]
Tunisian killed in Istanbul attack seeking IS-linked son
TUNIS , Tunisia (AFP) — A Tunisian killed in the Istanbul airport attack blamed on the Islamic State group was in Turkey to secure the release of his son detained for joining the jihadists, diplomats said Wednesday. Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim quickly pointed the finger at IS over Tuesday’s attack, which killed at least 41 people and wounded 239, although no group has claimed responsibility. One of the dead was a Tunisian identified as […]





