Middle Orient

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.

Saudi Arabia and Iraq plan to open the Arar border crossing for trade for the first time since 1990, when it was closed after the countries cut ties following Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait, Saudi local media reported on Tuesday. Saudi and Iraqi officials toured the site on Monday and …

Some 40,000 Iraqi troops are preparing for military operations to retake the Iraqi town of Tal Afar from Daesh. Iraqi authorities have announced that the town, located 80 kilometres west of Mosul, will be the next target in the war against Daesh following the recapture of Mosul. Tal Afar, which …

Lebanon’s US-backed military is gearing up for a long-awaited assault to dislodge hundreds of Daesh militants from a remote corner near Syrian border, seeking to end a years-long threat posed to neighbouring towns and villages by the extremists. The campaign will involve cooperation with the militant group Hezbollah and the …

Turkey is limiting cross-border movement at Bab Al-Hawa (Cilvegözü) crossing with Syria after the area was taken by a terrorist group, Customs Minister Bülent Tüfenkci said Wednesday. Tüfenkci told reporters that the restrictions were imposed after Hayat Tahrir al-Sham militants took control of the area.

The Iraqi army will remain responsible for security in the northern city of Mosul until local police forces restore their pre-Daesh capabilities, a military spokesman said Monday. “There are no plans to withdraw military units from newly recaptured Mosul; it’s still too early for that,” Brigadier-General Yehia Rasul, a spokesman …

Two Islamic State rest houses were destroyed in Hamreen Mountains area, Diyala government, local police source announced on Thursday. “A joint force of Diyala police and al-Hashd al-Ashaeri (Tribal Mobilization Forces) carried out an operation in Al Safra village in Hamreen Mountains,” the Diyala Police Command said in a statement.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed the bilateral ties and the combat against terrorism on Monday. During a phone conversation, initiated by Macron, the French leader reiterated support for the Iraqi government in its efforts to restore security and stability and rebuild the state

A senior Islamic State (IS) leader and five other elements were killed as an air raid targeted a rest house, south of Kirkuk governorate, Alsumaria News reported on Tuesday. A local source told Alsumaria News that an air raid targeted a rest house belonging to the IS on the outskirts …

The UN’s humanitarian aid coordinator for Iraq on Tuesday warned of major evacuations due to three possible additional military operations against Daesh-held areas of the country. The deputy special representative of the United Nations’ Assistance Mission for Iraq, Lise Grande, told reporters in Geneva that, after Mosul, the UN expected …