Iraqi security forces and paramilitary units launched a dawn assault Tuesday against one of the Daesh group’s last bastions in the vast western province of Anbar bordering Syria. The Joint Operations Command, which is co-ordinating Iraqi security forces battling Daesh, said an offensive had begun to retake the town of …

The European Union reiterated Wednesday its steadfast support for Iraq’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity and called for dialogue between Irbil and Baghdad to resolve outstanding issues. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini described the Kurdistan region’s planned September 25 independence referendum as “counterproductive,” saying that it “must be avoided.”

Egypt says that it will host the reorganisation of Libya’s army, currently an eastern-based force led by General Khalifa Hifter. A statement signed by the Egyptian Committee on Libya on Tuesday says Libyan military officers who met in Cairo recently chose Egypt as a starting point for plans to unify …