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Iraqi troops, paramilitary forces encircle Mosul
Iraqi security forces have inched to the eastern fringes of Mosul, made progress on other routes around the city IANS, MOSUL
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he Iraqi security forces and allied paramilitary units, known as Hashd Shaabi, on Wednesday completely encircled the city of Mosul, while the troops continued operations to clear the Islamic State (IS) militants in and out of Mosul over a month after a major offensive was launched, the Iraqi military said. The predominantly Shiite Hashd Shaabi units advanced to west of the IS-held town of Tal Afar, some 70 km west of Mosul, recapturing six villages and seizing the main road between Tal Afar and nearby town of Sinjar, Xinhua news agency quoted a statement issued by the Iraqi Joint Operations Command (JOC) as saying. The latest advance allowed the Hashd Shaabi units to cut off the IS supply routes from the west side of
SHORT TAKES 27 killed as blast hits Shia mosque in Kabul KABUL: At least 27 people were killed and dozens injured after a suicide bomber on Monday triggered a powerful explosion at a Shiite mosque in the Afghan capital, Pajhwok News agency said. The blast took place in the Darul Aman area of the city, local media reported. 1TV channel reported that the blast took place during a Shiite ceremony in Baqer-ul-Oloom mosque, west of Kabul. Children were among those killed in the attack, TOLOnews reported. The suicide bomber reportedly detonated his explosive vest after entering the mosque.
Charlie Hebdo to launch German edition PARIS: The French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, whose Paris offices were targeted by the jihadists in January 2015, will launch a German edition in December. The French magazine will print 200,000 copies in German next week to recognize the support it received after the 2015 attacks that killed its Paris editorial staff, a spokeswoman said on Wednesday, reported the Guardian. The German version will launch on December 1. —IANS
IS beheads 15 Iraqi soldiers in Mosul MOSUL: Islamic State jihadists have publicly beheaded 15 Iraqi soldiers in central Mosul and paraded their corpses along the embattled city’s major thoroughfares, local news site Ara News reported on Wednesday. Hundreds of people witnessed the gruesome executions on Tuesday, the head of the Nineveh Media Centre watchdog, Raafat al-Zarari, was quoted as telling Ara News. The soldiers were reportedly
Mosul, and enabling both the paramilitary units and other Iraqi and Kurdish security forces to entirely isolate and surround the city of Mosul, the statement said. The paramilitary units started their advance on Tuesday morning when they moved to encircle the
taken prisoner after clashes last week in southwestern Mosul. Undeterred, Iraqi forces have continued to advance into Mosul’s eastern neighborhoods, Ara News said. IS-held areas of the city were entirely surrounded on Wednesday after Shia militias and Kurdish forces cut off a key western supply route to Syria trapping IS fighters in the city for a bloody last stand, security officials were quoted as saying.
town of Tal Afar, preparing for the next stage to free it from the IS militants. The units’ presence in the whole area in west of Mosul would also enable them to secure the border areas between Iraq and neighboring Syria and would cut off the IS supply routes between Mosul and
Iraqi people living on the eastern outskirts of Mosul flee their homes in battle area. (Photo: Xinhua/Yaser Jawad/IANS)
68,100 have fled Mosul: Report GENEVA: Nearly 68,100 individuals have fled the Iraqi city of Mosul since military operations to recapture this Islamic State (IS) stronghold began on October 17, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday.
the Syrian city of Raqqa, the capital of IS self-declared caliphate. The CTS commandos cleared many buildings of the residential compound in Khadraa district in eastern Mosul after sporadic clashes with IS militants, according to the JOC statement.
“The number of displaced people continues to increase, even as we are seeing more people returning to their homes,” Xinhua news agency quoted IOM Iraq Chief of Mission Thomas Weiss as saying in a statement.
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on October 17 announced a major offensive to retake Mosul, the country’s second largest city. Since then, the Iraqi security forces have inched to the eastern fringes of Mosul and made progress on other routes around the city.
Pakistan: Search for new army chief is on IANS, ISLAMABAD
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he countdown has begun in Pakistan to appoint the next Army Chief with Gen Raheel Sharif set to step down on November 29. The ball is now in Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ’s court to choose his successor among the top four generals. If sources are to be believed Prime Minister Sharif has already made up his mind over who will succeed Gen Sharif, but has so far Pakistan Army Chief General Raheel Sharif (R) during a meeting with a soldier in northwest Pakistan’s Khyber Agency. (photo: (Xinhua/ISPR/IANS) kept his cards close to his chest. The word in political circles is Multan corps commander, will be likely to be appointed chairman of that Lt. Gen Ishfaq Nadeem named the next army chief. the joint chiefs of staff committee, Ahmed, who is currently serving as Lt Gen Zubair Mehmood is according to reports.
Catholic priests can forgive abortion: Pope IANS, LONDON
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nnouncing in an apostolic letter released on Monday, Pope Francis has extended indefinitely the power of Catholic priests to forgive abortions. It continues a special dispensation granted last year for the duration of the Year of Mercy — which finished on Sunday — which gave all priests, rather than just bishops and specially designated confessors, the power to absolve the sin of abortion, CNN reported. While the practical effect of Francis’ announcement remains unclear, it draws attention to the prevailing
Pope Francis
theme of his papacy: That the doors of the Church must remain open, just as God’s forgiveness and mercy
extend to all those who repent from sin. That said, the Catholic Church’s stance on abortion has not changed — it is still viewed as a “grave sin.” But it makes it easier for women who have had abortions to be absolved for their actions and rejoin the church. “I wish to restate as firmly as I can that abortion is a grave sin, since it puts an end to an innocent life,” the Pope’s letter stated. “In the same way, however, I can and must state that there is no sin that God’s mercy cannot reach and wipe away when it finds a repentant heart seeking to be reconciled with the Father.”
Others in contention for the top military post include Bahawalpur Corps Commander Lt Gen Javed Iqbal Ramday and Inspector General Training and Evaluation Lt Gen Qamar Bajwa. All four generals are from the Pakistan Military Academy’s 62nd Long Course, but have had different career trajectories. Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has said that completion of ongoing counter-terrorism operations would be the responsibility of the new army chief. The war against terrorism will be among the major responsibilities the new army chief will have to focus on, Asif said.
Britain’s economic growth forecast revised LONDON: Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond on Wednesday revised down growth forecasts for the British economy for 2017 and 2018. Hammond told lawmakers in his House of Commons speech that Britain’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth in 2017 would be 1.4 per cent, down from 2.2 per cent predicted seven months ago, Xinhua news agency reported. Rhe downward revision in GDP is in part a reaction to Britain’s referendum decision to quit the European Union (EU).