Daesh still capable of launching attacks in northern Iraq, say commanders

Experts say Iraqi troops have liberated Hawija militarily, but have not cleaned or inspected it. (Reuters)
Updated 19 February 2018
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Daesh still capable of launching attacks in northern Iraq, say commanders

BAGHDAD: Daesh militants can still launch deadly attacks in northern Iraq, despite the decline of its control over most areas in western and northern parts of the country, Iraqi military commanders told Arab News on Monday.
Iraq in December declared the full liberation of its territories and the end of military operations against the organization that seized vast swathes in the north and west in June 2014.
Since then there have been many vital attacks in western Kirkuk and eastern Salahudeen where most of the militants who fled the fighting in Mosul and Anbar have taken refuge — in areas with difficult terrain such as Hawija, security and local officials said.
Late on Sunday, 21 fighters from the Shiite-dominated paramilitary troops fighting Daesh alongside the government were killed in an ambush set up in Saadounia village, western Hawija, Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) field commanders told Arab News.
“A force from the 16th brigade of the PMF apparently received information from one of its secret sources in the region that there was a senior Daesh leader there, so they entered the area at 7 p.m. (on Sunday) to arrest the target but were surprised by the ambush,” Sheikh Wassifi Al-A’assi, the commander of Kirkuk PMF, told Arab News.
“The initial information that we had about the incident suggested that the informer had led them to the heart of the area where they were surrounded and killed.
“The bodies of 21 fighters were found this morning (Monday), some burned inside cars and others beheaded. All signs indicate that they were attacked while they were inside their vehicles,” Al-A’assi said.
Several military intelligence sources in the area told Arab News that the ambushed unit was looking to arrest a group of prominent militants, including Manhal Al-Humran who was responsible for oil sales within Daesh.
Daesh claimed responsibility for the attack and said in websites linked to the organization that its fighters had ambushed a “national security force” in western Kirkuk, clashed with the force and killed 30 of them and burned six vehicles.
Hawija town, 300 km north of Baghdad, was liberated from Daesh by Iraqi security forces in October, but the area’s rugged terrain and its large, dense agricultural land turned it into a safe haven for militants who fled the fighting in Mosul and Anbar.
Iraqi forces liberated the area militarily, but have not cleaned or inspected it and many of its villages remain uninhabited.
“We have information that dozens of militants have been gathering there (in Hawija). They have been taking advantage of the nature of the area to freely move from one village to another,” a local intelligence officer told Arab News.
“They (the militants) become experts in this area and have been getting help from the people of the area as most of them (militants) belong to these villages.”
Iraqi federal police backed by the PMF have launched a “limited” military operation to look for a further six missing PMF fighters, military commanders said.
Despite this, the formal statement from PMF commanders said that the forces was on a “routine inspection” mission, but the incident has highlighted the mis-coordination and lack of trust between the multiple troops deployed in the area.
“This force came from Tazza town. They were out of their area and have not informed or coordinated with troops deployed in the region or the joint military operation commandership,” a senior PMF commander told Arab News on condition of anonymity.
“Maybe they were afraid of a leak of information. Even if the goal was important, they had to coordinate with the units deployed in the region. The prior coordination would have secured their movement and they would be alive now.”


Suspected crypto kidnappings mastermind arrested in Morocco

Updated 4 sec ago
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Suspected crypto kidnappings mastermind arrested in Morocco

PARIS: France’s justice minister on Wednesday said that Morocco had arrested a man suspected of ordering a series of kidnappings targeting cryptocurrency entrepreneurs in France.
“I sincerely thank Morocco for this arrest, which demonstrates excellent judicial cooperation between our two countries, particularly in the fight against organized crime,” Gerald Darmanin said on X.

Turkiye’s AJet to start flights to Syria’s Damascus

Updated 3 min 40 sec ago
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Turkiye’s AJet to start flights to Syria’s Damascus

AJet said flights from Sabiha Gokcen airport will begin from Jun. 16
Flights to Damascus from Ankara will start from Jun. 17

ISTANBUL: Turkish Airlines subsidiary AJet said it will start flights to Damascus International from Istanbul and Ankara airports in mid-June.

AJet said in a statement that flights from Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen airport will begin from Jun. 16. Flights will initially take place four times per week before operating daily from July, it added.

Flights to Damascus from the Turkish capital Ankara will start from Jun. 17, three-times per week, the carrier also said.

Turkish Airlines resumed flights to Damascus in January after a 13-year suspension.

Turkiye, a close ally of the new government in Damascus, has pledged to support the country’s reconstruction. Ankara has already helped with the improvement and maintenance of Syria’s airports, the Turkish transport minister has said.

UAE president meets Egypt’s Sisi in Abu Dhabi

Updated 26 min 54 sec ago
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UAE president meets Egypt’s Sisi in Abu Dhabi

DUBAI: UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed met his counterpart Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.  
El-Sisi, who is on a visit to the UAE, arrived at the presidential airport and was received by the UAE leader along with a number of senior officials.


Turkiye backing Syria’s military and has no immediate withdrawal plans, defense minister says

Updated 04 June 2025
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Turkiye backing Syria’s military and has no immediate withdrawal plans, defense minister says

  • Guler says Israel de-confliction talks continue
  • Turkish troops stay for now in Syria, he tells Reuters

ANKARA: Turkiye is training and advising Syria’s armed forces and helping improve its defenses, and has no immediate plans for the withdrawal or relocation of its troops stationed there, Defense Minister Yasar Guler told Reuters.
Turkiye has emerged as a key foreign ally of Syria’s new government since rebels — some of them backed for years by Ankara — ousted former Syrian President Bashar Assad in December to end his family’s five-decade rule.
It has promised to help rebuild neighboring Syria and facilitate the return of millions of Syrian civil war refugees, and played a key role last month getting US and European sanctions on Syria lifted.
The newfound Turkish influence in Damascus has raised Israeli concerns and risked a standoff or worse in Syria between the regional powers.
In written answers to questions from Reuters, Guler said Turkiye and Israel — which carried out its latest airstrikes on southern Syria late on Tuesday — are continuing de-confliction talks to avoid military accidents in the country.
Turkiye’s overall priority in Syria is preserving its territorial integrity and unity, and ridding it of terrorism, he said, adding Ankara was supporting Damascus in these efforts.
“We have started providing military training and consultancy services, while taking steps to increase Syria’s defense capacity,” Guler said, without elaborating on those steps.
Named to the post by President Tayyip Erdogan two years ago, Guler said it was too early to discuss possible withdrawal or relocation of the more than 20,000 Turkish troops in Syria.
Ankara controlled swathes of northern Syria and established dozens of bases there after several cross-border operations in recent years against Kurdish militants it deems terrorists.
This can “only be re-evaluated when Syria achieves peace and stability, when the threat of terrorism in the region is fully removed, when our border security is fully ensured, and when the honorable return of people who had to flee is done,” he said.
NATO member Turkiye has accused Israel of undermining Syrian peace and rebuilding with its military operations there in recent months and, since late 2023, has also fiercely criticized Israel’s assault on Gaza.
But the two regional powers have been quietly working to establish a de-confliction mechanism in Syria.
Guler described the talks as “technical level meetings to establish a de-confliction mechanism to prevent unwanted events” or direct conflict, as well as “a communication and coordination structure.”
“Our efforts to form this line and make it fully operational continue. Yet it should not be forgotten that the de-confliction mechanism is not a normalization,” he told Reuters.


Turkiye arrests five mayors from CHP opposition party

Updated 04 June 2025
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Turkiye arrests five mayors from CHP opposition party

  • The latest round of arrests brings to nine the total number of jailed CHP mayors

ISTANBUL: Turkish police arrested five opposition mayors early Wednesday alongside 17 others as part of a probe into corruption allegations at CHP-held municipalities, a party spokesman told AFP.

The latest arrests targeted a former lawmaker and three CHP mayors in Istanbul, and two more in the southern province of Adana, the spokesman said.

The latest round of arrests brings to nine the total number of jailed CHP mayors, including Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu — the main political rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The latest investigation began at the weekend when a court issued arrest orders for 47 municipal officials in connection with four separate corruption investigations centered on Istanbul, local media reported.

The March 19 arrest and jailing of Imamoglu sparked the biggest street protests Turkiye had seen in more than a decade.

Police had already detained nearly 70 people in subsequent raids linked to alleged corruption at Istanbul City Hall, including Imamoglu’s private secretary and his private protection officer.

The CHP has nominated Imamoglu as its candidate in presidential elections due in 2028 but whether he can run in the elections depends on the fate of numerous trials and probes.