Defensive anti-aircraft missiles around Moscow in preparation for a war?

Russia has deployed anti-aircraft missile systems around Moscow in order to protect the capital from any form of attack and is interpreted as the latest sign that President Vladimir Putin is preparing for war. It is the S-400 Triumph air defence system and it has been extending air cover for Russian forces in Syria ever since November. The same is now being deployed on home soil.
This missile system is capable of hitting moving airborne targets including planes and incoming missiles and has a range of 400-Km.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 12 January 2017.

It seems the US has sent more than 3,000 troops to Poland in response to NATOs concern that Russia was becoming more aggressive. This has prompted Russia to put the new S-400 Triumph air defense missile system into service. It has gone on combat duty for the air defense of Moscow and the central industrial region of Russia.
US tanks and armored vehicles have started to arrive in Poland as part of the biggest American military reinforcement in Europe for decades. Soldiers will carry out exercises in the Baltics as part of their tour and as part of the Obama administration's response to Russia's intervention in the Ukraine. The tours will last nine months before troops rotate - however, whether they will remain or not will depend on decision of the new President Donald Trump.


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30th International kite festival in Gujarat, Telangana, Delhi and Karnataka

McDonald's enters The Vatican with an outlet near St. Peter's Square

Steel mugs in lavatories of trains stolen in spite of being chained to the walls


Lord Shiva laments over full Moon and a burnt roti (satire)

Didi’s Rose garden withers in the valley (satire)

Moody in the world of pickpockets and beggars (satire)


Juhi Chawla creates awareness about ill effects of plastic pollution

Nawazuddin Siddiqui on his film 'Haraamkhor' that premiered in the 15th annual New York Indian Film Festival

9th edition of Jaipur International Film Festival will screen 134 films


Car bomb kills at least 43 in the town of Azaz in Syria - most of the dead are civilians

US army veteran shoots dead five persons in Fort Lauderdale airport, Florida

Prison riots in Brazil leave at least 60 dead - some were beheaded

29 people injured in an explosion in New York - no evidence of any terror link

29 people were injured in an explosion in New York's busy and upscale neighborhood that is also frequented by tourists. It is being treated as an "intentional act" with no evidence of any terror link as indicated by the authorities. The incident has happened hours before world leaders are expected to arrive here for the high-level UN General Assembly session. This has been reported in thestatesman.com dated 18 September 2016.

The explosion happened hours after a pipe bomb went off in a garbage can in New Jersey and took place in the Chelsea neighborhood at 23rd St. and 6th Avenue. It is a busy residential and commercial area frequented by tourists and city residents. President Barack Obama has been apprised of the explosion as revealed by the White House. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has indicated that the number of people injured is now 29 but none is life threatening except for one who is in "serious" condition. A second site in Manhattan is under investigation. The Mayor has added that the explosion is as an "intentional act" and there is no evidence at this point of a terror link. There is already tight security in view of nearly 190 world leaders, including Obama, arriving in the city for the about week-long high-level annual UN General Assembly session.


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At least 100 killed in airstrikes in Syria before ceasefire begins

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US and Russia to join forces to tackle the twin threats of ISIS and Al-Qaida

A landmark agreement has been announced that will see the US and Russia join forces to tackle the twin threats of ISIS and Al-Qaida. Both countries announced a ceasefire after a day-long meeting between secretary of state John Kerry and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov in Geneva, Switzerland. If the ceasefire, which begins Monday, holds for a week, the two countries will then launch a military partnership to target Islamic extremists in the region.
The deal comes after months of diplomacy that included four meetings between Kerry and Lavrov since August 26 followed by a lengthy face-to-face meeting between Presidents Obama and Putin in China.
This has been reported in dailymail.,co.uk dated 10 September 2016.

At a joint news conference, John Kerry has indicated that the plan could reduce violence in Syria and lead to a long-sought-after political transition because, it would end more than five years of bloodshed that has claimed the lives of 500,000 people.
Of course, success of the deal would depend upon support from both Syria's Russian-backed government, led by President Bashar Assad, and US-supported anti-Assad rebels. The arrangement hinges on Moscow pressuring Assad's government to halt all offensive operations against Syria's armed opposition and civilian areas.
Simultaneously, it would be the responsibility of Washington to persuade 'moderate' rebels to break away from the Nusra Front which is al-Qaida's Syria affiliate, and other extremist groups. Moreover, both sides would have to withdraw from demilitarized zones to allow civilian traffic and humanitarian deliveries. The ceasefire and traffic must hold for a week before collaboration between the countries begins after which the US and Russia will then begin intelligence sharing and targeting coordination and Assad's forces will focus their attention on ISIS instead of Nusra.


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Suicide bomb and gun attacks in northwestern Pakistan leave at least 13 dead

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Hillary Clinton reiterates that US will not put ground troops in Iraq and Syria

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has reiterated that the US will not put ground troops into Iraq and Syria in the military campaign against the Islamic State (IS) militant group. It was the stand taken by Barack Obama and Clinton wants to continue with the same. In her opinion, putting a large contingent of American ground troops in Iraq and Syria would not be in the best interest of the fight against the IS and other terrorist groups.
This has been reported in thestatesman.com dated 9 September 2016.

She did not want to drag the US back into a ground war in the Middle East but would prefer to continue US President Barack Obama's current anti-IS strategy in spite of severe criticism from the Republicans. She admitted that she would support the air campaign, special forces and the enablers. She would also support surveillance, intelligence and reconnaissance and would be prepared to do whatever is necessary to support the Arab and Kurdish fighters on the ground so that they can destroy as much of the infrastructure of the IS from the air.
And, she will also be committed to target-killing of IS leadership.
Incidentally, at present there are about 5,000 US troops in Iraq and several hundreds more are dispatched to northern Syria. But, they do not fall in the category of "ground troops" because they are not combat troops and are there to assist and train local forces in their fight against the IS.


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Lord Shiva stumped by the sea of humanity on 21st (satire)


Man slips while watching bull running in Spain and gored to death

Suicide bomb and gun attacks in northwestern Pakistan leave at least 13 dead

Explosion in a street market in Philipines kills at least 12


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Sonakshi Sinha breaks bones and throws punches in Akira

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War waged on ISIS by the US and UK has destroyed 26000 targets

When the US-led coalition began its airstrikes on Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria, it had been predicted that it would be a long drawn-out one. And, from existing statistics, it is evident that even though the combined efforts of the US and UK have destroyed 26000 ISIS targets, much more needs to be done.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 9 August 2016.

Till now, more than 14,000 strikes have been launched at a cost of $8.4bn to the United States and $365m to the UK and nearly 26,000 targets have been either destroyed or damaged. The campaign has stepped in its second year an additional 2,336 airstrikes and there have been twice as many civilian deaths. Figures indicate 1,080 according to data furnished by a London-based monitor called Airwars.
However, the Pentagon says that only 55 civilians have been killed by US aircraft while the UK Ministry of Defence says British strikes have not resulted in death of any innocents. The fact is that nearly 3.2 million Iraqis have been displaced and the number of Syrians is much more. The mass exodus has had a devastating all round effect because it has not only changed borders, but has swelled towns, and emptied cities.
Incidentally, in 2014, President Barack Obama had said that he did not want the United States to be dragged into another war in Iraq - but, events have proved otherwise - right now, there are some 3,800 US soldiers in Iraq. And, the US plans to send another 400 American troops to an airbase south of Mosul which is a strategic city.


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Six police officers shot at in Baton Rouge - three of them have died

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is once again in the headlines because three police officers have been shot dead after being lured to their deaths through, what is believed, to have been, an apparent false 911 call. This is the city where a black man was shot dead by officers earlier this month.
The father-of-five had been shot dead on 5 July. He was shot in his car during a traffic stop by an officer near Minneapolis and his girlfriend filmed the aftermath and broadcast it live on the social media. That led to a nationwide protests. Subsequently, a gunman opened fire and killed five white police officers in Dallas.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 18 July 2016.

In the latest shooting, the gunman shot six officers of which three have died and the others are in hospitals - one if teem is serious. Two of the three dead officers belonged to the city's police department while the third was from the sheriff's office. They were ambushed while responding to reports of gunfire.
The gunman has been identified and named in US media reports as a 29-year-old African-American from Kansas City. He also died in police fire.
President Barack Obama said the shooting underscored the danger law enforcement officials faced. Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump blamed lack of leadership in the country. Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton commented that there was "no justification for violence" against officers.


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Boost to religious tourism - 2.3-Km permanent bridge planned from Beyt Dwarka to Okha mainland

Boeing celebrates 100-years of manufacturing aircraft

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80 killed and over 100 injured in Nice as truck rams into revelers celebrating Bastille Day

Failed coup attempt in Turkey - 161 people killed and 1,440 wounded

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President Obama wants ban on AR-15 type assault weapons that are meant for battlefield

President Obama had wanted to introduce a gun control mechanism and the massacre of 50 persons in a nightclub in Orlando has seen him renew his thoughts. He wants Congress to ban the AR-15 assault rifle which is a fast-loading, easy to use assault weapon. As he has said - these assault weapons are weapons of war and meant for the battlefield, they have no place in the streets. Such a ban used to be in place and it should be re-instituted.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 13 June 2016.

The AR-15 assault rifle is a civilian semi-automatic version of the M-16 rifle, which is fully automatic. The gun is able to reload as soon as the shooter pulls the trigger, are lightweight and easy to assemble. As per records of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, there are between 5 and 8.2 million assault-style weapons in the U.S.
Families of the Sandy Hook killings have sued gun manufacturers after recent mass killings - the weapon used at Sandy Hook was a Bushmaster AR-15.
Hillary Clinton, the Democrat hopeful for the White House, has also endorsed the need for gun control and has renewed her call for the same. In her words, weapons of war have no place on the streets of America.


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Orlando massacre in gay nightclub - at least 50 dead, 53 wounded, gunman shot dead

The massacre at an Orlando gay nightclub in which at least 50 people have been killed and another 53 injured, has been labeled as a "domestic terror incident." It is the worst mass shooting in U.S. history and the deadliest terror attack on U.S. soil since the events of Sept. 11, 2001. President Obama has described the Pulse massacre "an act of terror and an act of hate." He called Mateen, the shooter, "a person filled with hatred."
The shooter has been identified as Omar Mateen of St. Lucie County, Florida. He is a U.S.-born citizen with Afghani parents.
It seems after the shooting began, he called 911 to pledge his allegiance to ISIS and supporters of the terrorist group have cheered the massacre online. However, there is no evidence to suggest that ISIS had directed or had prior knowledge of the attack.
This has been reported in abcnews.go.com dated 12 June 2016.

The FBI has indicated that the gunman Mateen "was organized and well-prepared," and have added that "he is not from this area." He had an assault rifle, handgun and "some kind of device on him." His parents were born in Afghanistan, and he was "on the radar" of U.S. officials for some time, but was not the target of a specific investigation, as reported by law enforcement officials.
At the time of shooting, there were about 320 people inside the Pulse Nightclub.


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Nuclear threat from ISIS is very real - Obama and Cameron play imaginary war games

The nuclear threat from ISIS is a very real scenario because security officials are apprehensive that the Islamic State is plotting to use drones to spray deadly nuclear waste over British cities. Since the threat is considered to be real enough, David Cameron and Barack Obama held a ‘war game’ session on how to respond to such an attack that could kill thousands and leave the target town or city uninhabitable for years.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 1 April 2016.

It is common knowledge that drones can be purchased quite easily on websites such as Amazon and there was already evidence of IS trying to use them.
Prime Minister David Cameron cautioned that the terrorists would want to kill as many people as they possibly could, using whatever materials they can get their hands on. Speaking before the war-games dubbed as a ‘doomsday scenario’, The Prime Minister added that many summits are about dealing with things that have already gone wrong and that we are trying to put right. But, this Nuclear Summit is about something we are trying to prevent.
At a nuclear terror summit in Washington, world leaders had conducted a planning session, complete with TV footage of fictitious news broadcasts, to prepare for a drone attack. In the scenario, terrorists managed to steal nuclear material from a health facility and smuggle it into Britain and other Western countries. Some was detected by the intelligence agencies but other consignments got through.
The toxic material was apparently procured by jihadists on the highly encrypted ‘dark web’ after being stolen from the health site. Subsequently, drones – similar to those used to dust crops – were used to spread the lethal material. The gravity of the situation can be gauged from the fact that American commando units have been trained to seize and disable nuclear or radioactive bombs.


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ISIS claims responsibility for Brussels attack and warns Britain of more severe attacks

Tragedy in chicken eating contest in Indonesia - a competitor chokes to death

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President Obama hosts Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) to discuss nuclear threats

The nuclear threat is a major worry for world leaders and US President Barack Obama is hosting Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) to discuss these threats. This has become more pronounced after the recent terror attacks in Brussels because, according to Belgian media, two of the suicide bombers in the attacks had in their possession video footage of a senior official at a Flanders nuclear waste facility.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 31 March 2016.

World leaders are meeting in Washington to discuss how to prevent terrorists getting hold of radioactive material and it is expected that the UK would play a leading role in protecting nuclear facilities from cyberattack. The Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) that is being hosted by President Barack Obama, will see heads of government consider what their response to such a scenario would be.
It is understood that the UK and the United States will hold a joint exercise next year to prepare for any online attack against nuclear power plants and waste storage facilities.
Moreover, Prime Minister David Cameron is to offer British expertise to other countries to protect their own civil nuclear installations because there are apprehensions that Islamic State could attempt to create a dirty bomb. While a UK Government source has indicated that there was no "credible evidence" of terrorists targeting British facilities but, the joint exercise with the US would ensure that both governments and their civil nuclear industries were prepared for any eventuality and could rectify any potential weaknesses.
Incidentally, this summit will be the fourth and final NSS, following on from the last meeting at The Hague in the Netherlands in 2014. The gatherings are from a personal initiative of President Obama, with the International Atomic Energy Agency taking forward the work on nuclear security.


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Didi rolls out the red carpet (satire)

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Lord Shiva cannot relate to today’s Shivaratri (satire)


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Transgender candidate to contest against Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal polls

Japan kills 333 whales in its latest Antarctic hunt - the figure was 252 whales in 2014


ISIS claims responsibility for Brussels attack and warns Britain of more severe attacks

Tragedy in chicken eating contest in Indonesia - a competitor chokes to death

Terror attack in Ankara kills at least 37 - one suicide bomber was a 22-year-old woman

Star Wars Episode VIII to get delayed till December 2017

Antonio Banderas gifted a pair of monkeys to Salma Hayek on her birthday

Frieda Pinto talks about 'Jungle Book - Origins'

President Obama imposes tough sanctions on North Korea

In spite of repeated warnings from the global community, North Korea has continued to go ahead with its experimenting with nuclear arsenals - it claimed to have tested its first hydrogen bomb on Jan. 6 and followed it up by launching a satellite on a rocket on Feb. 7. Obviously, it has tested the patience of the world to the limit and has to face the consequences.
One of these is the imposing of sanctions by President Barack Obama who has levied sanctions against North Korea in response to the reclusive country's recent "illicit" nuclear and ballistic missile tests.
This has been reported in foxnews.com dated 17 March 2016.

The result of sanctions is to block certain transactions on property belonging to the North Korean government and to the Workers' Party of Korea. These are in continuation to the U.N. Security Council's unanimous adoption this month of some of the toughest sanctions in decades against North Korea because it defied the world by pushing ahead with its nuclear program.
The US President had enacted separate U.S. sanctions against North Korea last month and an executive order signed by Obama and effective immediately merges both sets of sanctions, enabling the U.S. government to implement them.


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Kim Jong-un sounds the bugle for a nuclear war

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has sounded the bugle for a nuclear war and has demanded the country's nuclear weapons be made ready for use 'at any time'. He has also said that the communist country will revise its military posture in order to be able to carry out pre-emptive attacks. He has also stressed that the current situation has become very precarious.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 4 March 2016.

Kim Jong-un has indicated that his people must always be ready to fire the nuclear warheads at any time and his announcement has come shortly after the United Nations Security Council passed a new sanctions resolution penalizing the country for its fourth nuclear test and long-range missile launch earlier in the year.
The nuclear threats of North Korea have come ahead of joint U.S.-South Korean war games this month that the North claims are invasion preparations.
Some of the measures is a new requirement that all countries must inspect cargo destined for and coming from North Korea, in all airports and sea ports. The resolution also bans or restricts exports of coal, iron and iron ore and other minerals from North Korea, and also prohibits the supply of aviation fuel including rocket fuel.
This is going to hurt because North Korea earns about $1billion every year through coal exports - a third of all export revenues - and about $200 million annually from iron ore sales.
US President Barack Obama welcomed the sanctions as 'a firm, united, and appropriate response' to the January 6 nuclear test and February 7 rocket launch. He has reiterated that North Korea must abandon these dangerous programs and choose a better path for its people.
The sanctions also cover banking restrictions and governments will be required to ban flights of any plane suspected of carrying contraband destined for North Korea. Moreover, UN member states will expel North Korean diplomats who may be engaged in smuggling or other illegal activities. And, a total of 16 individuals and 12 entities were added to a UN sanctions blacklist - these include North Korea's NADA space agency and its spy agency, the Reconnaissance General Bureau.


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President Obama says US will counter terrorists anywhere in the world

#BarackObama #ISIS #libya #NationalSecurityCouncil #terrorists President Barack Obama is determined to root out the evils of terrorism and has said that the US will continue to counter terror plotters of Islamic State militant group where ever they may be. He said this while directing his national security team to intensify its ongoing counter-terrorism campaign in order to destroy the terror outfit.
This has been reported in ibnlive.com dated 29 January 2016.

He made his position clear in the course of a meeting with his National Security Council. His idea of the US campaign is to degrade and destroy Islamic State (ISIS). The White House has confirmed that the President has emphasized that the US will continue to counter ISIL (another name of ISIS) terrorist plotters in any country where it is necessary.
Since the ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) affiliates and other violent extremists keep trying to identify safe havens, especially in areas that have limited or poor governance, the Resident has directed his national security team to continue efforts to strengthen governance in those areas and extend support to ongoing counter-terrorism efforts in Libya and other such countries.


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President Obama cautions Americans on new type of terror threat

#BarackObama #WhiteHouse #terrorthreats Speaking from his Oval office, US President Barack Obama has cautioned his countrymen about the "new phase" of terror threats, namely mass killings. He made the observations shortly after the deadly shootings in San Bernardino where a husband-wife team killed 14 and left 21 injured.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 7 December 2015.

The President also confirmed that the FBI was still gathering information about the attacks and added that there was no evidence to indicate that the killers had been directed by terror groups overseas. He also explained how the threat that terrorism posed to the US had changed from the "multi-faceted" attacks of 9/11, to simpler methods such as mass shootings.
President Obama wants Congress to stop terror suspects (or those who are on no-fly lists), from buying guns altogether because, no matter how effective intelligence agencies are, it is not possible to identify all would-be shooters before they commit a crime.
He also responded to those who are against further gun controls in the US. As he said - what argument can possibly be there to allow a terrorist suspect to buy a semi-automatic weapon? It is a matter of national security.
It seems the White House has plans to meet major Silicon Valley companies and work out methods of restricting the use of social media for promoting or planning violence. In the opinion of President Obama, the tech sector needs to collaborate more closely with law enforcement agencies when online messages "crosses the line" from expressing an opinion "into active terrorist plotting".

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The terror attacks in Paris bring Obama and Putin into a huddle

#ISIS #VladimirPutin #BarackObama #G20Antalya #Parisattacks The simultaneous terror attacks in Paris that left nearly 150 dead in divergent locations in the city has forced the two most important leaders of the world into a huddle. They are the two Presidents Barack Obama of the United States and Vladimir Putin of Russia. They have, in fact, agreed on the first steps towards peace in Syria.
This has been reported in nzherald.co.nz dated 17 November 2015.

The horror of the attacks in Paris have visibly shaken the leaders out of their slumbers at the G20 summit in Turkey and has added a new urgency to their search for a solution to the four-year war in Syria that has enabled the rise of ISIS (Islamic State) jihadists.
The two leaders had met over a coffee table on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Antalya to align their positions on Syria and the conversation lasted about 35 minutes. In the opinion of observers, the way they were interacting was in sharp contrast to the frigid body language that had marked previous meetings.
It is understood that both the leaders have agreed on the need for United Nations talks, a ceasefire and a transition government in Syria.
This is believed to be a plan for Syria that had been forged by diplomats in Vienna the previous day. The Kremlin said "divergences" remained on tactics even if they shared the same goal against ISIS. It was their first meeting since Russia in September launched an air campaign in Syria and ISIS had claimed that they had shot down a Russian jet in Egypt.
World leaders have raised the alarm over the entry of foreign terrorist fighters and have agreed to share intelligence, track border crossings and boost aviation security.

(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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Pentagon says Islamic State is losing the ground from under its feet in Iraq

#ISIS #Pentagon #BarackObama #HaiderAlAbadi #Iraqiforces #airstrikes Pentagon is of the opinion that the tide is turning against the Islamic State (IS) and it has lost more than a quarter of its territory in Iraq after the US-led coalition air campaign began in August. This has been reported in bbc.com dated 14 April 2015.
Col Steve Warren, a spokesman of Pentagon, has remarked that it was too early to assess whether the tide was really turning, but it is a fact that the US-led coalition air strikes and attacks carried out by the Iraqi ground forces had inflicted some damage.

Pentagon has quantified the loss sustained by IS by quoting some figures - IS had lost approximately 25% to 30% of its territory in Iraq in the past eight months, which was the equivalent of 12,950 to 15,540 sq km (5,000 to 6,000 sq miles).
It has lost territory in locations like Mosul Dam, Zummar and the vicinity of Sinjar Mountain. And, as a result, its frontline had been pushed either west or south, depending on location, in the provinces of Irbil, Babil, Baghdad and Kirkuk.
AS far as its presence in Syria, its gains in Suweida, Damascus Countryside and Homs provinces have been offset by losses in the provinces of Aleppo and Hassakeh.
It may be recalled that the IS had taken over large swathes of northern and western Iraq last June and it is gradually realizing that its losses are far more than gains and, they can be wiped out of history very soon. Evil forces cannot last forever.
The announcement of Pentagon came just before the talks to be held between Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and President Barack Obama in Washington.

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