An explosion in central Istanbul killed eight people wounded 81; the authorities suspect the involvement of a woman

Istanbul police have arrested 46 people in connection with the explosion in the busy Istiklal Avenue of Turkey’s largest city. At least eight people died in the blast while 81 others suffered injuries. Interior minister Suleyman Soylu revealed that the suspects included the “person who left the bomb that caused the explosion.” The authorities suspect the involvement of a woman. She admitted being trained by Kurdish militants in Syria and had gained entry into Turkey through northwest Syria’s Afrin region. Security sources say two other Syrian nationals were involved in the attack. The police captured the woman, in her late 20s or early 30s, from the place where she was staying. Istanbul police checked the security cameras near the site of the explosion. They have also conducted raids at different addresses where the female suspect had links. Turkish police arrest 46 people over Istanbul explosion.

Kurdish separatists, ISIL (ISIS), and other groups have targeted Istanbul and other Turkish cities in the past. These included a series of attacks in 2015 and 2016. In December 2016, twin bombings outside an Istanbul football stadium killed 38 people and wounded 155. Countries like Azerbaijan, Egypt, France, Greece, Italy, Pakistan, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States condemned the latest attack. Greece “unequivocally” denounced the blast and expressed condolences, while the US said it stood “shoulder-to-shoulder with our NATO ally in countering terrorism.” French President Emmanuel Macron said - “We share your pain. We stand with you in the fight against terrorism.” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine tweeted - “The pain of the friendly Turkish people is our pain.” European Council President Charles Michel tweeted - “My thoughts are with the victims and their families.”

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Airstrikes kill at least 27 ISIS militants in Iraq

International coalition against IS posts in the IS-held areas in Iraq's western province of Anbar have killed at least 27 militants belonging to the ISIS. The strikes were carried out by the US-led coalition aircraft and the target was an internet cafe that was used by IS militants as a headquarters in the town of al-Qaim near the border with Syria.
This has been reported in thestatesman.com dated 15 May 2017.

A second airstrike destroyed an IS post in the city of Aana and left another six militants dead. An international airstrike also bombed a booby-trapped vehicle in which its driver was killed. These actions are taken to drive out the ISIS militants their major stronghold in the western side of Mosul in northern Iraq.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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ISIS had plans to launch chemical warfare - evidence unearthed in Mosul

Iraqi special forces have unearthed evidence that tends to indicate that Islamic State were planning to launch a chemical warfare from western Mosul by using long and short-range missiles tipped with chemical or biological war heads. This assumption is based on analysis of material that have been taken by French special forces working with Iraqi units in the city.
It seems there is a warehouse and unloading area near the Tigris River where dozens of missiles were stored alongside makeshift launchers. These weapons had Russian markings and are thought to have come from Syria. Most of the missiles were designed to be fired by jets but one, a 10ft-long missile, is a type of Scud. Even if it was released from a makeshift launcher, it could carry its lethal payload quite far.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 28 January 2017.

Islamic State fighters had been working on the Scud and the area smelt strongly of chemicals. The French soldiers advised the Iraqi team to observe all precautions since the whole area was contaminated and necessary tests were being carried out to determine the nature of the chemicals.
There were large refrigerated cargo carriers and these were loaded with coking coal but, buried inside, there were containers with the unidentified substance. There have been allegations of the use of chemical weapons, particularly chlorine, in the Syrian conflict. However, the latest discovery of a substance probably more lethal than chlorine, is a new development.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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ISIS destroys portions of Roman amphitheatre in the ancient city of Palmyra

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ISIS destroys portions of Roman amphitheatre in the ancient city of Palmyra

ISIS militants have destroyed part of the Roman amphitheatre in the ancient city of Palmyra. As indicated by Syria's antiquities chief, the tetrapylon - a group of four pillared structures which were mainly modern replicas - have also been ruined.
The jihadists had recaptured the UNESCO-listed archaeological site in December from government troops and had destroyed other monuments after it first seized Palmyra in May 2015. ISIS had held the site and nearby city known locally as Tadmur for 10 months.
This has been reported in bbc.com dated 20 January 2017.

ISIS had been forced out by a Russian-backed government offensive in March 2016, but they regained control when the pro-government forces where focused on battling for the city of Aleppo late last year. Reports of the destruction had initially come out of Palmyra late in December, and subsequently, satellite images have confirmed the destruction.
It seems only two of the tetrapylon's columns remain, and from all appearances, the monument has been intentionally destroyed by the use of explosives. Only one of the structure's columns is original, the others had been rebuilt in 1963.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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

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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.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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

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

A car bomb has killed at least 43 people, most of them civilians, in the rebel-held Syrian town of Azaz on the border with Turkey. Dozens more are wounded in the attack that happened in front of an Islamic courthouse near a market, s indicated by the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Azaz is a major stronghold of the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA).
No agency has claimed responsibility for the latest attack.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 7 January 2017.

The toll was likely to rise in the attack. This was the latest in a string of bombings to hit Azaz that have previously been blamed on ISIS. As SOHR chief has added - identification of the dead was hampered by the fact that some of the bodies were completely burned in the blast.
Till now more than 310,000 people have been killed in Syria ever since the conflict began with anti-government protests in March 2011.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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US estimates that active ISIS fighters in Iraq and Syria have dropped considerably

The US anti-ISIS envoy has indicated that the ISIS ranks had fallen from more than 60,000 to between 12,000 and 15,000 and these are 'battle ready' fighters. This is because nearly three quarter of ISIS fighters have been killed during the campaign of airstrikes against the terror group.
The aerial bombing campaign has conducted 17,000 strikes against ISIS targets.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 15 December 2016.

It seems that the bombing campaign launched against ISIS, which began two years ago, has eliminated more fighters in Iraq and Syria than are remaining on the battlefield. As per US records, the American-led coalition had killed 50,000 ISIS militants since 2014.
In the course of a talk at the White House, the US special envoy to the anti-ISIS coalition, has predicted that the number of ISIS fighters would continue to decline - this is due to the fact that the terror group is no longer in a position to replenish its members.
However, efforts to neutralize ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has not been successful but he will be found and eliminated.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org
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Syrian forces shoot dead 82 Aleppo civilians in their homes

Syrian forces of president Bashar al-Assad have shot dead 82 Aleppo civilians in their homes and the citizens have posted harrowing 'death bulletins' pleading for help from the outside world. The UN has described it as a 'complete meltdown of humanity' in the war-torn city.
Reports indicate that 11 women and 13 children were among those killed in 'on the spot' shootings in the besieged Syrian city while 100 unaccompanied children are believed to be trapped in a building under heavy attack.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 13 December 2016.

Syrian troops were poised to recapture all of Aleppo, the country's war-torn second city and Rights group Amnesty International has described global inaction over the siege as 'shameful'. Thousands of civilians are trapped as rebels make a desperate last stand in their remaining pocket of territory in the former opposition stronghold.
The UN human rights office has received reports of the massacre by forces loyal to president Bashar al-Assad in which at least 82 civilians have been killed as they entered the last remaining strongholds of the rebels in eastern Aleppo.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon has expressed alarm over reports of atrocities against 'a large number of civilians, including women and children' in Aleppo.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org
Use of wild animals banned in 21 circuses in Kolkata

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All is not well in Europe - 1750 ISIS jihadists have returned to carry out attacks

EU has indicated that nearly 1,750 ISIS jihadists have returned to Europe - some of them have orders to carry out terror attacks. It seems 5,000 European fanatics had gone to Syria and Iraq and 15 to 20 per cent of them have been killed on the battlefield.
However, 35 percent have returned and some of them have come with 'specific missions'. Another 50 percent have remained in the battle arena.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 8 December 2016.

Belgium had expressed concerns on this development. There were two types of 'foreign terrorist fighters' returning and one of these is those who will be sent on specific missions.
Some of the European women and children born or raised in the so-called caliphate declared by ISIS in Iraq and Syria could pose a security threat because of radicalization. Some returnees have been convicted and are serving prison sentences and others are being monitored while some are free in their communities.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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Carey Mulligan leaves teddy bears outside gates of 10 Downing Street to protest attacks on Aleppo

Actress Carey Mulligan has left teddy bears outside the gates of Downing Street to protest the persistent, deadly attacks on Aleppo. She is the star of films such as Shame and Drive and, also, an ambassador for the charity War Child She has said that one of her one-year-old daughter's toys was among the teddies.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 22 October 2016.

Hundreds of protesters had gathered in London's Whitehall to call on the Government to do more to end civilian deaths in the Syrian conflict. The teddy bears they brought represented the thousands of children who were trapped in rebel-held eastern areas of the city.
The Syrian government regime has recently stepped up attacks and civilians were being pulled out dead from the rubble after numerous devastating barrel bombings.
Carey Mulligan hoped that the protesters could send a "real message" that governments must act to stop the fighting in Aleppo because these are examples of breaking humanitarian international laws. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has termed the attacks in Syria and eastern Aleppo as "crimes of historic proportions". Many targets are hospitals and schools and the death toll in the civil war stands at more than 300,000.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


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Indications are there that both United States and Russia are preparing for war


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Indications are there that both United States and Russia are preparing for war

If recent indications are anything to go by, it is evident that tensions between the US and Russia have escalated to their worst levels since the Cold War - both sides appear to be preparing for conflict. Moscow has been prepping up its civilians for potential war by instructing them to check on the availability of bomb shelters and gas masks.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 15 October 2016.

These instructions are believed to have been in response to news that CIA is preparing for a possible cyber attack on the Kremlin to embarrass its leadership. In the opinion of defense experts, Russia is not keen on war but is actually throwing its weight around to deter western countries from intervening with its bombing in Syria.
It is understood that Kremlin has taken the help of its state-sponsored television to guide citizens on how to prepare in the event of an attack on Russian soil. Among some important activities for civilians are to familiarize themselves with the nearest bomb shelters and clarifying which government bodies would take command in the breakout of war.
These developments are against the backdrop of the administration of US President Barack Obama preparing for a possible cyber strike on the Kremlin to ensure that Russian hackers are not able to interfere with the Presidential vote in November. It seems the CIA has already begun opening cyber doors, selecting targets and making other preparations for an operation.


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Taiwan struck by Typhoon Megi, third typhoon in two weeks

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Russia recalling its people fearing a global war with the United States

It is understood that Russia is ordering all of its officials to fly home any relatives living abroad amid heightened tensions over the prospect of global war with the United States. Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has also warned that the world is at a 'dangerous point' as a result of rising tensions between the super powers Russia and the US.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 12 October 2016.

It seems politicians and high-ranking officials have received a warning from president Vladimir Putin to bring their loved-ones home to the 'Motherland'. This is after President Putin cancelled a planned visit to France. It is a fallout of a furious row over Moscow's role in the Syrian conflict.
Moreover, it was just days after it was revealed that the Kremlin had moved nuclear-capable missiles near to the Polish border. The Iskander missiles that have been sent to Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave on the Baltic Sea between NATO members Poland and Lithuania, are now within range of major Western cities including Berlin.
The instructions are for all administration staff, regional administrators, lawmakers of all levels and employees of public corporations to take their children out of foreign schools immediately. Those who do not comply could jeopardize their chances of promotion.
It is no secret that relations between Russia and the US are at their lowest since the Cold War and have become worse in recent days after Washington pulled the plug on Syria talks and accused Russia of hacking attacks.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


Some more interesting links -

Taiwan struck by Typhoon Megi, third typhoon in two weeks

Terrorist alarm in Uran was the figment of a 12-year-old schoolgirl's imagination

Tourist season in Kaziranga National Park to start from October 1 instead of November 1


Moody is off mood – Na Buzz had fooled him again (satire)

Didi’s version of ABCD - cycle to work to bypass potholes (satire)

Goddess Durga and her kids wait for the annual bash (satire)


9300 people killed in Russian airstrikes in Syria during last year

MH17 flight shot down by rocket over Ukraine in 2014 was work of pro-Moscow rebels

Shooting in Burlington - gunman on the run after shooting dead four women in a shopping center


Mark Wahlberg talks about movie on Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of Mexico

Adele creates a record - her latest album 25 has gone platinum in the US

Movie memorabilia go under the hammer - Batman's batpod fetches £312,000

Syrian ceasefire breaks down - airstrike in Aleppo claims at least 45 civilian casualties

The Syrian ceasefire has failed and diplomats failed to find a way in New York to revive a U.S. and Russian-brokered ceasefire that has collapsed. The Syrian military, backed by the Russian air force, has indicated that it was starting a new operation against the rebel-held east. This is home to at least 250,000 people and was one of the locations targeted in heavy air strikes.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 23 September 2016.

As informed by rescue workers and activists, fighter jets targeted rebel-held areas in the east of the city in a second day of heavy bombardment soon after the army announced the start of a military operation. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has reported at least 30 air strikes that had targeted different areas of Aleppo.
A five-year-old girl was pulled alive from the wreckage of a collapsed building after an airstrike in Aleppo killed her entire family. The shocking incident was from her family home in Bab al Nairab.
The girl had lost her parents, three sisters and brother - they were among the 30 civilians killed in the raids by Russian warplanes and regime aircraft. In the opinion of locals, the bombing is the beginning of an 'annihilation'.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


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Humanitarian aid reaches Aleppo as ceasefire holds for first full day

As the ceasefire holds for the first day, fresh humanitarian aid is believed to be on its way to the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo. Nearly 20 trucks carrying food, children's clothes and toys crossed into northern Syria from the Turkish border town of Cilvegozu with the death toll of the five-year civil war reaching 300,000.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 13 September 2016.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has revealed that more than 86,000 civilians were among the 301,781 people killed since the start of the conflict in March 2011. This figure is an increase of nearly 9,000 on the last death toll published by the UK-based monitoring group in early August. This would mean 9000 deaths happened last month. The ceasefire will be renewed every 48 hours and, if it holds for a week, the US and Russia are due to begin sharing intelligence too. Hopefully, humanitarian supplies can also be distributed.
While Turkey and Russia had both pledged to deliver aid to Aleppo right away, Moscow has reportedly deployed a "mobile observation post" to monitor the ceasefire on Castello Road. This is the remaining single supply route that leads to the rebel-held portion of the city.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


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2,300 migrants traveling in 17 inflatable boats rescued from the Mediterranean

Refugees from Syria and other Middle Eastern countries keep trying to flee from the violence and atrocities in their homeland and enter Europe for safety and a better life. They try to cross the Mediterranean using various means and, sometimes they succeed, at other times, they are drowned in the attempt.
As per latest reports, nearly 2,300 migrants including many women and very young children have been rescued from the Mediterranean while they were on a perilous crossing to Italy.
This has been reported in thestatesman.com dated 11 September 2016.

The rescue was carried out by a team of a Spanish ship, an Irish naval vessel and several humanitarian boats. The migrants were traveling on 17 inflatable boats and a fishing boat. The rescues comes after a huge wave of migrants who arrived in Italy at the end of August. At that time, more than 14,000 people mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, were brought to safety in the span of five days.
As per records of Italy's interior ministry, about 124,500 migrants have arrived since the start of 2016 - this was slightly lower than the 122,000 recorded last year. Italy continues to extend shelter to growing numbers of would-be refugees because other European countries have tightened their borders.
Italy now has 148,000 asylum-seekers in reception centers as compared to 103,000 in 2015 and 66,000 in 2014.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


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Didi meets Puja organisers and outlines her do's and dont's

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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.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


Some more interesting links -

Didi meets Puja organisers and outlines her do's and dont's

Researchers unearth reasons of why people snore

Population of blackbuck in Bareilly district have fallen by more than 71% in three years


Moody wants Gold medals from Olympics (satire)

Didi to search for the stolen gold medallion (satire)

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

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In spite of several meetings and discussions at different forums, the solution to the situation in Syria keeps eluding the super powers. America and Russia have, yet again, failed to arrive at an agreement on military co-operation and a cessation of hostilities in Syria.
The latest round of talks in Geneva between US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov went on for nine hours and, at the end of the talks, all they agreed upon was that they had "achieved clarity on the path forward", but still have issues to resolve before an agreement could be reached.
They have indicated that teams on both sides would try to finalize details in the coming days.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 27 August 2016.

Both the sides agreed that they were looking for a deal that would work for the people of Syria and make the region more stable and secure. Kerry's counterpart echoed the same sentiments and said that "very important steps" had been made on a deal to stop the violence.
It is now for the technical teams comprising US and Russian military and intelligence experts, to try and figure out how best to separate the opposition groups, backed by the US and Gulf Arab countries, from the jihadis. The future of President Assad is not a part of the current talks. Rather, the focus is on finding an effective and lasting solution to end the violence, which would open negotiations on a political transition in Syria.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


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Suspected chlorine gas attack in Aleppo kill at least four

A suspected chlorine gas attack in Aleppo in Syria has led to at least four deaths. It is believed that the gas was dropped alongside barrel bombs on the Zubdiya neighborhood. This is in the rebel-held part of the city. A manager of the Al Quds hospital has indicated that he had recorded four deaths and 55 injuries and was preserving pieces of patients' clothing and pieces of the bombs as evidence.
The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has confirmed that a woman and her child were among the dead.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 11 August 2016.

A video posted by an opposition news portal showed a child and adults wearing breathing apparatus. Moreover, two of the men reported about the strong smell of gas. They also said about seeing barrel bombs before people began to suffer breathing and eye problems.
It seems both the sides have denied using chemical weapons but United Nations investigators say that sarin gas was used in Eastern Ghouta three years ago. This had killed an estimated 1,429 people, including at least 426 children. Subsequently, in late 2015, mustard gas was used in the conflict. This was confirmed by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
Aleppo is Syria's most populous city before the war and has been the subject of a bitter fight between rebel forces and those under the command of Syrian President Bashar al Assad.


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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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Syrian city of Aleppo falls into hands of rebels and jihadists

Aleppo is the second largest city in Syria and it has been taken over by jihadists and rebels who have captured strategic military positions on the edges of the city thereby turning the tables on Russian-backed regime forces who had been besieging the city.
This has been reported in thehindu.com dated 7 August 2016.

Moreover, Western-backed alliance of Arab and Kurdish fighters have scored a major victory against the Islamic State (IS) group in the town of Manbij after a fierce two-month battle.
The capture of territory south of Aleppo has been done in a bid to cut off regime forces and open up a new route into besieged rebel-held districts. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has said that 'The Army of Conquest... took control of the armament school, where there is a large amount of ammunition, and a large part of the artillery school” at a military academy. The coalition of rebels, Islamists, and jihadists “is about to cut off, by gunfire, the supply route into government-controlled districts ... That road passes through a southwestern suburb of Ramussa and is the last route into Aleppo used by regime troops.'


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