Dislodging ISIS from Mosul a – significant strategic gain’: US

Washington, Oct 18: As Iraqi forces move forward in their campaign to liberate Mosul city from the ISIS, the US has said dislodging the terror group from its self-declared capital would be a "significant strategic gain". "I think the President would be the first to acknowledge that this is a significant test, given the population size of Mosul, given the large geographic area that it encompasses," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters yesterday.

10 Things to Know for Tuesday

A peshmerga convoy drives towards a frontline in Khazer, about 30 kilometers east of Mosul, Iraq, Monday, Oct. 17, 2016. Iraqi government and Kurdish forces, backed by U.S.-led coalition air and ground support, launched coordinated military operations early on Monday as the long-awaited fight to wrest the northern city of Mosul from Islamic State fighters got underway.

Crown Princess Mary pulls Princess Isabella and Prince Christian in for a cuddle

Meet the vigilantes who are the 'human wall' of border control: Armed group of former police and military officers take the law into their own hands to keep Mexican migrants out of the US Moment a black man is arrested by a white plain clothes officer for WALKING in the street - after he was left with no other option because the sidewalk was under construction 'He called me a n****r and choked me': Azealia Banks claims Russell Crowe assaulted her in his hotel room... but 'eyewitnesses say she was aggressor' Two men are arrested in 'underground restaurant' shootout that left three dead and 12 hurt at an LA birthday party Conspiracy theorist, 39, is found dead on a sofa in Poland just days after texting his mother to say: 'If anything happens to me, investigate' 'It's victory time': Iraqi troops launch attack to retake Mosul in biggest military operation in the region since the 2003 US ... (more)

These 7 Countries Use Child Soldiers, But Obama Will Still Give Them Money

President Barack Obama issued waivers to seven countries that employ child soldiers, issuing them millions of dollars in military assistance. Obama must issue waivers to get around the 2008 Child Soldiers Prevention Act, which prohibits U.S. military assistance to countries which use child soldiers on the battlefield.

The US helped clinch an oil deal for Iraqi Kurds to keep the Mosul battle on track

The oil revenue-sharing deal sealed in August was critical to getting the central and regional governments to coordinate planning for a push on the Islamic State stronghold Mosul, which Kurdish peshmerga forces surround on three sides, as soon as this month, the sources said. Brett McGurk shuttled from Iraqi Kurdistan capital Erbil to Baghdad and back again from the first half of April, culminating in a June 19 meeting in Erbil with Kurdistan Regional Government leader Massoud Barzani and Iraqi National Security Advisor Falah Fayad.

US to boost military presence in Iraq for Mosul battle

Members of the Badr Organisation undergo training before the upcoming battle to recapture Mosul in Diyala province, Iraq, on September 27, 2016. Photo - Reuters Members of the Badr Organisation undergo training before the upcoming battle to recapture Mosul in Diyala province, Iraq, on September 27, 2016.

Obama, Iraqi leader to strategize on fight to reclaim Mosul

President Barack Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi will strategize about the upcoming offensive to take back the northern city of Mosul when they meet on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. Increasingly, and not without irony, Iraq has become the bright spot in Obama's campaign against the Islamic State group, though profound challenges remain.

Trump defends tweet on military sexual assault

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton addressed questions Wednesday on issues from the Iraq War and veterans' health to Clinton's email use and Trump's statements about Vladimir Putin and sexual assault in the military, during an NBC forum. One audience member asked Trump: "As president, what specifically would you do to support all victims of sexual assault in the military?" "And the best thing we can do is set up a court system in the military.

Turkey: IS has lost all territory along Syria-Turkey border

Turkish troops and allied Syrian rebels expelled the Islamic State group from the last strip of territory it controlled along the Syrian-Turkish border on Sunday, effectively sealing the extremists' self-styled caliphate off from the outside world, Turkey's prime minister and a Syrian opposition group reported. Also on Sunday, Syrian pro-government forces backed by airstrikes launched a wide offensive in the northern city of Aleppo, capturing areas they lost last month and besieging rebel-held neighborhoods, state media and opposition activists said.

Christians Are Under Attack By Radical Muslims Around The World -…

The mother of Samuel Alham, one of 27 Egyptian Coptic Christian workers kidnapped in the Libyan city of Sirte, mourns in front of the family's house in Al-Our village, in Minya governorate, south of Cairo, January 21, 2015. REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih While most Americans may not be mindful of the day-to-day persecution of Christians by the Islamic State, the founder of ISIS, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, specifically targets Christians for execution, rape and crucifixion, promising to march to Rome "breaking the crosses" of Christians.

GOP says U.S. command manipulated IS intel reports

Intelligence assessments approved by senior leaders at U.S. Central Command exaggerated the progress of anti-terrorism efforts they ran against Islamic State militants, a House Republican task force said in an initial report released Thursday. The report detailed what the task force described as "persistent problems" in 2014 and 2015 with the command's analysis of U.S. efforts to train Iraqi forces and combat the extremist group in Iraq and Syria.