World

Jun222017 by adminNo Comments

Inside the fight for IS ‘capital’

Media playback is unsupported on your deviceSo-called Islamic State is defending its Syrian "capital" against a major offensive by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters. The BBC's Gabriel Gatehouse is one of the first reporters to reach the city.This has been a long and brutal road. Driving through the suburbs of Raqqa towards the centre, we pass collapsed buildings, hit by American air strikes, and pockmarked shop fronts, caught between the advance of the SDF and the retreating fighters who call themselves Islamic State (IS). As the SDF push forward, carts emerge, piled high with people and belongings, flying white flags. Some of these families sought refuge in Raqqa from other battles in Syria's long war, only to find themselves now back a...

Jun222017 by adminNo Comments

Report: Canadian army sniper sets record for longest kill shot

World

June 22 (UPI) -- A Canadian special elite forces member may have set a world record by killing a suspected insurgent in Iraq in Iraq with the world's longest kill shot, according to a report.The Globe and Mail reported that a member of Canada's Joint Task Force 2 set the world record for longest sniper shot to kill a human being. The unnamed sniper is said to have killed the suspected insurgent from a length of approximately 11,319 feet. The bullet traveled for 10 seconds before penetrating its target."The shot in question actually disrupted a Daesh [Islamic State] attack on Iraqi security forces," a military source told the paper. "Instead of dropping a bomb that could potentially kill civilians in the area, it is a very precise application of force and because it was so far way, the bad ...

Jun212017 by adminNo Comments

Battle for Mosul: IS 'blows up' al-Nuri mosque

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So-called Islamic State (IS) has blown up the Great Mosque of al-Nuri in Mosul, Iraqi forces say.The historic landmark was where IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed a "caliphate" in 2014.However, IS claims that US aircraft destroyed the mosque, in a statement issued by its news outlet Amaq.The Iraqi commander in charge of the offensive to retake Mosul said troops were within 50m of the mosque when IS "committed another historical crime".Aerial photos appear to show that the mosque complex has been largely destroyed."As our Iraqi Security Force partners closed in on the al-Nuri mosque, [IS] destroyed one of Mosul and Iraq's great treasures," a senior US commander in Iraq said."This is a crime against the people of Mosul and all of Iraq, and is an example of why this brutal organisatio...

Jun212017 by adminNo Comments

South Korean leader says he shares 'common' goal with Trump

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June 20 (UPI) -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in said he and U.S. President Donald Trump have something in common – a goal to completely dismantle North Korea's nuclear program.In an interview with The Washington Post published Tuesday, the South Korean leader emphasized commonalities with Trump, who has called for an end to the era of "strategic patience" and a tougher approach to Pyongyang in the wake of missile provocations.The statement from Moon appeared to be addressing rising concerns in Washington the new South Korean administration could be at odds with the United States on critical issues like THAAD deployment, strategies in dealing with Kim Jong Un or even the future of the U.S.-South Korea alliance.Moon did say given the right conditions, he believes it would be a "good idea

Jun202017 by adminNo Comments

Suspected suicide bomber shot at Brussels railway station

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Media playback is unsupported on your deviceBelgian soldiers have shot a man suspected of being a would-be suicide bomber at Brussels Central Station, officials say.He was shot after reportedly setting off a small explosion and no-one else is believed to have been injured. Prosecutors say they are treating the incident as a terrorist attack.In March 2016, 32 people were killed and at least 300 injured in attacks on Brussels claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group.According to Belgian newspaper La Libre, quoting prosecutors, the man who was shot was wearing a rucksack and a bomb belt.He detonated a device when he attracted the attention of soldiers in the station, the paper says. Several Belgian media outlets quote witnesses as saying the man shouted "Allahu Akbar" ("God is great" in Ara...