International coalition air force airstrike at southwest of Kirkuk killed 20 ISIS members, the source said. “The international coalition air force bombarded, at noon today, headquarters of the Islamic State in the areas of Taza and al-Rashad (35 km southwest of Kirkuk), killing 20 fighters of the group.” The airstrikes coalition collaborated with Iraqi Intelligence authorities.
Nangarhar province presence of recent air-raids on ISIS fighters’ stances. The raids were led during the past 24 hours in some parts of the province in which 19 ISIS fighters were killed. Attahullah Khoghyani Nagarhar governor spokesman, confirming the incident said BNA that the ISIS fighters were busy in organizing a series of terrorist attacks in their hideouts targeted and killed in Rodat and Kot districts of Nangarhar province. According to another report, Afghan security forces prevented a series of explosions in Nangarhar province with cooperation of local residents. According to the report, the mines were planted by Taliban and ISIS fighters in 6 highways of eastern province discovered and defused by Afghan security forces.
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, Coalition forces in Iraq and Syria began to reclaim the territories controlled by ISIS. Mosul, a city that becomes ISIS defense center, is now overpowered by Iraqi forces. Previously, city of Dabiq, one of ISIS important city was seized by Syrian liberation forces supported by the Turkish military. Aleppo, ISIS defense city in Syria, has also been seized by Syrian troops. The seizure of Mosul, Aleppo, Dabiq and other areas is a sign of ISIS defeat.
People affiliated with ISIS shot down three people that had no connection with security forces. It happened in Darzab district of Jawzjan province. Abdul Hafiz Khashi security in-charge of Jawzjan told BNA that ISIS militants attacked on local police forces security posts faced with security forces resistance and fled but the 3 people killed were just civilians. ISIS militants carried their dead bodies with them, and it’s not clear why they didn’t handed over their bodies to their families.
The Iraqi High Commission for Human Rights pleaded the government on Friday to liberate the Eastern Mosul district of Muthanna from ISIS where the residents suffer from militants abuses and livelihood constraints. It’s necessary a strategy to secure a safe exit for families there, according to the commission. IS obliged the residents of 200 homes to evacuate them after plundering their possessions. The commission added that indiscriminate shooting continues on the district for a second week, reaching almost every single house. “Muthanna is an afflicted neighborhood, with no water, no electricity, no fuel, no food and no shops opening.” The situation which, it warned, could degenerate with those families used as human shields.
President-elect Donald Trump has been “shocked” by the terrorist events that have bloodied last Monday, he said he wanted to wipe out the ISIS, for this reason will meet in Washington with Michael Flynn, security adviser of the White House, John Kelly , nominated Secretary of the Department of Homeland security, James Mattis, nominated Secretary of Defense, and Rex Tillerson, the Secretary of Statenominated. Trump from Palm Beach is planning the meeting and is in constant contact with his Vice Mike Pence. He is in his mansion in Florida where he is meeting with some possible members of his administration, in fact, the President-elect was still facing various appointments most notably that of the Secretary for Veterans Affairs.
Iraqi security forces continue advancing towards the eastern side of Mosul.
Captain Iyad Ziad said in a press statement, “Security forces continued advancing towards the eastern side of Mosul, and stormed into al-Mazare’ area, as well as killing and wounding members of the Islamic State in the first hours of the storming operation.” The forces have killed 14 members of ISIS, including 4 suicide bombers.
Iraq has signed on Sunday for an European Union grant of 86 million euros (US$91 million) to be spent on rehabilitating areas liberated from ISIS. The grant is designed for supporting stability at the liberated areas, according to the spokesperson, who added that the amount will be disbursed over a number of years, which he did not enumerate. Abdul-Zahra al-Hindawi, a spokesperson of the Planning Ministry, said in a press statement that Minister Salman al-Jameeli signed in Baghdad the grant with EU Ambassador to Iraq, Patrick Simonnet. Iraq’s war against Islamic State militants since 2014 cost 35 billion dollars, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said in statements on Saturday. The war has given several damages to infrastructures and services at several cities occupied by the extremist group.
Thirteen ISIS militants were killed on Wednesday when US-led international coalition fighter jets carried out two airstrikes in eastern Mosul, a security source said to the National Iraqi News Agency (NINA).
This deaths included foreign senior members. The Federal Police forces are, meanwhile, advancing at the districts of Wahda, Mithaq and Sabaawi in southeast of the eastern side of the city.Iraqi security forces hope to reach the eastern shore of Tigris River as soon as possible so as to proceed to the western section.
There are only six districts left to announce the full Iraqi security control in the eastern section of Mosul has said the army’s Counter Terrorism Service, 50 ISIS militants were killed in operations in the past few days. CTS commander Abdul Wahab al-Saedi has said that his forces had so far retaken 32 districts from ISIS since the start of operations into the city last October, adding that troops were advancing in three other neighborhoods. “Our forces have managed to liberate significant and critical parts of the eastern shore of Mosul, and there are only six districts left before announcing the eastern section fully free from ISIS.” The troops are now less than two kilometers from the eastern side of the Tigris River and the US-led air forces continue to bomb the extremist group’s remaining locations in the east. “Operation ‘We Are Coming, Nineveh’ will soon see the opening of new fronts as part of new strategies prepared by the Joint Operations Command. They will paralyze ISIS’ most vital weapon in Mosul: civilians held as human shields,” Saedi stated.