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stall Iraqi forces in
UP FRONTSaturday 2 April 2016 Anbar battling IS
Russia accuses Turkey of arming extremists in Syria SUSANNAH GEORGE
Associated Press
Syrian government soldiers raise their weapons with victory signs as they stand on their military in Iraq and around 20 per- BAGHDAD (AP) — Tens of
truck, in the ancient city of Palmyra, central Syria. Russia is accusing three Turkish foundations of cent of its territory in Syria. thousands of trapped Iraqi
supplying weapons and military equipment to Islamic State extremists in Syria. Churkin’s letter gave de- civilians have stalled the
tails of convoys with military government’s advance
(SANA via AP) equipment and munitions in the battle against the
for IS fighters, and of fund- Islamic State group in the
EDITH M. LEDERER to IS fighters. He said the Turkey, Saudi Arabia and ing allegedly arranged by western Anbar province,
Associated Press transfers are overseen by other regional players have the three foundations. It the spokesman for Iraq’s
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — the country’s National Intel- backed opponents of Syr- said one foundation has elite counterterrorism said
Russia is accusing three ligence Organization and ian President Bashar Assad sent 7,500 vehicles with Friday.
Turkish foundations of sup- are delivered mainly by ve- and are loath to see him various supplies to IS-con- The civilians are trapped
plying weapons and mili- hicles, “including as part of strengthen his grip on pow- trolled territory since 2011. between the Iraqi forces’
tary equipment to Islamic humanitarian convoys.” er. The letter said that among lines and the IS extrem-
State extremists in Syria and There was no immediate The Islamic State group the supplies delivered to IS ists hunkered down in the
says $1.9 million worth of response from Turkey’s U.N. is on the back foot in Iraq were ammunition for TOW center of the town of Hit,
explosives and industrial Mission to telephone and and Syria, where forces on anti-tank missile systems, 85 miles (140 kilometers)
chemicals were smuggled email requests for com- the ground supported by RPG-7 grenade launch- west of Baghdad, the of-
across Turkey’s border to ment. U.S.-led airstrikes have tar- ers and small arms, M-60 ficial told The Associated
extremist groups. Russia’s air campaign geted the extremists. Rus- recoilless rifles, 82mm mor- Press.
Russia’s U.N. Ambassador that began on Sept. 30 sian aircraft are also tar- tar shells, hand grenades, Meanwhile, IS claimed re-
Vitaly Churkin said in a letter has helped close ally Syr- geting IS positions. The U.S.- communication tools and sponsibility for two suicide
to the U.N. Security Council ia make broad advanc- led international coalition equipment from the Turkish car bombings that killed
circulated Friday that Tur- es on the ground in the estimates that the militant intelligence services. 11 security forces late
key is the main supplier of five-year-old war that has group has lost 40 percent The letter also said “smug- Thursday night southeast
weapons and ammunition killed over 250,000 people. of the territory it once held gling explosives and indus- of the city of Mosul, which
trial chemicals to terrorist is controlled by IS.
groups operating in Syria is Early Thursday morning,
also usually organized from Iraqi forces re-launched
Turkish territory” through an offensive on Hit un-
the border crossings. “In der cover of heavy U.S.-
order to pass through the led coalition airstrikes,
border controls unimped- said the counterterrorism
ed, effectively with the chief, Sabah al-Numan.
complicity of the Turkish Over the past week the
authorities, products are coalition launched 17 air-
processed for companies strikes in and around Hit,
that are purportedly regis- according to Pentagon
tered in Jordan and Iraq,” statements.
it said. The town lies along an IS
Churkin said large consign- supply line linking the ex-
ments of explosives are of- tremist group’s fighters in
ten transported by water, Iraq and those in neigh-
especially the Euphrates boring Syria. Iraqi com-
River. manders have said that
The letter listed the total retaking the town would
supplies of explosives and be key to building on their
industrial chemicals sent momentum after retak-
“to terrorists through Turkey ing the Anbar provincial
in 2015. capital of Ramadi ear-
lier this year and linking
Pentagon: up government forces to
the west and the north
Al-Shabab leader killed in Somalia drone strike of Baghdad in prepara-
tion for an eventual push
LOLITA C. BALDOR targeted in the airstrike mas Day 2014 attack at telligence wing. on Mosul. The counterter-
Associated Press Thursday, but the U.S. mili- Mogadishu International In the Christmas 2014 as- rorism forces, which are
WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. tary was still assessing the Airport and a March 2015 sault, gunmen attacked leading the Hit operation,
drone strike in Somalia results, Pentagon spokes- attack at the Maka al-Mu- the African Union’s main reached within 3 kilome-
has targeted a key leader man Peter Cook said in a karramah Hotel. U.S. citizens base, leading to an ex- ters (1.8 miles) of Hit cen-
of the al-Shabab militant statement. Other U.S. of- were among those killed in change of gunfire between ter Thursday before being
group who was involved in ficials, speaking on condi- the attacks, he said. militants and soldiers that forced to stop, al-Numan
two attacks in Mogadishu tion of anonymity because One senior official also said killed at least nine people, said. “The command-
more than a year ago that they weren’t authorized to Dhoore was believed to be including three soldiers. ers are making a plan to
killed more than 30 people, discuss the operation, said involved in plotting more Three months later, gun- evacuate these families,”
including at least three it occurred about 20 miles attacks that would have men from the al-Qaida- al-Numan said, Iraqi forc-
Americans, the Pentagon south of Jilib in southern So- targeted U.S. citizens. linked al-Shabab launched es dropped leaflets over
said Friday. Several U.S. of- malia not far from the Ke- Cook said Dhoore, who an attack in the reception Hit, telling civilians which
ficials said the leader and nyan border. was also a member of area of the hotel in the So- roads they can take to
two others were killed. Cook said Dhoore helped al-Qaida, worked for al- mali capital, killing at least flee safely.
Hassan Ali Dhoore was facilitate a deadly Christ- Shabab’s security and in- 24, including six attackers.
