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A10 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 26 auguSt 2017

IS militants push back advancing Syrian troops near Raqqa

By SARAH EL DEEB Syrian army’s offensive in
Associated Press Deir el-Zour. Syrian govern-
BEIRUT (AP) — Islamic State ment forces control around
group militants pushed half the city and a nearby
back government forces air base, both of which are
advancing on one of the besieged by the IS militants.
last towns still in IS hands in Col. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi
the province of Raqqa, kill- of the military’s General
ing over two dozen soldiers Staff said the Russian two-
and seizing vehicles, a Syria year campaign backing
monitoring group and the the Syrian government has
extremists said. allowed President Bashar
The Britain-based Syr- Assad’s forces to quadru-
ian Observatory for Human ple the territory under their
Rights said the early Friday control.
counterattack by IS short- At a news conference in
circuited a government ad- Moscow, he said the area
vance on Maadan, which under Syrian government
brought them within only a control has increased from
few kilometers (miles) in re- 19,000 to 78,000 square ki- This undated image posted online on Thursday, Aug 24, 2017, purports to show Islamic State
cent days. lometers (7,335 to 30,115 fighters firing their weapons during clashes with Syrian troops in south eastern Raqqa, Syria. A Syria
The Russia-backed govern- square miles) since Russia monitoring group says Islamic State militants have successfully pushed back government forces
ment forces have been launched its air campaign advancing on one of the last towns still in IS hands in the province of Raqqa. The Arabic caption
on a multi-pronged offen- in September 2015. Rus- reads: “Parts of the clashes with the Nusayri army (Nusayri is a derogative term for Alawites) in
sive, moving toward the sian pilots have flown more south eastern Raqqa.” (militant photo via AP)
IS-held territories in Deir el- than 28,000 missions since
Zour province in the east the campaign’s launch, he ing the blockade of the city 30 kilometers (19 miles) to troops last month. Maadan
from northern, central and said. will mark the defeat of the the west of Maadan and lies halfway between
southern Syria. Rudskoi said Syrian govern- most capable part of the IS allowed the militants to Raqqa city and Deir el-Zour
On Friday, the Russian mili- ment troops are advancing in Syria,” he said. recapture a number of vil- city, which is divided be-
tary said its air force is now from three directions to en- The IS attack Friday set the lages in the areas they lost tween government- and IS-
focusing on supporting the circle Deir el-Zour. “Break- government back about to advancing government controlled areas.q

10 civilians, including kids, dead in US-backed Somalia raid

By ABDI GULED stormed the farm in Barire are taken from remote ar- tered the farm. “No civilians near Barire, Somalia. We
Associated Press village early Friday, the eas to Mogadishu to draw were harmed or killed in this take any allegations of civil-
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) deputy governor of Lower media attention. operation,” the statement ian casualties seriously, and
— Ten civilians, including Shabelle region, Ali Nur Mo- “These local farmers were said. per standard, we are con-
three children, were killed hamed, told reporters in attacked by foreign troops The U.S. Africa Command ducting an assessment into
in a raid by foreign and Mogadishu. while looking after their confirmed that U.S. forces the situation to determine
Somali forces on a farm in Somalia’s information min- crops,” Mohamed told re- were supporting the Soma- the facts on the ground,”
southern Somalia, a deputy istry said al-Shabab extrem- porters. “The troops could lia National Army while it the U.S. Africa Command
governor said Friday as of- ists were killed instead. have arrested them be- conducted an operation in said in a statement.
ficials displayed victims’ Three children aged 8 to 10 cause they were unarmed the area. It gave no details Al-Shabab, which has be-
bloodied bodies in the and a woman were among but instead shot them one about the operation. The come the deadliest Islamic
capital. The U.S. military the dead, the deputy gov- by one mercilessly.” U.S. military has stepped up extremist group in Africa,
confirmed it supported a ernor said. Their blanket- A statement by Somalia’s efforts this year against the continues to hold vast ar-
Somali operation in the wrapped bodies were laid information ministry said the Somalia-based extremist eas of rural Somalia after
area and said it would look out in a grassy courtyard for raid killed eight al-Shabab group al-Shabab, often in being chased out of major
into the allegations. display. Bodies of civilians, fighters and that the ex- support of Somali forces. cities in recent years by a
The farmers were killed especially those killed in tremists began shooting at “We are aware of the ci- multinational African Union
“one by one” after soldiers misdirected attacks, often Somali forces after they en- vilian casualty allegations force and Somali forces. q