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WORLD NEWS Thursday 19 OcTOber 2017
Al-Qaida set to Iraq’s Kurdish region postpones elections
gain as IS group
disintegrates BAGHDAD (AP) — Kurdish eastern Iraq. date. ernment, which has since
media says Iraqi Kurdish The news agency Kurdistan Kurdish regional president seized control over the city
By BASSEM MROUE officials have postponed 24 says the Kurdish region’s Masoud Barzani and his of Kirkuk and other disput-
QASSIM ZAHRA elections for parliament elections commission de- Kurdistan Democratic Party ed areas long coveted by
BEIRUT (AP) — Over several and president of the auton- cided Wednesday to post- are in a delicate position the Kurds.
nights in September, some omous region in the wake pone the elections origi- after spearheading last The elections commission
10,000 men, women and of the withdrawal of Kurd- nally slated for November month’s independence also said there were not
children fled areas under ish forces from disputed re- 1. It said the regional par- referendum. The vote an- enough candidates to pro-
Islamic State control, hurry- gions across northern and liament would pick a new gered Iraq’s central gov- ceed with the polls.q
ing through fields in north-
ern Syria and risking fire Syria:
from government troops to
reach a province held by US-backed forces clear Raqqa after driving out IS
an al-Qaida-linked group.
For an untold number of caliphate steadily shrink
battle-hardened jihadis since summer. IS took over
fleeing with the civilians, Raqqa, located on the Eu-
the escape to Idlib prov- phrates River, in 2014 and
ince marked a homecom- transformed it into the epi-
ing of sorts, an opportunity center of its brutal rule.
to continue waging war The group still holds terri-
alongside an extremist tory to the south of Raqqa
group that shares much of and in Deir el-Zour, as well
the Islamic State’s ideol- as smaller pockets else-
ogy — and has benefited where in Syria and Iraq.On
from its prolonged down- Wednesday, fierce clashes
fall.While the U.S.-led coali- were reported between
tion and Russian-backed the SDF and IS militants in
Syrian troops have been the group’s last strip of land
focused on driving IS from in Hassakeh province, to
the country’s east, an al- the east of Raqqa. The Syr-
Qaida-linked insurgent ian Observatory for Human
coalition known as the Le- Rights also reported intense
vant Liberation Committee clashes between forces
has consolidated its con- allied with the Syrian gov-
trol over Idlib, and may be ernment and IS militants.A
looking to return to Osama media outlet affiliated with
bin Laden’s strategy of at- A members of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) checks a would-be car bomb the Syrian military said a se-
at the stadium that was the site of Islamic State fighters’ last stand in the city of Raqqa, Syria,
tacking the West. Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2017. SDF were removing land mines and clearing roads in the northern city nior commander who led
Syrian activists with con- a day after commanders said they had driven the Islamic State group from its de facto capital. the fight against IS in Deir
tacts in the area say mem- (AP Photo/Asmaa Waguih) el-Zour was killed Wednes-
bers of the Levant Libera- By SARAH EL DEEB control as clearing opera- Spokeswoman Sarah Huck- day in operations against
tion Committee vouched Associated Press tions continue. abee Sanders blamed the the group.
for fleeing IS fighters they BEIRUT (AP) — U.S.-backed The coalition stressed that Syrian government for hin- The Central Military Media
had known before the two Syrian forces were remov- the SDF has been success- dering previous efforts to described Brig. Gen. Issam
groups split four years ago ing land mines and clearing ful in holding onto cap- free Raqqa. Zahreddine, 56, as one of
and allowed them to join, roads in the northern city tured territory because of Aid and charity organiza- the most important field
while others were sent to of Raqqa on Wednesday, its thorough clearing pro- tions have warned of the commanders in the Syrian
jail. The activists spoke on a day after commanders cedures, which prevent high cost borne by civilians. army, saying he was instru-
condition of anonymity said they had driven the counterattacks. In the neighboring Deir el- mental in breaking a near-
because they still visit the Islamic State group from its Brett McGurk, the top U.S. Zour province, where the ly three-year IS siege on
area and fear reprisals from de facto capital. envoy for the coalition, said SDF and Russian-backed the city of Deir el-Zour ear-
the jihadis.IS has lost nearly Mustafa Bali, spokesman he was in northern Syria to Syrian troops are waging lier this year. The Lebanese
all the territory it once con- for the Kurdish-led Syrian prepare for the defeat of separate offensives against Al-Manar TV, which is close
trolled in Syria and Iraq, Democratic Forces, said the militants. He said the the militants, nearly half to the Syrian government,
including the northern preparations were under- United States will help in a million civilians remain said a land mine killed him.
Iraqi city of Mosul — the way for a formal declara- clearing explosives as well trapped by the fighting, Zahreddine maintained a
largest it ever held — and tion of the city’s liberation. as restoring services in the the International Rescue government presence in
the northern Syrian city of The SDF said Tuesday that city. Committee said late Tues- Deir el-Zour despite the pro-
Raqqa, which once served military operations in Raqqa McGurk posted a photo- day. longed siege on his forces.
as its de facto capital. Tens have ended and that their graph Wednesday of sur- The U.N. refugee agen- The siege was breached
of thousands of its fighters troops have taken full con- rendering IS militants, say- cy said that in the last in September in a Russian-
have been killed on the trol of the city. The U.S.-led ing: “Once purported as few days, around 40,000 backed offensive, and the
battlefield, but an untold coalition cautioned that fierce, now pathetic and Raqqa residents arrived in government and allied
number have escaped. As the clearing operations a lost cause.” He said IS already overcrowded dis- troops have since retaken
it gradually disintegrates, would continue, saying lost nearly 6,000 militants in placement camps in the most of the city.
theological splits have also some 100 militants may still Raqqa before surrendering province, warning of the Zahreddine also led gov-
emerged within the orga- be hiding in the city. in large numbers. danger of land mines and ernment offensives against
nization, including the rise On Wednesday, the The White House says the unexploded ordnance. armed opposition in the
of a faction that blames its spokesman for the co- imminent liberation of the The fall of Raqqa marks a central Homs province and
leader, Abu Bakr al-Bagh- alition, Col. Ryan Dillon, Islamic State stronghold major defeat for the ex- near the capital, Damas-
dadi, for the setbacks. tweeted that 95 percent of Raqqa will open a new tremist group, which has cus, in the earlier days of
Continued on Page 27 of the city is now under full phase in the Syrian conflict. seen its self-styled Islamic the Syrian conflict.