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                                                                                         WORLD NEWS Tuesday 16 May 2017


















                  US trumpets Mosul gains, but Iraq says more aid needed



                                         tion,” he said, adding that
                Continued from front
                                         a  similar  list  of  reconstruc-
            With  the  fight  against  IS   tion  projects  was  being
            in  Iraq  about  to  enter  its   drawn  up  for  the  IS-held
            fourth year, more than half   Syrian  city  of  Raqqa  as
            of the territory the extrem-  U.S.-led coalition forces sur-
            ists once held is now under   round  it  ahead  of  a  long-
            government  control,  but    anticipated  operation  to
            with  those  advances  has   retake it.
            come greater demand for      But overall, U.S. fiscal contri-
            reconstruction money.        butions to Iraqi reconstruc-
            The  U.S.  military  footprint   tion  are  unlikely  to  meet
            in  Iraq  has  steadily  grown   the  country’s  needs.  Iraq
            in  the  build-up  to  and   continues  to  struggle  with
            throughout  the  Mosul  op-  an economic crisis and the
            eration,  but  U.S.  funds  for   central  government  has
            humanitarian  relief  and    called on the international
            stabilization remain a frac-  community to provide the
            tion of defense spending in   bulk of the funds.
            the IS fight.                Last year under the Obama
            “We  are  looking  for  more   administration,   McGurk
            support  as  the  west  side   emphasized the need for a
            of  the  city  will  be  liberat-  balance  between  “speed
            ed  soon,”  Maj.  Gen.  Mu-  and  sustainability”  in  the   Iraqi civilians walk through rubble as they flee fighting between Iraqi special forces and Islamic
            hammed  al-Shimary  with     fight against IS.            State militants, in western Mosul, Iraq, Monday, May 15, 2017.
            Nineveh  Operations  Com-    “Before you launch a ma-                                                                  (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)
            mand  told  McGurk  after    jor  operation  you  have  to
            thanking  him  for  U.S.  assis-  have  in  place  who  is  go-  office  Trump  has  handed  tion,”  Tillerson  said  dur-  costs averaging $13 million
            tance in the fight so far.   ing to hold the city, who is   greater  decision  making  ing  a  meeting  of  foreign  since  the  operation  was
            McGurk  said  the  water     going  to  govern  the  city,”   power   regarding   troop  ministers  in  Washington  in  launched in 2014.
            treatment  plant  that  now   he told the Senate foreign   levels in Syria, Iraq and Af-  March.  Instead,  he  said  Over  the  course  of  the
            provides  water  to  more    relations committee during   ghanistan to the Pentagon.   the U.S. would equip “war  same  time  period,  U.S.
            than  100,000  people  in    testimony in June 2016.      Additionally,  Secretary  of  torn  communities  to  take  contributions to humanitar-
            Nineveh  is  “symbolic  of   However,  U.S.  President    State Rex Tillerson has em-  the lead in rebuilding their  ian assistance in Iraq have
            this entire effort that we’ve   Donald Trump has pledged   phasized  the  limited  role  institutions and returning to  been  a  fraction  of  that:
            embarked upon to defeat      to  accelerate  the  military   the  U.S.  will  play  in  recon-  stability.”        $1.3  billion  with  just  $350
            Daesh.”                      fight  against  IS.  While  the   struction in Iraq and Syria.  As  of  March  31,  the  Pen-  million  going  to  stabiliza-
            “Here in Nineveh we have     White  House  is  yet  to  re-  “As a coalition we are not  tagon  has  spent  $12.5  bil-  tion projects like the water
            hundreds  of  projects  like   lease  an  official  overhaul   in  the  business  of  nation-  lion  on  the  fight  against  IS  treatment  plant  south  of
            this  funded  by  our  coali-  of the IS fight, since taking   building   or   reconstruc-  in Iraq and Syria with daily  Mosul.q

                      Syrian activists: Airstrikes on IS-held areas kill dozens



            By PHILIP ISSA               regained  full  control  of  a  and  the  opposition  in  Ge-  from the talks and that they  The coalition, in an emailed
            JAMEY KEATEN                 northeastern     neighbor-   neva are serious, after Pres-  were “merely a meeting for  response to The Associated
            Associated Press             hood  of  Damascus,  bring-  ident Bashar Assad said last  the media.”                 Press,  said  it  did  not  con-
            BEIRUT  (AP)  —  Air  raids  on  ing  all  parts  of  the  capital  week that they were just for  The  delegations  aren’t  ex-  duct  airstrikes  on  Bouka-
            an  Islamic  State-held  vil-  under  the  control  of  Presi-  show.  Staffan  de  Mistura  pected  to  meet  face-to-  mal on Monday. It added,
            lage and town in Syria have  dent Bashar Assad’s forces  assured  reporters  that  the  face,  and  de  Mistura  has  however,  that  the  coali-
            killed  at  least  32  civilians  for the first time since 2012.  government delegation at-  called  for  reduced  media  tion had conducted strikes
            over the past two days, ac-  The  announcement  fol-      tending the talks is “here to  involvement  to  foster  a  near  the  western  edge  of
            tivists  said  Monday,  under-  lowed  a  two-day  evacu-  work.”  The talks are sched-  more  “businesslike”  atmo-  Akayrshi  and  would  assess
            scoring the risk for hundreds  ation  of  hundreds  of  reb-  uled to begin Tuesday and  sphere. It was not immedi-  the  reports.  The  coalition
            of  thousands  of  residents  els  and  civilians  from  the  last around four days.   ately clear who was behind  has  come  under  increas-
            trapped  in  areas  under  neighborhood  of  Qaboun  The  envoy  declined  to  the strikes on the village of  ing  scrutiny  by  monitor-
            the militant group’s control  that  was  completed  Mon-  comment  on  Assad’s  re-    Akayrshi  on  Sunday  and  ing  groups  regarding  civil-
            ahead of the looming bat-    day.  The  U.N.  envoy  for  marks, aired by Belarus ONT  the  town  of  Boukamal  on  ian  casualties  in  the  fight
            tle for Raqqa.               Syria  insisted  that  the  lat-  television  on  Thursday.  The  the Syrian-Iraqi border Mon-  against  the  Islamic  State
            The  Syrian  military,  mean-  est  round  of  peace  talks  Syrian leader said “nothing  day,  and  activists  blamed  group in both Iraq and Syr-
            while,  announced  it  had  between  the  government  substantial”  would  come  the U.S.-led coalition.            ia. q
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