US officials had said Wednesday that an oily substance found on a fragment of the rocket that landed inside the security perimeter of the base initially tested positive for mustard agent, but that a second test was negative.
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The Pentagon is seeking to send another 500 US troops to Iraq, in addition to the 400 that arrived over the Labor Day weekend, two military officials tell Fox News – a development that comes amid a new wave of attacks.
Almost a month earlier, Brett McGurk, President Barack Obama’s special envoy for the anti-ISIS alliance led by the United States, declared that almost all the pieces had fallen into place earlier than expected for Iraq to make a push to recapture Mosul. With a few minor hiccups like the rise of ISIS.
ISIS losses on the ground in Nineveh Province as a result of bombardment and fire fights have been heavy the last two days.
“The global coalition aircraft this morning bombarded an ISIS gathering at al-Safina village, east of Sharqat district, killing over 160 ISIS militants”.
“It destroyed the boat so it didn’t go attack the bridge”, US Army Col. Christopher Garver, a spokesman for the military coalition against ISIS, told reporters in August. Some number are expected to be military advisors and trainers for Iraqi and Kurdish forces, whiles others could be involved in logistics such as moving supplies and troops around the battlefield, the official said. “It certainly doesn’t stop anything”, Col. John Dorrian, a spokesman for the USA -led military coalition in Baghdad, said. The achievement paves the way for the ultimate military campaign to recapture Mosul.
The Centcom officer, however, stressed that the operation will in no way be rushed for political purposes. “These additional USA forces will bring unique capabilities to the campaign and provide critical enabler support to Iraqi forces at a key moment in the fight”. The government forces opened the Shirqat operation Tuesday.
Ankara claimed the deployment was part of a mission to train and equip Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga forces in the fight against Daesh, but Baghdad denounced the unauthorized move as a violation of Iraq’s sovereignty.
Some optimist battle scenarios envision an insurrection immobilizing ISIS within the city limits.
Abadi called for a unified push towards eradication of terrorism.
Officials are accusing ISIS of having set the fires around Qayara, filling the air with smoke and posing health risks for the troops deployed there.
If ISIS command and control forces continue to degrade, and if the insurrection bubbles up with force in coming weeks, the major portion of the population might be able to shelter in place, as was the case in Shirqat this week.
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Two years after the RAF began military operations against IS – also referred to as Daesh – he said United Kingdom warplanes were stepping up attacks on the militants’ positions ahead of the offensive, striking more than 100 targets in and around the city. “Daesh members are in a state of fear, fearing revenge by residents with the advance of Iraqi troops as well as a potential uprising in Mosul against Daesh rule”, according to Sada.
