Palmyra’s ancient temple of Baalshamin has been destroyed by ISIS militants, Syrian officials and activists say.
Syria’s head of antiquities was quoted as saying the temple was blown up on August 23.
The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that it happened one month ago.
The Islamic State took control of Palmyra in May, sparking fears the group might demolish the UNESCO World Heritage site.
The group has destroyed several ancient sites in Iraq.
ISIS “placed a large quantity of explosives in the temple of Baalshamin today and then blew it up causing much damage to the temple,” Syrian antiquities chief Maamoun Abdulkarim told AFP news agency.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, residents who had fled from Palmyra also said ISIS had planted explosives at the temple, although they had done it about one month ago.
Last month, ISIS published photos of militants destroying what it said were artifacts looted at Palmyra.
Last week, it emerged that the 81-year-old archaeologist who had looked after Palmyra’s ruins for four decades had been beheaded by ISIS.
Hilary Clinton has hit back at her Republican rival Jeb Bush over who is responsible for instability in Iraq and the rise of the Islamic State (ISIS).
On August 11, Republican presidential hopeful Jeb Bush accused the Obama administration of a “premature withdrawal” of US forces from Iraq in 2011, with “grievous” costs.
Hillary Clinton replied by saying it was Jeb Bush’s brother, George W. Bush, who, as president, negotiated a US withdrawal.
The US-led war in 2003 has been followed by years of turmoil.
Photo AP
Jeb Bush called the withdrawal of US forces in 2011 a “fatal error”, destabilizing the nation and setting the stage for the rise of the Islamic State.
“So eager to be the history-makers, they failed to be the peacemakers,” Jeb Bush said of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, who was Obama’s secretary of state from 2009 to 2013.
“Rushing away from danger can be every bit as unwise as rushing into danger,” he told a rally in California.
On the campaign trail in Iowa on August 15, Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton responded by saying Jeb Bush “should present the entire picture. [That]… includes the agreement George W. Bush made with the Maliki government in Iraq that set the end of 2011 as the date to withdraw American troops”.
“I can only wonder whether he either did not know that or thought that other people would not be reminded of that,” Hillary Clinton went on.
Earlier in the campaign Jeb Bush was ridiculed for struggling to say whether he would have approved the Iraq invasion “knowing what we know now”.
At first, he said he would, then he said he wouldn’t engage in “hypotheticals” and finally he announced he would not have.
Hillary Clinton herself voted in favor of the invasion in Iraq in 2002, and has since both defended the decision and acknowledged she “got it wrong”.
American volunteer Kayla Mueller who was killed in February while held hostage by Islamic State (ISIS) militants in Syria, was abused by the group’s top leader, officials tell ABC News.
Kayla Mueller, 26, from Prescott, Arizona, was repeatedly raped by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, they said.
She travelled to the Turkey-Syria border in 2012 to work with refugees.
Counterterrorism officials made the Food for Life volunteer’s family aware of the abuse in June.
Kayla Mueller was abducted while working in Aleppo, Syria, in 2013. ISIS said she was killed in a Jordanian air strike, but the US blames ISIS for her death.
“We were told Kayla was tortured, that she was the property of Baghdadi. We were told that in June by the government,” Kayla’s parents, Carl and Marsha, told ABC News.
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi personally took the American aid worker to the home of another senior ISIS member – Abu Sayyaf – who was in charge of ISIS oil and gas until his death in a US special forces operation in May, says ABC News, citing US officials.
The channel said Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi regularly visited the compound where Kayla Mueller was being held and repeatedly assaulted her.
Officials said they had obtained information about the abuse from at least two teenage Yazidi girls who were held hostage as s** slaves and found inside the Sayyaf compound at the time of the US attack.
Kayla Mueller was reportedly held for some time by Abu Sayyaf and his wife, Umm Sayyaf, who was also captured by US special forces in May.
At the time, the Pentagon said Umm Sayyaf was suspected of being an ISIS member and of being complicit in the enslavement of a young Yazidi woman who was rescued in the raid.
Hundreds of young women and girls – many of them Yazidis captured in northern Iraq – are believed to be held as slaves by ISIS militants in areas under their control.
The Yazidi girls provided intelligence used by the US to interrogate Abu Sayyaf’s wife, who “spilled everything” about several ISIS leaders and their whereabouts, a counterterrorism official told ABC.
Umm Sayyaf was handed over to the Kurdish authorities in northern Iraq last week to face trial.
The information that has come to light appears to contradict speculation that Kayla Mueller was treated well in captivity, as a letter written in 2014 and smuggled out to her family implied.
In that letter, Kayla Mueller tried to reassure her family, saying that she had been treated with “utmost respect + kindness”.
At least five people have been killed in three separate attacks in Turkey’s south-east and Istanbul.
Four police officers were killed by a bomb on a road in Sirnak province and shortly after, gunmen opened fire on a military helicopter, killing a soldier.
Tension between the Turkish government and Kurdish militants has been rising.
One of the Istanbul attacks, on the US consulate, was carried out by two women and linked to a far-left group.
One of the female assailants in Monday’s attack was wounded and detained, and a rifle and other weaponry were seized, Istanbul’s governor said in a statement.
Photo AFP
She is said to be a member of a radical Marxist group, the Revolutionary People’s Liberation Front (DHKP-C).
The DHKP-C previously claimed a 2013 suicide attack on the US embassy in the capital, Ankara.
The US consulate said in a tweet that it was closed until further notice.
In the other attack in Istanbul, on a police station in the district of Sultanbeyli, a car bomb was detonated, injuring 10 people, including three police officers.
Two suspected militants were killed in ensuing clashes with police and an injured police officer died later in hospital, reports say.
Following the attack on the military helicopter in Sirnak province, Turkish helicopters bombed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) targets in retaliation.
A ceasefire in the long-running conflict with the group appeared to disintegrate in July, when Turkey began bombing PKK camps in northern Iraq, at the same time as launching air strikes on IS militants.
PKK leader Cemil Bayik has accused Turkey of trying to protect ISIS by attacking Kurdish fighters.
Kurdish fighters – among them the PKK – have secured significant victories against ISIS militants in Syria and Iraq.
Turkey, like a number of Western countries, considers the PKK a terrorist organization.
A PKK suicide attack has killed two Turkish security troops and wounded other 24 near the town of Dogubayazit in Agri province, close to Turkey’s border with Iran, the regional governor’s office says.
A tractor laden with explosives was driven at a military police station, reports by Turkish media say.
Since July 24, Turkey has carried out hundreds of air raids on PKK bases on both sides of the Iraq-Turkey border.
The Turkish state news agency, Anadolu, said that the attack happened at around 03:00 local time.
It said that the tractor was carrying two tons of explosives that were detonated by a suicide bomber.
Images in the Turkish press showed a badly-damaged building with the roof destroyed.
The regional governor did not say how the PKK had been identified as the group behind the blast. The PKK has not commented.
AFP said it would be the first time the Kurdish militants were accused of deploying a suicide bomber during recent clashes.
Turkey’s official news agency says about 260 Kurdish fighters have been killed in strikes in northern Iraq and Turkey since July 24. It has also targeted positions held by the Islamic State group, known as ISIS.
Further Turkish air raids were reported early on Saturday, this time in the Rawanduz area east of Erbil, capital of Iraq’s Kurdish region.
At least six people were killed and several more wounded in the town of Zarkel, local officials said. They reportedly included at least two women.
Turkey considers both the PKK and ISIS terrorist organizations.
The PKK was established in 1978 and called for an independent state within Turkey – a country that now has 15 million Kurds.
In 1984, the PKK began an armed struggle.
Since then, more than 40,000 people have been killed and hundreds of thousands displaced, but in 2012, the government and PKK began peace talks and the following year a ceasefire was agreed.
Two soldiers have been killed and four others injured in a car bomb attack on a military convoy in south-eastern Turkey, Turkish officials say.
The explosion late on July 25 happened in the town of Lice in Diyarbakir, the province governor’s office said.
The attack came after Turkey bombed Kurdish separatist camps in northern Iraq – the first such strikes since a peace process began in 2012.
No group has claimed responsibility for the latest attack.
The Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) threatened to break off a two-year ceasefire following Saturday’s raids.
There has been a wave of unrest after a suicide bomb in Suruc, blamed on so-called ISIS killed 32 people – mainly university students planning to carry out aid work in Kobane, Syria.
It has included protests and confrontations with police in Ankara and Istanbul.
The PKK’s military wing killed two Turkish police officers on July 22, claiming they had collaborated with ISIS in the bombing in Suruc.
The US has called on both sides to avoid violence, but stressed that Turkey has the right to defend itself against attacks by Kurdish rebels.
The Turkish government has failed to stop ISIS, seeing the group as a useful tool against its Kurdish enemy, the PKK.
Sporadic attacks including one on a police station in Istanbul have raised the specter of a return to conflict between the Turkish state and Kurdish separatists that blighted the country for 30 years and killed 40,000 people.
Turkey’s military has attacked ISIS positions in Syria and Kurdish PKK militants in northern Iraq to defend the country’s security, Turkish PM Ahmet Davutoglu announces.
Ahmet Davutoglu added that 590 suspected ISIS and PKK members had been arrested.
It follows a week which saw a bomb attack blamed on ISIS kill 32 people in the Turkish town of Suruc.
Subsequent clashes with ISIS militants on the Turkey-Syria border led to the death of a Turkish soldier.
The PKK’s military wing said it had killed two Turkish police officers on July 22, claiming they had collaborated with ISIS in the bombing in Suruc, which targeted left-wing activists.
A government statement on July 25 said the air force had hit PKK shelters, bunkers, storage facilities and other “logistic points” in northern Iraq, including the Qandil mountains where the PKK’s high command is based.
It did not give details of what the jets had targeted in their attacks on ISIS in Syria.
Turkey’s military had also shelled Islamic State and PKK positions from across the Turkish border, the statement said.
Speaking to reporters on July 25, PM Ahmet Davutoglu said: “Unfortunately Turkey is surrounded by a ring of fire.
“In such an atmosphere, Turkey tries to keep her democracy and development alive… these operations have carried a message to the countries in the region and to international circles: whatever happens in Syria and Iraq, in our border regions, we will not allow them to threaten Turkey’s security and will not hesitate to take necessary measures.”
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said areas of northern Syria cleared of ISIS fighters would become natural “safe zones”.
Turkey has also said it will let the US use a key airbase to attack ISIS targets.
The group has been fighting Turkey for an autonomous homeland for the Kurds for decades.
In a statement on its website quoted by Reuters news agency, the PKK said: “The truce has no meaning any more after these intense air strikes by the occupant Turkish army.”
The Turkish government has faced criticism at home and abroad for not doing enough against ISIS, despite being part of the international coalition fighting it.
The first round of anti-ISIS air strikes on July 24 marked the first time Turkey had confirmed air strikes against targets in Syria since ISIS began its advance through Iraq and Syria in 2013.
The agreement to let the US use the Incirlik airbase, following months of negotiations, was made in a phone call between President Barack Obama and his Turkish counterpart, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan – but has yet to be approved by the Turkish cabinet.
The Turkish government could allow the US to step up air strikes against ISIS, as it is closer to northern Syria and Iraq than the Gulf, which currently serves as a launch-pad for bombing missions.
A Turkish soldier has been killed as Turkey’s military and ISIS fighters have exchanged fire over the Syrian-Turkish border.
The governor of Kilis province said another two soldiers were injured when a border post was attacked from Syria.
Turkey responded with heavy weapons, reportedly killing one ISIS militant.
It is the latest violence to hit Kurdish-dominated south-east Turkey, three days after 32 people were killed by a bomber linked to ISIS in Suruc.
Also on July 23, a Turkish traffic policeman was shot dead in the city of Diyarbakir. The officer and a colleague were attacked while attending a collision.
The second officer was badly injured. No group has yet said that it was behind the shooting of the officers.
“Unfortunately, one of our non-commissioned officers has been martyred and two sergeants injured,” Kilis Governor Suleyman Tapsiz told Turkey’s Anadolu news agency.
Suleyman Tapsiz added that the two wounded soldiers were in a stable condition.
In response, Turkish tanks opened fire on ISIS-controlled targets inside Syria, Turkish media report.
The two attacks on July 23 have added to the bloodshed in the area of Turkey nearest to ISIS-held territory.
On July 20, a suicide blast killed 32 people in the mainly Kurdish town of Suruc, near the Syrian border.
On July 22, two other policemen were shot dead in their home in Celanpinar, 100 miles from Suruc.
The military wing of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) said it was behind that attack.
They said it was revenge for the killings in Suruc, and said the men had collaborated with ISIS fighters.
On July 23, Turkish security forces arrested three people for killing the two men in Celanpinar, Anadolu said.
A 20-year-old Turkish student has been identified as the suicide bomber who killed the 32 youth activists in Suruc.
The attacker, named by local media as Seyh Abdurrahman Alagoz, was an ethnic Kurd from Turkey’s south-eastern province of Adiyaman and reportedly had links to ISIS militants.
Seyh Abdurrahman Alagoz’s mother told the newspaper Radikal that her son was a former student at Adiyaman university who had gone “abroad” six months ago with his brother.
“I don’t know what they were doing abroad, they never said. They were just telling me they were fine,” Semure Alagoz said.
A senior Turkish official told Reuters that he believed the bomber, who he did not name, had travelled to Syria last year with the help of a group linked to ISIS militants.
Many in Turkey feel the government has not done enough to support the Kurds in their fight to combat the threat of ISIS fighters across the border in Syria – something denied by Ankara.
On July 23, one ISIS fighter alleged to have crossed from Syria into Turkey was shot dead by the youth wing of the PKK in Istanbul.
The group said the man had travelled from Kobane to Istanbul for treatment seven months ago, and had been planning attacks in the city.
The suicide bomber who killed 32 youth activists in the Turkish town of Suruc has been identified, government officials say.
According to the DNA tests, the attacker was a 20-year-old Turkish student, named by local media as Seyh Abdurrahman Alagoz.
Seyh Abdurrahman Alagoz came from the south-eastern province of Adiyaman and was reportedly linked to ISIS militants.
Meanwhile, two Turkish police officers have been found dead in the town of Ceylanpinar near the Syrian border.
The officers were found with bullet wounds in the house they shared in the town, which is in the same province as Suruc.
The outlawed Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) has claimed responsibility for the killings, saying it was in revenge for the massacre in Suruc and accusing the police officers of collaborating with ISIS.
At least one of the officers worked for an anti-terrorism task force, the AA news agency said.
Regional governor Izzetin Kucuk earlier said it was not yet clear “if there is a terrorist link”.
The suicide bombing on July 20 claimed 32 lives and injured 100 others, making it one of the deadliest attacks in Turkey in recent years.
The activists were mainly university students, who were holding a news conference when an explosion ripped through the Amara Cultural Centre.
They had been planning to travel to Syria to help rebuild the town of Kobane. The youngest victim was Okan Pirinc, who was 18, according to the Turkish media.
Seyh Abdurrahman Alagoz’s mother told the newspaper Radikal, that her son had gone “abroad” six months ago and returned 10 days ago.
A senior Turkish official told Reuters that he believed the bomber, who he did not name, had travelled to Syria last year with the help of a group linked to ISIS militants.
There were rallies in cities across the country on July 21, with people condemning the attack and protesting at the government’s policies on Syria.
Many feel Ankara has not done enough to combat the threat of ISIS militants.
However, PM Ahmet Davutoglu said Turkish leaders were committed to beating the group.
In a tweet, using the Arabic acronym for ISIS, Ahmet Davutoglu said: “I declare it to our esteemed nation and the entire world once again: Daesh and similar terrorist organizations will never achieve their target.”
PM Ahmet Davutoglu is due to chair a cabinet meeting on July 22 aimed at improving security on Turkey’s border with Syria.
According toTurkey’s PM Ahmet Davutoglu, a suspect has been identified in the suicide bomb attack that killed 32 young activists in Suruc.
PM Ahmet Davutoglu, who is due to visit the scene of the blast in Suruc near the Syrian border, said the suspect’s international and domestic links were being investigated.
There was a “high probability” that ISIS was to blame, he added.
The Turkish government has now vowed to increase security at the Syrian border.
“What’s necessary will be done against whomever responsible for [the attack],” said Ahmet Davutoglu.
“This is an attack that targeted Turkey,” he added.
Ahmet Davutoglu rejected claims that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) had not done enough to combat ISIS militants, saying the government had “never tolerated any terrorist group”.
A cabinet meeting on July 22 will examine additional security measures along the border with Syria.
Officials initially suggested the bomber may have been female, but local media outlets have named a man in connection with the attack.
All rallies and marches in the city of Sanliurfa, where Suruc is located, have now been banned.
The governor of the city said the measure was aimed at preventing “undesirable occurrences”.
The funerals of some of the victims have already taken place, but many relatives are still awaiting news of their loved ones.
The youth activists, who were mainly university students, were holding a news conference when the bomb ripped through the cultural centre. They had been planning to travel to Syria to help rebuild the town of Kobane.
Social media images showed the group, who were members of the Federation of Socialist Youth Associations, relaxing over breakfast a few hours before the noon blast.
Ahmet Davutoglu is expected to visit the scene of the massacre later on Tuesday.
Suruc is home to many refugees who have fled fierce fighting between ISIS and Kurdish fighters in nearby Kobane.
At least 28 people have been killed and nearly 100 others wounded in a bomb attack in the Turkish town of Suruc, across the border from the Syrian town of Kobane.
The explosion may have been caused by a female suicide attacker, officials say.
The blast targeted a group of young people who planned to travel to Kobane to assist with rebuilding. Kobane has seen heavy fighting between ISIS militants and Kurdish fighters.
Turkish authorities believe ISIS may be responsible for the attack.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has condemned the bombing and described it as “an act of terror”.
Suruc houses many refugees who have fled the fighting in Kobane.
ISIS overran the Syrian town in September last year, but it was retaken by Kurdish forces in January.
The Federation of Socialist Youth Associations (SGDF) is reported to have had at least 300 members staying at the Amara Culture Centre in Suruc, where the explosion happened.
A photo taken earlier in the day showed members of the group relaxing in the garden.
A video released on social media apparently showed the moment of the blast.
In the video, a group of young people are chanting slogans while holding the federation’s flags and a large banner with the words: “We defended it together, we are building it together.”
Then an explosion rips through the assembled youngsters.
Images of the aftermath show bodies littering the ground, with the red flags being used to cover them.
A statement from the Turkish interior ministry said: “We call on everyone to stand together and remain calm in the face of this terrorist attack which targets the unity of our country.”
The hashtags #SuruçtaKatliamVar (There is a massacre in Suruç) and #SuruçMassacre started trending on Twitter soon after the explosion.
According to the Tunisian authorities, terrorist Seifeddine Rezgui had help in carrying out the attack at Sousse holiday resort.
They believe the suspected accomplices provided the Kalashnikov assault rifle to Seifeddine Rezgui and helped him get to the scene, interior ministry spokesman Mohamed Ali Aroui told AP.
Mohamed Ali Aoui said Seifeddine Rezgui’s father and three friends he lived with in Kairouan, where he studied, had been detained for questioning.
Holiday companies put on extra flights over the weekend for people wanting to return home. Flights to Tunisia have also been cancelled.
The Tunisian government has brought in increased security measures.
A total of 38 people were killed on June 26 on a beach near Sousse by the gunman with links to Islamic State (ISIS) extremists.
A march has been held in the Tunisian resort town of Sousse to denounce the attack in which at least 38 people – mostly tourists – were killed by a gunman on a nearby beach on June 26.
The crowds gathered late on June 27 at a hotel also targeted by the attacker.
They marched through the town expressing sympathy with relatives of the victims, 15 of whom were British.
Tunisia’s PM Habib Essid announced a security clampdown after the attack claimed by Islamic State (ISIS).
Habib Essid said army reservists would be deployed to tourist sites. About 80 mosques accused of inciting violence would be closed within a week.
Friday’s attack was the deadliest in Tunisia’s recent history.
In March, militants killed 22 people, mainly foreigners, at the Bardo museum in the capital Tunis.
The demonstrators marched after dark on the streets of Sousse, with many holding candles to mourn the victims of Friday’s attack.
“Sousse will never die!” the crowds chanted.
A separate rally was held in Tunis.
One Belgian and one German have so far been identified among the dead, the Tunisian health ministry said. One citizen of the Irish Republic is also confirmed dead. There were also thought to be Tunisians killed in the attack.
At least 36 people were injured, some seriously.
Many of the tourists in hotels targeted in the attack have left the country or are waiting for specially arranged flights, but correspondents noted a few were back by the hotel pool on Saturday, vowing they would continue their holidays as scheduled.
Tunisia’s economy relies on tourism, and there are fears that the recent attacks will deal a major blow to the industry.
Security officials said the attacker, who posed as a swimmer but was carrying a rifle under a parasol, started shooting on the beach before entering the Hotel Imperial Marhaba, continuing to shoot.
Officials later identified the gunman as 23-year-old student Seifeddine Rezgui. They said they had no inkling of what he had been planning.
Tunisia has recently seen militant Islamists gain strength since the overthrow of long-serving ruler Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in in 2011.
Tunisia has launched a security clampdown after Sousse attack in which 38 people were killed, PM Habib Essid has announced.
Habib Essid said army reservists would be deployed to archaeological sites and resorts.
About 80 mosques accused of “spreading venom” will close within a week, he said.
Authorities say most of the victims in yesterday’s attack near Sousse were Britons. The gunman was shot dead.
Officials say he was a student not previously known to authorities.
Five Britons were confirmed dead and the Foreign Office warned the death toll could rise.
Tunisians, Germans, Belgians, French and at least one Irish citizen were also among those killed in the attack, which was claimed by Islamic State (ISIS). Thirty-six people are injured, officials say.
It was the second major attack on tourists in Tunisia since March, when militants killed 22 people, mainly foreigners, at Bardo museum in Tunis.
Speaking at a news conference in Tunis, Habib Essid said some mosques outside government control were spreading “their propaganda and their venom to promote terrorism” and would be shut down.
Habib Essid also vowed to act against parties and groups “acting outside the constitution” – such action could range from a warning to closure.
He said army reservists would be deployed at sensitive sites to ensure such attacks could not happen again.
“The country is under threat; the government is under threat,” Habib Essid said.
“Without the co-operation of everyone and a show of unity, we cannot win this war. We have won some battles and lost others, but our objective is to win the war.”
Security officials said the attacker, who had posed as a swimmer but was carrying a rifle under a parasol, started shooting on the beach before entering the Hotel Imperial Marhaba, continuing to shoot.
Local media reported a second suspected attacker had been arrested, but this has not been confirmed.
ISIS had urged followers to step up assaults during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan.
Many of the tourists in hotels affected by the attack left Tunisia overnight, with tour operators arranging special flights to take them home.
Friday’s attack was the deadliest in Tunisia’s recent history. The country has seen militant Islamists gain strength since the overthrow of long-serving ruler Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in in 2011.
Democratic elections after Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali’s removal saw the moderate Islamist Ennahda party take power before the secularist Nidaa Tounes government won a parliamentary poll in October.
However, neither party has been able effectively to combat Islamist violence – which has been made worse by conflict in neighboring Libya and by Tunisian fighters returning home after joining Islamist campaigns in Iraq and Syria.
Benghazi attack suspect Ali Awni al-Harzi has been killed in an US airstrike in Iraq, the Pentagon says.
Ali Awni al-Harzi died on June 15 in the city of Mosul, which is controlled by ISIS, the Pentagon adds.
He was designated as a terrorist by the US Treasury and state department.
The US ambassador to Libya, Christopher Stevens, was among four Americans killed in the Benghazi attacks in September 2012.
US officials blamed the attack on militants linked to al-Qaeda.
The Pentagon described Ali Awni al-Harzi as “a person of interest” in the attack on the US compound.
It said he was an organizational intermediary who operated closely with extremists linked to ISIS or ISIL throughout North Africa and the Middle East.
“His death degrades ISIL’s ability to integrate North African jihadists into the Syrian and Iraqi fight and removes a jihadist with long ties to international terrorism,” Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said.
According to new reports, the US spends more than $9 million a day on the war against ISIS, and has poured $2.7 billion into the bombing campaign since the start.
An international coalition has been conducting air strikes in Iraq and Syria since last August.
The first breakdown of US costs, released by the Pentagon, show that two-thirds of the total bill has gone to the Air Force.
It came as Congress rejected legislation banning further spending.
The US House of Representative approved a $579 billion defense spending bill.
It rejected an amendment calling for a stop to cash going on the fight against ISIS unless Congress passed a new authorization for the use of force.
The cost of the US military operation has risen sharply since it began last August in Iraq.
This week, the White House announced another 450 advisers for Iraq, bringing the total military personnel to 3,500.
But officials emphasize there are no combat troops and the US mission is to train local forces to do the fighting.
On June 11, the top general in the US said the country’s intervention in Iraq could extend further.
General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the role of calling in air strikes, which would put troops nearer the front lines, remained a future option.
Martin Dempsey raised the possibility of establishing a network of US training hubs in northern Iraq.
At a news conference in Germany, President Barack Obama has revealed the US does not yet have a “complete strategy” for helping Iraq regain territory from Islamic State (ISIS).
He said the Pentagon was reviewing ways to help Iraq train and equip its forces.
However, Barack Obama said a full commitment to the process was needed by the Iraqis themselves.
The president had earlier met Iraqi PM Haider al-Abadi on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Germany.
ISIS has recently made gains in Iraq despite US-led coalition air strikes.
In May the militants seized Ramadi, the capital of Anbar, Iraq’s largest province, as well as the Syrian town of Tadmur and the neighboring ancient ruins of Palmyra.
US officials cited a lack of training as a major factor in the fall of Ramadi.
However, Barack Obama said that the 3,000 US service personnel in Iraq sometimes found themselves with “more training capacity than we’ve got recruits”.
“We don’t have, yet, a complete strategy, because it requires commitments on the part of Iraqis as well about how recruitment takes place, how that training takes place,” Barack Obama told a news conference.
“We want to get more Iraqi security forces trained, fresh, well-equipped and focused and [Haider al-] Abadi wants the same thing so we’re reviewing a range of plans for how we might do that.”
President Barack Obama said he was “absolutely confident” ISIS would be driven out of Iraq if Haider al-Abadi has the support of the international coalition as well as a government that represents all the Iraqi people.
The president said all countries in the coalition were ready to do more to help train Iraqi security forces.
Iraq has become increasingly reliant on Iranian-backed Shia militias to take on ISIS in recent months.
The second day of the G7 summit in Germany is being dominated by the climate change and extremism talks.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel wants the economic powers group to reach an agreement on limiting global temperature rises.
Angela Merkel also wants G7 members to contribute to a fund for poor countries suffering the worst effects of climate change.
There will also be talks on the threat from radical extremism with the leaders of Nigeria, Tunisia and Iraq.
G7 summit is being held at the picturesque Schloss Elmau hotel in Krun in the Bavarian Alps.
It is being attended by President Barack Obama, UK PM David Cameron, Japanese PM Shinzo Abe, French President Francois Hollande, Canadanian PM Stephen Harper and Italian PM Matteo Renzi.
The first working session on June 8 will focus on climate and energy, with Chancellor Angela Merkel trying to get leaders to agree to keeping temperature rises within 2C of pre-industrial levels.
Angela Merkel is hoping to secure commitments from her G7 guests on tackling global warming to build momentum before a major UN climate summit in Paris in December.
Later, G7 leaders will be joined by Iraqi PM Haider al-Abadi, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi to discuss the threat posed by groups like Islamic State (ISIS) and Boko Haram.
On June 7, David Cameron said the UK was sending an extra 125 military trainers to Iraq to help in the battle against IS, describing the militants as “the biggest threat” G7 leaders had to address.
ISIS continues to control large swathes of Iraq and Syria despite being the target of a US-led air campaign against them.
In Nigeria, a similar regional battle is being fought against Boko Haram militants who have carried out attacks since 2009 to try to create an Islamic state.
The 41st G7 summit is held in Schloss Elmau, Krün, Bavaria, Germany on June 7–8, 2015.
The UAE recently postponed their participation in airstrikes in December after concerns about their pilots’ safety while flying. Leaders in the UAE were worried that the plans to rescue captured personnel, if necessary, were insufficient.
However, the UAE decided to reinstate its airstrike mission, and UAE F-16s station in Jordan recently took part in attacks. Due to the collaboration between the Iraqi and Syrian governments, as well as the aid provided by the UAE and some US-led missions, some territory has been regained from ISIS. However, although some success has been made against the terrorist group, ISIS continues to make their own strides.
The History of ISIS
ISIS started as ISI in 1999. In 2013, it announced its merger with al-Nusra Front, and the group has been using extreme force to take over cities in both Iraq and Syria. The ISIS extremist group took over Iraq and Syria last year. Since then, the group has murdered a good number of foreigners. Right now, ISIS has nearly 20,000 members, and thanks to continuous recruitment efforts by the group, more and more people continue to flock from different parts of the world in order to join the terrorist group, including Americans. At the same time, hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and Syrians have fled the areas that are now controlled by ISIS in order to preserve their safety. ISIS has been known to execute natives in the cities they take over for no reason.
Recent ISIS Victories
Even with airstrikes in place and minimal success efforts, ISIS is continuing to further their endeavors. In early May, ISIS seized control of Ramadi as the government decided to pull back forces. Militants detonated multiple car bombs, and the Iraqi security forces were forced to retreat, giving ISIS access to take full control. Officials in Ramadi have reportedly warned against ISIS’s advances and have asked for more backup regarding airstrikes, yet ISIS was still able to overcome the city.
Along with Ramadi, the ISIS fighters have also recently took control of Palmyra, a desert city in central Syria. The reason this is a big win for ISIS is due to the city’s gas fields and network of roads that connect it across the country’s central dessert. This will allow ISIS to have an easier way to perform illegal trafficking, as well as easier access to other major cities in Syria. While many residents have fled the town, it’s been reported that thousands of residents have been executed, although ISIS claims to restore power and healthcare within the next few days to those residents who have stayed behind.
Both the Iraqi and Syrian governments are working toward overtaking the ISIS group, although both claim that efforts will be time-consuming. Both countries are working together, as well as with US-led teams, in order to take back their countries.
About the UAE
The United Arab Emirates is a country located in the southeast end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is made up of seven emirates, including Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm al-Quwain. Rulers of the emirates, including Sheikh Saud bin Saqr al Qasimi of Ras al-Khaimah, demonstrate the Pro Western stance of the United States, its allies, and moderate Muslim countries around the world.
Twelve young women have tried to leave Melbourne to join the Islamic State (ISIS) militant group.
According to Australian police, the women, aged between 18 and 29, have been recruited on social media.
Five of them are now living with ISIS militants in the conflict zones, according to a special investigation by Victoria Police.
Concern has been rising since mid-2014 about Australians going to the Middle East to fight for ISIS.
Australia’s government will soon introduce legislation allowing it to strip dual citizens fighting in Iraq or Syria of their Australian citizenship.
People working in Australia to support militant groups will also be targeted by the changes.
Task Force Pax was established in April to monitor Victorians believed to be involved with insurgents.
Officials from the task force told local media on May 29 that another four Melbourne women made it as far as Turkey before being turned back by authorities.
One other was stopped by customs officers in Australia while two remain unaccounted for.
The young women are all from Melbourne’s northern and south-eastern suburbs.
According to Assistant Commissioner Tracy Linford, two forensic psychologists had been embedded in the task force to help investigators understand why the young women were trying to join IS.
“The use of psychologists provides us with a far more comprehensive risk assessment and also assists in identifying early intervention opportunities,” she said.
“This gives us the chance to focus on identifying those youths most at risk of radicalization and to engage with them or their families directly.”
Police said the young women were being sold a romantic view of life with ISIS, and had lied to their families about their travel plans.
Authorities were warning parents and friends of young women about the lure of ISIS, saying the women could end up in arranged marriages, or forced into s**ual servitude in the Middle East.
The Australian government believes at least 100 Australians are fighting with militant groups in the Middle East.
Another 150 people in Australia are known to be supporting such groups, while Australia’s intelligence agency, the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO), is investigating about 400 high-priority terrorist cases.
According to new reports, ISIS has taken near complete control of the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra.
Palmyra is home to some of the world’s most magnificent ruins.
There are fears that the Islamic State militants will destroy the ruins, which UNESCO has designated a World Heritage site.
Syria has admitted it has pulled government troops out of Palmyra following the ISIS advance.
ISIS militants have demolished several ancient sites that pre-date Islam in Iraq, including Hatra and Nimrud.
Syrian state media said pro-government forces had been pulled out of Tadmur, the modern settlement on Palmyra, after “assuring the evacuation” of most of its inhabitants.
Photo UNESCO
Hundreds of Palmyra’s statues have been moved to safety but large monuments from the ancient parts of the city could not be moved.
Rising out of the desert, Palmyra contains the monumental ruins of a great city that was one of the most important cultural centers of the ancient world, according to UNESCO.
The site, most of which dates back to the 1st and 2nd Century when the region was under Roman rule, is dominated by a grand, colonnaded street.
UNESCO’s Director-General Irina Bokova said she was “deeply concerned” by the situation.
“The fighting is putting at risk one of the most significant sites in the Middle East, and its civilian population,” Irina Bokova said in a statement.
Palmyra is situated in a strategically important area on the road between the capital, Damascus, and the contested eastern city of Deir al-Zour, and is close to gas fields.
A United States-led coalition has carried out air strikes on the jihadist group’s positions since September 2014. However, it says it does not co-ordinate its actions with the Syrian government.
Meanwhile, the US said it was sending 1,000 anti-tank missiles to the Iraqi government following the fall of Ramadi to ISIS.
A third of Syrian town Tadmur, next to Palmyra, one of the Middle East’s greatest archaeological sites, has been captured by ISIS.
The Islamic State militants had overrun much of the north of Tadmur after fierce clashes with government forces, activists say.
Syria’s head of antiquities Maamoun Abdul Karim said the world had a responsibility to save Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Hundreds of statues had been moved to safety, but large monuments could not be moved, Maamoun Abdul Karim warned.
ISIS militants have ransacked and demolished several ancient sites that pre-date Islam in Iraq, including Hatra and Nimrud, leading to fears that it might attempt to damage or destroy Palmyra.
On May 20, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a third of Tadmur had been taken by ISIS after battles with government soldiers and allied militiamen.
Rising out of the desert and flanked by an oasis, Palmyra contains the monumental ruins of a great city that was one of the most important cultural centers of the ancient world, according to UNESCO.
The site, most of which dates back to the 1st to the 2nd Century when the region was under Roman rule, is dominated by a grand, colonnaded street.
Palmyra and Tadmur are situated in a strategically important area on the road between the capital, Damascus and the contested eastern city of Deir al-Zour, and close to gas fields.
Iran-backed Shia militias have been sent by the Iraqi government to Ramadi to recapture the city seized by Islamic State (ISIS) militants on May 17.
About 500 people are reported to have died when the Iraqi military abandoned positions in Ramadi – only 70 miles West of Baghdad.
A regional government official spoke of people fleeing Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, “in great numbers”.
Photo Reuters
The US has said it is confident the capture of Ramadi can be reversed.
Speaking in South Korea, Secretary of State John Kerry said: “I am convinced that as the forces are redeployed and as the days flow in the weeks ahead that’s going to change.”
The Shia militias, known as the Popular Mobilization (Hashid Shaabi), were key to the recapture from ISIS of another city, Tikrit, north of Baghdad, in April. But their use has raised concern in the US and elsewhere.
The militias pulled out of Tikrit following reports of widespread violence and looting.
Meanwhile, the Iranian Defense Minister, Hossein Dehghan, has arrived in Baghdad on a visit arranged before the latest developments in Ramadi.
The police and military made a chaotic retreat from Ramadi, which has been contested for months, after days of intense fighting.
A statement purportedly from ISIS said its fighters had “purged the entire city”. It said ISIS had taken the 8th Brigade army base, along with tanks and missile launchers left behind by troops.
The Islamic State (ISIS) has seized the Iraqi city of Ramadi after government forces abandoned their positions, officials say.
The police and military made a chaotic retreat after days of intense fighting.
Iraq’s PM Haider al-Abadi had ordered troops to stand their ground, saying he was deploying Shia militia to the city.
Ramadi is the capital of Iraq’s largest province, Anbar, and is just 70 miles West of Baghdad.
A statement purportedly from ISIS said its fighters had “purged the entire city”. It said ISIS had taken the 8th Brigade army base, along with tanks and missile launchers left behind by troops.
Footage posted on social media showed military vehicles speeding away from Ramadi, with soldiers hanging off the sides.
Reports said Iraqi forces fled following a series of suicide car bomb attacks on May 17.
Four almost simultaneous explosions hit police defending the Malaab district in southern Ramadi. Later, three more suicide bombers drove explosive-laden cars into the gate of the provincial military headquarters, the Anbar Operation Command, officials said.
PM Haider al-Abadi called on pro-government forces to “hold their positions and preserve them and not allow Daesh (ISIS) to extend to other areas in Ramadi”.
Anbar province covers a vast stretch of the country west from the capital Baghdad to the Syrian border, and contains key roads that link Iraq to both Syria and Jordan.
ISIS reportedly controls more than half of Anbar’s territory.
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