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UNITED NATIONS Iraqi U.N. Ambassador Mohamed Ali Alhakim said on Friday there was "no evidence" that Islamic State had used chemical weapons in Mosul, where the militants are fighting off an offensive by U.S.-backed Iraqi forces.

Alhakim said he spoke with officials in Baghdad at midday on Friday and "there was really no evidence that Daesh has used this chemical weapon." Daesh is another name for Islamic State.

The United Nations said last Saturday that 12 people, including women and children, had been treated for possible exposure to chemical weapons agents in Mosul since March 1.

The United Nations Security Council was briefed behind closed doors on the situation in Mosul on Friday by U.N. aid chief Stephen O'Brien and U.N. High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Kim Won-soo.

British U.N. Ambassador Matthew Rycroft, president of the council for March, said the 15-member body believed that Iraq's investigation into possible chemical weapons attacks was ongoing.

"We expressed concern over reports of possible use of chemical weapons by Daesh and we look forward to the results of Iraq's investigation into those allegations," Rycroft told reporters after the briefing.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Sandra Maler)

JERUSALEM U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday invited Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to the White House, in a first phone call between the two leaders since Trump took office.

ROTTERDAM/VIENNA Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu will not be allowed to campaign for votes among expat Turks during a visit to Rotterdam on Saturday, the mayor of the Dutch port said, joining a growing list of European cities that have blocked such rallies.

UNITED NATIONS Iraq is assessing what help it might need to collect and preserve evidence of Islamic State crimes, but has not yet decided whether it needs United Nations assistance, the country's U.N. Ambassador, Mohamed Ali Alhakim, said on Friday.

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Iraq says 'no evidence' of chemical weapons attacks in Mosul - Reuters

SOUTHWEST ASIA, March 10, 2017 U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, conducting 22 strikes consisting of 82 engagements against ISIS targets yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Officials reported details of yesterdays strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

In Syria, coalition military forces conducted 14 strikes consisting of 21 engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, six strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit; destroyed five barges, four wellheads and a weapons factory; and damaged an ISIS-held building.

-- Near Raqqa, 13 strikes engaged eight ISIS tactical units; destroyed four vehicles, a fighting position, a tactical vehicle, an ISIS headquarters and a vehicle-borne bomb factory; and damaged three supply routes.

Strikes in Iraq

In Iraq, coalition military forces conducted eight strikes consisting of 61 engagements against ISIS targets, coordinated with and in support of Iraqs government:

-- Near Beiji, three strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units and destroyed two fighting positions, two vehicles and a weapons cache.

-- Near Huwayjah, a strike damaged a tunnel.

-- Near Mosul, six strikes engaged five ISIS tactical units and an ISIS staging area; destroyed 11 vehicles, nine mortar systems, eight fighting positions, five vehicle-borne bombs, two medium machine guns, two roadblocks, two watercraft, an anti-air artillery system, a supply cache, an ammunition cache and a recoilless rifle; damaged 15 supply routes; and suppressed 10 mortar teams.

-- Near Sinjar, two strikes destroyed a weapons storage facility and an ISIS headquarters

-- Near Tal Afar, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and an ISIS staging area.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

These strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to destroy ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The destruction of ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria also further limits the group's ability to project terror and conduct external operations throughout the region and the rest of the world, task force officials said.

The list above contains all strikes conducted by fighter, attack, bomber, rotary-wing or remotely piloted aircraft; rocket-propelled artillery; and some ground-based tactical artillery when fired on planned targets, officials noted.

Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike, they added. A strike, as defined by the coalition, refers to one or more kinetic engagements that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single or cumulative effect. For example, task force officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIS vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against a group of ISIS-held buildings and weapon systems in a compound, having the cumulative effect of making that facility harder or impossible to use. Strike assessments are based on initial reports and may be refined, officials said.

The task force does not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target.

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Coalition Strikes Continue in Syria, Iraq - Department of Defense

Though OPEC has managed to achieve a high standard of compliance, it has mostly been due to the oversized cut by the largest member of the groupSaudi Arabia. Meanwhile, the actions and statements of the second and third largest producers in OPEC are throwing worrying signs at the oil bulls.

Saudi Arabia is in a catch 22 situation. As the defacto leader of OPEC, it is left to implement most of the production cuts to ensure a high level of overall group compliance. Saudis know that OPEC might not get another chance if it doesnt adhere to its production cuts.

Another reason is the forthcoming IPO of Saudi Aramco. Without higher oil prices, Saudi Arabia might not get the valuation it is expecting for its crown jewel. Aramcos successful listing is vital for reaching Saudi Arabias Vision 2030 objective.

However, two OPEC members, Iran and Iraq, are exploiting Saudi Arabias precarious position by taking steps to boost production. The Kingdom will have to contend with increased production from Iran and Iraq, along with tackling the U.S. shale oil producers.

According to the IEA, Iraq will increase its output to 5.4 million barrels per day by 2022, which is significantly higher than the earlier estimates of an increase to 4.6 million bpd by 2021. Similarly, Iran is expected to boost production by 400,000 bpd to reach 4.15 million bpd production in 2022.

The Iraqi Oil Ministry and the Iranian Oil Ministry have signed a memorandum of understanding to bury their differences on joint oil fields and build a pipeline to export crude oil from the Kirkuk fields, in the north of Iraq, through Iran, reported the Al Monitor.

Iraq, which produced 4.47 million bpd in January, well above its quota of 4.35 million bpd, is capable of raising its output to 5 million bpd in the second half of this year, said Iraqs Minister of Oil, Jabbar Ali Al-Luiebi.

"We achieved this great achievement of 4 million barrels per day ... middle of 2016, and now we have climbed up and we are reaching about 5 million barrels per day beginning of second half of this year," Al-Luaibi said during an interview at CERA Week by IHS Markit, reports CNBC. Related:Oil Prices Continue Plunging As Speculators Rush For The Exit

This is bearish for oil because, along with Saudi Arabia, Iraq will also hold spare capacity that can be ramped up during supply outages.

"Obviously, it's bearish. They're going to have to show considerable production constraint having that spare capacity. That's the kind of capacity historically only the Saudis have had," said John Kilduff, founding partner at energy hedge fund Again Capital, reports CNBC.

Meanwhile, Iran has managed to increase its exports to 3 million bpd, its highest level since 1979. The landmark was reached for just a day, in the current Iranian month that began Feb. 19, said the Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh, according to state news agency IRNA, reports Bloomberg.

Iran wants to increase its production to 5 million bpd by 2021. However, it needs investments by foreign investors to achieve that target. This will not be a new high in production for Iran, because it used to pump in excess of 6 million bpd in the 1970s, before the Islamic Revolution drove the western investors away. A fresh round of foreign investment is the key, which is yet to take off in Iran.

Nevertheless, with every major oil producer looking to boost production, the oil glut is here to stay.

By Rakesh Upadhyay for Oilprice.com

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Iran And Iraq To Ramp Up Oil Production Despite OPEC Cuts - OilPrice.com

Editor's note: This story was updated Friday to include comments from U.S. military officials in Baghdad and the head of U.S. Central Command. It was first published Thursday, March 9, at 7:16 p.m., EST.

WASHINGTON The U.S. military is sending an additional 2,500 ground combat troops to a staging base in Kuwait from which they could be called upon to back up coalition forces battling the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

The deployment will include elements of the 82nd Airborne Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team, which is based at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. About 1,700 soldiers from the same unit are overseas now, spread between Iraq and Kuwait. They're focused on the U.S.-led effort to train and assist the Iraqi troops doing much of the fighting against ISIS there.

"So the whole brigade will now be forward," Anderson said.

"There are a number of options under consideration as the coalition looks for ways to accelerate the defeat of ISIS," it says. "We continue to believe that the most effective way to achieve a lasting victory is to do it by, with and through our partner forces who have the greatest stake in the outcome. For operational security reasons, we will not discuss future deployments or contingency operational planning."

All told, the 82nd Airborne's 2nd Brigade Combat Team includes about 4,400 soldiers who compose infantry, artillery and cavalry units, plus their supply pipeline.

Asked on Thursday whether the soldiers soon bound for Kuwait have prepared to operate in such a challenging environment, a military official said they are trained to address "any contingency" in either theater.

The Pentagon earlier this month submitted plans to the White House for speeding efforts to defeat ISIS, one of President Trump's first orders upon assuming office. Those plans are said to include operations in a number of countries, not only Iraq and Syria.

Charlsy Panzino is a staff writer for Army Times. On Twitter: @charlsypanzino. Andrew deGrandpre is Military Times' senior editor and Pentagon bureau chief. On Twitter: @adegrandpre.

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The US is sending 2500 troops to Kuwait, ready to step up the fight in Syria and Iraq - ArmyTimes.com

Iraq War veteran rescues dog that... More Headlines

BRIGGSVILLE, Wis. - When Justin Neumeiers dog, Charles, fell through the ice on Lake Mason, the instincts he developed as a U.S. Marine serving Iraq kicked in and he went out to rescue the black lab.

Maybe it was my Marine Corps mentality, just get it done, Neumeier said.

Serving with the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine, Neumeier saw some of the wars toughest combat in the battle for Ramadi in 2004.

Neumeier says the ice was only a half-inch thick and he could hear it cracking beneath him as he made his way out to Charles. The dog was exhausted from being in the water, which made it difficult for Neumeier to get it out of the water. He had to carry the 90 pound dog back to shore on thin ice.

It probably was not the smartest thing to do in the world, but there are things you care about and things that have a heart and a pulse. You care enough that you want to get them and you treat them right and let them live a good life, Neumeier said.

A veterinarian examined the dog after it was rescued. That vet believes, given the body temperature of the dog, it would not have survived much longer in the water.

When the deed is done, then you realize, OK, boy, I really could have lost him. So you get a little different appreciation for things, Neumeier said.

The current ice conditions on lakes and rivers in southern Wisconsin are unsafe for pets and humans.

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Iraq War veteran rescues dog that fell through ice - Channel3000.com - WISC-TV3