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By Mstyslav Chernov and Felipe Dana

Photo: Felipe Dana, Associated Press

An Iraqi police soldier moves toward the front line during fighting last month against militants in western Mosul.

An Iraqi police soldier moves toward the front line during fighting last month against militants in western Mosul.

Grinding battle in Iraq takes toll on police

MOSUL, Iraq On the western side of Mosul, much of the fighting against Islamic State militants takes place between houses so close that they almost touch. Snipers fire from roofs and through holes blasted into outer walls.

Seen through these holes, this part of Iraqs second-largest city is a landscape of half-collapsed buildings, burned-out cars and rubbish-strewn streets. Helicopters hover and barricades of sandbags block the streets.

This front line near the old city is where police officer Mayser Suleyman Karim marked his 33rd birthday with the rest of his unit.

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The Islamic State extremists who took over the city in 2014 were driven out of eastern Mosul by Iraqs elite counterterrorism force in January. Much of the fighting in the citys western districts, however, has been done by the heavily militarized federal police force.

During a pause in the battle, Mayser recalled that he had joined the force in the aftermath of the mosque bombing in Samarra on Feb. 22, 2006. Thats when suspected al Qaeda militants blew up the al-Askari shrine, one of the holiest in Shiite Islam, starting a wave of sectarian violence in which thousands died.

It has been a long time now 10 years. No, 11 years actually. Im tired, Mayser said.

For how long can you keep doing this? he asked. Your joints start to hurt, movement is difficult, cannot run. ... Its not about being scared, Im just getting tired. My body is getting tired.

Part of the police units work in western Mosul involves manning checkpoints and interacting with civilians, some of whom remain in the area despite the fighting.

Many police are instinctively wary: They come from distant parts of Iraq, know little of Mosul and suspect that militants or their supporters might have blended into the population. Security forces have been hit by suicide attacks from the militants.

According to a terrain analysis done by the United Nations, there is about 2 times more destruction in western Mosul than in the eastern half, and the extremists have not been fully driven out of the west yet.

Government artillery units also pour vast amounts of fire into the parts of the city under Islamic State control. Air strikes target snipers, sometimes bringing down several buildings in the hunt for a single militant.

It is hard to be sure how many civilians have been killed or wounded since the battle for western Mosul began nearly two months ago.

The U.N. said at least 300 people have been killed, while the Nineveh provincial health department believes the real number could be closer to 1,000.

Mstyslav Chernov and Felipe Dana are Associated Press writers.

Read more:
Grinding battle in Iraq takes toll on police - SFGate

The Governments top lawyer is reportedly seeking to block a bid to prosecute Tony Blair over the Iraq war.Tory MP Jeremy Wright QC, the Attorney General, has formally asked to join hearings to oppose such a move against the former prime minister, The Guardian reports.

The newspaper said the intervention follows a ruling that Mr Blair had immunity from the attempt to bring a criminal charge against him on the issue, and that pursuing a prosecution could involve details being disclosed under the Official Secrets Act.

The private prosecution is in relation to the 2003 invasion of Iraq and reportedly seeksthe trial of Mr Blair, then foreign secretary Jack Straw, and the attorney general at the time, Lord Goldsmith.

It seekstheir conviction for the crime of "aggression" and is based on the findings of the Chilcot report into the war.

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The newspaper said it had seen legal documents showing Mr Wright has formally asked to join future hearings and for the attempt to prosecute Blair and his top aides to be rejected.

The Attorney General is said to claimthe case is hopeless because the crime of aggression does not exist in English law, even though it does exist in international law.

However, the newspaper quoted a 2003 memo from Lord Goldsmith stating: Aggression is a crime under customary international law which automatically forms part of domestic law.

A spokeswoman for the Attorney General would not saywhether Mr Wright would oppose the attempted prosecution, but told The Press Association: He is seeking to intervene in this case because it raises issues about the scope of criminal law.

She added: It is not unusual for the Attorney General to intervene in these sort of cases in order to represent the public interest.

Continued here:
Attorney General 'intervenes to block prosecution of Tony Blair over Iraq war' - The Independent

CNSNews.com (blog)

Rev. Graham: Qaraqosh, Iraq Had 50000 Christians in 2014, Now 7 Families Remain CNSNews.com (blog) During his recent trip to Iraq to celebrate Easter, Reverend Franklin Graham visited the city of Qaraqosh, where in 2014 some 50,000 Christians were forced to flee because of attacks from the Islamic State and where today only about 7 families remain. In Iraq Christians mark first post-IS Easter in recaptured townPulse Nigeria Iraq's Assyrian Catholic Church Celebrates First Easter Mass Since 2014AINA (press release) all 10 news articles »

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Rev. Graham: Qaraqosh, Iraq Had 50000 Christians in 2014, Now 7 Families Remain - CNSNews.com (blog)

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A CH-146 Griffon helicopter prepares to land near Erbil, Iraq, on March 2, 2017. The helicopter is part Joint Task Force-Iraqs Tactical Aviation Detachment, Operation IMPACT.

A tactical helicopter squadron based in Edmonton departed for northern Iraq on Monday.

Sixty members of the Royal Canadian Air Forces (CAF) 408 Tactical Helicopter Squadron, based at the 3rd Canadian Division Support Base in Edmonton, are assuming duties to fight ISISas part of Operation IMPACT.

READ MORE:Canadian troops in Iraq mount pressure on ISIS around Syrian border

Squadron members will fly and maintain up to four CH-146 Griffon helicopters, which provide tactical transport for Canadian troops and material near Erbil, Iraq.

We provide air power that integrates with and supports our CAF and coalition partners. The tactical helicopter detachment is a crucial component of this commitment, Major-General Christian Drouin, Commander 1 Canadian Air Division, said.

430 Squadron has done a tremendous job over the past few months, maintaining a level of excellence that I know 408 Squadron will continue.

READ MORE:Canadian special forces taking more active role in Iraq as Liberals extend ISIS mission

The CH-146 Griffon helicopters have an array of self-defence systems.

2017Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

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Edmonton-based Royal Canadian Air Force squadron deployed to Iraq - Globalnews.ca

SOUTHWEST ASIA, April 15, 2017 U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, conducting 12 strikes consisting of 55 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 seven strikes consisting of 10 engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Abu Kamal, a strike damaged an ISIS fuel facility.

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, a strike damaged an ISIS fuel facility.

-- Near Raqqa, three strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed three fighting positions and a weapons cache.

-- Near Shadaddi, a strike destroyed an ISIS-held building

-- Near Tabqa, a strike suppressed an ISIS tactical unit.

Strikes in Iraq

In Iraq, coalition military forces conducted five strikes consisting of 46 engagements against ISIS targets, coordinated with and in support of Iraqs government:

-- Near Mosul, five strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit, destroyed two rocket-propelled grenade systems and two fighting positions, damaged four supply routes and a fighting position, and suppressed an ISIS tactical unit.

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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Officials Release Details of Latest Strikes Against ISIS Terrorists in Syria, Iraq - Department of Defense