Iraq's Defence Minister Erfan al-Hiyali, walks with U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis during his visit, in Baghdad, Iraq August 22, 2017. REUTERS/Stringer FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES.
Iraq's Defence Minister Erfan al-Hiyali, walks with U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis during his visit, in Baghdad, Iraq August 22, 2017. REUTERS/Stringer FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES.
Iraq's Defence Minister Erfan al-Hiyali, walks with U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis during his visit, in Baghdad, Iraq August 22, 2017. REUTERS/Stringer FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES.
Iraq's Defence Minister Erfan al-Hiyali, walks with U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis during his visit, in Baghdad, Iraq August 22, 2017. REUTERS/Stringer FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIV

Pentagon chief: ISIL's days are numbered


Mina Aldroubi
  • English
  • Arabic

US defence secretary James Mattis arrived in Baghdad on Tuesday in an unannounced visit to  show American support for Iraqi forces as they pressed an assault on Tal Afar.

Mr Mattis arrived in the Iraqi capital just hours after President Donald Trump outlined a fresh approach to the stalemated war in Afghanistan.

Before heading into meetings with Iraqi prime minister Haider Al Abadi and other top officials, Mr Mattis, himself a retired general, said he wanted to keep the spotlight on combating ISIL,

"Right now our focus is on defeating ISIL inside Iraq, restoring Iraqi sovereignty and territorial integrity," he said.

In a statement from his office, Mr Al Abadi said the ministers discussed enhancing a joint military co-operation and the war against terrorism. Mr Mattis reiterated US military support and praised the victory of Iraqi forces in Mosul, but rejected any "action aimed at dividing and destabilising Iraqi's integral unity".

Iraqi ground troops backed by the US launched an offensive on Sunday to recapture Tal Afar, once a key ISIL supply hub between Mosul and the Syrian border. Driven from their main stronghold in northern Iraq, ISIL militants are now trapped in a "military vice" that will squeeze them on both sides of the Syria-Iraq border, Mr Mattis said.

"The assault was launched on the city itself," said Ahmed Al Assadi, spokesman for the Hashed Al Shaabi, the Shiite militia that has been fighting ISIL alongside government forces.

Units of the Hashed Al Shaabi, army and police had encircled the city despite strong resistance from ISIL from within the city, Mr Al Assadi said. He said the fighting for the city was likely to last weeks. Mr Mattis declined to make any predictions on the battle.

"ISIL's days are certainly numbered, but it's not over yet and it's not going to be over anytime soon," he said.

Mohammed Hineidi, a senior analyst at the Abu Dhabi-based Delma Institute, said, "There are roughly 2,000 battle hardened fighters with their families left in Tal Afar, and despite being fatigued from years of fighting — they will likely fight to their last breath. The city is however quite small, and the battle will likely be over by the end of September/mid October — although it is difficult to forecast exactly when."

Mr Mattis said his discussions in Iraq would focus on the way ahead, including how to keep the country from again politically fragmenting or falling further under Iran's influence.

The US defence secretary also travelled on to Erbil to meet Massoud Barzani, president of Iraqi Kurdistan. Mr Mattis was expected to ask Mr Barzani to call off the Kurdistan Region’s planned independence referendum next month. He said he would also discuss reconstruction and resettlement of hundreds of thousand of Iraqis driven from their homes and towns by the fighting, especially in Mosul.

"It's not going to happen overnight. It's going to be a heavy lift for them going forward," he said.

Mr Mattis arrived in Iraq from Jordan where he said the so-called Middle Euphrates River Valley, which bisects Iraq and Syria  roughly from the western Iraqi city of Al Qaim to the eastern Syrian city of Der Al Zour  will be liberated in time. he referred to the area as "ISIL's last stand."

Meanwhile, Iraqi forces announced on Tuesday they have retaken two districts of Tal Afar from ISIL.

Army, police and units of the Hashed Al Shaabi were now in "full control" of Al Kifaf and Al Nur districts, held by ISIL since 2014, the Hashed militia said in a statement.

"The advancing troops didn't face tough resistance from ISIL fighters, though they did fire rockets, sent suicide car bombers and used roadside bombs,"  said  Brigadier-General Haider Fadhil, of the Iraqi special forces. He said he expected the fighting to get "even heavier as they push into the town's centre" about 4.5 kilometres away.

Unlike the war in Afghanistan, Iraq offers a more positive narrative for the White House, at least for now. Having enabled Iraqi government forces to reclaim ISIL's prized possession of Mosul in July, the US military effort is showing tangible progress and the Pentagon can credibly assert that momentum is on Iraq's side.

England's all-time record goalscorers:
Wayne Rooney 53
Bobby Charlton 49
Gary Lineker 48
Jimmy Greaves 44
Michael Owen 40
Tom Finney 30
Nat Lofthouse 30
Alan Shearer 30
Viv Woodward 29
Frank Lampard 29

Results

6.30pm: The Madjani Stakes (PA) Group 3 Dh175,000 (Dirt) 1,900m

Winner: Aatebat Al Khalediah, Fernando Jara (jockey), Ali Rashid Al Raihe (trainer).

7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,400m

Winner: Down On Da Bayou, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.

7.40pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m

Winner: Dubai Avenue, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.

8.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 (D) 1,200m

Winner: My Catch, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.

8.50pm: Dubai Creek Mile (TB) Listed Dh265,000 (D) 1,600m

Winner: Secret Ambition, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.

9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 (D) 1,600m

Winner: Golden Goal, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.

Bookshops: A Reader's History by Jorge Carrión (translated from the Spanish by Peter Bush),
Biblioasis

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A $10 hand-powered LED light and battery bank

Device is operated by hand cranking it at any time during the day or night 

The charge is stored inside a battery

The ratio is that for every minute you crank, it provides 10 minutes light on the brightest mode

A full hand wound charge is of 16.5minutes 

This gives 1.1 hours of light on high mode or 2.5 hours of light on low mode

When more light is needed, it can be recharged by winding again

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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction

Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.

Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.

Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.

Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.

Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.

What are the guidelines?

Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.

Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.

Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.

Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.

Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.

Source: American Paediatric Association
Day 4, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance

Moment of the day Not much was expected – on Sunday or ever – of Hasan Ali as a batsman. And yet he lit up the late overs of the Pakistan innings with a happy cameo of 29 from 25 balls. The highlight was when he launched a six right on top of the netting above the Pakistan players’ viewing area. He was out next ball.

Stat of the day – 1,358 There were 1,358 days between Haris Sohail’s previous first-class match and his Test debut for Pakistan. The lack of practice in the multi-day format did not show, though, as the left-hander made an assured half-century to guide his side through a potentially damaging collapse.

The verdict As is the fashion of Test matches in this country, the draw feels like a dead-cert, before a clatter of wickets on the fourth afternoon puts either side on red alert. With Yasir Shah finding prodigious turn now, Pakistan will be confident of bowling Sri Lanka out. Whether they have enough time to do so and chase the runs required remains to be seen.

Match info:

Burnley 0

Manchester United 2
Lukaku (22', 44')

Red card: Marcus Rashford (Man United)

Man of the match: Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United)

At a glance

Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.

 

Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year

 

Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month

 

Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30 

 

Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse

 

Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth

 

Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances

BULKWHIZ PROFILE

Date started: February 2017

Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: E-commerce 

Size: 50 employees

Funding: approximately $6m

Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait

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The specs

Price, base / as tested Dh1,100,000 (est)

Engine 5.2-litre V10

Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch

Power 630bhp @ 8,000rpm

Torque 600Nm @ 6,500rpm

Fuel economy, combined 15.7L / 100km (est) 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
CHELSEA'S NEXT FIVE GAMES

Mar 10: Norwich(A)

Mar 13: Newcastle(H)

Mar 16: Lille(A)

Mar 19: Middlesbrough(A)

Apr 2: Brentford(H)

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Guide to intelligent investing
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