BAGHDAD // The top US military officer vowed in Baghdad on Monday that ISIL militants will be defeated, as Iraqi forces pressed their largest operation yet against the extremists.
Some 30,000 men have been involved in a week-old operation to recapture Tikrit, one of the militants’ main hubs since they overran large parts of Iraq nine months ago.
But in a sign of the brutal lengths to which ISIL will go to maintain control, it killed 20 men in Iraq’s northern province of Kirkuk and strung up more than a dozen bodies in public.
General Martin Dempsey’s visit also coincided with the start of an offensive by Kurdish peshmerga forces in Kirkuk that further increases the pressure on the last ISIL strongholds east of the Tigris river.
“Daesh will be defeated,” Gen Dempsey, the chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, vowed at a news conference, using an Arabic acronym for ISIL that the group rejects as derogatory.
The United States began air strikes against ISIL in August, the first by what is now a 60-nation coalition of mostly Western and Arab states supporting Baghdad’s fightback.
Gen Dempsey emphasised that strikes must “be very precise” to avoid “additional suffering”, also saying that while the priority has been protecting people, it may also be possible to use air power to defend Iraqi heritage sites.
Iraq’s tourism and antiquities minister, Adel Fahad Al Shershab, called on Sunday for the coalition to protect such sites from ISIL, after the militants smashed priceless artefacts at Mosul museum, bulldozed one ancient city and may have attacked a second.
During a visit to a French aircraft carrier in the Gulf taking part in the air campaign, Gen Dempsey appealed for “strategic patience” in the fight against ISIL in Iraq and Syria.
“Carpet bombing through Iraq is not the answer,” he said on Sunday.
Gen Dempsey stressed that training Iraq’s army, which imploded when ISIL attacked in June 2014, would take more time, as would initiatives to bring its Sunni minority back into the fold.
“I do think it’s going to require some strategic patience,” he said, adding that “these underlying issues have to be resolved”.
Iraqi soldiers, police and the increasingly influential paramilitary Popular Mobilisation units, which are dominated by Shiite militias, have been closing in on Tikrit.
On Sunday, those forces retook Albu Ajil village, where some Sunni tribesmen have been accused of involvement alongside ISIL in the June 2014 massacre of hundreds of mostly Shiite recruits from the nearby base of Speicher.
Hadi Al Ameri, leader of the Popular Mobilisation units, had described the Tikrit operation as an opportunity for revenge, sparking fears for Sunni civilians.
Shiite commanders have since toned down their language and publicly urged their men to exercise restraint.
Dozens of families displaced by the fighting fled to Samarra, the other main city in Salaheddin province, to receive aid and shelter in camps.
“I am a farmer, I left my sheep and my cows behind,” said Atta Abu Alaa, a 50-year-old who had fled with 12 family members from a village near Albu Ajil.
“We did not have any relations with IS, we were oppressed,” he said, adding that those who fled were held and interrogated by the Asaib Ahl Al Haq Shiite militia for a day before being released.
The militia’s leader, Qais Al Khazali, urged his fighters on the front line Sunday not to do anything that could tarnish a victory over ISIL in Tikrit, where just a few hundred militants are holding out.
In the Kirkuk province town of Hawijah, ISIL executed 20 men who wanted to join the Popular Mobilisation units, a police intelligence officer and two local officials said on Monday.
The executions could not be independently confirmed, but gruesome photos posted online are evidence that they took place.
The pictures show the bodies of more than a dozen men — said to be Popular Mobilisation members — strung by their feet from light poles, what appears to be a communications or electricity tower, and under a massive sign featuring the ISIL flag and name.
Iraqi Kurdish forces that control other areas of Kirkuk launched an operation backed by coalition air support on Monday that aims to push ISIL back south and west of the provincial capital, piling further pressure on the militants.
Security official Westa Rasul said Kurdish forces suffered casualties when fighters entered a booby-trapped house.
“The bomb went off, killing three Iranian peshmerga and several of ours,” he said, refusing to say how many Iraqi peshmerga were killed.
* Agence France-Presse
Find the right policy for you
Don’t wait until the week you fly to sign up for insurance – get it when you book your trip. Insurance covers you for cancellation and anything else that can go wrong before you leave.
Some insurers, such as World Nomads, allow you to book once you are travelling – but, as Mr Mohammed found out, pre-existing medical conditions are not covered.
Check your credit card before booking insurance to see if you have any travel insurance as a benefit – most UAE banks, such as Emirates NBD, First Abu Dhabi Bank and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, have cards that throw in insurance as part of their package. But read the fine print – they may only cover emergencies while you’re travelling, not cancellation before a trip.
Pre-existing medical conditions such as a heart condition, diabetes, epilepsy and even asthma may not be included as standard. Again, check the terms, exclusions and limitations of any insurance carefully.
If you want trip cancellation or curtailment, baggage loss or delay covered, you may need a higher-grade plan, says Ambareen Musa of Souqalmal.com. Decide how much coverage you need for emergency medical expenses or personal liability. Premium insurance packages give up to $1 million (Dh3.7m) in each category, Ms Musa adds.
Don’t wait for days to call your insurer if you need to make a claim. You may be required to notify them within 72 hours. Gather together all receipts, emails and reports to prove that you paid for something, that you didn’t use it and that you did not get reimbursed.
Finally, consider optional extras you may need, says Sarah Pickford of Travel Counsellors, such as a winter sports holiday. Also ensure all individuals can travel independently on that cover, she adds. And remember: “Cheap isn’t necessarily best.”
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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City's slump
L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
L - Tottenham, 2-1
Specs
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Read more about the coronavirus
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PFA Team of the Year: David de Gea, Kyle Walker, Jan Vertonghen, Nicolas Otamendi, Marcos Alonso, David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Christian Eriksen, Harry Kane, Mohamed Salah, Sergio Aguero
The specs
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
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Padmaavat
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh
3.5/5
Chef Nobu's advice for eating sushi
“One mistake people always make is adding extra wasabi. There is no need for this, because it should already be there between the rice and the fish.
“When eating nigiri, you must dip the fish – not the rice – in soy sauce, otherwise the rice will collapse. Also, don’t use too much soy sauce or it will make you thirsty. For sushi rolls, dip a little of the rice-covered roll lightly in soy sauce and eat in one bite.
“Chopsticks are acceptable, but really, I recommend using your fingers for sushi. Do use chopsticks for sashimi, though.
“The ginger should be eaten separately as a palette cleanser and used to clear the mouth when switching between different pieces of fish.”
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TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
