Iran-backed Shia forces in Iraq have grown to 100,000 in the war against Daesh Takfiri militants, says Baghdad-based US military spokesman, Colonel Chris Garver. In an email to Fox News, Garver said that since the rise of Daesh terrorists inside Iraq more than two years ago, Shia forces have grown to 100,000 fighters.

Garver added that the fighters have been able to grow inside the Popular Mobilization Units.  Iraqi government forces, backed by fighters from allied Popular Mobilization Units, have been pushing the militants out of the country’s territory.

Fox News reported that this is an alarmingly high number and is the first time such a figure has been estimated. The American news channel also reported concerns that the Shia fighters represent an “anti-American force” that would take over once Daesh are defeated.

Many have been critical of the US’ role in Iraq. Last month, an Iraqi parliamentary panel opposed the role of US troops in the liberation of Mosul, in light of the news that the US was planning to send hundreds of additional troops there. Iraq’s MP Nayef al-Shammari said that “Iraqis have already retaken Tikrit, Fallujah and… Ramadi.”

When asked about Shia fighters’ involvement in the liberation of Mosul, Garver said, “the government of Iraq is in charge of this war. We’re here to support them. So, who they [want in] the campaign is really their decision.” However, he strongly stressed that there is no coordination between the US and Iranians “in any way.”

Iraq is preparing for an offensive into Mosul, the country’s second largest city, which fell into the hands of Daesh in the summer of 2014. The city is the last remaining bastion of Daesh in Iraq as the military and allies have managed to retake key towns and villages from the militants over the past months.

Iraqis managed to recapture the city of Fallujah, west of the capital Baghdad, in late June. The city was a main hub of Daesh militancy in Iraq and its liberation boosted hope for Iraq’s final push toward Mosul. Defense Minister Khaled al-Obaidi has said that less than 10 percent of the Iraqi territory remains in the hands of Daesh.

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A new bomb attack claimed by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and clashes with the militants have killed at least four members of Turkish security forces east of the country.

Local media said Thursday that the bomb attack was carried out in Hizan district of the province of Bitlis about noon local time, when militants detonated a hand-made explosive device placed on a road near Gayda village while a military vehicle was passing.

Reports said three soldiers were killed and six others were wounded in the attack. The Dogan news agency said a village guard was also killed and another soldier was wounded when clashes erupted in the rural areas of Nazar village in the same area.

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US President Barack Obama has issued a “major disaster” declaration for the state of Louisiana, where historic flooding has killed at least five people and stranded thousands more.

Obama called Governor John Bel Edwards to inform him of the decision, the White House said in a statement on Sunday night, two days after Edwards requested a state emergency as heavy rains soaked southeast Louisiana southern Mississippi.

The president told Edwards that the federal government will help Louisiana with its ongoing rescue and recovery missions.

“We are thankful for the federal government’s quick response to our request for an emergency declaration,” Edwards said in response.

The declaration makes federal funding available to those who were affected by the flood in at least four parishes of Tangipahoa, St. Helena, East Baton Rouge and Livingston that were hit the hardest.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a message to the former Cuban president and revolutionary leader, Fidel Castro, congratulating him on his 90th birthday. “You enjoy deep respect in Russia as an outstanding statesman who devoted his entire life to serving the people of Cuba,” Putin wrote in a telegram message posted on the Kremlin’s website on Saturday.

Putin underlined Castro’s “personal contribution to the development of friendship and cooperation” between Russia and Cuba. The Russian leader wished Castro “good health, longevity, vitality and prosperity.” Castro served as the president of Cuba from 1976 to 2008 and as the first secretary of the central committee of the Communist party of the country from 1961 to 2011.

The revolutionary leader is one of the giant figures of modern history who defied the United States to turn his island nation into a firm ally of the Soviet Union. Cuba and Russia have maintained diplomatic relations since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Moscow-Havana ties increased after Putin came into power in 2000. In December 2000, Putin visited Cuba, where he along with Castro called for the lifting of US sanctions against Cuba. Russia is still Cuba’s leading creditor and the two countries maintain close economic ties.

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Russia has deployed a regiment of its advanced S-400 air defense missile system to Crimea as a dispute deepens between Moscow and Kiev over the security situation in the Black Sea peninsula. Russian news agencies made the announcement on Friday, citing a statement from Russia’s Defense Ministry.

The ministry had earlier in the day announced that its navy would start to hold three-day military exercises in the Black Sea to practice repelling underwater attacks by saboteurs. Russia’s Black Sea Fleet based in Crimea is taking part in the military exercises. More than 10 warships, MI-8 and Ka-27PS helicopters are participating in the training.

“During the drill we are going to practice the issues of both operational and technical support. These include operations to counter underwater sabotage, navigational and hydrographic exercise, search and rescue missions,” said Russian Navy Commander Admiral Viktor Chirkov. Meanwhile, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Friday that Moscow could break diplomatic relations with Kiev over the security incidents in Crimea.

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Military experts from the United States of America have shared rural border patrol skills with twenty three elements from the National Gendarmerie’s elite Multipurpose Intervention Group (GPIGN) and the National Police Force. The trainees received their end-of-course certificates on August 11, 2016 at GPIGN’s shooting range in the Mbankomo locality, near Yaounde in the presence of the Director of Central Coordination of the National Gendarmerie, Brigadier General Elokobi Daniel Ndjock who represented the Secretary of State in the Ministry of Defence in charge of the National Gendarmerie.

The major highlight of the event was the “dynamic” demonstration exercise by the trainees who simulated a foiled planned terrorist attack on four strategic places in Yaounde from a Boko Haram base in the Mbankomo neighbourhood. In effect, a counter-operation enabled an arms supplier and three accomplices from the armed group to be followed, intercepted, neutralised and their arms cache raided thanks to the efficiency of raid, reconnaissance and interception units backed by a central crisis command unit.

Amazed at the effectiveness of the exercise like other senior Gendarmerie and Police officers present, General Elokobi instructed the trainees to daily use the skills acquired to be really operational in border areas. He also hailed the US for the continuing multifarious technical military assistance to boost the capacity of Cameroon’s defence and security forces in the fight against Boko Haram. On his part, the Chargé d’Affaires at the US Embassy in Yaounde, Stewart Wilson used the opportunity to reaffirm his country’s commitment to continue assisting the National Gendarmerie and the National Police Force to perform their role in fighting terrorism in Cameroon.

Cameroon Tribune

The Takfiri Daesh terrorist group has purportedly appointed a new leader for its Nigeria-based affiliate, Boko Haram. According to Daesh-linked media, Abu Musab al-Barnawi, a former spokesman for Boko Haram, has replaced Abubakar Shekau, who had been in charge since 2009.

It was not clear why the change has taken place. Later on Thursday, Shekau released an audio message saying, “People should know we are still around,” apparently defying Daesh and the decision to oust him.

Barnawi claimed his group remains “a force to be reckoned with,” adding that the fight would go on against West African countries. “They strongly seek to Christianize the society… They exploit the condition of those who are displaced under the raging war, providing them with food and shelter and then Christianizing their children,” he said, referring to the West African states.

Al-Barnawi said the Takfiri militant group will respond to that threat by “booby-trapping and blowing up every church that we are able to reach, and killing all of those (Christians) who we find from the citizens of the cross.”

Presstv

As many as 45,000 members of the Daesh (ISIL) Takfiri group have been killed in the Middle East during the past two years, a senior American military official says.

US Army Lieutenant General Sean MacFarland made the announcement during a press briefing on Wednesday, adding that the terrorist group has now become an easier target after losing thousands of its members.

“We don’t see them operating nearly as effectively as they have in the past, which makes them even easier targets for us, so as a result their attrition has accelerated here of late,” he noted.

The American commander attributed some of the success in the battle against Daesh to the US-led campaign that started in late 2014, claiming that the coalition has killed 25,000 terrorists over the past 11 months.

The general’s claim comes at a time when Washington is under fire for the high rate of civilian deaths arising from its airstrikes.

In late July, more than a dozen civilians were killed or injured after US warplanes conducted airstrikes in Syria’s northern province of Aleppo.

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The UK is playing a substantial role in tackling security threats across Africa, with deployments in Nigeria and Somalia. Around 30 British troops have recently arrived in Somalia to bolster a United Nations mission, while a 35 strong Royal Air Force (RAF) team have been training Nigerian personnel helping to fight Boko Haram. An RAF Short Term Training Team have been advising the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) in how to defend their airbases from threats such as that from extremist group Boko Haram, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) said. Personnel from No.5 Force Protection Wing and 51 Squadron RAF Regiment are also helping to boost the NAF’s skills in improvised explosive devices (IEDs), tracking insurgents, identifying weapons caches and navigation. They have also worked with the Nigerian Army on improving ground-to-air coordination.

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said that, “We stand united with Nigerian efforts to defeat this brutal terrorist organisation. That is why we are increasing our support to their armed forces as they fight extremism. This mission is part of a step up in UK support announced by the Defence Secretary in December, paving the way for multiple deployments of up to 300 UK military personnel across 2016.” More than 5,000 members of the Nigerian Armed Forces have now benefited from UK training since April 2015, which has also included medical training, infantry skills, media operations, command and leadership, and support to Nigerian military training schools.

Around 30 British troops have recently arrived in Somalia to bolster a United Nations mission helping to ensure security against the threat of extremism. In a demonstration of the flexibility and global reach of the UK’s armed forces, the personnel will provide medical, logistical and engineering support as part of UN support to the African Mission in Somalia, which is working to build stability and help counter the threat posed by terrorist group Al-Shabaab. Fallon said that, “We are determined to tackle terrorism wherever it appears and this deployment demonstrates our commitment to help stabilise Somalia.”

The extra 30 troops brings the current number in-country to around 40, after an initial British team arrived in May to help strengthen infrastructure ready for this deployment. Up to 70 UK personnel will travel to Somalia in 2016 as part of the deployment.

Defenceweb

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says Iran will never back down from distancing itself from the United States. “Keeping a distance from the head of the arrogant movement i.e. the US is one of the most important definitive principles of the great founder of the Islamic Republic (the late Imam Khomeini) and there is no room for any compromise or negligence in this regard,” Ayatollah Khamenei said in a meeting with Iran’s Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi and other senior personnel of the ministry on Tuesday.

Ayatollah Khamenei hailed the relentless efforts of the ministry, describing it as a “very important and crucial bastion” and “the wakeful and observant eye of the Islamic establishment.” “The Intelligence Ministry is the hard shell of the Islamic establishment and should never become vulnerable,” the Leader added. The Leader further called for the presence and operation of the ministry anywhere suspected of becoming a hideout for the enemy to deal a blow to the Islamic Republic.

Ayatollah Khamenei also said the survival and victory of the Islamic Revolution are tied to maintaining faith, adding, “The failure of the global arrogance against the Islamic establishment, despite massive and varied plots and methods that they have deployed since the first day against the [Islamic] Revolution, could not have been possible without the support of faith.”

The Leader stated that any move to weaken the faith of the Iranian people and officials would be treason and added, “The defensive force that has sustained the country throughout all these years has been the power of faith and if this strong and efficient weapon is undermined, it will lead to many plights.”

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