Iraqi Forces Thwart Terrorist Plot in Nineveh

Members of Iraqi federal forces on the outskirts of Kirkuk, Iraq | Photo: Reuters
Members of Iraqi federal forces on the outskirts of Kirkuk, Iraq | Photo: Reuters
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Iraqi Forces Thwart Terrorist Plot in Nineveh

Members of Iraqi federal forces on the outskirts of Kirkuk, Iraq | Photo: Reuters
Members of Iraqi federal forces on the outskirts of Kirkuk, Iraq | Photo: Reuters

The Iraqi National Security announced Saturday it apprehended seven wanted militants plotting a terrorist attack in Nineveh, north of Iraq.

The terrorists were wanted by the judiciary under Article 4 on terrorism and were planning to form a cell to attack the governorate. They confessed to carrying out armed attacks against the Iraqi security forces during the liberation operations.

The Iraqi Ministry of Interior announced its new procedures to curb terrorist operations and handle intelligence information on terrorists.

The spokesman Saad Maan said that measures were tightened at checkpoints based on security or intelligence information.

Maan pointed out that the number of fixed checkpoints was reduced in the recent period, while mobile ones were being used at different times and places.

The security and defense parliamentary committee announced that it has allocated part of this year's budget to ensure the security of the Iraqi Syrian border.

A member of the committee, Abdul Khaliq al-Azzawi, said that securing the border is crucial for general security, especially as it faces great challenges in light of the increased activity of terrorist organizations in Syria that try to transfer their operations into Iraq.

Azzawi added that the committee supported a proposal to allocate a sum in the 2021 budget to finance the security plans for the Iraqi Syrian border, which would boost general security and reduce challenges, especially in the western regions.

Meanwhile, the Military Intelligence Directorate arrested four Syrians trying to infiltrate Zummar district in Nineveh.

The directorate issued a statement indicating that following accurate intel, it arrested four Syrians trying to illegally enter into the Iraqi territories.

Furthermore, the commander of Anbar Operations, Major General Nasser al-Ghanem, announced that a number of ISIS members had been killed, including the military official, during a security operation in al-Rutba desert.

Ghanem declared that the First Division of Anbar Operations Forces killed the ISIS operatives who were wearing explosive belts in Faydat al-Ghazlan area in the desert.

In Kirkuk, Iraqi forces also pursued ISIS elements, especially after the organization increased its operations in the governorate and nearby areas.

Spokesman of the Iraqi Armed Forces, Major General Yahya Rasoul, announced that the security forces had killed a number of ISIS terrorists in a clash in the Daquq district, in eastern Kirkuk governorate.

Rasoul announced that a unit of the 9th Armored Division combed Wadi al-Sham in Daquq, in pursuit of ISIS remnants, noting that the operation resulted in the killing of a number of terrorists, and the discovery of a number of explosives and booby-trapped vehicles.



EU Condemns Israel's West Bank Control Measures

The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, seen from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP)
The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, seen from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP)
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EU Condemns Israel's West Bank Control Measures

The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, seen from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP)
The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, seen from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP)

The European Union on Monday condemned new Israeli measures to tighten control of the West Bank and pave the way for more settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, AFP reported.

"The European Union condemns recent decisions by Israel's security cabinet to expand Israeli control in the West Bank. This move is another step in the wrong direction," EU spokesman Anouar El Anouni told journalists.


Atrocities in Sudan's El-Fasher Were 'Preventable Human Rights Catastrophe'

Sudanese displaced people who left El Fasher after its fall, sit in the shade in Tawila at the Rwanda camp reception point on December 17, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Sudanese displaced people who left El Fasher after its fall, sit in the shade in Tawila at the Rwanda camp reception point on December 17, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
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Atrocities in Sudan's El-Fasher Were 'Preventable Human Rights Catastrophe'

Sudanese displaced people who left El Fasher after its fall, sit in the shade in Tawila at the Rwanda camp reception point on December 17, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Sudanese displaced people who left El Fasher after its fall, sit in the shade in Tawila at the Rwanda camp reception point on December 17, 2025. (Photo by AFP)

The atrocities unleashed on El-Fasher in Sudan's Darfur region last October were a "preventable human rights catastrophe", the United Nations said Monday, warning they now risked being repeated in the neighbouring Kordofan region.

 

"My office sounded the alarm about the risk of mass atrocities in the besieged city of El-Fasher for more than a year ... but our warnings were ignored," UN rights chief Volker Turk told the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

 

He added that he was now "extremely concerned that these violations and abuses may be repeated in the Kordofan region".

 

 

 

 


Arab League Condemns Israel's Decisions to Alter Legal, Administrative Status of West Bank

A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
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Arab League Condemns Israel's Decisions to Alter Legal, Administrative Status of West Bank

A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)

The General Secretariat of the Arab League strongly condemned decisions by Israeli occupation authorities to impose fundamental changes on the legal and administrative status of the occupied Palestinian territories, particularly in the West Bank, describing them as a dangerous escalation and a flagrant violation of international law, international legitimacy resolutions, and signed agreements, SPA reported.

In a statement, the Arab League said the measures include facilitating the confiscation of private Palestinian property and transferring planning and licensing authorities in the city of Hebron and the area surrounding the Ibrahimi Mosque to occupation authorities.

It warned of the serious repercussions of these actions on the rights of the Palestinian people and on Islamic and Christian holy sites.

The statement reaffirmed the Arab League’s firm support for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, foremost among them the establishment of their independent state on the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.