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IRAQI PARAMILITARIES LAUNCHED an operation today to retake the town of Tal Afar from the Islamic State group and cut jihadist supply lines from Mosul to Syria, a spokesman said.
Forces from the Hashed al-Shaabi, a paramilitary umbrella organisation dominated by Iran-backed Shiite militias, have largely been on the sidelines since the operation to retake Mosul from the Islamic State group was launched last week.
“The operation aims to cut supplies between Mosul and Raqa and tighten the siege of (IS) in Mosul and liberate Tal Afar,” Hashed spokesman Ahmed al-Assadi told AFP, referring to IS’s main strongholds in Iraq and Syria.
Assadi said the operation aimed to retake the towns of Hatra and Tal Abta as well as Tal Afar, Assadi said.
Tense relations
The operation could bring the fighting perilously close to the ancient city of Hatra, located northeast of the town of the same name, a UNESCO world heritage site that has already been vandalised by IS.
The involvement of Shiite militias in the Mosul operation has been a source of contention, although some of the Hashed’s top commanders insist they do not plan to enter the largely Sunni city.
Iraqi Kurds and Sunni Arab politicians have opposed their involvement, as has Turkey, which has a military presence east of Mosul despite repeated demands by Baghdad for the forces to be withdrawn.
Relations between the Hashed and the US-led coalition fighting IS are also tense, but the paramilitaries enjoy widespread support among members of Iraq’s Shiite majority.
Tal Afar was a Shiite-majority town before the Sunni extremists of IS overran it in 2014, and its recapture is a main goal of Shiite militia forces.
IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces have since regained significant ground and Mosul is the last big city held by the jihadists in the country.
- © AFP 2016.
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Interesting article, sad case.
How times change. Nowadays he would told the tough upbringing story and been out in six or seven years. Said he was drunk and he could of been out even sooner.
We should execute more and lock up more for longer.
Lock up yes execute no.
Execution is barbaric and until recently most people were executed for petty crimes.
And what would have happened to the Birmingham Six if execution was legal. Too many miscarriages of justice still happen.
But they only had their whole lives upended, brutalised by the system and lost 20 years of their lives. So that’s alright then.
An 84 year old living alone in 1927…. Wow… that’s got to be like a 110 years adjusted for changes in healthcare etc.It’s always a tragedy when someone is killed but there seems to be an extra poignancy when they’re very young or very old.
@Paddy Ryan,
80 and 90 year old’s were quite common in those times. It’s infant mortality that brings down the average life expectancy, if you made out of childhood you had a reasonable chance of growing to old age.
@Eamon, It wasnt just about infant mortality. People did on the whole die a lot younger for various reasons. There would be a lot more people living to old age in this day and age..
Eamon is correct – lots of people lived into their 80s or 90s. Infant mortality does bring the average down. Even as far back as medieval times lots of people lived into old age, it’s just that lots more people died in childhood back then.
@arnie. And on the battlefield.
““hanging is entirely too mild for such a savage” sounds pretty much like many many comments found on the Journal. You can’t stop progress…
It’s great that we have mindful moralist like yourself to remind us all of our place
“Moralists” usually have no issues with hanging another human being in the name of their morality…
Moralists infer that the masses are lacking their virtue.
Therefore, they think they have the right to hang the masses that are lacking their virtue. You get it?
It may be from times past but it still happens in rural Ireland. There’s a case to be had for capital punishment
No there isn’t. It’s barbaric and doesn’t work as a deterrent. Killing people is wrong. End of.
I wonder whether it would have deterred that woman’s murderer if he had been able to read about other hangings for the crime of murder?
Human beings have Human rights in this day and age.
Any country that executes stoops to the level of the killers themselves.
Belarus is the only country in all of Europe, including Russia, that still actively has the death penalty written into its’ laws.
Are people seriously suggesting we apply a similar level of morals here because murders and brutal murders occur?
People might feel like such people deserve to die and brutally, but it’s not the job of the State to be cruel and vicious. The potential for miscarriage of justice is also huge. The Irish Free State did execute at least 2 innocent men afaik.
What about child rapes and murders? Or conspiracy to blow up an airplane. Certain things for fit rights
Emily – the crimes are disgusting, but killing people is wrong. Someone has to hold the higher moral ground, the state must protect its citizens not seek vengeance, no matter how much we might want it.
Look at Saudi, Egypt, Iran etc. Look at the USA. Is that a crime free country because they lock people up for decades and have the death penalty?
If you are putting a picture of a building in your article then you should also name the building.
Which building are you wanting to know
The picture of the courthouse
Yeah, the Journal are pretty bad for this. If you follow the link to the NLI that they have, you’ll see that it’s that old building on Green Street, near Capel Street.
Green street courthouse
Thanks lads
Also left wondering where execution was carried out, Mountjoy presumably.
Yea there 29 unmarked graves in mount joy he buried there. One of the 29 have been provin innocent late last year. Look up a book called hanged for murder the 29 cases are in it
Sure can we not blame the British
As is more usually the case, David.
‘Had went to a wake’????
Be thankful it wasn’t ‘of went’
$cum executed this man
He’d probably get 4 years today
Hmm – not sure it’s that simple – although there doesn’t seem to have been a lot of evidence. I’m glad we live in a time where we are more humane.
Well, if the marauding gangs who travel rural Ireland with seeming impunity terrorising old people and carrying out aggravated burglaries, in many cases causing death directly or indirectly, were to face ‘Old Sparky’, I would be in favour of it. Conventional policing isn’t working for us.
What’s the fine looking building in the second photo? A mill? A convent? Interested to know
An English army barracks
He got what he deserved
Really ?
He probably did do it.
What makes you think that
So no allowances made for mental health issues there !!Wouldn’t like seeing the death penalty being brought back ,as it dehumanised everyone ,and says it’s OK for the state to kill.So how can it be OK for one group to take lives and not another ?
have your say