BAGHDAD / AP Even as Iraq slowly claws back territory from the IS group, faith in the government is crumbling among many, particularly the country’s Shiites, angered by political disarray and the continual pounding of the capital, Baghdad, by militants’ bombings. Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi triumphantly announced the beginning of operations to retake the IS-held city Fallujah, promising over ...

  BAGHDAD / AFP Iraqi officials say clashes between government forces and the IS group outside the city of Fallujah have briefly subsided. The Iraqi troops are engaged in the second day of a large-scale military operation to drive the militants out from their stronghold west of Baghdad. In nearby Garma, Mayor Ahmed Al Halbosi says engineering teams are clearing ...

  Tripoli / AFP Libyan coastguards said they detained 550 people trying to reach Europe illegally by boat on Tuesday, the second time in three days they have intercepted migrants in the same area. “Coastguards in the west who were patrolling off the Zawiya refinery on Tuesday intercepted four large inflatables carrying around 550 illegal migrants,” navy spokesman Colonel Ayoub ...