Persecution of Christians

Albanian troops will set foot in Iraq again, nine years after their last operations there ceased, as part of global anti-ISIS voluntary operations in response to a request of the US government.

The initiative was announced on Monday by the Albanian Defence Minister, Mimi Kodheli, during a hearing with a parliamentary commission.

The media should be on alert against the "propaganda power of terrorism" and will have to "watch its step," Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmuş said on Feb. 23, state-run Anadolu agency has reported.

The Islamic State group may be losing much of its territory in Iraq, but it has reportedly continued to stock up on weapons of war despite the other setbacks. The global terror group more commonly known as ISIS can “threaten aircraft” now, according to a tweet from a CBS News foreign correspondent. The tweet cited an unnamed “US military spokesman” as the source of the information.

U.S.-backed Iraqi security forces captured Mosul airport on Feb. 23, state television said, in a major gain in operations to drive the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) from the western half of the city.

A few days ago, the Iraqi army launched its second offensive in the last six months to recapture Mosul from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) that has controlled the city and its surroundings for almost three years. Although the first operation by the Iraqi forces, with the air support of the U.S.-led coalition, to shake ISIL's control over Mosul began on Oct.

More US troops may be needed in Syria to speed up the campaign against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL), the top commander for the Middle East has stated, specifically referring to the push to liberate Raqqa.

"I am very concerned about maintaining momentum," General Joseph L. Votel, the head of the United States Central Command, told reporters, as quoted by CBS News.

Anti-terrorism police in Istanbul detained 35 people suspected of links to the Islamic State Iraq and Levant (ISIL) on Feb. 22, state-run Anadolu Agency has reported.

The suspects were taken into custody following simultaneous raids on 41 homes in two low-income Istanbul neighborhoods.

There was no information on the suspects or their nationalities.

The United States is not about to plunder Iraq's petroleum reserves, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who arrived in Baghdad on Feb. 20, said as he sought to soothe partners rattled by U.S. President Donald Trump.

The Greek-Canadian Senator Leo Housakos delivered a speech in the Canadian Senate about the Genocide of the Greeks of Pontos from 1916 to 1923 and the need to be recognized by the Canadian government.

The US may propose to send conventional ground combat forces into Syria. According to a CNN report, The move would significantly alter US military operations in Syria if approved and could put troops on the ground within weeks.