Iraq forces hunt diehard jihadists after Tikrit breakthrough
Tikrit, Iraq (AFP) April 1, 2015 -
Iraqi forces battled the last jihadists in Tikrit Wednesday to seal a victory the government described as a milestone in efforts to rid the country of the Islamic State group.
Iraqi fighters picked their way through the rubble-strewn streets of the city, wary of any last-ditch attack from diehard IS fighters and of the thousands of bombs they left behind.
A major military push saw Iraqi ...
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More than 30 jihadist groups support IS, monitoring centre says
Paris (AFP) April 1, 2015 -
More than 20 jihadist groups have pledged their allegiance to the Islamic State movement and 10 others have voiced their support for the extremist organisation, according to US monitoring body IntelCenter.
A list published by the centre which monitors extremist groups shows these 31 organisations are dotted across the world in an arc going from Algeria in the west to Indonesia in the east. ...
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Who's saying what as Iran nuclear talks go past deadline
Lausanne (AFP) April 1, 2015 -
As Iranian nuclear talks went into a seventh day Wednesday after a midnight deadline for a framework deal was missed, Iran and major powers were sending out contradictory signals.
The negotiations are aimed at agreeing the main contours of an accord meant to convince the world that Iran will not obtain nuclear weapons. It has to be finalised by June 30.
With foreign ministers having hagg ...
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Zarif says 'seize the moment' as Iran nuclear talks plough on
Lausanne (AFP) April 1, 2015 -
Iran's foreign minister Wednesday told world powers to "seize the moment" and drop "excessive demands" as marathon high-stakes nuclear talks headed into another long bruising night of hard bargaining.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius was returning to the negotiations in Switzerland, joining US Secretary of State John Kerry and their counterparts from Germany and Britain, the French for ...
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First China air force drills in 'far offshore' Pacific
Beijing (AFP) March 31, 2015 -
China's air force has carried out its first ever military drill over the western Pacific Ocean, state media said, highlighting Beijing's growing military reach.
Several aircraft from China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) on Monday flew over the ocean via the Bashi Channel, which runs between Taiwan and the Philippines, the official Xinhua news agency said.
"This is the first time that t ...
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