Aid groups brace for surge of displaced Mosul residents

The desperate conditions of west Mosul residents are expected to be compounded as Iraqi forces surround the old city.

Aid organisations are racing against the clock to prepare for what is expected to be a mass exodus of hundreds of thousands of civilians from Mosul as Iraqi forces advance west of Mosul in the final stage of the battle for Mosul to recapture the city from the Islamic State or Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS).

Emergency camps are being built up in nine cities and tents are being erected in existing camps to absorb internally displaced people. Food and other basic supplies are also being pre-positioned for up to 400,000 Iraqis that aid agencies expect might flee, according to aid groups.

"The greatest concern is the fact that we might have a massive surge of civilians being displaced," said Hala Jaber, a spokesperson for the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

"We are preparing to expand the camps and build up emergency sites to be able to take the numbers."

Aid agencies operating on the ground in Iraq say there are three possible scenarios: A protracted siege of the old city, mass displacement of up to 400,000 or the "best case scenario", an orderly evacuation of Iraqis as parts of western Mosul become secure.

There are already plots available to shelter at least 60,000 people in sites east and south of Mosul, according to the UNHCR, but in addition to this, other utilities, including latrines, showers and roads as well as security personnel, should be made available, a process that usually takes up to six weeks.  

Since the offensive was launched on October 17, 2016, more than 217,000 people have been displaced from eastern Mosul, which was retaken by Iraqi forces last month, lower than the initial projections of aid agencies. Already 57,000 people have returned to their neighbourhoods.

However, the battle for western Mosul, where 800,000 people live, is expected to be more challenging than the east because armoured vehicles cannot pass through the compact area's narrow alleyways, Iraqi commanders have said.

Around 400,000 people live in the dense quarters of the old city, which contains ancient souks and the Grand Mosque.

"In the old city, the narrow alleyways may require a different fighting modality so the level of risk could reach unmanageable proportions," Bruno Geddo, UNCHR's representative in Iraq, told Al Jazeera. "That is why we want to make sure we are prepared for a possible large-scale outflow."

There are places reserved for 250,000 civilians, Geddo added, but timing is another concern. "If they are displaced in a matter of two days, this could become overwhelming. We need enough capacity for a mass outflow."

Humanitarian workers are also bracing for a possible siege of the old city, but the unpredictable nature of the fighting is also complicating planning for them.

"We don't know what will happen during the military campaign but we have to be ready for all scenarios," Lise Grande, the United Nations' humanitarian coordinator, said in a statement. "Hundreds of thousands of civilians might be trapped - maybe for weeks, maybe for months."

Trump names Lt Gen HR McMaster as national security adviser

US President Donald Trump has named Lt Gen HR McMaster as his national security adviser.

He will replace Lt Gen Michael Flynn who was fired after just three weeks and three days in the job.

A lieutenant general with the US Army, HR McMaster served in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he worked on a government anti-corruption drive.

Mr Trump's first choice, retired Vice Admiral Robert Harward, turned down the role, citing "personal reasons".

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Mr Trump has praised Herbert Raymond McMaster as "a man of tremendous talent and tremendous experience" who is "highly respected by everybody in the military".

raqi forces push into ISIL-held southern Mosul Troops backed by jets battle their way to Mosul airport, as US defence chief arrives in Baghdad on unannounced visit.

raqi forces push into ISIL-held southern Mosul

Troops backed by jets battle their way to Mosul airport, as US defence chief arrives in Baghdad on unannounced visit.

Iraqi security forces have pushed into the southern outskirts of Mosul on the second day of a new offensive to drive ISIL fighters from the city's western half, as US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis arrived in Baghdad on an unannounced visit. 

Iraqi forces backed by jets and helicopters battled their way to Mosul airport on Monday as they prepared to take on the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group's stronghold in the city's west bank.

"The federal police has resumed its advance ... Our cannons are targeting Daesh defence lines with heavy fire," federal police chief Raed Shaker Jawdat said, using and Arabic acronym for ISIL, also known as ISIS.

The main focus of Monday's operations was to secure an area south of the Al-Buseif airport.

"It's a strategic location because it is on a hill. We have to seize today because ISIL fighters can fight back from there," Jawdat told AFP news agency near the front line.

Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS), who have urban warfare experience and did most of the fighting in east Mosul, were seen heading across the desert to the western side of Mosul.

They are expected to breach the densely populated western part of the city once other forces have moved all the way up to Mosul's limits.

ISIL fighters defending Mosul's west bank have no choice, but to protect their bastion. Bridges across the Tigris in the city have been destroyed and Iraqi forces have cut off escape routes.

Meanwhile, Iraqi police forces in armoured vehicles were moving towards the sprawling Ghazlani military base on the southwestern outskirts of the city according to the AP news agency.

Backed by aerial support from the US-led international coalition, Iraqi police, CTS and regular army troops launched an offensive on Sunday to retake western Mosul from ISIL following a 100-day campaign that pushed the fighters from the eastern half of the city.

The Iraqi forces said they had seized 17 villages from ISIL on Sunday, according to top army commander Abdul Ameer Yarallah.

Kym Marsh puts on eye-popping display in VERY busty dress amid 'hotel meltdown' claims

The soap beauty, who plays grieving Michelle Connor in the ITV drama, partied with her co-star Simon Gregson and his wife Emma Gleave at the launch of charity Escape.

The 40-year-old's cleavage was impossible to miss in her show-stopping black dress, which featured a daringly low-cut neckline.

Kym's number also came complete with a full, sheer skirt and bow detailing on the waist, that further highlighted her slender frame.

The actress teamed her sleeveless frock with red, patent stilettos and matching nails, as well as lashings of smokey eye make-up.

Iran slams 'provocative' US warning over missile test

Tehran will not yield to 'useless' threats from 'an inexperienced person' over missile programme, official says.

ran has rejected a warning from US President Donald Trump's administration over its latest missile test as unfounded.

Bahram Ghasemi, the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman, was quoted as saying on Thursday by state news agency IRNA that the claims were "baseless, repetitive and provocative".

Instead of thanking Iran for its continued fight against terrorism ... the American government is practically helping the terrorists by claims about Iran that are baseless, repetitive and provocative," he said.

Also on Thursday, a top adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Iran would not yield to "useless" US threats from "an inexperienced person" over its ballistic missile programme.

"This is not the first tim

"This is not the first time that an inexperienced person has threatened Iran ... the American government will understand that threatening Iran is useless," Ali Akbar Velayati said, without identifying any US official specifically in his comments.

"Iran does not need permission from any country to defend itself," he was quoted as saying by the semi-official Fars news agency.

Protests grow as Texas moves against 'sanctuary' cities

overnor cuts funding to law enforcement to penalise Austin, a 'sanctuary' city offering safety to the undocumented.

exas, US - Hundreds of protesters took to the Texas capital on Thursday to rally against the halting of more than a million dollars towards law enforcement.

Earlier, Governor Greg Abbott kept to his promise to withhold $1.5 million from Travis County's law enforcement in a bid to penalise Austin's "sanctuary city" status.

Sanctuary cities in general offer safety to undocumented migrants and often do not use municipal funds or resources to advance the enforcement of federal immigration laws. Sanctuary city is not an official designation.

Now, Texas lawmakers are discussing Senate Bill 4, which aims to cut funding and impose other consequences on cities that provide safe harbour to the undocumented.

"When I came in, there was a long line to sign up to testify in support of Austin's sanctuary city status … it's a lot of people," Cristina Parker, immigration programmes director at the civil rights group Grassroots Leadership, told Al Jazeera.

Parker explained that Abbott's decision was viewed negatively by the community. 

"We all rally around law enforcement. We don't see any reason behind cutting their funding," she said. "It doesn't make any sense."

Questionable legality

But community concerns do not end there.

Texas legislators added other amendments to the anti-sanctuary city bill on Wednesday.

These include a provision that requires authorities to cooperate with Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE), the federal agency responsible for deportations.

ICE often issues a written request to local law enforcement agencies to detain an individual they suspect of being in the United States without legal status for 48 hours.

However, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other groups have called attention to the fact that these requests, known as "detainers", have been found to be in violation of the US Constitution's Fourth Amendment which requires due process of the law.