| In Iraq town, Real fans gather in 'challenge to IS' Posted: 28 May 2016 03:41 PM PDT  Wearing a pink Ronaldo tee-shirt, Ali Qais stares nervously at one of the Al-Furat cafe's TV screens to watch his beloved Real Madrid in the Iraqi town of Balad. Facing a poster of Real coach Zinedine Zidane, the sofa he is sitting on has two bullet holes in its back. "Until recently, I'm sure Ronaldo had never heard of Balad.
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| Syria rebels attacked by IS militants, government troops Posted: 28 May 2016 01:28 PM PDT  BEIRUT (AP) — Islamic State militants entered a major Syrian opposition stronghold in the country's north on Saturday, clashing with rebels on the edges of the town as the extremist group builds on its most significant advance near the Turkish border in two years — even as it loses ground elsewhere in the country and in neighboring Iraq.
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| Iraq elite forces take position around Fallujah Posted: 28 May 2016 08:03 AM PDT  Iraq's counter-terrorism forces deployed on the edge of Fallujah Saturday for the first time since an operation was launched to retake the jihadist-held city, top commanders said. The counter-terrorism service (CTS), Iraq's best-trained and most battle-tested fighting unit, moved into position on the boundaries of Fallujah, a bastion of the Islamic State group. "CTS forces, Anbar emergency police and tribal fighters... reached Tareq and Mazraa camps" south and east of Fallujah, Abdelwahab al-Saadi, the top commander in charge of the Fallujah operation, told AFP.
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| Iraqi Sunni politicians reject visit by Iran's Soleimani to Falluja Posted: 28 May 2016 07:00 AM PDT  By Saif Hameed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Sunni politicians in Iraq condemned on Saturday a visit by Iranian General Qassem Soleimani to Shi'ite paramilitary forces fighting alongside the Iraqi army to drive Islamic State militants out of the Sunni city of Falluja. Three lawmakers from the province of Anbar told Reuters the visit by Iran's al-Quds brigade commander could fuel sectarian tension and cast doubt on Baghdad's assertions that the offensive is an Iraqi-led effort to defeat Islamic State, and not to settle scores with the Sunnis. Falluja, which lies about 50 kilometers (32 miles) west of Baghdad, is a bastion of the insurgency that fought the U.S. occupation of Iraq and the Shi'ite-led authorities that replaced former Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein, a Sunni.
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| Australia police use pepper spray as nationalists clash with anti-racism protesters Posted: 28 May 2016 12:41 AM PDT  Australian police used pepper spray to break up clashes between rightwing nationalists and anti-racism protesters on the streets of Melbourne on Saturday as Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said eliminating racism was still a "work in progress". The United Patriots Front (UPF) organized a "Stop the Far Left" rally while anti-racism protesters marched under the banner "Moreland says No to Racism", in reference to a Melbourne district.
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