MOSUL // People in the Iraqi city of Mosul on Sunday celebrated their first Eid since being freed of ISIL control, although concerns for thousands of civilians trapped in a small area still held by the group cast a pall over the festivities.
Children gathered in squares on the eastern side of the city. Some played on old swings and others with toy guns and rifles, which were among the toys allowed by ISIL militants after they took over the city in June 2014.
The militants implemented an extreme version of Islam which associated toys with a face, such as dolls, with idolatry. They encouraged youngsters to train on weapons and changed textbooks to reflect their military ideology. Children were asked to add up bombs or bullets in maths exercises.
Eid prayers were allowed, but festivities were not.
Sunday’s Eid celebrations were overshadowed by the fighting between Iraqi forces and ISIL in the Old City in western Mosul, where the militants are now besieged.
“It won’t be real Eid before we return home,” said a man in his 60s, displaced from the western side of the city, across the Tigris river.
Some expressed sadness over the destruction by ISIL on Wednesday of the Old City’s 850-year-old Grand Al Nuri mosque and its leaning 45-metre minaret.
“Eid is not the same,” said another man, who declined to give his name.
Iraqi forces took the eastern side of Mosul from ISIL in January, after 100 days of fighting, and started attacking the western side in February.
“As our heroic forces are closer to declaring final victory over the Daesh gangs, I offer my most sincere congratulations for Eid Al Fitr,” prime minister Haider Al Abadi said.
Iraqi forces now hold two thirds of the Old City, a senior commander said on Sunday.
“Sixty-five to 70 per cent of the Old City has been liberated, there is less than a square kilometre left to retake,” said Lt Col Salam Al Obeidi of the Counter-Terrorism Service that has spearheaded the assault.
Only “a few hundred” ISIL fighters remain in the area, he said.
Another CTS officer said more than 50,000 civilians, about half the Old City’s population, remained behind ISIL lines.
Iraqi authorities had hoped to declare victory in Mosul before the start of Eid.
* Reuters and Agence France-Presse
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Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
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GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
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Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
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