World Briefs: Op to capture Raqqa from ISIS 'to start soon'

Op to capture Raqqa from ISIS 'to start soon'

BEIRUT•• • A United States- backed operation by Syrian forces to capture Raqqa from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) will start in the coming "few days" after advances to the outskirts of the city, the spokesman for the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia said yesterday.

The offensive is being waged by the Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias backed by the US-led coalition against ISIS.

REUTERS


Pakistan troops claim retaliation in Kashmir

KARACHI • The Pakistani military said yesterday its troops had killed five Indian soldiers in retaliation for Indian firing along the Line of Control in disputed Kashmir.

Pakistan on Friday accused Indian troops of shooting without provocation in Nezapir sector, wounding two civilians. The Pakistani army spokesman said yesterday that its troops had retaliated, killing five soldiers, wounding many, and destroying bunkers. India denied that any of its soldiers had been killed or wounded in any cross-border attack.

REUTERS


Man gets 9 years' jail for role in Bali murder

CHICAGO•A US judge has sentenced a Chicago man to nine years in prison for his role in the 2014 murder of an American woman while she was vacationing on the Indonesian island of Bali.

Robert Ryan Justin Bibbs, 26, pleaded guilty in December to advising his cousin Tommy Schaefer in the murder of Ms Sheila von Wiese-Mack, the US Department of Justice said on Friday.

The 62-year-old was bludgeoned to death with a fruit bowl in her hotel room at the St Regis Bali Resort, and her body stuffed in a suitcase and left in the trunk of a taxi.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on June 04, 2017, with the headline World Briefs: Op to capture Raqqa from ISIS 'to start soon'. Subscribe