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SOUTHWEST ASIA, Aug. 2, 2017 U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, conducting 12 strikes consisting of 16 engagements, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Officials reported details of yesterday's strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

In Syria, coalition military forces conducted nine strikes consisting of 10 engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Abu Kamal, a strike destroyed three ISIS wellheads.

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, a strike destroyed an ISIS oil refinery.

-- Near Raqqa, seven strikes engaged four ISIS tactical units and destroyed four fighting positions, two ISIS headquarters, an improvised explosive device, an ammunition cache and a fuel supply point.

Strikes in Iraq

In Iraq, coalition military forces conducted three strikes consisting of six engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Huwayjah, a strike destroyed a piece of ISIS engineering equipment and a front-end loader.

-- Near Rawah, a strike destroyed a vehicle-borne bomb.

-- Near Tal Afar, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed four front-end loaders, a supply cache and a command-and-control node.

Previous Strikes

Additionally, seven strikes consisting of 10 engagements were conducted in Syria and Iraq on July 30-31 that closed within the last 24 hours.

-- On July 30, near Raqqa, Syria, four strikes engaged four ISIS tactical units.

-- On July 31, near Raqqa, Syria, two strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units.

-- On July 31, near Kisik, Iraq, a strike illuminated an area.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

These strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to destroy ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The destruction of ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria also further limits the group's ability to project terror and conduct external operations throughout the region and the rest of the world, task force officials said.

The list above contains all strikes conducted by fighter, attack, bomber, rotary-wing or remotely piloted aircraft; rocket-propelled artillery; and some ground-based tactical artillery when fired on planned targets, officials noted.

Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike, they added. A strike, as defined by the coalition, refers to one or more kinetic engagements that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single or cumulative effect.

For example, task force officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIS vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against a group of ISIS-held buildings and weapon systems in a compound, having the cumulative effect of making that facility harder or impossible to use. Strike assessments are based on initial reports and may be refined, officials said.

The task force does not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target.

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Coalition Strikes Target ISIS in Syria, Iraq - Department of Defense

Migrants wait to be rescued by the Aquarius rescue ship run by non-governmental organisations (NGO) "SOS Mediterranee" and "Medecins Sans Frontieres" (Doctors Without Borders) in the Mediterranean Sea, 30 nautic miles from the Libyan coast, on August 2, 2017.Angelos TzortzinisAFP/Getty Images

Italy approved a controversial new naval mission to stop migrant smuggling boats from leaving Libya on Wednesday, in an effort to curb the numbers of migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean.

Italy's parliament voted to allow a limited naval mission to support Libya's coastguard in a bid to curb human traffickers, provoking a fierce reaction from the head of rival forces to Libya's U.N-backed government. General Khalifa Haftar, the rogue general who oversees the eastern part of the country, threatened to repel any naval vessel that enters national waters without permission from the army."

This follows an influx of more than 94,000 migrants arriving to Italy's shores this year, overwhelmingly from North Africa, which according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) is slightly higher than the respective totals in 2015 and 2016. The numbers have strained Italy's network of reception centers and has led to a public backlash , which could fuel populist opposition parties in next year's general election.

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"(We will) provide logistical, technical and operational support for Libyan naval vessels, helping them and supporting them in shared and coordinated actions," Italian Defense Minister Roberta Pinotti said on Tuesday, ahead of the Parliamentary vote the following day.

The Italian naval vessel, the Comandante Borsini, entered Libyan waters within hours of the vote. Another vessel is expected to follow in the coming days, but Libya's eastern parliament affiliated with the forces of Haftar opposed the decision. It complained that the vote violated the country's national sovereignty and, according to Arab news network Al Arabiya, Haftar has ordered the bombing of Italian warships. The Italian government called the threat "unrealiable" and "unfounded," according to the news agency Agenzia Giornalistica Italia.

The Italian government initially hoped to send six ships to Libya's territorial waters, but plans had to be scaled down following popular protests in Tripoli, Reuters reports . Libyans have reportedly been posting images of Omar al-Mukhtar, a national hero who battled Italian rule in the early 1900s, on social media in response to the Italian presence reflecting the widespread unease over a former colonial power intervening on domestic affairs. Pinotti said that Italy had no intention of creating a blockade on Libya's coast.

Italian officials believe that sending the boats back to Libya will act as a deterrent, but rights groups are deeply concerned by the move. Refugees International, which is based in Washington, D.C., says returned migrants face detention and abuse at the hands of traffickers and even the coastguard. " It is no secret that migrants and refugees who are intercepted and returned by the Libyan coast guard face horrific abuses in Libyas migrant detention centers," Izza Leghtas, senior advocate for Europe at Refugees International, said in a statement. "By engaging in these operations, the Italian government would be knowingly complicit in these abuses."

Italian authorities also impounded a migrant rescue ship operated by German aid agency on Wednesday, stepping up tensions over the role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that rescue migrants.

Many Italian lawmakers have suggested NGOs which patrol the seas to pick up migrants act as a virtual invitation to make the journey. Luigi di Maio, from the populist 5 Star Movement, likened aid-group's rescue ships to a migrant "sea taxi " around the same time in April when a Sicilian court suggested NGO's colluded with Libyan smugglers. It's a claim NGOs vehemently deny.

In July, Italy's center-left government threatened to close its ports to NGO's operating rescue boats that did not sign a "code of conduct." The seized ship, the Iuventa , is operated by German aid group Jugend Rettet, which is among six out of the nine aid groups operating search-and-rescue activities off Libyan waters to have refused to sign up to the code-of-conduct.

More than 2,200 people have been recorded as dead or missing this year. Aid groups say they are only fulfilling their humanitarian duty to save lives. Ambrogio Cartosio, chief prosecutor in the Sicilian city of Trapani, told reporters on Wednesday that no one has yet been charged and the investigation the German NGO was ongoing. "The evidence is serious," he said, Reuters reports . "We have evidence of encounters between traffickers, who escorted illegal immigrants to the Iuventa , and members of the boat's crew."

The IOM says that the number of asylum seekers entering Europe by sea in 2017 (through to July 30) is around 100,000 less than the same period the year before. Italy, however, receives the majority of migrants arriving in Europe due to traffic through the Central Mediterranean route from Libya to Italy's southern coast. The route has been dubbed the "deadliest" in the world by Amnesty International due to the thousands of people recorded as dead or missing in the attempt to cross the sea in flimsy rubber dinghies or rickety wooden vessels.

Italy's migration crisis is further compounded by its neighbors, like Switzerland, Austria and France, tightening their border controls in a bid to prevent migrants crossing the Alps. Italy, which was once a point of transit for migrants moving up to northern Europe, has become a place of settlement.

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Italy Has a Controversial New Plan to Stop Migrants Crossing the Med - TIME

The move is Italy's latest effort to counter the country's migration surge. According to the International Organization for Migration, 94,802 migrants have reached Italian shores so far this year, while 2,221 migrants have died attempting the treacherous Mediterranean crossing from Libya to Italy.

The Italian Parliament passed a bill on Wednesday that green-lighted Libya's original request for help, sent in a letter from the Prime Minister of Libya's UN-recognized Government of National Accord on July 27.

According to an Italian Navy spokesperson, the two ships -- a patrol vessel and a technical and logistical support unit -- could be deployed to Libyan waters as early as next week.

Libya is a popular jumping-off point for migrants hoping to reach European shores. Many of them are fleeing war and persecution while others are seeking better economic opportunities. The North African country is a well-established base for a human trafficking operation that sees smugglers operating with more ease because of the country's lack of effective central governance.

But some nongovernmental organizations are concerned the move will expose migrants to far more danger.

Amnesty International heavily criticized the initiative, saying that "deploying warships to police Libyan waters will expose refugees to horrific abuse," in a statement released on Wednesday.

Gauri Van Gulik, Amnesty International deputy Europe director, said: "Italy, along with other EU member states, should be focusing on increasing its search and rescue operations. Instead it has chosen to shirk its responsibilities and endanger the very people it says it is trying to help, including by providing military cover and support to the Libyan coast guard, whose reckless and abusive conduct against refugees and migrants during interceptions has been repeatedly documented."

It's the second move the Italian government has taken on migration in a week.

On Monday, Italy's Parliament passed a "code of conduct" for NGOs operating search and rescue missions in the Mediterranean.

The measure requests that NGO rescue boats take armed police onto their vessels in an effort to crack down on human smugglers.

Three of the eight humanitarian groups agreed to its terms. Doctors Without Borders refused to sign the code over concerns it could increase deaths at sea.

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Italy to deploy naval ships to Libya as migration crisis grows - CNN

Black Minds Matter class introduction

Aired 8/3/17 on KPBS Midday Edition

Black Lives Matter Movement Inspires SDSU Class On Black Minds In Education

GUEST:

J. Luke Wood, Ph.D., professor of community college leadership, San Diego State University

A flyer for the San Diego State University course, Black Minds Matter.

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Beginning this fall, San Diego State University professor Luke Wood will teach a free online public course titled "Black Minds Matter: A Focus on Black Boys and Men in Education." Wood said the Black Lives Matter movement inspired him to develop the course curriculum.

"The Black Lives Matter movement has shed light on two invariable facts. First, that black boys and men are criminalized in society and second that their lives are undervalued by those who are sworn to protect them," Wood said in a video introducing the class.

Wood said that criminalization spills over to the classroom where black boys and men are undervalued.

RELATED: San Diego State Professors Work To Improve Education For Men Of Color

The class will be held weekly each Monday, beginning Oct. 23 through Dec 11. The free portion of each class will be available via a live webstream from 4:30 to 5:30 pm Pacific Time. The hour will include discussions with experts in the field including educators and activists like Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullers.

Wood joins Midday Edition Thursday to discuss what he hopes students will take away from the class.

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Black Lives Matter Movement Inspires SDSU Class On Black Minds In Education - KPBS

A majority of Americans has an unfavorable view of Black Lives Matter, although opinions on the protest movement cut sharply along racial and partisan lines, according to a new poll.

Overall, 43 percent of voters have a positive view of Black Lives Matter, compared with 57 percent who have a negative view of the movement, the latest Harvard-Harris survey found.

Only 35 percent of whites have a favorable view of the movement, while 83 percent of blacks have a favorable view.

Meanwhile, 65 percent of Democrats and 66 percent of those who voted for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary ClintonHillary Rodham ClintonCongress wants Trump Jr. phone records related to Russia meeting Zuckerberg hires top Clinton pollster amid rumors of presidential run: report Democrats new 'Better Deal' comes up short for people of color MORE support the movement, which sprung up during the 2016 election to protest several controversial police shootings of black people and broader frustrations with the criminal justice system and police treatment of minorities.

The public is sympathetic to the problem of police using too much force but overall are unsympathetic to the Black Lives Matter movement, said Harvard-Harris co-director Mark Penn. As you might expect, white voters are sharply negative to the group while African-Americans give them positive ratings.

The Harvard-Harris online survey of 2,051 registered voters was conducted between July 19 and July 24. The partisan breakdown is 37 percent Democrat, 31 percent Republican, 27 percent independent and 4 percent other. Sixty-five percent of respondents were white, 14 percent Hispanic and 12 percent black or African-American.

The poll found that 50 percent of voters overall believe the criminal justice system is unfair to minorities, and 50 percent believe its fair.

Among black voters, 85 percent said there is bias in the criminal justice system, while 60 percent of white voters said the system is fair to minorities.

A majority 56 percent believes the police are too quick to resort to force in encounters with citizens, including 57 percent of whites.

And 54 percent say the police are too quick to shoot African-Americans, although here, only 45 percent of whites agree.

Attorney General Jeff SessionsJefferson (Jeff) SessionsKelly called Sessions to assure him job is safe: report Overnight Regulation: Senate confirms Trump pick to labor board | Court lets states defend ozone rule | Regulator seeks input on changing 'Volcker Rule' US attorney fired by Trump sends well-wishes to new FBI director MORE, who has broad support from the law enforcement community, nodded to the tensions between the police and minorities in aWednesdayspeech to the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives.

We all know the cases of the last several years when, in confrontations with police, lives have been cut short, Sessions said. Just as Im committed to defending law enforcement who lawfully have to use deadly force to defend themselves while engaged in their work, I will also use the power of the office Im entrusted with to hold any officer responsible who violates the law.

A majority, 54 percent, said the police are held accountable for misconduct. Among blacks, only 23 percent agreed.

Seventy-five percent, including two-thirds of African-Americans surveyed, said more attention is paid to police behavior than to gangs or crime. Nearly 90 percent said that scrutiny has triggered more violence against the police.

And 62 percent said the focus on police behavior has handcuffed law enforcement officials by discouraging them from doing their jobs, although only 44 percent of blacks agreed.

Seventy percent said black people committing crimes against other black people is a bigger problem in African-American communities than police violence toward blacks.

African-Americans are split here, with 49 percent saying black crime is a bigger problem and 51 percent saying police violence toward blacks is the bigger problem.

There are deep racial divides in attitudes towards police and whether too much attention has been given to cop shootings versus black-on-black crime, said Penn.

The Harvard-Harris Poll is a collaboration of the Harvard Center for American Political Studies and The Harris Poll. The Hill will be working with Harvard-Harris Poll throughout 2017.Full poll results will be posted online later this week.

The Harvard-Harris Poll survey is an online sample drawn from the Harris Panel and weighted to reflect known demographics. As a representative online sample, it does not report a probability confidence interval.

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Poll: 57 percent have negative view of Black Lives Matter movement ... - The Hill