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Arbil (Iraq) (AFP) - British Defence Minister Michael Fallon said Saturday in Iraq that he expected to see the Islamic State group expelled from the country's major towns by the end of 2017.

"We expect to see Daesh (IS) expelled from the major towns and cities of Iraq during the course of the year," he told reporters in Arbil, the capital of Iraq's northern autonomous region of Kurdistan.

Iraqi forces are nearly four months into a massive operation to retake nearby Mosul, which is the country's second city and where IS supremo Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed a "caliphate" in 2014.

The jihadist organisation then controlled around a third of Iraq, but federal and allied forces have since retaken around two thirds of that territory and Mosul is IS's last major stronghold.

After retaking the eastern side of Mosul last month, Iraqi forces are currently preparing to launch an assault on the part of the city that lies west of the Tigris River.

Commanders expect the battle to be fierce because the narrow streets of the Old City will complicate operations and the western side also harbours some traditional jihadist bastions.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said around the new year that he expected his forces would need three more months to rid the country of IS.

Most observers argued that the premier's prediction was optimistic, however, with Mosul alone threatening to bog down Iraqi forces way past that target.

Retaking the northern city would deal a death blow to the "caliphate" and any claim that IS is still running a "state", but the group retains control of several populated areas.

In Iraq, IS still holds Hawijah, a large town southeast of Mosul, and the town of Al-Qaim on the western border with Syria.

When Iraqi forces retake Mosul, the jihadists' last major hub will be the city of Raqa in neighbouring Syria.

"The situation in Syria is more complicated, given the continuation of the civil war there," Fallon said.

A 60-nation coalition led by the United States has carried out thousands of air strikes in support of the war on IS and provided assistance and training to thousands of Iraqi forces.

Britain is a key member of that coalition, together with France, Italy and Australia.

Fallon said the Royal Air Force had struck 300 targets in and around Mosul since the operation to retake the city began on October 17.

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UK sees IS being ousted from Iraq towns this year - Yahoo News

Iraq won't take part in any regional or international conflicts, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi told state TV on Saturday.

The comment came after Abadi had spoke in a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump during which tensions with Iran were mentioned. The call was the first between the two leaders.

A political commentator close to Abadi, Ihsan al-Shammari, said Abadi's comment addressed the U.S.-Iranian tensions.

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Iran has close ties with the Shi'ite political elite ruling Iraq while Washington is providing critical military support to Iraqi forces battling the Islamic State militant group (ISIS).

"Iraq is very keen to preserve its national interests (..)and does not wish to be part of any regional or international conflict which would lead to disasters for the region and for Iraq," Abadi said, according to state TV.

Trump said on Friday that Iranian President Hassan Rouhani "better be careful" after the latter was quoted as saying that anyone who speaks to Iranians with threats would ''regret it.''

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi attends a news conference in Kirkuk, Iraq, October 14, 2016. Ako Rasheed/Reuters

The White House on Friday said Trump and Abadi "spoke to the threat Iran presents across the entire region," in their first phone call since the inauguration of the U.S. president.

Abadi's office on Friday also gave a readout of the phone call that took place overnight Thursday, without specifically mentioning Iran.

Both readouts stressed the importance of their continued cooperation against ISIS, as the militants are being pushed back in Iraq and losing control over Mosul, the last major city stronghold under their control in the country.

The United States has more than 5,000 troops deployed in Iraq and is providing air and ground support in the battle of Mosul.

Iran has also played a major role in the fight against ISISby arming and training Iraqi Shi'ite groups collectively known as Popular Mobilization.

"The Iraqi prime minister Dr. Abadi is stressing once again the policy of neutrality and to steer clear from conflicts,'' political commentator Shammari told state TV.

The Iraqi readout said Abadi asked Trump to lift the ban on people from his country traveling to the United States.

U.S. courts suspended the restrictions announced end January on entries from Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Trump has said he will keep trying to reinstate them.

Abadi resisted calls from influential pro-Iranian Shi'ite politicians to retaliate against the ban, at a meeting held on Jan. 29, citing Iraq's need for U.S. military support.

Washington last week ratcheted up pressure on Iran, putting sanctions on 13 individuals and 12 entities days after the White House put Tehran "on notice" over a ballistic missile test.

Iran's dominant influence in Iraqi politics was eroded after ISISrouted the Iraqi army commanded then by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, a close ally of Tehran, in 2014.

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Iraq: Leave Us Out of US-Iran Tensions - Newsweek

An injured protester is assisted after reacting to tear gas during a demonstration against corruption in Baghdad, Iraq, on Feb. 11, 2017. (Karim KadimAP

(BAGHDAD) Two rockets landed in Baghdad's highly fortified Green Zone on Saturday night following clashes at anti-government protests that left five dead, according to Iraqi security and hospital officials.

The rocket attack left no casualties as the munitions landed on the parade grounds in the center of the highly fortified Baghdad compound that is home to Iraq's government and most foreign embassies. It was not immediately clear who fired the projectiles.

Saturday's protests were called for by influential cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and clashes that erupted as crowds pushed toward the Green Zone left two policeman and three protesters dead, according to police and hospital officials.

The officials said six other policemen were injured along with dozens of protesters. The violent outbreak prompted the government to call for a "full investigation."

The demonstrators loyal to al-Sadr gathered in Baghdad's downtown Tahrir square demanded an overhaul of the commission overseeing local elections scheduled this year. Al-Sadr has accused the commission of being riddled with corruption and has called for its overhaul.

Shots rang out in central Baghdad as security forces used live fire and tear gas to disperse the crowds. An Associated Press team at the scene witnessed ambulances rushing away protesters suffering from breathing difficulties.

Hospital officials who spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not allowed to brief journalists said the policemen died of gunshot wounds. They gave no details as to the cause of death of the protesters.

While at times the crowds advanced toward Baghdad's highly fortified Green Zone, by afternoon they began to disperse after a statement from al-Sadr's office called on his followers to refrain from trying to enter the compound.

Meanwhile, Iraq's prime minister ordered an investigation into the violence.

"The prime minister ordered a full investigation into the injuries among security forces and protesters during the demonstration today in Tahrir square," read a statement from Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's office Saturday evening.

Al-Sadr's office issued another statement Saturday night following news of protester casualties claiming that "excessive force" was used against the demonstrators and threatened greater protests. "The next time the blood of our martyrs will not go in vain," the statement read.

"We will not give in to threats," said the head of the electoral commission, Serbat Mustafa, in an interview with a local Iraqi television channel Saturday afternoon. Mustafa said he would not offer his resignation and accused al-Sadr of using the commission as a political "scapegoat."

Al-Sadr has been a vocal critic of al-Abadi, and last year protests that included many of his followers breached the highly fortified Green Zone twice.

Attention in Iraq is generally focused on the war against the Islamic State group, with Iraqi forces currently fighting the militants in Mosul, but al-Abadi is also facing a serious power struggle in Baghdad. A deepening economic crisis and persistent insurgent attacks in the Iraqi capital have fueled support for powerful political opponents of al-Abadi like al-Sadr.

Al-Abadi has said that he respects the rights of all Iraqis to peacefully demonstrate but called on the protesters Saturday to obey the law and respect public and private property.

The Green Zone is home to most of Iraq's foreign embassies and is the seat of the Iraqi government.

___

Associated Press writer Murtada Faraj contributed to this report.

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Rockets Hit Baghdad's Green Zone After Protests Turn Violent - TIME

And even more incredibly begin paying him and his law firm Public Interest Lawyers hundreds of thousands of pounds to accompany clients to interviews, held in Lebanon and in Turkey.

At least one of Shiners agents Abu Jamal was also paid more than 100,000 by Ihat while also being paid by Shiner.

The MoD privately accepts that the cases involving Shiner are now tainted as a consequence.

The Telegraph can also disclose that Red Snapper, the recruitment company that supplied almost 130 private investigators to Ihat, is expected to be paid almost 5 million this year - even after the inquiry is wound up.

An Ihat spokesman said Red Snapper had a contract to supply staff to Ihat that runs until January 31 2018.

The contract is worth 4.8 million a year. The MoD, which funded Ihat, will now have to explore break clauses in the contract.

An Ihat spokesman said it was too soon to say how much Red Snapper would receive in the lead up to the shut down of the Iraq investigation.

The Telegraph previously disclosed how Red Snappers founders the husband and wife team Martin and Helen Jerrold had paid themselves hundreds of thousands of pounds in dividends since being awarded the Ihat contract.

Mr Jerrold said: A key feature of the Red Snapper service is our ability to scale teams up and down in an expedient, professional manner ensuring both our clients and workers are fully supported. This is all part of the service we supply and we are ready to move to a scaling down, redeployment phase at the request of the Ihat.

Hilary Meredith, a defence solicitor who represents a number of war veterans who were investigated by Ihat, is calling for an inquiry into what went wrong with Ihat.

She said: Had the MoD supported our troops many of the false accusations brought by Ihat would have come to light much sooner, saving money and anguish. The MoD must take responsibility for creating an environment in which claims were allowed against service personnel with little or no supporting evidence. There needs to be a full inquiry into the relationship between the MoD, Phil Shiner and his firm Public Interest Lawyers.

Rachel Webster, a former Army captain, who was investigated by Ihat and was subsequently paid damages for her rough treatment during her arrest, said: There needs to be some form of inquiry into why these investigations were allowed to go on for so long.

Miss Webster, who was officially cleared by Ihat in September two-and-a-half years after being arrested in a dawn raid, added: Who thought it was right to do what they did to me and every other soldier?

Writing in todays Sunday Telegraph, Johnny Mercer, the former Army captain who chaired the parliamentary investigation into Ihat, said he was dismayed that the MoD had congratulated itself on the decision to shut Ihat when it should have been questioning why it had allowed Ihat to flourish.

It'ssad... that after all these years, the MoD decided that the best way to handle this situation was to shower praise on itself for reporting Phil Shiner, disregarding their role facilitating him, and the ensuing pain and bitterness this process had created amongst the serving ranks, he writes.

On Saturday, Mark Lancaster, the Minister in charge of defence veterans, defended its handling of Ihat.

Mr Lancaster told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: It was set up for entirely the right reasons. Without having Ihat, potentially our troops could have been subjected to inquiries by the International Criminal Court.

But it was a process that was completely abused by lawyers.

Asked about the MPs report that the MoD had been complicit in the creation of the legal industry that sprang up around Ihat, Mr Lancaster said: It is a serious allegation. Im not sure that there is any evidence that the MoD have been complicit in that."

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Unanswered questions behind the failed witch hunt of Iraq veterans - Telegraph.co.uk

Baghdad, 12 February 2017 On 9 February, UNESCO, together with the Ministry of Education of Iraq, launched the piloting of a national Student Information Management System (SIMS). The SMIS aims at providing accurate and up-to-date information on the education system in Iraq, immediately available for effective decision-making.

The piloting of the SIMS in Rusafa/3 general directorate of education in Baghdad is the result of a significant, sustained financial and human investment by UNESCO: you now have a system that is capable of collecting data on all forms of education, from schools to the central levels said Mrs. Louise Haxthausen, Director of the UNESCO office for Iraq, adding that such a comprehensive system is critical to strengthen the evidence-base for planning, management and reform of the education sector in Iraq.

The launch of the piloting came on the last day of a 5-day intense training of trainers own the use by Ministry of Education staff in SIMS. We will do everything we can to ensure the implementation of the SMIS, because it is crucial for improved management of the education system in our country, said Dr. Saad Ibrahim, Director General of the Education Planning in the Ministry of Education.

This project is very important for the development of education. I urge all of you to be committed to implement what you have learned, said Dr. Hamid Khalef the Head of the following-up committee on the requirement of IPSM Programme rest assured that the Government and UNESCO will work hand-in-hand to support you for a successful piloting of the SIMS.

The development and testing of the SIMS is a contribution to the Iraqi Public Sector Modernisation Programme, jointly implemented by the United Nations in Iraq.

For more information, contact: Mr. Dhea Subhee, Public Information Officer, UNESCO Office for Iraq Tel.: +964 078 2783 2739; Email: d.subhee@unesco.org

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UNESCO launches a Student Information Management System (SIMS) in Iraq [EN/AR] - ReliefWeb