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Human rights groups have criticised theuse ofthewhite phosphorus chemical byUS-led coalition troops in the Iraqi city of Mosul.

New Zealand Brigadier General HughMcAslanadmitted the potentially lethal substance had been used as they attempted to free civilians trapped in neighbourhoods controlled by Isis.

He said thataround 28,000 civilians have travelled out of Isis strongholds in the city over the last few days.

Iraqi troops assisted by US-led coalition forces were in control of 90 per cent of the western area of Mosul, he added. But Isis is still holding out and using people as human shields, according to the United Nations.

Brigadier General McAslantoldNPR: "We have utilised white phosphorous to screen areas within west Mosul to get civilians out safely".

However, the deployment of the chemical was criticised by Human Rights Watch.

No matter how white phosphorus is used, it poses a high risk of horrific and long-lasting harm in crowded cities like Raqqa and Mosul and any other areas with concentrations of civilians, said Steve Goose, arms director at Human Rights Watch. US-led forces should take all feasible precautions to minimise civilian harm when using white phosphorus in Iraq and Syria.

In early June, an internet caf in Raqqa was hit by white phosphorus, killing approximately 20 people, a local resident told The New York Times.

Use of white phosphorus has been called into question, as it puts civilians in danger, but Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) claimed on 4June that it was used to create a smoke screen.

AUS-led coalition statement said: While protecting civilians fleeing from the Jamouri Hospital the Coalition used smoke and precision munitions to suppress the enemy and provide cover for fleeing civilians.

"In conjunction with Iraqi Security Forces, the Coalition used appropriate munitions to suppress and obscure ISIS snipers so that the civilians could reach friendly forces.

White phosphorus is known by the military as WP or Willie Pete and used to create a smokescreen for hiding troop movements. It can also be utilised to target enemy positions.

But if the chemical lands on skin, it can cause horrific injuries, burning deep into the muscle and bone, according to Amnesty International.

If particles of ignited white phosphorus land on a person's body, they can continue to burn through flesh to the bone. Toxic phosphoric acid can also be released into wounds, risking phosphorus poisoning. Inhaling the smoke can cause damage to the heart, liver and kidneys.

Under military law, it is not illegal for the military to use white phosphorus, although its use in populated areas is prohibited by international legislation.

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White phosphorus use by US-led coalition forces in Iraq condemned by humanitarian groups - The Independent

Iraq is driving up crude oil exports to the U.S., the worlds second-biggest import market, just as there are signs Saudi Arabia is honoring a pledge to restrict such deliveries, according to tanker-tracking data.

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The second-largest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries loaded 12 million barrels of crude for the U.S. in the first 13 days of this month, the tracking shows. Thats about 50 percent higher than the same period in either April or May. Comparable Saudi Arabian flows slumped by about half. Iraq isnt fully complying with pledges to OPEC to curb production, the International Energy Agency said Tuesday.

Its like the IEA report said, some members have been less than wholly diligent, Giovanni Staunovo, a Zurich-based commodity analyst at UBS Group AG, said of Iraqs early June shipments. The fact that Iraq contested parts of the plan to cut output when the accord was implemented in November mean its no surprise to see flows rising now, he said.

While Iraq is among OPEC nations that pledged to restrict production to eliminate a global glut, there are signs that it may nonetheless be gaining a share of key import markets. The countrys crude flooded into the U.S. in late May and early June, just as Saudi Arabias flows diminished, weekly Energy Information Administration data show. Iraq also passed Saudi Arabia as the number one supplier to India, the fastest growing oil consumer.

Read how Iraq is gaining a foothold in India, the fastest growing market

The flow surge should show up in U.S. imports data sometime in late July. Tankers loading in the Persian Gulf take about 45 days to reach either the Gulf of Mexico or refining centers on the U.S. west coast. Equally, shipments could now decrease making the monthly tally lower than the near 1 million barrels a day average over Junes first 13 days.

The IEA said Wednesday that Iraqs rate of compliance with OPEC, non-OPEC curbs is about 55 percent, while Saudi Arabia is among nations conforming in full.

As well as eight tankers that left Iraqs Basra Oil Terminal and signaled U.S. destinations, there are seven more that either arent indicating where theyre going, or theyre bound for Egypts Suez Canal. Some of those could go still to the U.S.

The tracking data, which are for a relatively small time-span, show Saudi Arabian shipments in retreat. Three tankers were observed heading to the U.S. after departing the worlds biggest exporter in early June, hauling about 6 million barrels between them. Thats down from 14 million barrels in the same period in May.

Decreased Saudi Arabian shipments would be consistent with comments from the countrys Energy Minister, Khalid Al-Falih. He said at OPECs meeting in late May that there would be a marked decrease in the kingdoms shipments to the U.S.

Saudi Arabias oil allocations to customers will be cut for July from their June levels, a person with knowledge of the matter said June 12, asking not to be identified because the information is confidential. About half of a 600,000 barrels-a-day nominations cut will fall on U.S. customers, the person said.

Thats a bit of a new signal that the Saudis are willing to give up a bit of market share, Michael Poulsen, analyst at A/S Global Risk Management, said of the relative changes in Saudi Arabia and Iraqs shipments.

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Iraq Sends Millions of Barrels of Oil to US While Saudis Cut - Bloomberg

SHOOTING AT CONGRESSIONAL BASEBALL TEAM PRACTICERep. Steve Scalise shot during congressional baseball team practice | 0:46

A gunman opened fire on a Republican congressional team practice Wednesday, and at least one congressman was among the five wounded, authorities said. The Enquirer

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Residents in the Virginia Alexandria neighborhood that was the scene of the shooting recounted to reporters the massive police presence in its aftermath. (June 14) AP

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House Majority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana was shot Wednesday at a congressional baseball practice in Alexandria, Va., congressional officials say. (June 14) AP

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File video: Freshman Rep. Brad Wenstrup talks about his toughest vote, his partys future, and other issues with Enquirer Washington correspondent Deirdre Shesgreen. Deirdre Shesgreen

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Rep. Steve Scalise shot during congressional baseball team practice

Virginia residents recount shooting aftermath

Steve Scalise, officers shot at congressional baseball practice

Freshman Rep. Brad Wenstrup talks about his toughest vote

A person is treated by emergency workers as members of the Republican congressional baseball team look on following a shooting in Alexandria, Va 14 June 14, 2017. The Republican House majority whip Steve Scalise and at least four others have been shot shot at a congressional baseball game practice session, according to media reports(Photo: Shawn Thew, European Pressphoto Agency)

Rep. Brad Wenstrup's combat surgeon instincts kicked in after a fellow congressman was shot at a baseball practice Wednesday.

Wenstrup, ofColumbia Tusculum,used some kind of scissors to cut through Rep. Steve Scalise's pant leg to get to the Louisiana congressman's wound, Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama told CNN.Wenstrup, a podiatrist, served as a U.S. Army surgeon.

"I felt like I was back in Iraq," Wenstrup told CBS News.

Scalise was among five wounded in the morning shooting, officials told news outlets. All are receiving medical attention. Scalise was undergoing surgery Wednesday morning after being shot in the hip, his office said in a statement.

For a time, "the field was basically a killing field," Sen. Rand Paul, of Kentucky, told CNN. Fifteen to 20 U.S. representatives and two senators were on the field, Paul said. "I saw Scalise go down on second base," but gunshots were still hitting the dirt in left field, Paul told CNN.

"I dont think anyone would have survived without the Capitol Police, said Paul, who is uninjured.Nobody else had a weapon. ...It would have been a massacre without them.

Brad Wenstrup(Photo: Provided)

After police had the shooter "down," Brooks said, members of Congress deferred to Wenstrup.

"I did what I did in Iraq," Wenstrup told ABC News.You assess their wounds, and you cut down their clothes and look for the wound and make sure that you stop the bleeding.

He made sure Scalise was conscious by asking him where he was and asking him to count. Scalise was in pain and "was losing a lot of blood," Wenstrup said.

Medics arrived, and they bandaged Scalise. Wenstrup said they gave him Gatorade and water to replenish his fluids.

"I'm glad I was there," Wenstrup told Fox News, "but it's a sad day in America."

Sen. Jeff Flake, of Arizona, told CNN it took at least 10 minutes until shooter was down. During that time, Scalise lay alone on the baseball field. "We couldn't get to him" because of the shots," Flake said.

I got Steve Scalises phone and called his wife, Flake told CNN. He said he didnt want her to hear Scalise had been shot via the news.

Gabby Giffords on baseball practice shooting: 'My heart is with my former colleagues'

Officials were practicing for a charity baseball game between Republicans and Democrats, which was set for Thursday. Money from the game goes to groups such as theWashington Literacy Center, the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington, and the Washington Nationals Dream Foundation.

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'Like I was back in Iraq,' Cincinnati congressman says after colleague shot - Cincinnati.com

HIGHLIGHTS

From 27 April to 30 May 2017:

As of 30 May 2017, the DTM has identified 3,020,034 internally displaced persons (503,339 families) displaced after January 2014, dispersed across 106 districts and 3,577 locations in Iraq. For the same period, DTM has identified 1,813,680 returnees (302,280 families).

Overall, the total number of identified IDPs remained stable during the reporting period, with a decrease of approximately 1% (7,513 individuals). The general decrease is to be attributed to return movements across all governorates, particularly in Anbar, Ninewa, Baghdad and Kirkuk governorates. At the same time, the governorate of Ninewa alone recorded an increase of 3% (20,958 individuals) because of the military operations in the city of Mosul.

The returnee population increased by 4% (76,542 individuals). The two governorates that reported the highest increase of the returnee population were Anbar by 7% (59,538) and Ninewa by 6% (15,030). Considering the available information and the DTM methodology, the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) has revised the planning figures for the humanitarian response at 3 million internally displaced persons.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

During the reporting period, between 27 April and 30 May, Ninewa was the only governorate that recorded an increase in IDPs, while all other governorates recorded a reduction. However, this should not be interpreted as an absolute decrease of displacement trends: it is rather due to returning movements reportedly outweighing new displacements in some governorates.

This was the case of Salah al-Din and Kirkuk governorates, where the ongoing military operations in Baiji, Shirqat and Hawija districts have not escalated further, prompting return movements from Kirkuk and Salah al-Din to retaken areas in Salah al-Din, and from Kirkuk to Anbar as well. Meanwhile, the steadily growth of IDPs in Ninewa is due to the military operations to retake the city of Mosul, currently focusing on the western side of the city. The operations to retake west Mosul were launched on 19 February and have caused large waves of displacements to camp and out-of-camp locations.

According to the DTM Emergency Tracking, which reports only IDP and returnees records whose locations have been verified, as of 1 June the total cumulative number of identified IDPs reached 517,650 individuals, of whom 378,120 are still in displacement and 139,530 have already returned, particularly to east Mosul, Baashiqa, Tilkaif and Hamdaniya.

Based on flow-monitoring data tracked at Hammam al-Aliel screening site, as of 1 June almost 590,000 individuals had left west Mosul and mainly headed towards camps in Southern Ninewa or east Mosul. In particular, during the reporting period the DTM has recorded an average displacement of over 6,000 individuals per day from west Mosul through this screening site, with peaks of 17,000 or 16,000 around mid-May depending on the progress of the military operations.

Furthermore, during the reporting period this identified IDP population from Mosul grew by 17% (75,930 individuals), while the number of IDPs crossing Hammam al-Aliel screening site grew by 53%, corresponding to approximately 200,000 individuals. The DTM is currently working on validating the displacement locations of IDPs in out-of-camp settings and aims to provide updated figures by location as soon as possible.

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Iraq: Displacement Tracking Matrix | DTM Round 72 - May 2017 [EN/AR/KU] - ReliefWeb

By Army Sgt. Anthony Hewitt, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division

FORT BRAGG, N.C., June 13, 2017 In Iraq's capital city of Baghdad during the 1980s, a family of six brothers and one sister -- all very close in age -- played in the streets and parks of their hometown, enjoying the simple things in life they had at the time. Through the decades, the times and the city had changed, and the streets and parks were not as simple.

Army Sgt. Ali Alsaeedy, an Iraq native and a paratrooper assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division's 307th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, described his journey from being a young college student in Baghdad to becoming a paratrooper in America's Guard of Honor.

Alsaeedy, the son of an Iraqi army reserve officer, said Iraq was a joyous place to grow up. "We played basketball, walked to school -- all the children in the neighborhood were close," he added. "There were negatives in politics, but we believed in our father, and everything was fine."

Alsaeedy's dream was to travel. "Everybody's goal [in high school] was to travel the world, places like [the United Kingdom], U.S., and Europe," Alsaeedy said. He kept that dream with him before pursuing a degree in biochemical engineering at the University of Baghdad.

"I was in my second year of college when everything happened -- the troops arrived," he said. "It was a year later when it seemed things began to settle down. We all were trying to educate ourselves on the matter, because we believed -- and still do -- that the U.S. forces and allies were there to transform the country and help. We felt there was not going to be any more tyranny system or sects of families taking over the country, doing whatever they felt they wanted so we believed in the change and welcomed it."

Trouble Finding Work

After graduating from college, Alsaeedy needed to find work, preferably in the engineering field. But it was extremely hard to come by, he said, due to the nature of the country and the fact that most employers hired only within their sects.

"I did not know exactly what to do or what I wanted to do, but I did know that I wanted to work for and with the service members," he said. "It was not just about money or security. It was about being a part of something important to me."

Unable to break into the U.S. contractor market, Alsaeedy's education and skill set eventually gravitated employers to him within the private sector. In 2005, he found stability in the information technology field as a networking specialist for satellite communications.

"Then one day a man came into the shop and it changed my life forever," he said. "He inquired about an internet network to be installed on a military base in Baghdad. I took the job. After the work was complete, they were very satisfied and needed more, so they hired me full-time. My English was very fluent, and I became a translator for them, too."

While the years passed, Alsaeedy's experiences and relationships grew through the ranks, and by 2007, he was a popular name among higher-ranking officials with the U.S. Air Force and the Marines in Qaim, Iraq.

Integrated Into Brotherhood

"I saw in the soldiers what very few of us [natives] see," Alsaeedy said. "They were trustful, pleasant and respectful; they integrated me into their brotherhood."

Insurgency propaganda said the Americans were in Iraq to destroy everything, Alsaeedy said." But they were not," he added. "They were building. They built infrastructure for the population and barracks for the Iraqi army. They supplied resources increasing our livelihood [and] creating jobs for husbands and fathers."

At the end of 2007, Alsaeedy received some big news. Then-President George W. Bush allowed vetted contractors who had worked for the U.S. government for at least five years to be granted special immigrant visas for them and their families. The visa allowed them to live and work in the United States. At the end of 2009, Alsaeedy said, things started to change as U.S. troops began to withdraw.

"The protection was decreasing and so was the structure," he said. "I knew if I stayed, my family and I were going to die soon." In 2010, Alsaeedy met his five-year requirement to qualify for the special visa for him and his family to move to the United States.

Settling in Virginia

He settled in Norfolk, Virginia, where a new country and culture surrounded him. What he once knew as a world of war was now a life of peace and the pursuit of happiness, he said. He was immediately hired, and he worked for an oil and gas company from 2011 to 2012.

Alsaeedy said he felt grateful to the United States for the opportunities hed received.

However, Alsaeedy said he wanted to give them more.

He enlisted into the U.S. Army in August 2013 as a combat engineer. Shortly thereafter, he attended basic training and advanced individual training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.

Airborne School

Alsaeedy demonstrated his potential and quick-learning abilities, as well as outstanding physical fitness. He was afforded the opportunity to attend airborne school at Fort Benning, Georgia, upon graduation.

"I found out that I was going to be assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division," he said. "I knew it was an honor and a prestigious unit. I remember seeing the 'Double-A' patch in Iraq. And to realize that I am now one of those paratroopers along with my family -- I was beyond excited and humbled. However, it truly did not hit me until I came to Fort Bragg and walked through the division's museum. That's when I realized I was a part of something special."

In 2014, Alsaeedy arrived full of energy to Alpha Company, 307th BEB. He was a new Panther Engineer, and he integrated just fine among his leaders and peers.

"We did a lot of training," he said. "We went to every kind of weapons range you could think of. I learned demolitions, steel cutting, [went on] too many ruck marches, and was just very happy."

Returning to Iraq

But Alsaeedy's heart was holding a deep secret: there was something missing.

"My real dream was to return to Iraq," he said. "I wanted to be an asset to the unit. I had the language, the background and culture. I knew if I ever went back, I would put myself out there to be as valuable as I could for the 307th."

In early 2015, the 3rd BCT deployed to Southwest Asia in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. At the time, it was the newest campaign in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. There, paratroopers assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division provided advice and assistance to Iraqi security forces.

In a twist of fate, Alsaeedy's unit operated in the neighborhood where he was raised. His dream finally came true.

"It wasn't easy at first," Alsaeedy said while looking up with teary eyes. "But it was my leadership. They understood my situation. They supported me. It made my job and task much easier."

Alsaeedy's background and capabilities soon became an asset for his battalion commander all the way up to division command sergeant major and higher-ranking officials in tactical operations centers around the area of operations.

With his hard work and commitment to his leadership and the unit's mission, Alsaeedy received the first battlefield promotion for a noncommissioned officer during the OIR campaign. He was pinned with the rank of sergeant during the fall of 2015 upon the unit's redeployment to Fort Bragg.

Great Things

His accomplishments and accolades did not stop there. "When I became an NCO, great things began to happen for me and my family," Alsaeedy said. He attended the Warrior Leader's Course soon after becoming a sergeant, learning technical skills and correspondence in the craft of an NCO.

Alsaeedy's motivation and physical fitness separated him from his peers. He wanted to go to Sapper School and master his craft as an engineer. "I may have had a more advanced role during deployment, but I am still an engineer in the 307th," he said.

Early 2016 came around, and he began training with the division's Best Sapper Team as it prepared to compete in the U.S. Army Best Sapper competition.

To keep himself busy and find new challenges, Alsaeedy attended the two-week Fort Bragg Pre-Ranger Course, which evaluates and prepares future candidates for the U.S. Armys Ranger School at Fort Benning.

He never went to Sapper School, though. Immediately upon graduating the Pre-Ranger Course, he was put on a bus to Ranger School. Alsaeedy went straight through the 62-day course, a course that normally has a high attrition rate.

"I have been busy, that's for sure," he said. "But I felt the more I accomplish as an NCO and a paratrooper, the more I am giving back to the Army.

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Face of Defense: Army Paratrooper Recalls Childhood in Iraq - Department of Defense