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LONDON Britain's government has said it will shut down a unit investigating claims of torture and unlawful killing by British soldiers in Iraq after a law firm representing alleged victims was found to have made false claims.

"This will be a huge relief to hundreds of British troops who have had these quite unfair allegations hanging over them," Defence Minister Michael Fallon said in a statement issued late on Friday.

"We will put in place new measures now to ensure this never happens again and that there are proper safeguards to prevent completely malicious and unfounded allegations being made against our brave servicemen and women."

The Iraq Historic Allegations Team (IHAT) was set up in 2010 and is independent of the military for its investigations. It has looked into more than 1,700 allegations of mistreatment or unlawful killings.

The process has not yet resulted in any convictions.

IHAT said in December it expected to be still working on around 60 cases by mid-2017 and had been due to complete its investigations by the end of 2019, more than 10 years after Britain withdrew its last combat troops from Iraq following its participation in the U.S-led invasion in 2003.

But the government said on Friday that IHAT would be wound up over the summer and a few remaining allegations would be investigated by the armed forces' police services.

(Writing by William Schomberg Editing by Jeremy Gaunt)

DUBAI Iranian security forces have arrested eight hardline Sunni Islamists suspected of planning attacks to disrupt celebrations for Iran's Islamic revolution in the past week, Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi said on Saturday.

UNITED NATIONS The United States has objected to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' choice of former Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad as the body's new representative to Libya.

ATHENS/BERLIN Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras warned international lenders on Saturday not to heap new burdens on his country but said he believed the drawn-out bailout review with them would end well.

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UK to close Iraq war abuse unit, citing false claims - Reuters

An Islamic State extremist group leader responsible for recruiting French-speaking militants was targeted and possibly killed by coalition forces in Iraq, a Pentagon spokesman confirmed Friday.

Rachid Kassim was targeted by coalition forces in the Mosul area sometime over the past few days by U.S.-led coalition forces, according to Adrian Rankine-Galloway, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command. He couldnt confirm the militant was killed.

Mr. Kassim has long been known to authorities as a potent recruiter for Islamic State among French-speaking militants, and was at the center of an effort to radicalize militants in Europe leading to successful attacks in France.

Using the encrypted chat application Telegram, Mr. Kassim provided militants in Europe with instructions on how to build bombs using common items such as cooking containers.

Authorities gathered as much evidence from his digital footprint as possible to demonstrate his responsibility for inciting extremist attacks. He has said on Telegram and social media that neither he nor Islamic State is responsible for such attacks, saying instead that the faith of attackers is the impetus.

Authorities found Mr. Kassim maintained a well-crafted methodology on social media, first recruiting people on public forums and then telling potential attackers to connect with him on encrypted channels to have further discussions about plotting. On unencrypted channels, Mr. Kassim often used evasive language when speaking with followers to hint at prospective efforts, and goad them into action.

Click here for more from the Wall Street Journal.

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ISIS leader known for recruiting French-speaking militants possibly killed in Iraq - Fox News

Taking a break from shoveling sand against the bottom of the tent his family has been assigned in Khazir Camp southeast of Mosul, Ahmed Ali Hamna, 39,relates how he spent two yearshiding from the self-styled"Islamic State" (IS).The former policeman recently arrived from Iraq's second city Mosul.

"When Daesh catches you, they will behead you," he tells DW, using the local Arabic name for IS. That risk was not new to him: As a police sergeant in Mosul, he was always at risk for not joining the group. "For two years, I hid, going from house to house. And when you do go out, you make sure your trousers are short and your beard long enough, so you nobody notices you."

A young woman appears from the tent. She is his widowed sister, Hamna says. "Daesh killed her husband, my cousin. They took him from his homebecause he was in the intelligence services before. After a month in prison, he was executed."

The victim was his brother, Abu Sabrine, 24, tells DW, sitting alone and watching how Hamna is now covering the tent with silver-colored sheets of isolation material. "My brother was betrayed by my cousin. And a second brother died because of a suicide attack by IS."

Waiting for documents made under IS occupation to be legalized

Splitting families apart

The story of this family shows how IS not only split society, but also families. Seven of his relatives complained about the intelligence past of his brother to IS, Abu Sabrine says, who is using a pseudonym to protect himself. At least four of his cousins actually joined the radicals. "They threatened me that if the army came and I reported them, they would kill me."

He felt very uncomfortable about the situation. "With Daesh in your family, they know all about your life and your past, and it is very hard to keep a low profile."

The young builder had to hide how much he loathed them, he says. "They killed young and old, took people's money and cars, killed two of my brothers! I hate them!"

Yet people around him would judge him mainly for his family ties with IS members, says thefather of two baby daughters. They would keep out of his way. "People distrust you, hate you. Nobody will get close to you anymore."

While the Iraqi army has so far liberated the eastern half of Mosul, the numberof people fleeing the city has also risen. Weekly, some 10,000 civilians reach the safety of camps for the internally displaced, like the one in Khazir, just outside the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, whichhouses over 30,000 people in more than6,000 tents. In total, some 150,000 people have fled the Mosul area since the battle started in October.

Reliving the suffering

Newcomers in the camp wait for NGO's to distribute aid

With their arrival, the suffering of two yearsunder IS occupationbecomes all too clear. Most people hardly talk about the recent violence, the mortars that hit their houses, the snipers, and the car bombs, even though half of all those who were wounded in Mosul are civilians. Some of their stories are about hunger and shortages, but most are about fear, suppression, deceit, and betrayal.

Some volunteer their stories, desperately wanting to share them with the world. Like Ahmed Hilla,18, who pulls up a trouser leg to show his badly maimed leg. "They pulled me behind a motorcycle through the street," he tells DW. "My leg was broken and has never been looked after."

He says he was targeted for not abiding by IS rules. He listened to music on his headphones, Shiite music, even though he knew how much IS hates Shiites - to which group he does not belong. And he must have been aware of the danger, as his brother had been executed by IS for working with the Americans. "I was bored," he says. "Yes, you can call it resistance. It was my neighbor who reported me."

IS is infamous for the way it punishes civilians. Fleeing is no guarantee for safety. Hillal arrived alone in the camp after his family was caught when they tried to cross the river that divides the city. "We were going across by boat. I got away. But I do not know if they are dead or alive."

Lucky to escape

Mouna Abbas, 24, recounts that she was lucky to escape alive. "We tried to escape in the night through a valley with a small river. Daesh forced us to hide in the cold water for hours. My father was frozen and can hardly walk anymore."

IS has torn apart the Sunni communities, she says. "It's hard to see a future. So many joined Daesh. They stormed the houses, scared the children, there are so many traumas. We cannot live with them anymore. My cousin now works with the camp security to make sure none of them will sneak in."

"Never!" says Haifa Ibrahim when asked if she would live next to someone connected to IS. She hugs her young daughter. "We will report anyone who has been with Daesh. There were some in our neighborhood of whom we had never expected it. They were normal people. You wonder how they changed so much."

Families of IS members have already been banned from a number of places in Iraq. Human Rights Watch (HRW) is alarmed, as the provinces Salahadin and Babel have issued decrees to prohibit them from returning and to confiscate their properties and belongings. Clemency is promised only tothose families who turned in therelative who worked with IS, or killed him. In Anbar province, the tribes decide who is allowed back. In areas under Kurdish control, dozens of villages have been destroyed because they housed IS members - in many instances innocent villagers who had nothing to do with them became collateral damage.

Those lucky enough to have fled the violence nevertheless carry the scars of IS occupation with them

"Cancer cells"

HRW points out that often families do not have the power to keep sons, daughters, or relatives from joining. For many, it has become unclear where they will be able to settle and puts in doubt any reconciliation process, the human rights organization warns.

The expectation is that the measures against IS families will differ from neighborhood to neighborhood and from tribe to tribe. People connected to IS may relocate to areas where nobody knows them, where they can possibly start afresh without the shadow of Daesh lingering over them.

Former policeman Ahmed Hamna points out that many who were with IS in Mosul had no alternative or were forced to join. "They are victims too." At the same time, he calls them "mafia" and "the cancer cells in our Mosul society with all its different groups. Everybody who was with Daesh, should be tried."

For his wife's brother-in-law, that is not enough. Abu Sabrine, who lost twobrothers but at the same time is looked upon with distrust because of his cousins' IS involvement, is very clear what he thinks should be done with IS members who are caught. "Execute them. They should all be hanged."

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'IS' splits Iraq's Sunni community and families - Deutsche Welle

Dhulfiqar Naqvi endured death threats and lived in fear for years before fleeing his native Iraq to build a new life as a refugee in the United States. But the hopeful beginning he carved out in Las Vegas was suddenly hollowed out two weeks ago, when he learned that his brother, Saif, and his family would not be able to join him as planned because of President Donald Trumps travel ban.

Naqvi, who already had found and furnished an apartment for his brothers family just a few buildings away from his own, was full of plans for Saifs early days in his new country and eager to hear how his parents were faring in their native land.

But those expectations were flattened when he learned that his brothers flight had been canceled by Trumps since-suspended executive order barring refugees from seven mostly Muslim countries, including Iraq.

We respect the rules, but now we are afraid the rules (are) not respecting us, Dhulfiquar said of his thoughts at that moment.

Dhulfiqars emotional roller-coaster reversed direction again on Friday. He was overcome with sheer joy as he saw his brother, his sister-in-law and three young nephews walking toward him through the domestic baggage claim section of McCarran International Airport.

IM IN HEAVEN RIGHT NOW

The brothers, who had not seen each other for nearly a year, wept and held onto each other as if, by the sheer force of their embrace, they could prevent anything from coming between them again.

Im in heaven right now, believe me, Dhulfiqar, 33, said. I want to go home and talk. My father and mother, I havent heard about them for a long time.

Saif, 35, spoke of renewal.

Now I can start my life again here with my kids, my wife, he said. No one now can threaten me. Its like a weight has been lifted from my heart.

The Naqvis were among 13 refugees bound for Las Vegas whose lives were upended by Trumps order on Jan. 27, which banned immigrants and refugees from Iraq, Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Syria and Libya. In the ensuing days, after chaos ensued at airports around the world and the ban was blocked in federal courts, all but one of those 13 canceled flights was rescheduled.

Deacon Tom Roberts, president and CEO of Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada, the states official refugee resettlement office, said the ban sent shock waves through his Catholic Charities staff and the local refugee community.

Can you imagine, he said, after being in a refugee camp for a number of years and finally getting the chance to come and then literally at the 11th and half hour youre told youre not going? he asked.

Like other U.S. states, Nevada has a sizable refugee population, most of whom left their home countries because of terrorism or threats of death, fleeing for their lives, according to Roberts. Nearly 900 have resettled in the Silver State so far in fiscal 2017, and close to 12,000 refugees have relocated here since 2011.

The vast majority of those newcomers came from Cuba. But they hail from all parts of the globe, including a total of 1,481 from five of the seven Muslim-majority countries named included in the travel ban.

Catholic Charities finds housing for the refugees, provides them with intense English as a second language instruction and helps them find work, in addition to providing them with guidance during their first months and years in the United States.

Some are coming from very faraway places with a great deal of duress and trauma in their lives, Roberts said. We are the ones who welcome the stranger among us so they can feel comfortable in their new home.

The Naqvi brothers are in some ways typical of those they help.

Both worked for a U.S. military contractor in Iraq, with Dhulfiqar helping arrange entry and exit visas and Saif specializing in information technology.

THREATS AND THREE BULLETS

Their work and that of their father, an engineer who worked for an Italian company also contracted by the U.S. government, put the brothers and their families in the crosshairs of militant groups opposed to the U.S. presence in Iraq.

Death threats were a daily concern. At one point, Naqvi said, his familys home was broken into and threatening statements were written on the walls; at another, they received an envelope containing three bullets and a note telling the brothers and their father to leave the country.

Until they could qualify for refugee status, the Naqvis stayed on the move. They changed homes at least five times and sometimes slept in their offices. They drove as many as 15 different cars, repainting them often and changing their license plates and altered their driving routes.

Dhulfiqar, who has a wife and three children, was first to qualify, arriving in the U.S. in April and spending six months in Chicago before moving to Las Vegas in search of warmer climes.

Now, living in a two-bedroom apartment just a few miles from the Strip, he said hes thrilled that he can leave his home in peace, knowing that he can go to the store, do his work, run errands, and see the sites without fear of reprisals.

We left everything, he said and are starting anew in the United States with a new life, new friends Its difficult, he said, very difficult, but its safe for the kids and for my wife.

Bill Olds, a retired U.S. Army colonel and Vietnam veteran from Las Vegas, who has sponsored eight foreign nationals who relocated to the U.S., including two who were sponsored by Catholic Charities. He said Trumps order had an impact that extended far beyond those who were about to board flights.

He said six of those families contacted him when the order was issued seeking assurances that the Trump administration doesnt view them as ISIS sympathizers.

They wanted to know if they could be deported or prevented from visiting their families in Iraq and Afghanistan, he said.

Olds, 78, who voted for Trump, said he agrees with the goal of the presidents order, though he thought its implementation was unfair to those who risked their lives to aid the U.S. military, especially interpreters.

His intentions to ban ISIS, prevent them from entering the U.S. and fulfill his pre-election promises are excellent, he said. However the manner in which he announced and executed this executive order is the pits.

Review-Journal staff writer Keith Rogers contributed to this report. Contact Lucy Hood at lhood@reviewjournal.com or 702 387-2904. Follow @lucyahood on Twitter.

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Refugees' emotional roller-coaster: Brothers from Iraq reunited in Las Vegas - Las Vegas Review-Journal

Michael Fallon says the unit could be closed down as early as this summer. Photograph: Katia Christodoulou/EPA

The unit investigating claims of abuse by British forces in Iraq is to close down, the government has announced, saying it will also greatly reduce similar inquiries connected to Afghanistan and Northern Ireland.

Ministers said the decision was made after misconduct findings against a solicitor involved in many of the claims. However, rights groups said it was important abuse was not brushed under the carpet.

The Iraq historic allegations team (Ihat) will close as early as this summer, the defence secretary, Michael Fallon, said on Friday. Any remaining investigations expected to soon fall to about 20 from a peak of 3,000 will be investigated by the Royal Navy police.

They would be expected to complete any final investigations by the summer of 2018, Fallon added.

He said the decision was made after the campaigning human rights lawyer Phil Shiner was struck off this month over multiple professional misconduct charges, including dishonesty and lack of integrity.

Shiner had led legal claims against British troops for their treatment of Iraqi detainees after the 2003 invasion. His company, Public Interest Lawyers (Pil), was involved in passing on almost two-thirds of the 3,392 allegations received by Ihat.

Shiner had pursued the case of Baha Mousa, a Basra hotel worker whose death after 36 hours in British military custody prompted an inquiry which condemned the treatment of detainees.

However, other allegations turned out to be untrue. In 2014 the long-running al-Sweady inquiry rejected claims that British soldiers murdered insurgents and mutilated their bodies. Shiner later admitted paying an Iraqi middleman to find claimants, in breach of professional standards.

His downfall was the beginning of the end for Ihat, said Fallon. This will be a relief for our soldiers who have had allegations hanging over them for too long. Now we are taking action to stop such abuse of our legal system from happening again.

As part of this process, the Royal Military police is to discontinue about 90% of 675 allegations of abuse from Afghanistan, a Ministry of Defence statement said.

For historical investigations in Northern Ireland, the government will ensure veterans and former police officers are not dragged through the courts in disproportionate numbers compared with terrorists, the statement added.

General Sir Nicholas Carter, chief of the general staff, said credible abuse claims should be investigated. However, a significant number of claims made against our soldiers have not been credible, he added.

A winding down of abuse inquiries has been called for by some Conservative MPs and newspapers. But Amnesty International said the failings of Shiner and his firm should not mean all abuse claims were dropped.

As we know from Baha Mousas torture and killing as well as the fatal forcing into a canal of a 15-year-old boy in Basra, UK forces in Iraq did some terrible things to people in their custody, said Allan Hogarth, Amnestys UKs head of policy.

These werent isolated cases numerous other cases involving alleged abuses of Iraqi detainees by UK military personnel have been settled out of court by the MoD.

Weve always said its vitally important the UK sets an example internationally by making sure any credible allegations of human rights violations are both independently and thoroughly investigated.

The UKs military reputation is on the line any credible allegations of abuses by UK forces in Iraq and Afghanistan should be independently investigated, which must mean by a body that is separate from the military itself.

The government has previously committed to ending what it calls an industry of vexatious claims against soldiers by allowing the military to opt out of the European convention on human rights (ECHR) during future conflicts.

While derogating from the ECHR in times of war or public emergency is permitted under the rules of the Council of Europe, which oversees the treaty, the plan has also been condemned by rights groups.

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Iraq war claims unit to be shut down, says UK defence secretary - The Guardian