The Syrian government declared victory over Islamic State in the eastern city of Deir al-Zor on Friday, a big blow to the jihadists as their last stronghold in Syria crumbles.
BEIRUT (Reuters) — The Syrian government declared victory over Islamic State in the eastern city of Deir al-Zor on Friday, a big blow to the jihadists as their last stronghold in Syria crumbles.
Deir al-Zor, on the west bank of the Euphrates River, is the largest and most important city in eastern Syria, and is the center of the country’s oil production.
“The armed forces, in cooperation with allied forces, liberated the city of Deir al-Zor completely from the clutches of the Daesh terrorist organization,” the military source said, using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State.
The army, backed by Russian bombers, Iran and Shi‘ite militias, is advancing toward the last significant town held by Islamic State in Syria, Albu Kamal, which is also located on the western bank of the Euphrates.
A rival offensive by Kurdish and Arab militias supported by a U. S.-led coalition with air strikes and special forces, is pressing Islamic State on the eastern bank.
Iraqi forces on Friday said they had begun their own final offensive against Islamic State on the Iraqi side of the jihadist territory that straddles the border between the two countries, entering the city of al-Qaim.
Islamic State had for years besieged a government enclave in Deir al-Zor until an army advance relieved it in early September, starting a battle for jihadist-held parts of the city.
The army captured al-Hamidiya, Sheikh Yassin, al-Ardhi and al-Rashidia districts in recent attacks and the al-Hawiqa district was the last to be held by the jihadists, a military media unit run by the army’s ally Hezbollah reported.
Engineering units were searching streets and buildings in those districts for mines and booby traps left by Islamic State, the military source said.

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The family of Reeva Steenkamp have said that they believed the law will run its course with the appeal against Oscar Pistorius’ sentence.
Bloemfontein – The family of Reeva Steenkamp said on Friday morning that they believed the law will run its course with the appeal against Oscar Pistorius’ sentence.
The family was speaking shortly after arriving at the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein where the State will argue that Pistorius’ six year jail term for murdering Reeva be increased.
ALSO READ: State to challenge Oscar Pistorius’ jail sentence at SCA
Tanya Koen, speaking on behalf of Reeva’s emotional mother June said: «The family supports the State and the law must run its course – and what is happening this morning is part of that legal process.
«What the family is focusing on is to continue Reeva’s legacy, which is the Reeva Rebecca Steenkamp Foundation.»
After giving the media a very short statement, Koen said the family had nothing further to say.
The family arrived at the court shortly after 08:00 on Friday.
‘Disturbingly inappropriate’
The State is expected to argue that six years’ imprisonment on a murder conviction is «disturbingly inappropriate» as well as «too lenient.»
It is also expected to submit that the sentence does not reflect the seriousness of the crime.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Luvuyo Mfaku told the media that while the State does not necessarily want the court to impose a 15 year jail sentence, «it wanted a reasonable sentence».
«We are going to argue for the leave to appeal to be granted. We have to argue that there are prospects of success when we argue the merits of the matter. We have always argued that murder carries a minimum of 15 years… but judges have discretion to deviate when substantial circumstances exist.»
Mfaku said in this case the sentence was too lenient.
The world-renowned athlete was arrested on February 14,2013, for shooting and killing Steenkamp, who he was dating.
In 2014, North Gauteng High Court Judge Thokozile Masipa found Pistorius guilty of culpable homicide and sentenced him to five years in prison.
In October 2015, after spending one year in prison, Pistorius was freed and was allowed to continue serving the rest of his sentence under house arrest.
Later that year, the SCA overturned Masipa’s judgment and convicted Pistorius of murder.
Masipa later sentenced Pistorius to six years for the murder.
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China’s drug control agency disputed on Friday U. S. President Donald Trump’s claim that most of the synthetic drug fentanyl at the heart of the U. S. opioid crisis was produced in China.
BEIJING (Reuters) — China’s drug control agency disputed on Friday U. S. President Donald Trump’s claim that most of the synthetic drug fentanyl at the heart of the U. S. opioid crisis was produced in China.
Declaring the crisis a public health emergency, U. S. President Donald Trump said last week he would discuss as a “top priority” stopping the “flood of cheap and deadly” fentanyl “manufactured in China” when he meets President Xi Jinping during his state visit to Beijing next week.
Wei Xiaojun, the deputy secretary-general of China’s National Narcotics Commission, said China did not “deny or reject” that some fentanyl produced in China had made its way to the United States.
But the “intelligence and information exchanged between China and the United States is not enough to say that most of the fentanyl or other opioid substances originate from China”, Wei said at a joint news briefing with the U. S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in Beijing.
Opioids include prescription painkillers, heroin and fentanyl, a highly addictive synthetic drug 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine.
The Centers for Disease Control estimated that 20,000 Americans were killed by fentanyl last year, surpassing common painkillers and heroin for the first time.
American law enforcement agencies and drug control experts say most of the fentanyl distributed in the United States, as well as precursor chemicals, originate from China.
While Chinese officials dispute these claims, Beijing has taken steps to crack down on the production and export of synthetic drugs, and has placed fentanyl and 22 other related compounds on its list of controlled substances.
It had done so even though fentanyl was not widely abused in China, Wei said, primarily in the spirit of cooperating with the United States and the broader international community.
China and the United States have increased cooperation on drug control in recent years and are holding a bilateral meeting on the issue this week. The DEA opened its second country office in southern Guangzhou in January.
Lance Ho, who heads the DEA’s Country Office in Beijing, said the cooperation between the two countries had generated good “momentum” and was focused on improving the real-time sharing of information.
“Once China controls a substance it has a dramatic effect on the United States in terms of lives saved,” Ho said.
The U. S. Department of Justice indicted two major Chinese drug traffickers last month on charges of making illegal versions of fentanyl and selling the highly addictive drug to Americans over the internet and through international mail.
Wei said it was “regrettable” that the United States decided to announce the case “unilaterally” because it would affect China’s ongoing investigations.

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