al-Shaabi

Iraqi forces advanced on Aug. 23 towards central Tal Afar, one of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group's last strongholds in the country, as aid workers braced for an exodus of civilians fleeing the fighting.

Iraq's plan to recapture the western city of Ramadi from Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) jihadists will dominate a meeting June 2 in Paris of foreign ministers from the international coalition fighting the group, a senior US official said.

Iraqi forces closed in on Ramadi May 26 and launched an operation aimed at cutting off the jihadists in Anbar province before a major offensive to retake the city.