Iraq
Forces seize Mosul runway
Closely supported by the U.S.-led international coalition, Iraqi forces secured a series of cautious advances on Thursday, pushing into a sprawling military base outside of Mosul and onto the grounds of the city’s airport, where they took control of the runway. “We’ve broken the first line of IS defenses,” said Iraqi special forces Lt. Yaser Mohsen, whose troops captured the key village of Tell al-Rayan, where Islamic State snipers had been slowing the government offensive.
SWITZERLAND
Syrian foes at U.N. meeting
Syria’s opposing sides met face-to-face for the first time in U.N. mediation in three years on Thursday. United Nations envoy Staffan de Mistura took note of the presence of diplomats from the International Syria Support Group, which unites regional and world powers and is led by the United States and Russia. But Washington has been in political flux and de Mistura has said there’s uncertainty about the Syria strategy of the new Trump administration. Meanwhile, activists reported heavy clashes across the southern city of Daraa between pro-government forces and opposition factions headed by an al Qaida-linked group. Opposition media agencies also reported government air raids around Hama.
Malaysia
Police say nerve agent found
Malaysian police said Friday that the half brother of North Korea’s leader who was killed in a Kuala Lumpur airport more than a week ago had a nerve agent on his eye and his face. A statement Friday from the inspector general of police said that a preliminary analysis from the Chemistry Department of Malaysia identified the agent as “VX nerve agent.” Kim Jong Nam, the half brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, died Feb. 13 shortly after two women put a substance on his face. The two suspected attackers, an Indonesian woman and a Vietnamese woman, are in custody.
FRANCE
Candidate praises Trump
French far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen has nothing but praise for U.S. President Donald Trump, saying Thursday that she thinks his actions so far are good for France. Le Pen, who is leading in the latest opinion polls ahead of the spring election, credited Trump with a series of accomplishments, including “the promotion of a form of intelligent protectionism, of economic patriotism,” as well as his plan to change or scrap the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico.
Compiled from wire reports