. >> mr zahran alloush having been some sort of a moderate is somewhat surprising to me considering some of his rather immoderate statements about groups in general which would have been calculated to scare them rather than to reassure them. i know he backed away from some of those comments more recently before his death, but it is very difficult to sort out the partys. in sir it is a truly doctor - syria it is a truly difficult mess. you can't score the players without a score card. all of this is to the benefit of a regime responsible for far more deaths of syrian civilians than even i.s.i.l. and al-qaeda. it is an unfortunate situation brought about by the world looking away for too long i think >>> iraqi kurdish forces have raided a town. u.s. command yos were also involved in the operation. the u.s. has denied this. several i.s.i.l. fighters have been killed and others captured. it comes two months after the u.s. and peshmerga groups had an operation freeing captives. forces say they have been intense battle whiz i.s.i.l. fighters over a key area of ramadi city. u.s. led air strikes