Clarifies no nipple policy
Instagram clarifies its no nipple policy.
We know that there are times when people might want to share nude images that are artistic or creative in nature, but for a variety of reasons, we don’t allow nudity on Instagram. This includes photos, videos, and some digitally-created content that show sexual intercourse, genitals, and close-ups of fully-nude buttocks. It also includes some photos of female nipples, but photos of post-mastectomy scarring and women actively breastfeeding are allowed. Nudity in photos of paintings and sculptures is OK, too.
Army recaptures central Tikrit
The Iraqi army recaptures central Tikrit from ISIS. Spokesperson of Iraqi PM, Jaboori:
Iraqi forces reached the center of Tikrit, raised the Iraqi flag and are now clearing the city
PM Al-Abadi announces the liberation of Tikrit and congratulates Iraqi security forces and popular volunteers on the historic milestone
— Haider Al-Abadi حيدر العبادي (@HaiderAlAbadi) March 31, 2015
To leave Armed Forces
Harry announces he is leaving the Armed Forces in June after 10 years of service. In April and May, he will serve four weeks with the Australian Defence Force at Army Barracks in Darwin, Perth and Sydney and then in June he will go to Africa for volunteer work focused on learning how local communities in sub-Saharan Africa are working to protect and conserve their natural resources and wildlife. He says he will continue to wear his uniform and “mix with fellow servicemen and women” for the rest of his life.
Inevitably most good things come to an end and I am at a crossroads in my military career. After a decade of service, moving on from the Army has been a really tough decision. I consider myself incredibly lucky to have had the chance to do some very challenging jobs and have met many fantastic people in the process. From learning the hard way to stay onside with my Colour Sergeant at Sandhurst, to the incredible people I served with during two tours in Afghanistan — the experiences I have had over the last 10 years will stay with me for the rest of my life. For that I will always be hugely grateful…So while I am finishing one part of my life, I am getting straight into a new chapter. I am really looking forward to it.
Forced out of Tikrit
Iraqi forces regain control of northern section of Tikrit, an important city held by ISIS since June 2014. Security official:
Iraqi security forces and the different supporting groups are winning the battle against ISIS in Saladin, it is a matter of time and we will release the news of taking over Tikrit within few days.
Iraq launches offensive against ISIS
The Iraqi army with the help of some Shia militant groups launches an operation to clear ISIS from Tikrit, hometown of former dictator Saddam Hussein. The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington think-tank:
The Shia militias participating in the operation to retake Tikrit are highly motivated to deal a counterblow in this symbolic area
Plans to quit Army
Harry reportedly plans to leave the army this year to focus on his charity work in Africa. Senior source:
The Prince thought long and hard about his decision to leave active military service but, having served his country on two tours of duty, he felt the time was right to leave. He has loved his time serving. Officials are still working on the precise timings but he will leave the military this year after serving Down Under. Before that he will travel to both countries and be based there and is very much looking forward to that. The exact timings have not been finalised yet, but are expected to be announced officially very soon.
Army seeks to cut supply line
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says regime forces had taken the villages of Bashkawi and Sefat and are battling to block the key highway leading from rebel-held east Aleppo to the Turkish border. The fighting stops traffic on the road, which passes through the town of Tal Rifat and up to the border. They also says fierce clashes are also raging between rebel forces and government troops in the nearby villages of Ratyan and Hardtaneen. It says regime fighters are shelling the town of Hayan, which lies on the road to two government-held villages that rebels have besieged for more than 18 months. Observatory director:
The regime troops have two goals in the area: to cut the road leading from Aleppo to the Turkish border, which is the key supply road for the rebels and to open the way to (besieged) Nubol and Zahraa,
Aleppo ceasefire proposed
Syria’s U.N. special envoy Mistura says he has won a commitment from the Syrian government to stop shelling the city of Aleppo, before a planned offensive against the city, and that it is up to rebels to also agree to the proposed six-week freeze in fighting. No start date has been agreed. Mistura
The government of Syria has indicated to me its willingness to halt all types of aerial bombing and artillery shelling for a period of six weeks, all over the city of Aleppo.
The U.N. representative of the opposition Syrian National Coalition:
We await a detailed proposal from [Mr.] de Mistura. We’ll study any proposal he puts forward carefully and in detail. The Assad regime’s compliance with any such proposal will be judged by actions, not words. And thus far, his actions have been only brutality and terror.
Homs ten-day ceasefire
The Syrian government and rebels agree on a ten-day ceasefire in al-Waer, the last opposition-held area of the city of Homs. Thousands of residents are stuck in during the siege, only occasionally receiving food and humanitarian aid. Residents say they believe the rebels agree to a ceasefire because they had been weakened in recent months and are running out of supplies. The ceasefire appears to be a result of local negotiation efforts, with talks between the warring sides going on for some time. A resident says food trucks have arrived:
We have been without any electricity, diesel or gas for heaters for too long now. Children are really cold, we live in extreme cold. We hope that after this the roads will open and we can have the freedom of moving.
Ground troops considered
The Pentagon says it is considering modest numbers of ground troops to fight alongside Iraqi forces. Joint Chiefs chairman Dempsey to the House Armed Services Committee:
I’m not predicting at this point that I would recommend that those forces in Mosul and along the border would need to be accompanied by U.S. forces, but we’re certainly considering it
The statement comes after Baghdadi releases an audio recording saying that the air campaign has failed.
UK troops to return to Iraq
Training teams will be sent to the semi-autonomous Kurdish zone, the first UK troop presence in the country since its withdrawal in 2011. Whitehall spokesman:
If Iraq fails or the government becomes sectarian then that is a massive problem
The number of troops isn’t specified.
Air strikes kill 232 civilians in two weeks
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says airstrikes by the Assad government have killed at least 232 civilians in the last two weeks. Among the weapons deployed, the regime has dropped least 401 barrel bombs on rebel-held areas in eight provinces. The regime says that it only uses the weapons against terrorists. A refugee camp in Idlib was hit. A man who says his house in Anadan has been destroyed by barrel bombs three times:
Barrel bombs kill those we love most, they destroy houses, dreams and memories, and leave us without any hope that the killing will ever stop.
U.S.-armed groups surrender to Al Qaeda
Harakat Hazm and the Syrian Revolutionary Front, who were meant to form the main line of attack against ISIS and have been receiving heavy weapons including GRAD rockets and TOW anti-tank missiles, surrender military bases and weapons supplies to Nusra, the Syrian Al Qaeda affiliate, as it storms villages in Idlib. Nusra members announce on Twitter that they have seized the TOW missiles. Some of the rebels are reported to defect to Nusra.
Airstrikes haven’t slowed recruiting
Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. Kirby says ISIS is still able to recruit in large numbers:
They are facing some attrition through these operations not just from the air but from the ground. But there’s no question that they still possess the ability to reconstitute their manpower and that’s just an indication of the strength of their ideology right now, which is why we’re working hard to counter that, and the fact that this is going to be a long struggle.
He confirms ISIS personnel have been targeted and killed, along with vehicles and installations.
Sends Chechen commander to city
ISIS orders al-Shishani to leave the Shingal area in northern Iraq to take over operations in Kobani. Another shift in strategy will be to remove its heavy weapons and artillery from near Kobane, in order to avoid airstrikes. ISIS also plans to increase the number of car bomb and motorcycle suicide attacks in the city.
Program to combat ISIS
Germany is instituting a government-backed pilot program designed to teach school students about the dangers of radical groups like ISIS. Project leader:
We laughed when we saw those first rudimentary extremist videos in 2005. But a new politico-religious movement has grown up out of nothing and taken all of us completely by surprise.
Seizes US weapons cache
The Pentagon drops 28 loads of military grade weapons for the Kurds. Wind shifts one of the loads, falling into the hands of ISIS militants. Turkey criticizes, but US officials say one cache of weapons in not a significant boon for the Islamic State. Apparently, amateur video footage proves militants did seize the cache of weaponry, consisting of rocket-propelled grenades, hand grenades and many other items. Army Lieutenant Colonel Warren:
One bundle worth of equipment is not enough equipment to give the enemy any type of advantage at all. It’s a relatively small amount of supplies. This is stuff [Isis] already has.
Kirby:
I do want to add, though, that we are very confident that the vast majority of the bundles did end up in the right hands. In fact, we’re only aware of one bundle that did not.
USAF: ISIS air power is a joke
U.S. Air Force officials say the group’s air power is effective for propaganda but doesn’t pose a threat. Official:
If ISIS is flying, or is thinking about flying, it will not be doing so for very long
ISIS is reported to have acquired three Soviet-built Mikoyan MiG-21 Fishbed and MiG-23 Flogger fighters and a number of Aero Vodochody L-39 Albatross aircraft, traditionally used for advanced training and light attack. Marine Corps fighter pilot:
I’d sell my first born to engage all three… by myself
Five Brits join weekly
Speaking during a national security conference in London, United Kingdom senior police officer Sir Hogan-Howe reveals that a minimum average of five British citizens are traveling to Syria and Iraq to join ISIS. Tracking and reacting to the threats of home terrorists who obtain experience from ISIS training grows worse, what he calls “potentially militarized individuals.” After citing some examples, Sir Hogan-Howe:
Those are the ones that we believe have gone. There may be many more who set out to travel to another country and meandered over to Syria and Iraq in a way that is not always possible to spot when you have failed states and leaky borders. We know that over 500 British nationals travelled to join the conflict. Many have returned and many will wish to do so in the coming months and perhaps in future years. The Met say they have made 218 arrests for terrorist-related activity this year, an increase of about 70% in three years. A large part of this increased arrest rate is due to terrorist activities, plots and planning linked to Syria. The trend is, I think, set to continue.
60 airstrikes in 72 hours
U.S. forces conduct the highest number of air strikes yet of any campaign in support of the Kurdish fighters in Kobani, but U.S. CentCom commander General Lloyd Austin says it’s still ‘highly possible’ the town might fall to ISIS, and says the focus remains on Iraq:
Iraq is our main effort, and it has to be, and the things that we’re doing right now in Syria are being done primarily to shape the conditions in Iraq