Members of Parliament staged a sit-in after a vote to approve a new cabinet was postponed until Thursday. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has presented a new list of nominees that were forced upon him by powerful political blocs in parliament. Still, the voting was postponed. The second list consists of 15 names, only four of which were selected by Abadi.
Although the town of Rabeaa was liberated 18 months ago, its remote location has meant hardship for residents. They are stuck between Islamic State and Kurdish territories, with little help from Baghdad.
Islamic State militants have reportedly blown up the 2000-year-old Mashqi Gate, which was the entrance to the ancient city of Nineveh.
At least 96 people were killed and 28 were wounded:
Eight security members were killed and five were wounded as the forces advanced through Hit. Forty militants were killed.
An army officer and three soldiers were killed in a roadside blast in Falahat.
Three women were executed in Mosul.
A blast in Madaen killed two people and wounded five more.
Militants executed a college student in Makhmour.
In Daquq, mortar fire wounded four Peshmerga.
Security forces killed 29 militants in Khirbirdan.
An airstrike on Hamadaniya left nine militants dead and 14 wounded.
Hospitals in Mosul have received more than 500 bodies due to operations in and around Mosul and Qayara.
