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A woman rests near rubble in the Syrian town of Darat Izza in Aleppo Province on February 28.
A woman rests near rubble in the Syrian town of Darat Izza in Aleppo Province on February 28.

Live Blog: Tracking Islamic State

Follow all of the latest developments as they happen.

Latest News For February 29

-- The United States Army's elite Delta Force is on the verge of beginning operations to target, capture or kill top IS operatives in Iraq, after several weeks of covert preparation, an administration official with direct knowledge of the force's activities told CNN.

-- Syrian government forces have regained control of a road used by the army to access Aleppo, after making advances against Islamic State fighters, a monitoring group and state television reported.


-- Authorities in Iraq say the death toll from a double bombing at a market in Baghdad’s Shi’ite neighborhood of Sadr City rose to 73 on February 29 after several critically wounded victims died overnight.

-- Tajik media are reporting that a woman known to be the second wife of Gulmurod Halimov, the fugitive Tajik colonel who defected to the IS group, has left for Syria along with the couple's four young children.

-- The UN is poised to begin delivering aid to people living in besieged areas of Syria, making use of a truce brokered by the United States and Russia. The first deliveries are planned for Feb. 29, with aid due to reach about 150,000 Syrians in besieged areas over the next five days.

-- A truce negotiated between Syrian rebels and the government has caused a dramatic decrease in airstrikes around rebel-held territory, but there were few celebrations, with many residents suspecting a trick, CNN report.

* NOTE: Live blog posts are time-stamped according to Central European Time (CET).

17:11 11.1.2016

Some 50-75 People Trapped In East Baghdad Mall After Gunmen Storm It

Police and medical officials have told AP that the gunmen who stormed a mall in a predominantly Shi'ite neighborhood of eastern Baghdad have taken between 50-75 people hostage.

Ten people have been killed including three police officers. Some 25 people have been injured.

The gunmen set off a car bomb at the entrance to the mall before storming it.

17:05 11.1.2016

AP and the BBC are also reporting that the gunmen who stormed the shopping mall in eastern Baghdad have taken hostages.

17:01 11.1.2016

Some reports are saying that the gunmen who stormed a mall in a Shi'ite district of Eastern Baghdad have taken hostages, but that seems to be unconfirmed.

17:00 11.1.2016

Reuters has more on the reports that gunmen have killed people in a Baghdadi shopping mall.

Police sources said that four gunmen charged into the Jawaher mall in the predominately Shi'ite district of Baghdad Jadida, after a car bomb exploded outside, killing seven people were killed and injuring 27 more.

It is not clear if the gunmen have taken hostages of if they have killed anyone inside the mall. The sources said that the gunmen may have been wearing suicide vests.

There has been no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

16:36 11.1.2016

16:34 11.1.2016

This just in from AFP.

16:30 11.1.2016

AFP has more on the reports that the coordinator of the Syrian opposition has said that there will be no talks with the Syrian government while "foreign forces" are bombing the country.

"We cannot negotiate with the regime while there are foreign forces bombing the Syrian people," [Riad] Hijab said after a meeting with French President Francois Hollande in Paris.

16:29 11.1.2016

The first three trucks of aid have entered Madaya, the BBC's Kriszta Satori tweets.

16:23 11.1.2016

Humanitarian aid trucks have now entered the Syrian town of Madaya near the Lebanese border, Reuters is reporting, citing a local witness.

Red Crescent and U.N. vehicles drove into Madaya hours after departing from Damascus, while a separate convoy was set to enter two villages in the northwest of Syria under the deal.

16:12 11.1.2016

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