Air strikes, shelling and other heavy clashes have shaken a small sliver of western Mosul in renewed fighting, a day after the Iraqi government declared victory over Islamic State in the city.

The US, its allies and Russia could best help the Syrian people by stepping up genuine humanitarian assistance in response to the refugee crisis, coming clean about their real intentions in the wider region, ceasing arms sales and engaging in a genuine peace process, argues Jim Roche. 

US-led airstrikes targeting the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria likely have killed hundreds of civilians, a report by an independent monitoring group said. The coalition had no immediate comment.