Negotiators taking part in Yemen peace talks in Switzerland agreed Saturday to create a “neutral” committee to monitor the country’s crumbling ceasefire even as at least 68 people were killed on the ground, a source close to the talks said.

“There is an understanding over forming a neutral military committee tasked with monitoring the ceasefire,” a source close to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi’s government delegation said.

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The Afghan national security forces have retaken control of Khanshin district in southern Helmand province of Afghanistan, security officials said Friday.

The Ministry of Interior (MoI) officials announced earlier today that the Afghan forces seized control of Khanshin district from Taliban militants this morning.

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Pakistani fighter jets killed 23 militants on Friday (Dec 18) in airstrikes carried out in the country’s remote tribal belt near the Afghan border, the military said in a statement.

The strikes were in the Shawal area of North Waziristan and Khyber tribal district, it said. “As a result of precise air strikes, six terrorists’ hideouts were destroyed in which 23 terrorists were killed and more than 10 injured,” the statement said.

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Turkish security forces have killed 54 Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants over three days of operations in the country’s southeast, a local broadcaster reported Friday.

The military counter-terrorist operations were conducted in Sirnak Province, targeting the towns of Silopi and Cizre, according to security sources quoted by the channel A Haber.

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Islamic State (IS) militants have assaulted the Bashiq military camp in north east of Mosul where Turkish military advisors are training Iraqi Sunni forces.

On Wednesday December 16th, heavy clashes took place between IS insurgents and Sunni National Mobilization Forces (Hashd al-Watani) in Bashiq. Turkish troops, present at the area to protect Turkish military advisors, took part in the fighting to repel the jihadists.

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