The 24-story tower, which once housed as many as 600 people in 120 apartments, is now a charred ruin. Aluminum cladding with insulation sandwiched between two panels has been blamed for helping to spread flames in fires in many parts of the world. The development reported by pro-government media Sunday comes a day after Iraqi forces captured a border crossing point with Syria, al-Waleed, from the Islamic State militants. The U.S.-led coalition said it was aware of the Iraqi forces’ maneuvers along the border, which highlight Baghdad’s resolve to fight the Islamic State. The launch of surface-to-surface medium-range missiles into Syria’s Deir el-Zour province comes as Islamic State militants fleeing a U.S.-led coalition onslaught increasingly try to fortify their positions there.

Source: Washington Post June 18, 2017 21:45 UTC