In today's program we begin with more news on the Barcelona attacks and the jihadist cell that carried them out, once an accidental explosion prevented the 12 young men from pursuing their original plan to bomb important monuments. That's followed by reports on the US-backed Kurdish-led offensive against the jihadist militants in Raqqa City in Syria. The United Nations, at the insistence of activist groups and the Syrian government, acknowledges the alarming numbers of civilian victims in the military campaign. In neighboring Iraq, government forces along with Shi'ite militia have begun their campaign, also backed by US-led coalition air-strikes, on the city of Tal Afar. US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis makes a surprise visit to Iraq where he meets with the Prime Minister and the President of the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan.
