Jihadists crucify nine men

A man has survived being crucified by members of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant jihadist group in Syria, after the militants raided his village and nailed him to a cross for eight hours.

The unnamed man from al-Bab, near the Turkish border, was crucified as punishment, human rights observers said.

Eight others who received the same punishment did not survive. The men, from Deir Hafer in the east of Aleppo province, were reportedly rebels fighting against both President Bashar al-Assad and jihadist groups including Isil.

Activists say the group's Iraq offensive and capture of heavy weapons - some of them US-made - appears to have boosted its confidence in Syria.

This follows reports of fierce clashes on the outskirts of Damascus between Isil and anti-Assad forces.

Iraqi government forces pressed a counter-attack against Isil in Tikrit yesterday , seeking to halt its advance across the country.

Government planes pounded Tikrit with air strikes and clashes broke out across the city yesterday, witnesses said.

Beleaguered Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has conceded that a political solution is necessary to end the crisis. But his spokesman, Lieutenant General Qassem Atta, has touted successes in the Tikrit operation.

Atta said that troops had detonated bombs planted along routes leading to the city, which fell to militants more than two weeks ago.

The Tikrit offensive follows Iraq's receipt of the first batch of Sukhoi warplanes from Russia, with the newly purchased Su-25 air craft expected to be used as soon as possible.

Su-25s are designed for ground attack, meaning they will be useful for Iraqi forces trying to root out Isil-led militants from towns and cities they have seized.

Maliki announced that Baghdad was buying more than a dozen Sukhoi aircraft from Russia in a deal that could be worth up to $500-million.

While Washington has been sending military advisers to help Iraqi commanders and is flying armed drones over Baghdad, Iraqi officials have voiced frustration that multibillion dollar deals for US-made F-16s and Apache helicopters have not been expedited.

Washington, which has pushed for political reconciliation has also, so far, not acceded to Iraq's appeal for US air strikes.

The US has stopped short of calling for the premier to go but has left little doubt it feels he has squandered the opportunity to rebuild Iraq since American troops withdrew in late-2011.

American officials have also said a proposed $500-million plan to arm and train moderate rebels in neighbouring Syria could also help Iraq fight Isil.

Isil operates in both countries.