US troops 'cannot stay in Iraq' after pulling out of Syria, says Baghdad government as Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets Vladimir Putin and prepares to restart invasion 'with greater determination'. American forces have permission from the Kurdish regional government to transit through Iraq but have no approval to stay there, a statement said today. The U.S. has angered the Kurds by pulling its forces out of Syria, opening the door for Turkey's offensive against Kurdish fighters there. The statement today contradicts claims by U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who said troops leaving Syria would go to western Iraq and continue to conduct operations against ISIS. Esper said he had spoken to his Iraqi counterpart about shifting more than 700 troops into Iraq and 'help defend' the country but those plans now appear to be in disarray.

Shocked Ray Liotta is briefed by firefighters as wildfire engulfs LA celebrity enclave Pacific Palisades threatening Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger's under-construction mansion as stars including April Love Geary share photos of the blaze. Officials from the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to an emergency call at 10.40am to a brush fire around 500 North Palisades drive, which quickly burned an acre. By 3pm local time the fire was estimated to have overtaken 40 acres. An evacuation of the area was ordered by the LAFD at 12.30pm, affecting at least 200 homes. It was lifted by 8pm. 'There is a Mandatory Evacuation Order for all residents within the area bordered by Charmel Lane on the West, Bienveneda Avenue on the East, the end of Lachman Lane on the North, and Merivale Lane on the South,' the warning reads. 🔥

Three U.S. soldiers who were killed during a training exercise were carrying out their mission in darkness when their armored vehicle fell from a bridge and landed upside down in water below, the commanding general of Fort Stewart tearfully revealed on Monday. Maj. Gen. Antonio Aguto struggled to hold back tears at a news conference as he read the names of the soldiers who died Sunday during the exercise hours before dawn. Sgt. 1st Class Bryan Jenkins, 41, of Gainesville, Florida; Cpl. Thomas Walker, 22, of Conneaut, Ohio; and Pfc. Antonio Garcia, 21, of Peoria, Arizona, all died. Three others were injured. 'It is hard enough when you lose one soldier,' Aguto said. 'But when you lose three at one time, that pain is amplified. And we are really feeling and sharing that pain.' #RIP