Iraqi forces were inching to within striking distance of eastern Mosul Tuesday as defense chiefs from the U.S.-led coalition met in Paris to review the offensive on the jihadist bastion.

Syria's government could face its first European war crimes probe after two human rights groups filed a complaint in a specialized Paris court over two missing Franco-Syrian nationals.

French President Francois Hollande on Tuesday urged the U.S.-led coalition backing the offensive against Islamic State jihadists in Mosul to prepare for the aftermath of the city's fall, including returning fighters. 

Iraqi security forces on Tuesday regained full control of a western town that was attacked by Islamic State group militants two days earlier, officials said.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Tuesday Ankara could launch a ground operation in Iraq to remove any threats to Turkey that may arise.

"If there is a threat posed to Turkey, we are ready to use all our resources including a ground operation... to eliminate that threat," Cavusoglu said in an interview with Kanal 24 broadcaster. 

Leaving Yemen is now an unattainable dream for Abdulsalam Khaled who cannot travel despite being awarded a scholarship to pursue his education in India, because of a Saudi-led coalition blockade.

Unidentified gunmen killed two Saudi policemen in the mainly Shiite eastern city of Dammam early on Tuesday, authorities in the region said.

Iraqi paramilitary forces have been ordered to retake the town of Tal Afar and prevent Islamic State group jihadists from fleeing west from Mosul towards Syria, a spokesman said Tuesday.

The Hashed al-Shaabi, an umbrella organisation for the paramilitary forces that are dominated by Iran-backed Shiite militias, has played major roles in previous battles against IS, but has been largely on the sidelines since the operation to retake Mosul was announced last week.

The head of US military operations in the Middle East wrapped up an unannounced visit to Saudi Arabia Tuesday, amid mounting friction over the kingdom's bombing campaign in neighboring Yemen.

An international outcry over the civilian death toll from the air war against pro-Iran rebels launched by a Saudi-led coalition in March last year prompted the White House to announce a review of US intelligence and logistics support earlier this month. 

Moscow said Tuesday that Russian and Syrian planes have not conducted any air strikes on Aleppo for the last seven days despite a three-day truce ending at the weekend.

"Over the last seven days all flights by Russian and Syrian air forces have been completely halted. The planes are not going near the city and not carrying out strikes," military spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a statement Tuesday.