Istanbul bombing another sign Syria, Iraq war spreading to Turkey
The war raging in neighboring Syria and Iraq continues to destabilize Turkey as spillover violence and increased fighting with the Kurds risks plunging the country into deeper instability. “Turkey is the new target of the proxy wars, especially when the latest developments in north Syria and southeastern Anatolia are taken into consideration,” Prof. Mehmet […]
One of the biggest ever battles against ISIS is going on right now in Falluja
The Iraqi army stormed to the southern edge of Fallujah under US air support on Monday and captured a police station inside the city limits, launching a direct assault to retake one of the main strongholds of Islamic State militants. A Reuters TV crew about a mile (about 1.5 km) from the city’s edge said […]
Iraqi Forces in Fallujah Repel ISIS Attack in City’s South
(CAMP TARIQ, Iraq) —Iraqi forces battling their way into Fallujah repelled a four-hour attack by the Islamic State group in the city’s south on Tuesday, a day after first moving into the southern edges of the militant-held city with the help of U.S.-led coalition airstrikes. Also Tuesday, a leading aid group raised alarm over […]
ISIS bomb attack kills dozens at Iraq markets around Baghdad targeting Shiites
A wave of bombings struck outdoor markets and a restaurant in Shiite-dominated neighborhoods of Baghdad on Tuesday, killing at least 69 people, officials said – the latest in deadly militant attacks far from the front lines in the country’s north and west where Iraqi forces are battling the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). […]
‘This is our 1948’: Kurds kindle a close relationship with Jews and Israel
It was cold and dark when we arrived. The beams of light from our clunky sedan on the potholed road seemed to be the only thing piercing the darkness. To the north, Mount Shingal, which we had just crossed, lurked. To the south lay the city of Shingal, and beyond that the front […]
U.S. on verge of ‘losing Iraq completely to Iran’
Escalating protests in Baghdad threaten the Iraqi government as Shiite Muslim factions battle for control for the country, and retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Tom McInerney says Iran could soon wield all the power in Iraq unless the U.S. changes course in significant ways. He is also reacting to ISIS killing a U.S. […]
U.S. deploys B-52 bombers to Middle East for the first time in 25 years
The U.S. Air Force has deployed B-52 long-ranger bombers to the Middle East, for the first time since the Gulf War ended, to conduct strikes against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, officials said Saturday. An unknown number of B-52s will be based at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the U.S. Air […]
Iraq’s political crisis is turning into a nightmare for the US
Just as the Iraqi government announced the beginning of the operations to liberate Mosul, the country’s second largest city, Iraq’s internal political turmoil threatens to reverse what has been achieved against ISIS. The Iraqi army launched an offensive 12 days ago to capture a group of villages south of Mosul. The battle of Mosul […]
House condemns Brussels attacks
The House passed a resolution on Wednesday condemning the terrorist attacks in Brussels that have reignited the debate over combating the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The measure, passed by a vote of 409-0, expresses condemnation of Tuesday’s attacks for which ISIS has claimed responsibility and offers condolences for the more than […]