Iraqi security forces have disbanded a terrorist group in the southern part of the country’s oil-rich northern province of Kirkuk as government troops, backed by allied fighters from Popular Mobilization Units, are trying to purge the war-ravaged Arab country of the remnants of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group.

The Iraqi Defense Ministry announced on Sunday that its troops captured three Islamic State militants, including the group’s cook, in Mosul city. “Military intelligence forces carried out a specific operation in Hamam al-Alil district in Mosul, managing to arrest three militants belonging to Islamic State group,” Sputnik quoted the Iraqi Security Media Center as saying.

Senior Iraqi military commanders hosted their Russian, Iranian, and Syrian counterparts in Baghdad on Saturday to discuss security cooperation and information-sharing in the Middle East, where Daesh (ISIL) terrorist group continues to carry out attacks.

US-backed forces have repelled a raid by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group targeting barracks housing American and French troops in eastern Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Aug. 18. The Syrian Democratic Forces and the US-led coalition supporting them were on high alert after the raid late Aug. […]

The U.S.-backed Syrian forces on Saturday took full control of a desert territory at the Iraqi border in northeastern Syria, local activists said Saturday. The border line with Iraq and Deir Ezzor desert are under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces, such a gain comes after weeks of major military campaign backed by the […]

NATO’s highly-anticipated military-adviser mission in Iraq is slated to go operational by this fall, the head of U.S. Central Command said Thursday. Gen. Joseph Votel provided little detail as to how many NATO troops would be involved in the new training mission, which countries would be contributing troops to the mission, or how long the […]

On June 25, 2018, German-speaking jihadis in Syria released a five-minute video titled “A Call to Jihad” on a German-language Telegram channel. The video features two masked fighters in Syria, one of whom solicits funds for jihad in German and calls upon Muslims in the West to join them in the jihad in Syria.(by memri […]

On June 14, 2018, the Jordanian king swore in a new government after the previous government resigned due to extensive protests over its economic policy. A notable appointment was that of Jumana Ghunaimat, formerly the editor-in-chief of Jordan’s Al-Ghad daily, as state minister of media affairs and as government spokesperson.(by memri.org)

Iraqi warplanes targeted on Saturday a gathering of Islamic State militants in Diyala province, leaving three of them dead. Spokesman for the Iraqi Security Media Council Brig. Gen. Yehia Rasool said that “the Iraqi Air Force killed three IS terrorists and destroyed one of

Syria’s permanent representative to the UN, Dr. Bashar al-Jaafari said that Syria is determined to fight international terrorism on all its territories with its commitment to the political solution through Syrian-Syrian talks without any foreign intervention or preconditions.

Egypt President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi has affirmed that Egypt supports efforts to form a strong national Iraqi government that represents all Iraqis. During his meeting with Iraqi Vice President Ayad Allawi, Sisi welcomed political talks carried out by Iraqi blocs and stressed that Egypt backs any outcome.

Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign and Expatriates Minister Walid al-Moallem on Wednesday sent a letter to Iraqi counterpart Ibrahim al-Jaafari on increasing the efforts for reopening the border crossing between Syria and Iraq that connects the Syrian city of al-Boukamal and the Iraqi city of al-Qa’im.

President Bashar al-Assad affirmed that the Syrian south is in front of two options; reconciliation or liberation by force, indicating that at this point, there are no concrete results for a simple reason which is Israeli and American interference, for they put pressure on the terrorists in that area in order to prevent reaching any […]

The European Union condemned Tuesday the decision of the Syrian regime to establish diplomatic relations with the “Georgian breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.” The move “violates international law and the principle of territorial integrity as defined by the United Nations Charter and relevant UN Security Council resolutions,” said Maja Kocijancic, spokesperson for EU […]

Up to 13 Islamic State (IS) militants were arrested Monday in their former stronghold of Mosul, a police chief was quoted as saying. “Nineveh police arrested the 13 militants upon accurate intelligence data in al-Entisar, Judaydat al-Mufti and al-Nour districts in Mosul’s eastern side,” Baghdad Today website quoted Nineveh Police Chief Brig. Gen. Hamad Nems […]

Turkey and Israel have expelled their envoys amid growing tensions between the two sides over the killing of dozens of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip at the hands of the Tel Aviv regime’s forces.

The Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi has denied intentions to intervene within Syrian affairs, saying airstrikes against Islamic State will continue. In his weekly speech, Abadi said, “we don’t want to intervene within Syrian affairs. The Syrian people should have self-determination.”

US State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert affirmed on Thursday that “it is now twelve days” since a Damascus suburb was attacked with chemical weapons, while inspectors from the Organization for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) have yet to be allowed to enter the site although they have been waiting in Syria since Saturday. Nauert […]

Member of the Jordanian Chamber of Industry Muwaffaq Bani Hani, won the position of Vice President of the Joint Arab Labor Organization for its 45th session.

The 29th Arab Summit was expected to kick off in the Saudi city of Dammam on Sunday with the Palestinian issue and developments in Syria, Yemen and Libya on top of its agenda.

The United States has blamed the Syrian government for a deadly chemical weapons attack this month and slammed Russia for failing to stop its ally, President Bashar al-Assad, as Western allies considered military strikes on Syria. While the prospect of US-led military action that could lead to a confrontation with Russia hung over the Middle […]

US President Donald Trump warned Russia Wednesday to brace for American engagement in Syria after a suspected chemical attack killed dozens of people. “Russia vows to shoot down any and all missiles fired at Syria. Get ready Russia, because they will be coming, nice and new and ‘smart!’” Trump said on Twitter. “You shouldn’t be […]

Houthi leader Mohammed Ali Al-Houthi, president of “the Revolutionary Committee of Yemen,” warned the British, the Europeans, and the Americans: “Stop your support of Saudi Arabia so that it will stop bombing us. If you continue, we will continue to shell Aramco and other vital facilities.” (by memri org)

His Majesty King Abdullah II, on Tuesday received an invitation from the Saudi King Salman Bin Abdul Azizi Al Saud to participate in the Arab Summit scheduled to be held in Dhahran city on April 15.

The spokesperson for the Arab tribes in Nineveh has disclosed news about a visit by a delegation from U.S. to each of Baghdad and Erbil to agree on the redeployment of the Kurdish troops in disputed regions. “U.S. delegation will visit Baghdad and Erbil next week to discuss redeploying of Peshmerga troops, along with federal […]

Iraq on Thursday denounced Turkish airstrikes on anti-Ankara, Kurdish fighters’ locations in the north of the country that left a number of civilians dead. In a statement, the foreign ministry spokesperson, Ahmed Mahgoub, said “The Iraqi foreign ministry denounces the continuation of aggressions and transgressions upon Iraqi borders by the Turkish

President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani on Thursday called on Turkey to abide by international law following news of Turkish airstrikes killing four civilians in the Kurdistan Region’s border areas. According to residents and local activists, overnight Turkish airstrikes killed four civilians camping in rural areas as part of Newroz celebrations in the Choman […]

Turkish F-16 warplane on Thursday night crashed in the Central Anatolian province of Nevsehir, some 260 kilometers (161 miles) southeast of capital Ankara. The Turkish army’s General Staff said in a statement that the aircraft went down due to unknown reasons during a training flight.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday discussed with his US counterpart Donald Trump by phone the situations in Syria and North Korea, and the looming trade dispute over US steel and aluminium tariffs. On the ongoing Syrian conflict, the French leader highlighted “the necessity of clear action to avoid the pursuit of a humanitarian disaster” […]

Three months ago, Ibrahim Ali was using his digger to smash down defensive embankments built by Daesh group militants in northern Iraq. But after years of digging for victory, he and his comrades have now turned their skills to civilian use: gouging out irrigation channels for farmers in the southern province of Basra. “What I’m […]

Jürgen Hardt, Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) foreign relations spokesperson, has called on Turkey to halt its attack and withdraw its troops from the Kurdish enclave of Afrin in northwest of Syria.

US Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Robert Karem reiterated on Wednesday his country’s support for Iraq in the face of security challenges. This came during a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi today, a government statement said.

Last month coalition strikes in Iraq and Syria against so-called Islamic State terrorists killed 195 civilians, rising the total number of possible civilian deaths to 601, according to the latest figures released by US Central Command on Thursday. “In the month of January, CJTF-OIR carried over 406 open reports of possible civilian casualties from previous […]

Egypt’s Foreign Ministry called Wednesday for an immediate ceasefire in Eastern Ghouta, on the eastern outskirts of Damascus, to allow delivery of desperately needed humanitarian aid and evacuation of critically wounded people. In a press statement, the ministry condemned the bombardment and shelling of civilian targets in Eastern Ghouta, Damascus and other parts of Syria.

His Majesty King Abdullah II on Wednesday received a delegation of senior officers from the US Army National Defense University (Capstone Fellows), led by retired Gen. Gregory Martin…The meeting was attended by the Royal Court chief, King’s office director, and U.S. Charge d’Affaires in Amman.