Archive for February, 2019
Erdogan warns US-planned Syria safe zone must be under Turkey’s control
Wednesday, February 27, 2019 Comments Off on Erdogan warns US-planned Syria safe zone must be under Turkey’s controlTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned the United States and allies operating along the Syria border that any safe zone planned for the area should be under Ankara’s control.
U.S. and Taliban Begin Highest-Level Talks Yet on Ending Afghan War
Wednesday, February 27, 2019 Comments Off on U.S. and Taliban Begin Highest-Level Talks Yet on Ending Afghan WarThe highest-level negotiations yet between American diplomats and the Taliban began in Qatar’s capital on Monday, with the presence of the Afghan insurgents’ deputy leader raising hope of progress toward ending the long conflict that is taking lives in record numbers.
ISIS militants assault village in Kirkuk, injure civilian: source
Wednesday, February 27, 2019 Comments Off on ISIS militants assault village in Kirkuk, injure civilian: sourceIslamic State militants on Sunday attacked a village in the disputed province of Kirkuk and after an extended standoff, fled the area, a local source said.
Tehran: Iran launches cruise missile from sub during drill
Wednesday, February 27, 2019 Comments Off on Tehran: Iran launches cruise missile from sub during drillIran launched a cruise missile from a submarine for the first time during an ongoing annual military drill in the Strait of Hormuz, local media reported Sunday.
Mine Left by ISIS Militants Kills 20 in Syria
Wednesday, February 27, 2019 Comments Off on Mine Left by ISIS Militants Kills 20 in SyriaA land mine left by the ISIS terrorist group struck a van packed with workers in eastern Syria on Sunday, killing more than 20 of them, Syria’s state news agency said. The agency earlier reported that 24 people were killed.
‘Alarming’: Defeated ISIS jihadists streaming back to Europe
Wednesday, February 27, 2019 Comments Off on ‘Alarming’: Defeated ISIS jihadists streaming back to EuropeThe threat of terrorism is increasing across Europe as hundreds of jihadists return from Mideast battlefields following the destruction of the Islamic State (ISIS) caliphate, Hungary’s foreign minister warned.
Fortieth Anniversary of Iranian Revolution: How Iran became Islamic Republic
Tuesday, February 26, 2019 Comments Off on Fortieth Anniversary of Iranian Revolution: How Iran became Islamic RepublicThis February marks 40th anniversary of Iranian Revolution. 1979 Iranian Revolution—having overthrown the last king of Pahlavi dynasty Mohammed Reza Shah Pehlavi—had led to religious establishment. Iran became ‘Islamic Republic of Iran’. A lot is being talked about how ‘Islamic Republic’ has survived and lived a long period of forty years. There is no doubt […]
The Kashmir Question:Made in India
Tuesday, February 26, 2019 Comments Off on The Kashmir Question:Made in IndiaIt has been stated before that when there is no political will to resolve a long pending dispute then ‘all roads can lead to hell’. Loss of 49 CRPF soldier’s lives in a sucide attack augurs ill. Despite massive military and security apparatus deployed in Jammu and Kashmir, no one had any clue that a […]
Putin to Join the Mullahs’ Deception Club
Tuesday, February 26, 2019 Comments Off on Putin to Join the Mullahs’ Deception Club“Talk to Iran!” This is the advice some Western politicians have bandied around since 1979, when the mullahs seized power in Tehran. The 40th anniversary of the Khomeinist regime has provided fresh opportunity for that slogan to be promoted again in the European Union and the United States.
Trump Denies Reversal of Syria Troop Decision
Monday, February 25, 2019 Comments Off on Trump Denies Reversal of Syria Troop DecisionU.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that his decision to leave a small number of U.S. troops in Syria did not constitute a reversal of his plan to withdraw all troops from the country. “I am not reversing course,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
Dugin Vs Surkov: Putinism Won’t Last Forever; Putin Is Only A Compromise Between The Elites And The People
Friday, February 22, 2019 Comments Off on Dugin Vs Surkov: Putinism Won’t Last Forever; Putin Is Only A Compromise Between The Elites And The PeopleAnti-liberal Russian philosopher Aleksandr Dugin strongly criticized Russian presidential aide Vladislav Surkov’s highly controversial article, titled “Putin’s Long State” that appeared in Nezavisimaya Gazeta on February 11, 2019.[1]The criticism is striking, because Surkov’s espousal of an authentic Russian model that is superior to the West should have ostensibly pleased Dugin.
More than 150 IS militants handed over to Iraq from Syria
Friday, February 22, 2019 Comments Off on More than 150 IS militants handed over to Iraq from SyriaU.S.-backed Syrian forces fighting the Islamic State group handed over more than 150 Iraqi members of the group to Iraq, an Iraqi security official said Thursday, marking the biggest repatriation from Syria of captured militants so far.
How many IS foreign fighters are left in Iraq and Syria?
Friday, February 22, 2019 Comments Off on How many IS foreign fighters are left in Iraq and Syria?Tens of thousands of foreign nationals have travelled to Syria and neighbouring Iraq to fight for the Islamic State (IS) group. With the end of the IS territorial “caliphate” imminent, the US has led calls to repatriate the hundreds of men women and children who have been detained on the battlefield. However, many countries have […]
Islamic State nears defeat in last Syrian enclave
Friday, February 22, 2019 Comments Off on Islamic State nears defeat in last Syrian enclaveIslamic State looked close to defeat in its last enclave in eastern Syria on Wednesday as civilians poured out and the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said the remaining jihadists wanted to fight to the death. More than 2,000 civilians left the village of Baghouz in a convoy of dozens of trucks. Coalition warplanes could […]
Turkey: Uniting an “Army of Islam” to Defeat Just One Country
Friday, February 22, 2019 Comments Off on Turkey: Uniting an “Army of Islam” to Defeat Just One CountryIstanbul recently hosted the second “International Islamic Union Congress,” sponsored mainly by the Strategic Research Center for Defenders of Justice (ASSAM), which is headed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s chief military advisor, Adnan Tanriverdi, a retired lieutenant general and an Islamist.
Israel Near Completion of Long-Range Bunker Buster Missile
Friday, February 22, 2019 Comments Off on Israel Near Completion of Long-Range Bunker Buster MissileA new air-to-surface missile featuring an extended range will limit the exposure of Israeli aircraft to ground threats, according to reports.
Putin Threatens US with New Weapons if Missiles Deployed to Europe
Friday, February 22, 2019 Comments Off on Putin Threatens US with New Weapons if Missiles Deployed to EuropeRussian President Vladimir Putin says Moscow plans to target the United States with new hypersonic weapons if Washington deploys intermediate-range missiles in Europe.
Hezbollah is a dominant force in Lebanon’s new cabinet
Thursday, February 21, 2019 Comments Off on Hezbollah is a dominant force in Lebanon’s new cabinetIn January, Lebanon agreed to a new cabinet after nine months of political stalemate. The long-awaited government restructured the balance of power in ways that did not reflect the results of parliamentary elections in May 2018.
Trump Asks European Allies To ‘Take Back’ 800 IS Fighters From Syria
Thursday, February 21, 2019 Comments Off on Trump Asks European Allies To ‘Take Back’ 800 IS Fighters From SyriaU.S. President Donald Trump has declared that the Islamic State (IS) “caliphate” is on the verge of collapse and he called on European allies to “take back” more than 800 militants captured in Syria.
American Volunteers Fighting ISIS in Syria Worry About a U.S. Pullout
Thursday, February 21, 2019 Comments Off on American Volunteers Fighting ISIS in Syria Worry About a U.S. PulloutA mortar blast shook the rooftop where Hunter Pugh stood watch over the last stretch of Syria controlled by the Islamic State, and he scanned the winter dawn, trying to decide whether it had been outgoing fire or an attack zeroing in on his post. The answer came from a second mortar round hitting even […]
Islamic State Fighters in Syria Holding On, Looking for Escape
Thursday, February 21, 2019 Comments Off on Islamic State Fighters in Syria Holding On, Looking for EscapeThe last defenders of the Islamic State terror group’s self-declared caliphate are refusing to surrender, clinging to their last sliver of land while hiding among hundreds of civilians.
Post-Caliphate ISIS
Thursday, February 21, 2019 Comments Off on Post-Caliphate ISISThe disintegration of the Islamic State’s Caliphate — which once included large portions of Iraq and Syria — may be a strategic defeat for ISIS, yet the jihadi terrorist group is very much alive. Its ideology, tactics and objectives have not altered. ISIS remains steeped in the ideology of “salafiya jihadiyah” (Salafi jihad), which requires […]
Saudi Minister: Iran Harboring al-Qaida’s ‘Board of Directors’
Thursday, February 21, 2019 Comments Off on Saudi Minister: Iran Harboring al-Qaida’s ‘Board of Directors’Saudi Arabia has accused Iran of harboring what it said was “the board of directors of al-Qaida” and rejected charges Riyadh was behind last week’s suicide car bombing that killed against 27 personnel of the Iranian Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).
IS Fighters Refusing to Leave Last Syrian Stronghold
Thursday, February 21, 2019 Comments Off on IS Fighters Refusing to Leave Last Syrian StrongholdIslamic State fighters are refusing to surrender to U.S.-backed Syrian forces and are asking for a safe exit from their last stronghold in eastern Syria, local military officials told VOA Monday.
Mullahs Masquerading as Patriots: Will it Work?
Monday, February 18, 2019 Comments Off on Mullahs Masquerading as Patriots: Will it Work?What do scoundrels do, when caught red handed in their shenanigans? According to an old proverb they wrap themselves in a flag and seek refuge in patriotism.
India Promises Strong Response to Kashmir Attack
Monday, February 18, 2019 Comments Off on India Promises Strong Response to Kashmir AttackIndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed a strong response to a deadly attack on security personnel in Indian Kashmir as New Delhi said that there was “incontrovertible evidence” that Pakistan had a “direct hand” in the assault and called for its complete isolation.
Challenges abound as the Islamic Republic turns 40
Monday, February 18, 2019 Comments Off on Challenges abound as the Islamic Republic turns 40This February marks the 40th anniversary of Iran’s 1979 revolution and the birth of the Islamic Republic, but for those in power in Tehran, celebrating the victories of the past is easier than dealing with the problems of the present. Challenges abound on all sides. On the home front, the so-called moderates and hardliners will […]
CEP Statement: WordPress Removes Neo-Nazi Website After CEP Publishes Findings
Monday, February 18, 2019 Comments Off on CEP Statement: WordPress Removes Neo-Nazi Website After CEP Publishes FindingsCounter Extremism Project (CEP) Executive Director David Ibsen released the following statement today after a website from the white supremacist group Feuerkrieg Division (FKD) was taken offline by website management and blogging platform WordPress. The removal comes on the heels of a CEP report and letter addressed to WordPress that found FKD had been using […]
You can’t have Syria safe zone without Assad’s consent, Russia tells Turkey
Monday, February 18, 2019 Comments Off on You can’t have Syria safe zone without Assad’s consent, Russia tells TurkeyRussia has reminded Turkey that it must obtain the consent of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government for its plan to create a safe zone in the northeastern part of the conflict-plagued Arab country.
Iran Suicide Bombing Kills 27 Revolutionary Guards
Monday, February 18, 2019 Comments Off on Iran Suicide Bombing Kills 27 Revolutionary GuardsA suicide bomber killed at least 27 members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and wounded 13 on a bus in a restive region of southeast Iran on Wednesday, Iranian media reported. It was among the deadliest attacks in Iran in years.
Hundreds flee as ferocious battle in Syria’s Daesh holdout enters 5th day
Monday, February 18, 2019 Comments Off on Hundreds flee as ferocious battle in Syria’s Daesh holdout enters 5th dayNEAR BAGHOUZ, SYRIA: The ferocious battle for Daesh’s last bastion in eastern Syria entered its fifth day on Wednesday, as exhausted families left the ever-shrinking scrap of land where holdout militants have been boxed in by Kurdish-led forces.
Putin Threatening Democracies Worldwide, Pompeo Tells Slovaks
Sunday, February 17, 2019 Comments Off on Putin Threatening Democracies Worldwide, Pompeo Tells SlovaksU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is on a tour of Central Europe, warned on February 12 that Russian President Vladimir Putin poses a threat to democracies worldwide.
NATO Discussing Its Response To ‘A World With More Russian Missiles’
Sunday, February 17, 2019 Comments Off on NATO Discussing Its Response To ‘A World With More Russian Missiles’NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says Russia continues to “develop and deploy” 9M729 cruise-missile systems in breach of a key Cold War-era nuclear arms control agreement.
Poland Hosts Middle East Summit Spearheaded By United States
Sunday, February 17, 2019 Comments Off on Poland Hosts Middle East Summit Spearheaded By United StatesA major U.S.-organized Middle East conference is under way in Poland, a NATO member that has tightened cooperation with Washington as a counterweight to Russia’s influence in Central and Eastern Europe. Iran appears to be the main focus of the February 13-14 conference in Warsaw, and Tehran has labeled the gathering as a hostile act […]
Stoltenberg: NATO Mulls Options In Post-INF World, Doesn’t Want Arms Race With Russia
Sunday, February 17, 2019 Comments Off on Stoltenberg: NATO Mulls Options In Post-INF World, Doesn’t Want Arms Race With RussiaNATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said the alliance is studying a “wide range of options” to deal with alleged Russian violations of a major arms-control agreement, while U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has accused Moscow of wanting to “dominate” Europe.