Archive for June, 2020
Turkey arrests 42 over links to terror group PKK, including former HDP mayors
Tuesday, June 30, 2020 Comments Off on Turkey arrests 42 over links to terror group PKK, including former HDP mayorsForty-two people, including former mayors of the pro-PKK Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), were detained for their suspected links to the PKK, a designated terrorist group that has waged a decadeslong insurgency against Turkey.
Powerful Islamist Group Intensifies Crackdown on Jihadists in Syria’s Idlib
Tuesday, June 30, 2020 Comments Off on Powerful Islamist Group Intensifies Crackdown on Jihadists in Syria’s IdlibA powerful Islamist militant group in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib has launched a military campaign against rival jihadist groups, local news reports and rights groups said Sunday.
DOJ appeals court’s decision to release Hezbollah money man early
Tuesday, June 30, 2020 Comments Off on DOJ appeals court’s decision to release Hezbollah money man earlyThe Justice Department argues Kassim Tajideen does not qualify to be freed on “compassionate grounds” due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
UN envoy warns Israeli annexation may fuel extremism
Tuesday, June 30, 2020 Comments Off on UN envoy warns Israeli annexation may fuel extremismThe UN’s Middle East envoy warned Thursday that Israel’s aim to annex parts of the occupied West Bank may fuel extremism and ignite a regional conflict.
Iraqi forces swoop on Iran-backed militiamen in Baghdad
Tuesday, June 30, 2020 Comments Off on Iraqi forces swoop on Iran-backed militiamen in BaghdadIraqi security forces raided a stronghold of a powerful Iran-backed militia in southern Baghdad late on Thursday and detained more than a dozen members of the group, government officials and paramilitary sources said.
China’s Undeclared War on India
Tuesday, June 30, 2020 Comments Off on China’s Undeclared War on IndiaChina’s artificial islands in the South China Sea — equipped with military bases, naval ports and airfields — pose a strategic threat to neighboring countries. In 2018, China landed nuclear strike-capable bombers on these artificial islands, sending an alarming message to the U.S. and regional powers.
Serbia and Kosovo
Tuesday, June 30, 2020 Comments Off on Serbia and KosovoU.S.-mediated talks scheduled for Saturday between Serbian and Kosovo leaders aimed at normalising relations were cancelled after a special prosecutor indicted Kosovo’s President Thaçi on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity relating to Kosovo’s 1998-9 conflict. Crisis Group expert Marko Prelec says the indictment could usher in seismic changes in Kosovo’s politics, which […]
Iraq
Tuesday, June 30, 2020 Comments Off on IraqU.S. and Kurdistan Regional Government officials discussed ways to increase coordination between Kurdish and federal military forces in the disputed territories of Ninewa, Kirkuk, Salah al-Din and Diyala. Crisis Group expert Lahib Higel says that the multiplicity of competing regular and irregular forces in these areas has fueled local tensions, while the exclusion of Kurdish […]
Iran’s influence in Afghanistan
Tuesday, June 30, 2020 Comments Off on Iran’s influence in AfghanistanDespite strong religious and cultural ties and a long shared border, Iran has a somewhat complicated relationship with Afghanistan. Revolutionary Iran’s tumultuous birth coincided with the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan some four decades ago. Since then, Iran’s attempts to preserve its interests in conflict-ridden Afghanistan have not received much attention from the outside world, […]
Is Ahmad al-Oda winning the “hearts and minds” of Daraa’s people?
Tuesday, June 30, 2020 Comments Off on Is Ahmad al-Oda winning the “hearts and minds” of Daraa’s people?On June 20 a bus carrying soldiers from the Eighth Brigade of the Fifth Corps, travelling from Latakia to Busra al-Sham, hit a roadside improvised explosive device (IED) near the town of Kahil in eastern Daraa. The IED, consisting of an estimated 700 kg of explosives, blew the bus up and flipped it over, leaving […]
The East Fails Iran
Tuesday, June 30, 2020 Comments Off on The East Fails IranOfficials in Tehran have a lot to worry about. But they are particularly irked at the speed by which Asian states have dropped Iran as a trading partner. Iran had hoped that the East would save the country’s economy from the barrage of sanctions enacted by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump. In early […]
Modern Slavery and Woke Hypocrisy
Tuesday, June 30, 2020 Comments Off on Modern Slavery and Woke HypocrisyThere are an estimated 136,000 people living in modern slavery just in Britain. Slavery in the UK takes the form of forced labor, and domestic and sexual exploitation. Albanians and Vietnamese are among the groups that constitute the majority of slaves. — Global Slavery Index, 2018.
British aid worker kidnapped in Syria
Tuesday, June 30, 2020 Comments Off on British aid worker kidnapped in SyriaA British aid worker has been kidnapped in Syria by members of a Sunni Islamist militant group in rebel-held Idlib, it emerged on Monday night. Tauqir Sharif, 31, from Walthamstow in East London lives and works in the north-west Syrian city, which has a large number of other British humanitarian workers who together are part […]
I am worried about Egypt
Tuesday, June 30, 2020 Comments Off on I am worried about EgyptI am worried about Egypt; really worried. The solution to its problems, though, is simple: talk to Turkey and Sudan and stay away from Israel, Saudi Arabi and the UAE.
Annexation is still inadmissible, even by Israel
Tuesday, June 30, 2020 Comments Off on Annexation is still inadmissible, even by IsraelIsrael’s project to annex 40 per cent of the occupied West Bank is hanging in the balance. Without the long-awaited green light from the Trump administration, it will remain stalled. After his abysmal mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic and Black Lives Matter protests, recent polls show the president is consistently trailing behind his democratic rival, […]
Austrian MPs Vow to Ban Croats’ ‘Ultranationalist’ Bleiburg Events
Saturday, June 27, 2020 Comments Off on Austrian MPs Vow to Ban Croats’ ‘Ultranationalist’ Bleiburg EventsThe Austrian Green Party told BIRN why MPs backed a proposed ban on an annual commemoration in Austria of Croatian Nazi-allied troops and civilians killed in World War II which has become a get-together for nationalists.
Asylum Outsourced: McKinsey’s Secret Role in Europe’s Refugee Crisis
Saturday, June 27, 2020 Comments Off on Asylum Outsourced: McKinsey’s Secret Role in Europe’s Refugee CrisisIn 2016 and 2017, US management consultancy giant McKinsey was at the heart of efforts in Europe to accelerate the processing of asylum applications on over-crowded Greek islands and salvage a controversial deal with Turkey, raising concerns over the outsourcing of public policy on refugees.
Trust in Democracy Fragile in Central Europe, Balkans – Report
Saturday, June 27, 2020 Comments Off on Trust in Democracy Fragile in Central Europe, Balkans – ReportCorruption, populism, nationalism and disinformation have eroded faith in liberal democracy in Central and Eastern Europe, according to a new Globsec report – which says many people would trade in some of their freedoms for greater security and traditional values.
Five Things Kosovo Must Know Before Doing a Deal with Serbia
Saturday, June 27, 2020 Comments Off on Five Things Kosovo Must Know Before Doing a Deal with SerbiaFollowing the election of the new government in Kosovo, the US special presidential envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Richard Grenell, has taken a proactive and assertive approach to the talks, increasing the likelihood of a final deal in which the US plays a significant role.
Palestinians: Is It Really about ‘Annexation’?
Saturday, June 27, 2020 Comments Off on Palestinians: Is It Really about ‘Annexation’?It is dead wrong to assume that if Israel abandons its plan, most Muslims would give up their desire to destroy Israel and replace it with an extremist Iran-style Islamic state.
U.S. Used Missile With Long Blades to Kill Qaeda Leader in Syria
Saturday, June 27, 2020 Comments Off on U.S. Used Missile With Long Blades to Kill Qaeda Leader in SyriaSpecial Operations forces used a secret weapon designed to limit civilian casualties to strike the Qaeda veteran this month.
How the US military has failed to address white supremacy in its ranks
Saturday, June 27, 2020 Comments Off on How the US military has failed to address white supremacy in its ranksA recently uncovered extremist plot has put fresh scrutiny on the relationship between US service members and white supremacist groups. An alleged plot by a young solider to coordinate with a neo-Nazi group to attack and kill members of his own army unit has put new scrutiny on the US military’s failure to address violent […]
Neo-Nazi Memoir Describes Terror Group’s Acid-Soaked Ram Sacrifice
Saturday, June 27, 2020 Comments Off on Neo-Nazi Memoir Describes Terror Group’s Acid-Soaked Ram SacrificeJanuary was a spectacularly bad month for The Base. A nationwide FBI crackdown dismantled the neo-Nazi terror group, resulting in multiple arrests of its members for things as sinister as assassination plots and plans to shoot up a protest and as peculiar as animal sacrifice and the production of DMT. Then its leader was exposed […]
US accuses Iran of sheltering Al Qaeda members
Saturday, June 27, 2020 Comments Off on US accuses Iran of sheltering Al Qaeda membersThe US accused the Iranian government of sheltering members of Al Qaeda. In its annual terrorism report issued on Wednesday, the US State Department said Iran remained unwilling to convict Al Qaeda members living in the country and refused to publicly identify members in its custody.
Iraqis flee border areas as Turkey strikes Kurdish militants
Saturday, June 27, 2020 Comments Off on Iraqis flee border areas as Turkey strikes Kurdish militantsDozens of civilians fled villages in northern Iraq on Monday as Turkey stepped up a military campaign targeting Kurdish rebels that has drawn condemnation from Iraqi officials.
Iraq launches third phase of anti-ISIS operations as coalition withdraws
Saturday, June 27, 2020 Comments Off on Iraq launches third phase of anti-ISIS operations as coalition withdrawsIraq on Monday launched the third phase of a military operation in the north to combat ISIS sleeper cells as US-led coalition forces begin to withdraw.
US State Department insists no ‘back-room deal’ behind release of Hezbollah financier
Saturday, June 27, 2020 Comments Off on US State Department insists no ‘back-room deal’ behind release of Hezbollah financierThe US State Department is denying any deal-making or “good-will diplomacy” was behind the impending release of Kassim Tajideen, a Lebanese-Belgian businessman and convicted financier of the militant organisation Hezbollah.
Al-Qaeda-linked group in Syria detains former commander who defected
Saturday, June 27, 2020 Comments Off on Al-Qaeda-linked group in Syria detains former commander who defectedJamal Zeina split from group once known as Nusra Front earlier this year to set up a new hardline organization.
Judge warned Reading stabbing suspect Khairi Saadallah was falling through the cracks
Saturday, June 27, 2020 Comments Off on Judge warned Reading stabbing suspect Khairi Saadallah was falling through the cracksExtremist reporting in the UK prison system and the top security service, MI5, failed to assess the threat from Libyan asylum seeker Khairi Saadallah in the months before the terror incident that killed three people on Saturday.
Germany bans neo-Nazi group Nordadler
Saturday, June 27, 2020 Comments Off on Germany bans neo-Nazi group NordadlerThis is the third ban of a right-wing extremist group in Germany so far this year. Police raided suspected group members across four federal states.
Idlib to Tripoli: Turkey moves to dominate eastern Mediterranean
Saturday, June 27, 2020 Comments Off on Idlib to Tripoli: Turkey moves to dominate eastern MediterraneanThe first time Wael Amr got on a plane was not quite what he had hoped for. Air travel in films led him to imagine how glamorous it would be to leave Syria’s rebel-held Idlib province for an exotic holiday abroad.
Egyptian court sentences 13 ‘Nusra’ convicts to life over joining terrorist group
Saturday, June 27, 2020 Comments Off on Egyptian court sentences 13 ‘Nusra’ convicts to life over joining terrorist groupThe Cairo Criminal Court on Sunday handed life imprisonment sentence to 13 people over joining a terrorist group and ordered placing 16 defendants in the case on terror lists.
Coalition Aircraft Destroys Islamic State Camps in Iraq
Saturday, June 27, 2020 Comments Off on Coalition Aircraft Destroys Islamic State Camps in IraqThe U.S. military’s Central Command says three known Islamic State hiding places have been destroyed in rural Iraq.
Intel report warns that far-right extremists may target Washington, D.C.
Saturday, June 27, 2020 Comments Off on Intel report warns that far-right extremists may target Washington, D.C.The Trump administration is warning law enforcement and public safety officials that a far-right extremist movement known as “boogaloo” may be setting its sights on the nation’s capital.
Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah calls for closer ties to China
Saturday, June 27, 2020 Comments Off on Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah calls for closer ties to ChinaDuring a June 17 speech eulogizing former Palestinian Islamic Jihad Secretary-General Ramadan Shalah and Hezbollah commander Hajj Abu Ali Farhat, Hassan Nasrallah called for a realignment with China in an attempt to end Lebanon’s dependence on western aid during its economic crises.