On June 27, 2021, Syria-based Saudi jihadi cleric Abdallah Al-Muhaysini tweeted [1] a call to bolster ties between Turkey and Afghanistan’s Taliban. Commenting briefly on a potentially closer relationship, Al-Muhaysini wrote: “It is proper for Muslim Turkey, which supported people and provided refuge to the oppressed, to be supportive of …
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As Ethiopian Troops Exit Tigray, Time to Focus on Relief
The devastating civil war in Ethiopia’s Tigray region took a stunning turn on 28 June. Eight months after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered a federal military intervention to remove Tigray’s governing party from power and quash Tigrayan loyalist forces, federal troops had to abandon almost all the territory they had …
Read More »Resurgent Tigray and Horn of Africa Politics
The war in Ethiopia’s Tigray region just took an unexpected turn. Seemingly isolated in mountainous reaches of central Tigray only weeks ago, Tigrayan rebels last week overran regional capital Mekelle and other cities and towns they had left last November when federal troops moved in. They were met by dancing …
Read More »Conflict Trends Update
AFGHANISTAN Government troops retook Qala-e-Naw, capital of the western Badghis province, on Thursday after Taliban fighters had seized the city the day before. It was the first major provincial capital that the insurgents had captured in the course of their offensive as U.S. and NATO forces complete their withdrawal from …
Read More »Russia, Iran, Turkey wrap Syria talks as border vote looms
The three countries gathered in Kazakhstan’s capital, Nur-Sultan, for the 16th round of the Astana talks aimed at resolving the decadelong war. Turkey, Iran and Russia reaffirmed their commitment to Syria’s sovereignty and pledged to cooperate on defeating terrorism in the war-torn country, the trio said in a joint statement …
Read More »Iran has declared war on the US in Iraq through its proxies – analysis
Iran has done this before, using pro-Iranian groups in Iraq to wage an insurgency against America after the US-led 2003 invasion of Iraq. Daily rocket and drone attacks on the US in Iraq are no longer just the harassment that began in May 2019. The targeted attacks are increasing, and …
Read More »Lebanese media react to an unprecedented crisis – analysis
Sources not affiliated with Hezbollah highlighted different components of the crisis, while some observers criticize focusing solely on the economic dimensions in the country. As Lebanon nears the brink of collapse both politically and economically, news outlets within the country vary widely in coverage of the issue. According to Prime …
Read More »Israel needs to help Lebanon – editorial
Hezbollah is the most dangerous terrorist organization in the world, and has a stranglehold on part of Lebanon. However, every country has extremists and local problems. Israel’s neighbor is in trouble, and when a neighbor needs help – even if it’s an enemy state – it is incumbent to provide …
Read More »Disaster in Afghanistan Was Foreseeable
America should never again enter a war without the commitment to win. Afghanistan is another in a long series of U.S. wars without victory, including Korea, Vietnam and Iraq (“Disaster Looms in Afghanistan,” Review & Outlook, June 25). In these wars, the U.S. has chosen not to do what is …
Read More »If the Taliban Wins the War, Can They Still Lose the Peace?
The United States vowed to destroy the Taliban. Today, they are stronger than ever. But will that last? In early October 2001, then-U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell sent a cable to his envoy in Pakistan, ordering her to get a message to the head of the Taliban through Pakistani …
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