Egyptian military aircraft are bombing positions held by Islamist militias in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi as part of a large-scale operation to rid the city of militants who have held sway there for months, two Egyptian government officials said on Wednesday. The officials, who have first-hand knowledge of …
Read More »US, Russia agree to share intel for stopping IS
US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Tuesday that he and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov have agreed to step up intelligence sharing over the Islamic State (ISIS) group. “I suggested to Foreign Minister Lavrov that we intensify intelligence cooperation with respect to ISIL and other counter-terrorism challenges of …
Read More »Over 30 killed in Baghdad attacks
Militants unleashed a wave of attacks on Thursday targeting Shia areas in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, killing at least 38 people and wounding dozens, officials said. The deadliest attack took place when two parked car-bombs exploded simultaneously in a commercial area in the northern Dolaie neighbourhood, killing 14 civilians …
Read More »Kurdish forces manage to push IS from part of Kobane
Kurdish forces have managed to repel Islamic State militants from part of the besieged Syrian town of Kobane, various Kurdish sources said on Thursday. A Kurdish official in Kobane said that US-led airstrikes had successfully pushed back Islamic State insurgents from parts of the town and had allowed Kurdish fighters to …
Read More »Obama, foreign allies to discuss plan to destroy IS
Some three weeks before U.S. congressional elections viewed largely as a referendum on Obama’s leadership, the president will aim to show the U.S. public and allies abroad that he is committed to a plan to degrade and destroy the group that has taken over large swaths of Iraq and Syria. …
Read More »India says willing for ‘serious dialogue’ with Pakistan over LoC
In the backdrop of its unprovoked firing along the Line of Control (LoC) and working boundary, India said Tuesday that it was willing for a “serious dialogue” with Pakistan on all outstanding issues including Kashmir, however alleged that Islamabad was not interested in talks and was using “diversionary tactics” by …
Read More »Turkey will not intervene in Syria without international community
Turkey will not embark on an “adventure” in Syria without certain agreements from the international community, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said, reiterating Ankaradeems establishing safe havens and no-fly zones in northern Syria as a must for Turkish participation in the international coalition. “Turkey will not embark on an adventure [in Syria] at the …
Read More »UN Secretary-General visits Tripoli
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Libya’s capital Tripoli on Saturday for talks with the country’s warring factions fighting over control of the oil producer, in the highest-level visit of a foreign visitor for three months.
Read More »Mali rebels agree to end hostilities before talks
Representatives of two platforms of rebel groups from northern Mali agreed on Thursday in the Burkinabe capital Ouagadougou to end hostilities and present a united front for talks with the Malian government in Algeria in early September. In recent months, there has been fighting between the Tuareg-led National Movement for …
Read More »Shoukry, Chinese envoy for Middle East discuss bilateral ties
Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry held talks with Chinese Special Envoy for the Middle East Gong Xiaosheng addressing bi-lateral ties as well as challenges in the region. Shoukry received Xiaosheng on Monday, one day after Egypt hosted the Gaza Reconstruction Conference, in which $5.4bn was pledged in aid to Palestine. Over …
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