Eurasia

Iraq declared on Thursday that its forces had retaken the northern city of Tal Afar and the surrounding region in another major victory over Daesh group extremists. Daesh, which seized nearly a third of Iraq in 2014 in a stunning defeat for the army, now controls just 10 per cent …

Canadian troops in Latvia will have front-row seats to a massive Russian military exercise this month that has set NATO on edge and sparked calls for calm across eastern Europe. Scheduled to start Sept. 14 and run for a week, the so-called Zapad exercise is being billed as Russia’s largest …

Egypt has condemned the attack on a mosque in Kabul, which resulted in the death of 28 people and injuries to 50 others. In a statement issued yesterday, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirmed that the government and people of Egypt stand with the government and people of Afghanistan …

Sudan’s foreign minister says the border dispute with Egypt will remain a “potential irritant” in relations until it is resolved. Speaking this week in an interview with the Sudanese TV channel Ashorooq, Ibrahim al-Ghandour also says the dispute is a “thorn in the side of relations” between the two Afro-Arab …

Britain’s foreign secretary and aid chief have pledged more than $250m in humanitarian support for northeastern Nigeria to help build stability after destruction by Boko Haram’s extremist insurgency.

India and the European Union have agreed to strengthen cooperation between their security and intelligence agencies to combat the threat of terrorism and check terror financing. During the 10th India-European Union Counter Terrorism Dialogue in New Delhi on Wednesday, the two sides deliberated extensively on combating terror financing and challenges …

The Kingdom of Jordan and Iraq have reopened the Turaibil border crossing, as part of their efforts to forge closer bilateral ties. A joint statement by the Jordanian and Iraqi government said that the border crossing was reopened after the international highway was secured, adding that the measure will further …

Iraqi prime minister Haider Al Abadi has congratulated the military for an “overwhelming victory” against ISIL in Tal Afar, as an officer likened continuing fighting in a nearby town to opening “the gates of hell”. Mr Al Abadi is expected to announce the full liberation of Tal Afar from ISIL …

Lebanese President Michel Aoun on Wednesday announced his country’s “victory over terrorism” following a 10-day army campaign against Daesh terrorists holed up near the Syrian border. Earlier Wednesday, Lebanese Army Commander General Joseph Aoun (no relation) officially announced the successful completion of the Lebanese army’s Operation Fajr al-Juroud.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu participated on Friday in a Turkey, Romania and Poland trilateral meeting of foreign ministers in Poland along with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, where strengthening NATO’s role in the fight against terrorism was reportedly discussed. Çavuşoğlu visited Warsaw, Poland yesterday for talks and attended the …