Middle Orient

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry welcomed on Sunday the formation of a new Iraqi unity government charged with fighting a rising Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) insurgency. The Iraqi parliament has appointed new Ministers of Defence and Interior, a Sunni and Shi’a respectively. It is seen as a move …

The US military continued to attack ISIL terrorists near Kobane Wednesday and Thursday in 14 airstrikes using bomber and fighter aircraft, according to the US Central Command (CENTCOM). “These airstrikes are designed to interdict ISIL reinforcements and resupply and prevent ISIL from massing combat power on the Kurdish held portions …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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. …

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 …

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 …

Yemeni security and military officials say Shiite rebels who recently overran the capital have now seized a key port city on the Red Sea and a province south of Sanaa in a stunning new blitz. The development indicates the Shiite Houthis may be determined to carve out a mini-state within …

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said here on Thursday that his country would not tolerate the undermining of peace, stability and peaceful coexistence. “Turkey will never tolerate any traps against our peace, stability or sense of brotherhood,” Erdogan said in a statement published by the presidential information center.