Middle Orient

US Central Command captures Islamic State official in Syria raid – statement

U.S. Central Command forces conducted a helicopter raid in northern Syria on Sept. 28 capturing Mamduh Ibrahim al-Haji Shaykh, an Islamic State facilitator, Central Command said on Saturday. Last week, the Central Command forces said it had captured Abu Halil al-Fad’ani, an ISIS Syria Operational and Facilitation official, who was …

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PKK claims bomb attack in Turkey’s capital that injured 2 police officers

The attack happened just as the parliament returned from recess and was expected to take on Sweden’s NATO bid. A suicide attacker blew himself up Sunday outside Turkey’s police headquarters, wounding two police officers in Ankara, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said. A second assailant was “neutralized” in what Turkish authorities …

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Turkey-Iraq oil pipeline to resume in a week, says minister

Turkish officials previously cited damage from February’s earthquakes as a reason for suspending operations Turkey is set to restart operations this week by on a crude oil pipeline from Iraq after being suspended for more than six months. Turkey’s Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar told the ADIPEC energy conference in Abu …

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After Ankara bombing, Turkey hits back in Iraq and at home

Turkey said it unleashed air strikes on militant targets in northern Iraq and detained suspects in Istanbul overnight, hours after Kurdish militants said they orchestrated the first bomb attack in the capital Ankara in years. On Sunday morning, two attackers detonated a bomb near government buildings in Ankara, killing them …

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US ‘stands firmly’ with Turkey after PKK attack but is walking fine line with Iraq

Turkey’s crackdown on the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) following a suicide attack in Ankara has left the US in a difficult position. While Washington has condemned the attack and voiced support for Turkey’s right to defend itself, mass arrests and air strikes in Kurdish areas of Iraq have led to …

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Eni, Qatar Energy, TotalEnergies bid for Lebanon offshore gas exploration fields

The three energy companies, which are already operating in another block in Lebanese waters in the Eastern Mediterranean, submitted their tenders for offshore exploration in blocks 8 and 10. Lebanon’s Ministry of Energy and Water announced on Monday that a coalition of international oil giants applied for the second gas …

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Police detain nearly 1,000 in raids across Turkey following suicide bomb attack

Police detained almost 1,000 people in raids across Turkey on Tuesday, including dozens with alleged links to Kurdish militants, days after a suicide bomb attack in the Turkish capital. Police detained at least 67 people across Turkey on Tuesday in a sweep targeting people with alleged links to Kurdish militants, …

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Why US Lost The Middle East? – OpEd

Over the past two decades, the US military intervention and hasty withdrawal have unleashed instability and violence across the Middle East. The US policies have wreaked havoc on the region, resulting in a series of calamities, such as the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan after the US-backed government collapsed, Iraq’s descent …

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Iran: Raisi’s Presence At UNGA Was A Disgrace For Appeasement Policy – OpEd

The acceptance of Iranian regime president Ebrahim Raisi at the United Nations headquarters is a stain on the 78-year history of the organization, which was established after World War II with the aim of preserving global security and peace. He is an individual who carries the record of the murder …

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How Can We Combat Militarism? – OpEd

Everyone knows that the United States is the world’s leading military power, with an annual “defense” budget approaching one trillion dollars, considerably more than the arms budgets of the next 144 nations combined. The U.S. employs more than 3.5 million active military and civilian personnel and maintains more than 750 …

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