Middle Orient

Pro-government fighters of Al-Hashd Al-Shaabi thwarted on Wednesday a planned attack by Islamic State militants on security forces in a village on the Iraqi-Syrian border, leaving 43 terrorists dead and wounded.

UK Middle East Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa, Alistair Burt, said the withdrawal of American troops from Syria should not affect the fight against the Islamic State, nor result in Turkish incursions against Syrian Kurds.

The Turkish military deployed tanks and armored vehicles to the border province of Hatay on Jan. 13, as Turkey continues its preparations for a planned military operation in the east of River Euphrates in Syria against ISIL and the YPG, which it sees as the Syrian branch of the PKK.

In their third phone call to discuss the Syria situation and impending plans for US withdrawal, US president Donald Trump discussed with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday a framework that would protect Syrian Kurds while preserving Turkey’s security.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sought to reassure Iraqi officials on Wednesday that Washington remained committed to fighting the Daesh group, as he tours regional allies troubled by US plans to withdraw from Syria. Pompeo’s unannounced visit comes less than two weeks after President Donald Trump drew criticism for …

Iraqi security forces seized on Monday three hotbeds of Islamic State group during a security campaign in Anbar province, a security source said. “A security force from al-Jazeera Operations Command, backed by fighters of the Tribal Mobilization Forces, carried out a security campaign in northwestern Anbar, during

Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed al-Hakim has reiterated his country’s keenness on maintaining relations with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) over the coming period. The top Iraqi diplomat made the remarks Sunday during a meeting with NATO Assistant Secretary General John Manza at the ministry’s headquarters in Baghdad, …

The United Kingdom owes its gratitude to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) who should be included in a long-lasting peace effort in Syria, UK Secretary of State for Defense Gavin Williamson said on Monday.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian made a statement to reporters after meeting his Iraqi counterpart Mohammed al-Hakim in Baghdad. France has agreed to loan Iraq 1 billion euros to help reconstruction of areas devastated by conflict in recent years, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Monday. Le Drian …

U.S. President Donald Trump stated that the process of the withdrawal of the American military contingent from Syria has officially begun, as he reported on Twitter. “Starting the long overdue pullout from Syria while hitting the little