October, 2020

• 9 October

  90 Dead as Syria Govt Forces Clash With IS: Monitor

  The government side lost 41 dead, the jihadists 49, a Britain-based war monitor said. Clashes in the Syrian Desert between pro-government forces and holdouts of the Islamic State group have killed at least 90 combatants this month, a war monitor said on Wednesday.

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• 9 October

  Russia unhappy with Turkey sending Syrian mercenaries to Azerbaijan

  The head of Russia’s foreign intelligence, Sergei Naryshkin, said: “We have to be concerned about the South Caucasus becoming a new launch pad for international terrorist organisations.”

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• 9 October

  Egypt extends surprising help to US over Libya crisis

  Washington’s active role is tied by analysts to the influx of foreign mercenaries in Libya and wariness about Russia’s growing role. Egypt’s involvement in efforts led by the US State Department, represented by its embassy in Tripoli and the acting UN envoy to Libya, US diplomat Stephanie Williams, has surprised …

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• 9 October

  Italy Is Using the Pandemic to Keep More Migrants From Its Shores

  The Mediterranean Sea is still the principal corridor for migrants trying to enter the European Union, and Italy is in effect its front door. Hundreds of thousands of people have attempted this risky maritime route, often paying a deadly toll, including well before the migrant and refugee crisis of 2015.

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• 9 October

  Robert Malley on the ‘Lack of Change Propelling Change’ in the Middle East

  The Middle East is “a place that is both remarkably impervious to change…and at the same time always sort of on the verge of an explosion, where you always think that something quite catastrophic could happen,” says Robert Malley, president and CEO of International Crisis Group and a former special …

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• 9 October

  With Little Hope for Reform, Lebanon Continues Down the Road to Ruin

  With yet another failed attempt to form a government and no replacement in sight, Lebanon’s future is looking a lot like its bleak past. The prime minister-designate, Mustapha Adib, resigned in late September after nearly a month of fruitless talks to create a Cabinet of technocrats.

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• 9 October

  Consider it a ‘sub-coup’

  Kyrgyzstan held parliamentary elections on October 4. According to the official results, parties close to President Sooronbay Jeenbekov, his family members, and other powerful officials were the only ones that made it into the parliament. On October 5, opposition demonstrators took to the streets and were violently dispersed by riot …

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• 9 October

  Pompeo uses Tokyo visit to slam China, seek Asian allies' support

  U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Japan on Tuesday to rally support from Washington’s closest allies in Asia, calling for deeper collaboration with Japan, India and Australia as a bulwark against China’s growing regional influence.

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• 9 October

  Turkey’s Drone War in Syria – A Red Team View

  Turkey’s armed forces gained worldwide attention when its air force launched a remarkable and innovative airpower show-of-force against Bashir al-Assad’s Syrian Army. As part of a combined air and ground operation, the Turkish air force used its Anka-S and Bayraktar TB2 drones to conduct hundreds of strikes against Syrian Arab …

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• 9 October

  CIA Director Gina Haspel and the British Role in the Anti-Trump Plot

  In the next paragraph, [Washington Post reporter Shane] Harris notes breathlessly: “… Trump has accused the United Kingdom of conspiring with American intelligence to spy on his presidential campaign.” President Trump certainly has made that claim, and one believes for very good reasons that seem to compound weekly.

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