October, 2014

• 9 October

  France says all options should be considered in Kobani situation

  While expressing support for a Turkish suggestion to set up a buffer zone on the Syrian-Turkish border near the embattled Kurdish town of Kobane, France said on Thursday that the situation was urgent and fraught with risks and all options must be examined concerning Kobane and the advance of Islamic …

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• 9 October

  600 jihadists to be judged in Tunisia

  The first trials of prisoners accused of “terrorism” in Tunisia since the 2011 revolution could open later this month, with 600 defendants facing prosecution, its justice minister said on Thursday. Hafedh Ben Salah told AFP in an interview that the defendants included Al-Qaeda-linked jihadists who have been battling the Tunisian …

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• 9 October

  Tension between India and Pakistan continues in Kashmir border

  Skirmishes between Indian and Pakistani troops on the international border in Kashmir continued Thursday, with both sides accusing each other of resorting to unprovoked firing and targeting civilian areas. Both New Delhi and Islamabad Thursday said heavy exchange of fire and mortars between the two sides took place Wednesday night …

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• 9 October

  French, Turkish FMs to discuss strategic cooperation

  French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius will meet with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in Kuwait Friday to discuss strategic cooperation between the two nations but the talks are certain to mainly focus on the ongoing struggle against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (IS) which is threatening security in the Middle East region …

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• 9 October

  US worried about Turkey, Kurd tensions amid Kobani

  Even as it prods Turkey to step up in the global fight against Islamic State militants, the United States is worried that Ankara might use military action to target Kurdish fighters who are the last line of defence against extremists trying to take over the Syrian border town of Kobani. …

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• 9 October

  Turkey rejects solo ground action in Kobani

  Islamic State fighters seized control of a third of the key Syrian border town of Kobane today, as Turkey rejected sending in troops on its own against the jihadists. IS militants advanced in the strategic town overnight despite intensified US air strikes, as calls grew for ground action to support …

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• 9 October

  France backs buffer-zone between Syria and Turkey

  French President Francois Hollande Wednesday said he would back the creation of a buffer zone between Syria and Turkey to protect displaced civilians fleeing the bloody Daech offensive. Talking to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over phone, Hollande discussed the “alarming situation in northern Syria mainly in Kobani city” which …

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• 9 October

  New NATO chief to visit Turkey

  Jens Stoltenberg, the new NATO secretary-general, is set to pay his first visit to Turkey since he took office on Oct. 1. Stoltenberg is expected to discuss security concerns posed to Turkey by the jihadist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). 

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• 9 October

  Intensified air strikes help Kurdish militia push back IS in Kobani

  Intensified air strikes helped Kurdish militia push back Islamic State jihadists fighting for Kobani, as pressure mounted yesterday for more international action to save the key Syrian border town. Across the frontier in Turkey, the government’s lack of action against the jihadists was drawing a furious response, with at least 19 …

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• 9 October

  Kerry, Hammond discuss support for Ukraine

  US Secretary of State John Kerry and British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond on Wednesday discussed ways to continue supporting Ukraine in its struggles with Russia in eastern Ukraine. “We agree on the need for Russia to withdraw its forces immediately from Ukraine, to end its material support for separatists and …

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