Iraq’s next parliamentary elections are scheduled for October 10, 2021. The Iraqi people will vote into office the 328 members of the Council of Representatives who, in turn, will elect Iraq’s president and prime minister. The present PM, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, was confirmed in post in May 2020, aware that elections …
Read More »US troops return to Afghanistan as regime disintegrates
The first of some 3,000 US soldiers and Marines ordered by the Biden administration back into Afghanistan began arriving at Kabul’s international airport Friday as six more of Afghanistan’s provincial capitals were overrun by the Taliban, bringing the total to 18 that have fallen to the insurgency. Another 4,000 US …
Read More »US Empire’s Afghan Ponzi Scheme Comes to Ignoble End
The United States lost the Afghanistan War a long time ago, as is quickly becoming apparent as the Taliban take city after city. After 2002, it was never clear what the US war aim was. You can’t win a war if you don’t have a clear objective. The war is …
Read More »US Plunders Syria by Smuggling Out 55 Vehicles Laden With Oil
The United States and its Syrian Kurdish allies control up to 90 percent of Syria’s oil-producing lands, depriving the war-torn country of its much-needed source of fuel and hard currency income. While Iran sends emergency fuel supplies to Syria to help deal with shortages, its ships have been regularly attacked …
Read More »Russia Reports Record Virus Deaths Second Day in a Row
Russia on Friday recorded its highest daily coronavirus death toll for a second day running, even as the country’s outbreak epicenter Moscow lifted some restrictions. A government tally showed 815 Covid-19 fatalities over the past 24 hours and 22,277 new cases. Russia, the fourth worst-hit country in the world in …
Read More »Taliban now controls all districts of Kabul — spokesman
In his words, the radical movement’s leaders made the decision to enter the Afghan capital following reports of plunder and instability there The radical Taliban movement (outlawed in Russia) has gained control over the entire territory of Afghanistan’s capital Kabul, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said on Sunday. “The security situation …
Read More »The African Union Intervention Force Will Stay in Somalia, but with Whose Troops?
A strong, internationally composed military force remains crucial to protecting the Somali government and preventing a victory by the Al-Shabaab Islamist militant movement. Last month, the African Union (AU) offered four separate options for the future of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) to the Somali Federal Government (FGS). …
Read More »UK Foreign Aid Cuts and an Afghan Refugee Crisis
The UK government should maintain aid spending in Afghanistan, especially after the troop withdrawal. The decision by the UK government to cut foreign aid will have devastating consequences, particularly in Afghanistan where the security situation is deteriorating. The cuts signal that the UK government has not learned from history, where …
Read More »The Resurgence of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan
The TTP has experienced a reversal of fortunes, in part thanks to the changing circumstances within Afghanistan. Since its inception in 2007, the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has been the largest and most active armed opposition group in Pakistan. It was formed by several small groups operating in the tribal areas …
Read More »Russia’s Complex Afghan Diplomacy Prioritises Its Central Asian Interests
Concerned about the implications of a Taliban victory for regional security, Moscow is searching for a diplomatic solution to Afghanistan’s conflict. As the security situation inside Afghanistan deteriorates by the day, Moscow fears that a Taliban victory could see Afghanistan exporting terrorism, strife, drugs and insecurity to Russia’s historical Central …
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