Recent Posts

Mali: Killings, ‘Disappearances’ in Military Operations

Malian soldiers have allegedly killed at least 34 villagers, forcibly disappeared at least 16 people, and severely mistreated detainees during counterterrorism operations in Mali’s central Mopti region, Human Rights Watch said today. Mali’s transitional government should conduct credible and impartial investigations into these incidents. All were committed since the transitional …

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Swedish Suit Says Strongman Savagely Struck Syrians With Sarin

Syrian dictator Bashar Assad was sued on Tuesday for using chemical weapons against his own countrymen during Syria’s long-running civil war. Four NGOs in Sweden filed the criminal complaint against the Russian-backed strongman and his Damascus cohorts, expressing hope that an “investigation into these crimes will eventually result in trials …

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Summit on Afghan Quagmire Delayed After Taliban Pull Out

The much-anticipated Istanbul summit, scheduled for next week between Taliban officials and representatives of over 20 countries and international bodies, has been postponed due to the Taliban’s refusal to attend, Turkey confirmed on Tuesday. “We thought that it would be beneficial to postpone it,” Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said. “We …

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Government, Kurdish forces clash in northeast Syria

The pro-government National Defense Forces fired on Kurdish Asayesh forces at a checkpoint in Qamishli, according to Kurdish sources. Clashes broke out in northeast Syria last night between Kurdish and government forces. The violence began in the Qamishli neighborhood of Tayy. The pro-government militia the National Defense Forces attacked a …

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Iran welcomes Iraqi mediation with Gulf states

No clear results yet, said Tehran’s ambassador in Baghdad after reports of Saudi-Iran dialogue. Iran’s ambassador to Baghdad said on Tuesday his government welcomes Iraq’s efforts to mediate relations with Arab Gulf states. “The Islamic Republic supports Baghdad’s mediation to bring Tehran closer to countries with which we have faced …

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Turkey looks to pull ahead of EastMed rivals in Libya

Can Greece use its position in the European Union to tempt Libya away from Ankara’s fold? A series of state visits by leaders of Libya’s new National Unity Government to Athens and Ankara last week laid bare the difficulty Greece faces in swaying the North African country away from its …

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Commander Says Africa Too Important For US To Ignore

Africa is a fascinating continent of tremendous possibilities but also tremendous dangers, and the U.S. ignores the nations of Africa at its own peril, the commander of the U.S. Africa Command said during an interview. “China and Russia don’t ignore Africa, and that alone should say something,” Army Gen. Stephen …

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US Resumption Of Foreign Aid To The Palestinians – Analysis

On April 7, 2021, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the Biden Administration’s plan to resume various forms of aid to the Palestinians that had been discontinued under the Trump Administration. Separately in March, the Biden Administration allocated $15 million in International Disaster Assistance for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) response …

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