Eurasia Press & News

Syrian Kurds fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in the flashpoint town of Kobane made new gains Nov. 18, expelling the jihadists from several central buildings and seizing weapons, a monitor said. The advance came hours after the US-led coalition launched four strikes against ISIL positions …

Pakistan’s army chief General Raheel Sharif held talks with US officials at the Central Command (CENTCOM) headquarters in Florida on a host of issues like the situation in North Waziristan and border security. Sharif, making his first visit to the US as chief of the army staff, has “been having …

The new NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is holding Tuesday his first meeting with EU defence ministers to boost defence cooperation between the two organisations and discuss the situation in Ukraine and Syria. “I am looking very much forward to this meeting because it is the first meeting as NATO …

Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry met in London with US Secretary of State John Kerry to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in light of the escalating tensions in Jerusalem. The two discussed on Tuesday ways of working to contain the situation and “prevent the region from sliding into a …

Russia has launched a “very serious” military build-up inside Ukraine and on their shared border, deploying troops and sophisticated equipment including air defence systems, Nato head Jens Stoltenberg said today. Troops, artillery and “very modern” air defence weapons could be seen “both inside of Ukraine and also on the Russian …

Turkey will continue pursuing its active policy to put an end to the conflict [Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict] in South Caucasus, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Nov.17. The prime minister made the remarks during his visit to Philippines.

EU foreign ministers Monday began here their formal monthly meeting with two main topics on the agenda, Ukraine and the Middle East. The EU Foreign Affairs Council is being chaired for the first time by the new EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini. “We will …

The EU Foreign Affairs Council Monday called on the EU foreign services, known as the European External Action Service, and the European Commission to present a proposal for decision by the end of this month on additional sanctions targeting separatists in Eastern Ukraine.

Armed clashes broke out in Libya’s capital Tripoli closing down the city’s main working airport, local residents and an official said on Sunday. Tripoli has been mostly calm since the Libya Dawn force, an armed faction allied to the city of Misrata, took over the capital in the summer and …

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said on Nov. 16 the Pentagon will accelerate its mission to train Iraqi forces to combat Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants, using troops already in Iraq to start the effort while funding is sought for a broader initiative. Hagel, speaking to …