Arab World

By Mohammed Nuruzzaman | (Informed Comment) The Syrian civil war is now in its sixth year, with occasional ceasefire deals made and violated by the warring parties being a cyclical process. The latest ceasefire agreement brokered by the U.S. and Russia, which came into effect on September 12, is standing on shaky grounds. The U.S.-led […]

Featured

In Massive Intel Error, US Kills 80 Syrian Troops, Helps ISIL Advance

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – In a massive intelligence failure, the US Air Force hit a Syrian military installation in Deir al-Zor that it thought was Daesh (ISIS, ISIL). But it turned out to be the Syrian Arab Army position at Deir al-Zor military airport. The strike killed 80 soldiers and […]

Featured

“Pigs! Crusaders!”: US-Backed Fundamentalist Militias drive US Commandos out of al-Ray, Syria

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – As Raf Sanchez of The Telegraph writes, fundamentalist militiamen of the US-backed Free Syrian Army chased US commandos out of al-Ray in Syria near the Turkish border, cursing them as “pigs” and “crusaders” and asserting that the US is attempting a military occupation of Syria. Full […]

Arms Sales

Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia Must End, Says UK Parliament Report

contributors

TeleSur | – – Two parliamentary committees said it was likely Saudi Arabia used U.K. weapons to target civilians, but Tory lawmakers blocked a vote on suspending sales. Sales of British weapons to Saudi Arabia must be suspended until an international investigation takes place into the kingdom’s crimes against the Yemeni people, two British parliamentary […]

Displaced and Refugees

Busting the Myths about Syrian Refugees in the US

contributors

Jeffrey H. Cohen | (The Conversation) | – – On Sept. 12, a new cease-fire took effect in Syria. With a lull in fighting, some are hopeful for an end to the nation’s ongoing civil war. Yet, even if the war ends soon, rebuilding the country will take time. As many refugees anxiously wait and […]

Bashar al-Assad

Syria Truce holds, despite questions on Humanitarian Aid

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – The London pan-Arab daily al-Quds al-`Arabi reports that the truce that began Monday night held during its first twenty-four hours, in the areas designated for a cease-fire by Russia and the United States. The boom of artillery fire faded away at nightfall on Monday. It coincided […]

Iraq

End of the ‘Caliphate’ in Iraq? After Qayyarah, Mosul hangs in the Balance

contributors

Special Correspondent | (Niqash.org) | – – The liberation of the northern Iraqi town of Qayyarah from the [so-called] Islamic State group [IS] is a strategic victory in defeating the extremists, in addition to being a major financial blow to their efforts. Since it was liberated by Iraqi forces last month, Qayyarah has come to […]

Free Syrian Army

As Truce Starts, Russia Tells Free Syrian Army to Stop Fighting Kurds

contributors

TeleSur | – – Moscow added it would continue its own air strikes against the Islamic State group and the militants formerly known as the Nusra Front Russia’s Defense Ministry called on Free Syrian Army militants to “stop fighting Kurdish units,” as the cease-fire announced last week began in the war-torn nation. The ministry, which […]

Afghanistan

What did we buy with the $5 Trillion that the Iraq & Afghanistan Wars have cost us?

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – A Boston U. political scientist estimates that as of 2016, The Iraq and Afghanistan Wars have cost the American taxpayers $5 trillion. That number isn’t important when we consider the human cost– Some 7,000 US troops dead, 52,000 wounded in action; hundreds of thousands of Iraqis […]