Islam

By Mustafa Habib | Baghdad | (Niqash.org) – Only a few hours after the start of the next big military campaign against the Islamic State group in Iraq, things [went] wrong. Anbar will not be like Salahaddin – there are social, political, military and geographical obstacles to overcome first. Last week the Iraqi government, buoyed […]

Dissent

Iraq: Why it doesn’t Matter if Ezzat al-Douri was Killed

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) – The currently partly unemployed Iraqi governor of Salahuddin Province, displaced from much of his territory by Daesh (ISIS or ISIL), maintains that former Baath vice president of Iraq under Saddan Hussain, Ezzat al-Douri, has been killed by Shiite militias in a firefight north of Tikrit in the Hamrin […]

al Qaeda in the Arabian Penisula

Juan Cole: Syria, Yemen Conflicts only seem to be about Sunni-Shiite from 30,000 Feet

Juan Cole

David Speedie | (Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs) | – David Speedie of the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs interviewed me in New York on Monday. Below is an excerpt of the transcript, but the whole thing is at their web site. Also below is the video of the interview. DAVID […]

Iraq

Iraq: ISIL was Chased from Tikrit, other Towns: But Gov’t still AWOL

contributors

Mustafa Habib | Baghdad | (Niqash.org) | – A wave of victories against extremists should have seen civilian life slowly return to Iraq’s liberated cities. Instead there’s chaos and nobody knows who’s in charge. What kind of forward planning does the government have in mind? The cities from which Iraq’s pro-government forces have expelled the […]

Islam

What the Tsarnaevs didn’t Know: The Untold Story of Chechen Non-Violence

contributors

By Rebecca Gould | (Informed Comment) While the Boston bombing trial continues to dominate the media, its perpetrators, the Tsarnaev brothers, are associated with a geography scarcely known by Americans: Chechnya. If there is any examination of Chechnya’s history, rarely does it go beyond this: the bombers hailed from a Republic whose leader, Dudaev, had […]

Houthi

Yemeni Refugees flee to Saudi Arabia as Aden is invaded & Sanaa bombarded

contributors

Reuters | – “Houthi forces fought battles street by street with local militia in Aden as aid workers say the city faces a humanitarian catastrophe. Mana Rabiee reports.” Reuters: “Yemen’s Houthis battle over central Aden, first medical aid arrives”

Displaced and Refugees

Iraq: Tikrit Civilians caught between Shiite Militias, ISIL Terrorism

contributors

VICE News | — “Days before the US launched airstrikes on Tikrit in late March, VICE News traveled to the front lines of the northern Iraqi city, where Iraqi government forces and volunteer militiamen are continuing to battle the so-called Islamic State militant group. The presence of the volunteer militiamen Hashd al Shaabi, also known […]

Houthi

4 Key Players In Yemen’s Chaos

contributors

AJ+ | – “Yemen’s being torn apart in a struggle for power. The stakes are high, with many different groups involved in the current chaos. We’ve narrowed down the key players you should know about.” AJ+: “4 Key Players In Yemen’s Chaos”

Saudi Arabia

‘It’s like a war here’: Saudi police raid defiant Eastern Province amid wider conflict with Shia

contributors

RT | – One Saudi policeman was killed and four injured during raids on a Shia-dominated oil-rich eastern province, as the Saudi-led coalition bombardment of rebels in neighboring Yemen prompted fears of the fighting spilling over the border. It is thought the security raid in the eastern town of Amawiyah was aimed at subduing Shiite […]