Terrorism

By Allison Beth Hodgkins | (Informed Comment) | – – You have to hand to the civil society groups pushing back on the Trump administration’s recent executive orders banning the entry of Syrian refugees and all other types of visa holders from Syria, Iran and five other majority Muslim countries in the Middle East and […]

Iraq

Militia Feuding, Insecurity in East Mosul hold up Advance on ISIL

contributors

Mustafa Habib | ( Niqash.org ) | – – The biggest problem in eastern Mosul, post-extremists, is security. The Iraqi army needs to move on, to fight in western Mosul, but they cannot leave the eastern city to a variety of militias, fighting among themselves. The praise for the hard fighting that Iraq’s pro-government forces […]

Iraq

In West Mosul, ISIL Extremists pledge ‘Divine Intervention’ will Defeat Iraqi, US Forces

contributors

Special Correspondent | Baghdad | (Niqash.org) | – – In eastern Mosul, Iraqi pro-government forces are organizing themselves to begin to fight against the so-called Islamic State [group] [IS]. In western Mosul, civilians do their best to survive a siege and extremists step up their propaganda. On the western side of the city of Mosul, […]

Counter-Terrorism

Trump Counter-Terrorism Program to drop White Supremacists, focus on Islam

contributors

TeleSur | – – He could rename the “Countering Violent Extremism” program to “Countering Islamic Extremism,” according to Reuters sources. The Trump administration wants to revamp a U.S. government program designed to counter all violent ideologies into one that gives a pass to white supremacists and focuses solely on Islamist extremism. The program, “Countering Violent […]

Donald Trump

Trump sends heavier weapons to Leftist Syrian Kurds to Fight ISIL

contributors

TeleSur | – – A Syrian militia led by the Kurdish leftist group YPG said they received armored vehicles from the U.S. military, the first such support. The U.S. has boosted support for its Syrian ally, Syrian Democratic Forces, SDF, alliance, supplying them with armored vehicles for the first time as they prepare for a […]

Donald Trump

Iraqi Leaders Denounce Trump over Oil, Jerusalem; US Troops in Political Crossfire

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Since his inauguration, Donald J. Trump has not been making a good impression in Iraq, where the US has 6,000 troops, according to al-Zaman (The Times) of Baghdad. The prime minister has forcefully rejected Trump’s talk of “taking Iraqi oil.” And the Shiite clerical leader, Muqtada […]

CIA

Trump to CIA: We now have 2nd Chance to take Iraq’s Oil

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Donald Trump has had a contentious relationship with the US intelligence community, in part over their conviction that the Russian Federation attempted to use cyber tradecraft to interfere in the US election on behalf of Trump. His visit to the Central Intelligence Agency headquarters at Langley, […]

Featured

Rebuking Fundamentalists, Funeral for Palestinian-Israeli Istanbul Victim draws Thousands

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – One of the thirty-nine victims of the Daesh (ISIL, ISIS) shooting at the Reina nightclub in Istanbul, Layan Nasser, 19, was buried on Tuesday in her home town, Tira, in central Israel. Roughly a fifth of Israeli citizens are of Palestinian heritage, the majority of them […]

Islamic State of Iraq and Syria

Turkey’s Syrian blowback

Neil Thompson

London (Informed Comment) – With the New Year terrorist attack in Istanbul now being claimed by the Islamic State (IS) movement, it is clear that Turkey has suffered yet more blowback from its earlier tolerance of the Middle East’s most vicious terrorist network. The rampage, suspected to have been carried out by a Central Asian […]