Terrorism

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 […]

Terrorism

2016 mean till the end: New Year’s Eve Massacre in Istanbul

contributors

Aljazeera English | (Video News Report) | – – Aljazeera English: “Dozens killed in Istanbul nightclub shooting”

Iraq

Iraq: ISIL Attacking Civilians in Mosul Retreat

contributors

Human Rights Watch | – – Calls ‘Unbelievers’ Valid Targets (Erbil) – Fighters with the [so-called] Islamic State [Group} (also known as ISIL) have indiscriminately attacked civilian areas in eastern Mosul with mortar rounds and explosives, and deliberately shot at fleeing residents, Human Rights Watch said today. Iraqi and coalition forces have also killed and […]

Central Intelligence Agency

The last Time we had a President bored by Intel Briefings, we got 9/11

contributors

By Ronald Stockton | (Informed Comment) | – – Former CIA head and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta recently said that if President Elect Trump refuses intelligence briefings and something bad happens, he would be responsible. These are ominous words. I just finished Panetta’s memoir, Worthy Fights. Two things stood out. First, that much of […]

Bashar al-Assad

Why Russia and Regime want all of Aleppo before Trump is sworn in

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – In the past two days, the Syrian Arab Army and its Shiite militia allies (Hizbullah from Lebanon and others from Iraq) has taken a third to forty percent of the Eastern Aleppo pocket. The northeast zone of the pocket has collapsed, with rebel fights apparently declining […]

Displaced and Refugees

Raining Bombs: Mosul Fight hits Trapped Civilians

contributors

By a Special Correspondent | Mosul | (Niqash.org) | – – Inside their homes, a lack of food and water; outside, bombs, snipers and crossfire. Yet many Mosul locals are choosing to stay in the city, even though it’s a war zone. Despite the fact that extremists have been driven out of their Mosul neighbourhood, […]

Iraq

After ISIL, is there any hope of Iraqi National Unity?

contributors

Mustafa Habib | Baghdad | (Niqash.org) | – – The fight against the [so-called] Islamic State [group, or IS] has united Iraqis. Details of a new Shiite-sponsored plan that will try and make that unity last leaked in Baghdad last week. If the extremist group that caused Iraq’s current security crisis starting mid-2014, have done […]