ISIS groups arrested in Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan

Recently two cells of Islamic State operatives were arrested in Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan. While both groups had direct ties to the Islamic state, one consisted of all females and was tasked with social media outreach along with propaganda. The other was an all male group dedicated to direct action based terror attacks to be carried out in […]

American mercs hold off ISIS attack in Kirkuk

I had been in Kurdistan, northern Iraq, for about a whole two weeks and was probably as “green” as I could possibly be. The region was still engaged in a heated conflict with IS and attacks of all kinds were occurring daily. I had just arrived at the Peshmerga‘s 9th Brigade, one of the only […]

Pakistan Seeing “Increasing Footprint” of Islamic State

Pakistan is facing new challenges in the decades-long battle against terrorism and religious extremism within its borders as a new reports document what is characterized as an “alarming increase” of the Islamic State footprint. This report cannot come at a worse time for the Pakistani government. They are already smarting from statements by President Donald […]

Russia says 13 drones used in attack on its air base, naval facility in Syria

Russia says 13 armed drones have recently been used to attack its air base and its naval facility in western Syria. The Russian Defense Ministry said on January 8 that there were no casualties or damage as a result of the attacks on the Hmeimim air base and Tartus naval facility. Russian forces were able […]

Iraq and Kurdish governments argue over oil sales

The Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) has been accused by the Iraqi Prime minister, Haider al-Abadi, of exporting $1.6 billion worth of oil over the last three months without authorization from Iraq. Tensions are running high and neither government can seem to find a solution other than shifting blame. No one seems to believe they are […]

Operation Euphrates Shield

Turkish military intervention in Syria began in August 2016 under the code name Operation Euphrates Shield. The operation was supposed to be in an effort to support the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and crush the Islamic State from the north by doing a cross border assault en mass. What was supposed to be a swift […]

Iraqi para military forces begin massive anti ISIS operation

A major military operation has begun by the Iraqi government to hunt down and finish off the last remnants of the Islamic State in the Kirkuk region. Elements of air force and Iraqi armored divisions were deployed alongside Iranian-funded para military Hashd Al-Shabi units. The PMF (Popular Mobilization Forces) were named specifically in the tasking […]

Legal fears over French plan to leave IS suspects to face trial in Kurdish courts

Lawyers representing western nationals detained in Kurdish-held areas of Syria on suspicion of fighting for the Islamic State (IS) group have expressed concern that their clients will not be treated fairly if they are left to face trial in local courts. Farid Malik, a solicitor at ITN Solicitors which is representing individuals in the region, […]

Islamic State declares war on rival Hamas with video execution

The extremist Islamic State group’s branch in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula has taken a simmering dispute with the Palestinian Hamas group based in nearby Gaza to new levels, releasing a 22-minute video in which it calls on its followers to attack the group and shows the execution of a man it said was a collaborator. Analysts say the […]

Two Russian Troops Killed in Shelling of Syrian Airfield

The Russian Defense Ministry reported that two military servicemen were killed during a shelling of a Syrian airfield on December 31 by militants according to the official news agency Tass. “On December 31, 2017, at nightfall, the Hmeymim airfield came under a sudden mortar fire from a mobile militant subversive group. Two military servicemen were […]

US turns the tables on Russia, accusses them of violating Syrian de-confliction line

The United States turned the tables on Russia this week, accusing them of intentionally violating an agreement intended to maintain the peace between the two military powers over Syria. “Russia is failing to genuinely de-conflict airspace in Syria. Some of these incidents are not mistakes,” Chief Pentagon Spokesperson Dana W. White told reporters on Monday. […]

Trump Withholding US Aid to Pakistan, citing “Lies and Deceit”

Never one to mince words, especially on Twitter, President Trump will, according to The White House, that the U.S. will continue to withhold $255 million in military aid to Pakistan out of frustration over what it has characterized as Islamabad’s reluctance in confronting terrorist networks.Bottom of Form “The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more […]