Germany Resumes Training of Peshmerga, But for How Long?

In the fight against the Islamic State terrorists, the German army was providing training and arms for the Peshmerga, the Kurdish people from Iraq who have been invaluable allies in the Global War on Terror. That mission was halted for a week, however, due to the conflict behind the Iraqi Kurds and the Baghdad government […]

Germany Resumes Kurdish Peshmerga support

Berlin—Germany will continue to arm and train the Kurdish Peshmerga. The German Defense Ministry announced its intent to restart the weapons program.  The program was unexpectedly halted last week over Iraqi-Kurdish tensions in Kirkuk following the Kurdish Referendum. Iraqi officials claimed that German-provided MILAN anti-tank missiles destroyed two Iraqi M1 Abrams. “We had agreed last […]

Secretary of State Tillerson makes unannounced visits to Afghanistan, Iraq

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson made back-to-back, unannounced visits to Afghanistan and Iraq on Monday, flying into both countries under great secrecy out of concern that he might be a target for militants. As his day looked likely to stretch from before dawn to past midnight, covering almost 4,000 miles, Tillerson and his aides donned flak […]

On This Date: Fighting in the Yom Kippur War Ends in 1973

The fighting from the Six-Day War in 1967 had left the Arab states around Israel smarting. They were anxious to save face and wipe the young state of Israel off the map.The Israelis, for their part, were edgy, since their victory, terrorism had increased, the threat of war grew with each passing day and peace […]

Iraq’s Kurdistan oil exports sharply reduced through weekend: Shipping sources

Oil exports from Iraq’s Kurdistan via the Turkish Mediterranean port of Ceyhan were still flowing at sharply reduced rates on Saturday and Sunday, two shipping sources told Reuters. Flows were fluctuating at between 200,000 and 250,000 barrels per day versus normal flows of around 600,000 bpd. Exports have dropped since Wednesday last week when Iraqi […]

State Department “Isn’t Aware” of Any Iranian Involvement in Kirkuk

In a surprising development, on Thursday, the State Department said that they are doubting reports of Iranian involvement in the fighting between Iraqi troops and Kurdish forces in Kirkuk. “I’m not aware of any Iranian involvement in that, per se,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters Thursday. Iran’s influence over the central government in […]

A little perspective goes a long way when it comes to defense spending

The United States has earned its reputation as a military powerhouse through blood and fire.  American military personnel have conducted continuous combat operations the world over for the better part of two decades now, all the while maintaining a massive naval footprint that keeps shipping lanes safe and secure and bolstering the defenses of allies […]

White House Chief of Staff Kelly “Stunned” Over Trump Criticism

In another turn of events from earlier this week, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly said Thursday he was “stunned and broken-hearted” over the comments that Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-FL) made after President Trump called the widow of a soldier who was killed in Niger two weeks ago. Kelly came to the aid of […]

On this day in history: Margaret Hassan is kidnapped in Baghdad

On October 19th, 2004, an aid worker by the name of Margaret Hassan was kidnapped to be murdered weeks later. Hassan held a dual citizenship between England and Iraq, having been married to Tahseen Ali Hassan and moving to Iraq with him in the ’70s.  She taught English at the British Council of Baghdad and […]

Kurdish Forces Pushed Out of Long-held Lands by Iraqi Army, Shia Militias

Kurdish forces, in a stunning series of events, have been forced to abandon lands they had controlled since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, after Iraqi troops and Iranian-backed Shia militias swept into areas that had been hoped to be an independent Kurdistan. These peshmerga units were forced out of the towns of Bashiqa, […]

Iraqi forces launch operation for Kurdish-held oil fields, military base

Clashes broke out early Monday in northern Iraq as Iraqi forces moved to recapture Kurdish-held oil fields and a military base near the city of Kirkuk, setting the stage for a battle between two U.S. allies. After a three-day standoff, Iraqi forces advanced into the contested province with the goal of returning to positions they […]