ISIL

Kurds won’t have friends as ISIL fades to the background

The Kurds ought to be our focus in the Middle East. They’re legitimately our friends. At this point, it’s clear we don’t know the Middle East better than Middle Easterners. But, we do know who has performed and helped us in the past. We ought to give the Kurds some measure of solidarity, because once […]

More details emerge on the Washington mall shooter, motive still unknown

Arcan Cetin, a 20-year-old man has been identified as the active shooter responsible for killing five people at a Macy’s in Burlington, Washington mall.  Based on the surveillance footage, the active shooter was initially identified as a possible Hispanic male, however, he was born in Turkey and immigrated with his family when he was a child. He has been […]

First Presidential Debate, I don’t know who won, but our Foreign Policy lost

The first presidential debate wasn’t about debating and more about fighting. The candidates didn’t critique each other’s policy details. We didn’t hear real foreign policy details. The debate was painful to watch. By the end, it was hard to decipher what was asked and who was supposed to answer. Because, neither candidate, I think, was […]

Presidential debate preliminaries: What to expect from the debate tonight

Tonight’s debate will likely be filled with vitriol between the candidates. This year feels unique because national security is such a hot topic for voters. Tonight is going to be a spectacle, for sure. But now more than ever, foreign policy is a part of the conversation. When George H.W. Bush ran years ago in […]

What is Takfirism?

When in the Middle East, speaking to the average citizen, you’ll hear them refer to groups like ISIL as takfiri. But it’s seldom mentioned here in the United States. Wikipedia defines takfiri as a Sunni Muslim who accuses another Muslim of apostasy. The accusation itself is called takfir, derived from the word kafir, and is described as when […]

Jordan, our friend, is falling to the Muslim Brotherhood (Part One)

The Muslim Brotherhood is winning seats in Jordan’s parliament. Many know terror groups as an existential threat because they commit acts of violence. However, they’re rooted in the Muslim Brotherhood dating back to the 1980’s in Egypt, where intellectuals like Sayyid Qutb began, writing, thinking and speaking out against the status quo. Osama Bin Laden […]

Watch: Engaging ‘ISIS’ Turkish Special Forces and FSA SOF adapt in a combined arms fight

Free Syrian Army SOF, ‘Northern Thunder’ lays down suppressing fire as Turkish Special Forces execute a battlefield improvisation in order to recover a disabled medical vehicle. Turkish SOF swiftly adapts, and uses an FNSS ACV-15 (modified M113), Armored Infantry Fighting Vehicle to recover a damaged Turkish Medical M113, Armored Personnel Ambulance. All while under fire from Daesh, also know as the Islamic State; if your respect terrorist enough to recognize their sovereignty.

Watch: Kind-of-snipers duel in Iraq

These guys were no snipers. More like the guys who take lots of pictures with long rifles and buy ‘sniper’ apparel to feel better about sucking.

The text within the black box states, “A Daesh [ISIS] fighter gets cured with a bullet”

WATCH: ISIS Imprisoned ‘Russian Intelligence Officer’ delivers message to Russia

A new video purportedly released by Daesh, or the so-called Islamic State alleges to show a Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) agent asking for help to be freed from Daesh. The video was released on Daesh terrorist channels on September 20.

It is stated to have been filmed in “Wilayat al-Furat”, an Daesh-occupied area on the Euphrates River that is part of Syria. “al-Furat” is Arabic for “Euphrates.”