Syrian Democratic Forces offer Druze villagers assistance in the face of Islamic State attack

As a prominent Druze spiritual leader, Hikmat Salman al-Hijri expressed his gratitude towards the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) for offering an exchange of SDF-held Islamic State prisoners for ISIS-held Druze hostages. The Druze are an ethnoreligious group that resides primarily in Syria; their faith is centered on the teachings of Greek philosophers paired with Islamic teachings of […]

A growing number of villages in Kirkuk, Iraq are being evacuated

Since Kirkuk was turned over to Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) and paramilitary militias in October 2017, a total of 30 villages in the region have been evacuated; either because of the threat of Islamic State insurgents or anti-Kurdish sentiments. The mayor of Dibis, a territory within the Kirkuk region, Abdullah Nuradin told local media that, There are […]

Iranian Minister of Education believes only Farsi should be used in schools

The Iranian Minister of Education claims that formal education in languages other than Farsi should be outlawed due to its “dangerous” connotations. The notion was dismissed as unconstitutional and absurd by Iranian members of parliament. Minister of Education Mohammad Bathaei stated that, “In some areas, we have seen teaching in local languages, which is a very dangerous […]

US recognizes Bahraini al-Ashtar Brigades as a terrorist group

An Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) proxy group, the al-Ashtar Brigades (AAB), has been labeled a “terrorist” organization by the United States. The AAB is based out of Bahrain and conducts training operations out of Iraq while receiving funding and logistics from Iran. This is a similar situation to the Iraqi Hashd al-Shaabi (PMU) paramilitary forces, another […]

Kurdistan representatives meet with US delegation to discuss the future of Iraq

A United States led delegation met with Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani over the weekend. The meeting was to discuss what role Kurdistan will play in helping eliminate the last remnants of the Islamic State as well as how the will contribute to the formation of the new Iraqi government. The delegation was […]

30 dead in Taliban offensive as ceasefire ends

30 Afghan soldiers have been killed as the Taliban have resumed fighting upon the close of the ceasefire between themselves and the Afghan government. They assaulted government compounds and ambushed a convoy with both small arms fire and an IED. Local authorities have said that 16 Taliban were killed in the fighting, but that has […]

ISIS militants abduct villagers in Kurdistan and vice versa

A squad of Islamic State militants kidnapped five Iraqi citizens in the Kirkuk region last week, one of the men abducted was a Kakai religious leader. The men were taken near Zanqar village according to Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) official Jamal Shakur. He added that, “The name of one of the abductees is Farhad, […]

The problem with the Kurdish Peshmerga

Recently I have been speaking with many of the Kurds I had previously served alongside in the Kurdish Peshmerga military forces. Many have moved on to veteran status and found civilian jobs. Many feel disenfranchised with the Peshmerga because it is surrounded by family hookups and back door deals. Corruption is common practice among the […]

Convicted terrorists attempt a prison escape in Kurdistan

Yesterday an attempted prison break in a Duhok — in a prison that contained convicted terrorists — led to seven inmates being killed and several others injured. The deaths and injuries occurred when the would-be escapees set fire to their cell block. Zirka prison houses around 1,500 convicted terrorists, most of which were members of the […]

Syrian Democratic Forces capture Turkish militant sleeper cells

The Manbij Military Council (MMC) announced that they have captured several “sleeper cells” composed of pro-Turkish militants this week. The captured men were supposedly part of the Turkish military’s Operation Euphrates Shield and were attempting to “destabilize” the region. The MMC’s commander, Mohammed Abu Adel told local media that, “The Euphrates Shield forces wanted to […]

Iran weighs in on Iraq’s parliamentary elections

Iran has expressed its support of Iraq’s upcoming elections claiming that they will pave the way not only the rehabilitation of the country progression into the modernized international community. Bahram Qasimi, the Foreign Ministry of Iran’s spokesman, stated this week that the parliamentary electoral race was key to progressing democracy in Iraq. He said, Due […]

Yezidis kidnapped in Afrin by armed men

The activist organization Yazda is claiming that “11 Yezidi civilians” were abducted by unknown armed men in Afrin this week. In a statement released by Yazda last week they said, “Ten vehicles carrying masked gunmen stormed houses and arrested people. The group later released a man named Hanan Prem after torturing him and demanding a ransom of […]