US Airstrikes Causing “Staggering” Civilian Deaths Says UN

The UN is reporting that the coalition airstrikes led by the US is causing a “staggering” number of civilian deaths in the Syrian city of Raqqa. The city was taken by Islamist State forces in 2014 and has been cited by the IS as their “capital” and their “caliphate”. US-backed SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces) are […]

Egypt Bans 62 News Websites in Censorship Crack Down

Egypt is cracking down on dissident news websites among them the Muslim Brotherhood but opponents to the move say it is a step by the government to censor all that isn’t the state-run media. The government has countered and stated that they’re banning sites that express support for terrorism. The media flourished in the final […]

‘CAB Hunter’ a new book written by a Peshmerga and YPG volunteer fighter

Last month we interviewed Erwin Stran on SOFREP radio about his time as a volunteer fighter with the Kurdish YPG militia in Northern Syria and then with the Peshmerga in Kurdistan.  Erwin has recently published a memoir about his time in the Middle East called “CAB Hunter.”  Below is a excerpt of the book that […]

Experts Doubting that Airstrike Killed Terrorist Leader al-Baghdadi

The reports that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghadi has been killed in a US coalition airstrike have not been confirmed or denied by US military officials. The airstrike on late Saturday was broadcast on Syrian state television. But the British and others have reported that no report has surfaced on either state television or […]

Gulf leaders trade barbs as Qatar dispute shows no let-up

Gulf states traded public barbs on Saturday, showing little sign of resolving the region’s deepest rift in years, five days after Arab nations severed diplomatic, trade and transport ties with the tiny Gulf kingdom of Qatar. Foreign leaders expressed growing concern over the dispute, which pits Qatar against Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), […]

U.S. joins battle as Philippines takes losses in besieged city

U.S. special forces have joined the battle to crush Islamist militants holed up in a southern Philippines town, officials said on Saturday, as government forces struggled to make headway and 13 marines were killed in intense urban fighting. The Philippines military said the United States was providing technical assistance to end the siege of Marawi […]

Boots on the ground: Elite U.S. troops are in Raqqa near the Islamic State’s front line

WASHINGTON — U.S. special operations forces are on the ground alongside Syrian Kurdish allies in Raqqa where they’ve begun their advance into the Islamic State’s de-facto capital, an important development highlighting how American military muscle will shape what’s expected to become a grueling urban campaign. Some 2,500 ISIS fighters remain inside the city, U.S. officials […]

US-backed Syrian fighters move slowly into IS ‘Capital’ of Raqqa

The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) rebel force against the government of Assad has cautiously entered the final Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa. They entered thru the eastern edge of the city, fording a river on foot and in light vehicles all the while relaying their position by radio in an attempt not to fall […]

Former Metro Access driver found guilty of supporting Islamic State

An Alexandria, Va., man who in 2015 quit his job as a Metro Access bus driver and traveled to Islamic State territory has been found guilty of supporting terrorism. Mohamad Khweis, 27, was captured in northwestern Iraq last March by Kurdish forces, surprising American counterterrorism officials. He had no known record of extremism and was […]

US-backed Syrian Fighters Move Slowly into IS “Capital” of Raqqa

The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) rebel force against the government of Assad has cautiously entered the final Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa. They entered thru the eastern edge of the city, fording a river on foot and in light vehicles all the while relaying their position by radio in an attempt not to fall […]