Control of Manbij is being discussed by the US and Turkey

The Manbij Military Council (MMC) will not be withdrawing its forces from the city of Manbij anytime soon according to its representatives. Presently,  the MMC are standing shoulder to shoulder with U.S. led coalition troops as the Turkish military continues to threaten an advance. However, the U.S. and Turkey are also pursuing a diplomatic solution […]

US levels sanctions against Iran for human rights violations

The U.S. has enacted new sanctions against Iran for censorship and alleged human rights violations. Iran has a long history of human rights abuses and harsh action against political dissidents — particularly activists seeking governmental change within the country. Many female activists and protesters seeking equal rights have also been persecuted under the laws of […]

Peshmerga to receive $290 million from the US in 2019

The 2019 U.S. defense budget was approved on Thursday by the U.S. House of Representatives, $290 million of which will be allocated to Kurdistan’s Peshmerga military forces — under the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The U.S. budget for Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) is $560 out of $850 million, the rest will be allocated to […]

Iran says the US is returning to Bush era policies

United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made a statement about what the U.S. will be doing after the recent withdrawal from the Iranian 2015 nuclear deal, and  now Iran has responded. President Hassan Rouhani alongside other Iranian government officials have claimed that the U.S. is reverting to policies in line with those of former […]

The Taliban promises amnesty to Afghan security forces — with conditions

The Taliban, who call themselves the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, have released a statement regarding some changes to their treatment toward the Afghan security forces. While these changes come a few conditions (outlined below), which could be interpreted in several different ways. The first is that the stipulations and demands do not essentially change anything, […]

Kurdistan Workers’ Party and Turkish Peoples’ Democratic Party side with Palestine

The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a communist resistance movement dedicated to combating the Turkish government, have condemned the recent killing of Palestinian protesters that clashed with Israeli soldiers just after the United States opened its embassy in Jerusalem. Ironically, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the incident as well; one of the rare instances where […]

Pakistan’s border fence: Keeping out the Taliban

Since the announcement in 2005, Pakistan has developed plans and made efforts toward building an approximate 1,500 mile fence running along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. This is an effort to hinder the Taliban’s freedom of maneuver between the countries, as well as drug runners. Pakistan aims to spend approximately $483 million in constructing the fence line, […]

US weighs in on Iraq’s parliamentary elections

According to reports from United States based observers, the recent parliamentary elections in Iraq were entirely “credible” and the claims of fraud heard from various political parties are unfounded. Heather Nauert, representative for the U.S. State Department, stated that, “The IHEC is investigating and taking a close look at fraud and intimidation. They have reported to us that they […]

The Colt 1903 service pistol

The Colt 1903 was the predecessor to the famous Colt 1911 that is still in use today in some small capacities. The 1903 was carried primarily by officers but also favored for concealed carry because of its small size and “hammerless” design; something that is not entirely accurate because it does have a hammer contained […]

Bill introduced to exclude Turkey from U.S. military purchases

Three United States senators, James Lankford, Jeanne Shaheen, and Thom Tillis, have introduced a bill that would halt an future transfers of U.S. produced fighter jets to Turkey. The bill was established because of the concern over Turkey acquiring high end military equipment, such as the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, while continuing to act recklessly as […]