Iran, Deeply Embedded in Syria, Expands ‘Axis of Resistance’
posted in: Middle East, News
Kiswah base, above: Tiyas air base Compound near Damascus Airport, above Al Shayrat airfield By The … Read More
Turkey, Iran Threaten to Overwhelm West with Refugees
posted in: News, Refugee Crisis Europe
Migrants pass through Slovenia (Photo: Jeff J. Mitchell/Getty Images) Senior Iranian and Turkish officials have explicitly threatened to overwhelm Europe with new waves of Middle Eastern refugees if their demands aren’t met. To these Islamist republics, Muslim refugees are weapons … Read More
Mideast tensions get even worse
posted in: Middle East, News
(CNN)As if the broken, angry, dysfunctional Middle East needed another conflict, along came an unprecedented escalation between Israel, Iran and Syria to make the region even more volatile and dangerous. In the predawn hours of Saturday, an Iranian drone penetrated Israeli airspace … Read More
Turkey is using Syrian refugees as bargaining chips as it moves against the Kurds
posted in: Middle East, News
Kurdish protestors against the Turkish operation in Afrin outside the EU building in Lebanon on January 28. Wael Hamzeh/EPA When Turkish ground troops rolled into Afrin, a Kurdish enclave in northern Syria, in January, the regime was making a considered political calculation. … Read More
‘This is a massacre’: Turkey’s bombs drive families into caves
posted in: Middle East, News
(CNN)Kurdish families huddle on blankets in a dimly lit cave. Others hide in the rubble of a bombed-out building, gathered around a campfire. Those that have basements seek shelter there. This is life in Afrin. Turkey’s cross-border military offensive against … Read More
U.S. Military Options In Syria
posted in: Middle East, News
Turkish forces continue to attack Kurdish fighters in northwest Syria. Former FBI counter-terrorism agent Ali Soufan talks with NPR’s Michel Martin about how to preserve the U.S.’s relationship with both sides. MICHEL MARTIN, HOST: We’re going to start the program … Read More
Turkey and the U.S. used to be close allies. Today, they can’t even agree on a phone call
posted in: Middle East, News
Turkish army tanks are stationed in a field near the Syrian border at Hassa, in Hatay province, on Jan. 25, 2018, as part of a military offensive dubbed “Operation Olive Branch.” (Ozan Kose / AFP/Getty Images) Since the start … Read More
Trump Confounded by Turkey’s Invasion of Syria: Fight ISIS or Back NATO Ally?
posted in: Middle East, News
Turkish offensive against Syrian-Kurdish forces in Afrin leaves U.S. in a bind: “They were ‘our guys’ in Syria, and now they are under attack and the U.S. doesn’t seem to have any real solutions” Turkish troops advance near the Syria … Read More
Russia, Iran open their arms as Turkey loses patience with U.S.
posted in: Middle East, News
LONDON — Relations between the U.S. and Turkey have hit a new low over Washington’s support of militias battling the Islamic State, according to analysts. The government in Ankara views the Kurdish fighters as terrorists. Experts warn that the crisis … Read More
Refugee crisis could worsen in New Year unless its addressed
posted in: News, Refugee Crisis Europe
Refugees wait on August 18, 2015 in front of a building of the reception centre in Trier, Germany. PHOTO | DPA | HARALD TITTEL | AFP As the world celebrates Christmas, Germans are also remembering the dead from last year’s attack … Read More