| Syria Expert Sees "Zero-Sum" Threat to Religious Minorities Posted: 08 Apr 2016 03:29 PM PDT BOSTON, April 8, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- "There are no religious minorities left in rebel-held Syria," Dr. Joshua Landis said in a public lecture at Boston College on Thursday. In his talk, "ISIS, Christians and National Identity," Professor Landis, the director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma and one of the leading Syria experts in the United States, spoke of a "Great Sorting Out" occurring in the broader Middle East. Landis pointed to the destruction of the Arab world's Jewish communities in the 1950s and their forced flight to Israel as a historical example. |
| Belgium arrests Paris attacks suspect Abrini, four others Posted: 08 Apr 2016 02:30 PM PDT  Paris attacks suspect Mohamed Abrini was arrested along with four other people in a series of raids Friday linked to the deadly Brussels airport and metro bombings, federal prosecutors said. The arrests mark an important step in the investigation into the cell believed to have carried out both the November 13 attacks that killed 130 people in Paris and the March 22 bombings that left 32 dead in Brussels. "Mohamed Abrini was arrested in Anderlecht," a gritty Brussels neighbourhood, a spokesman for the federal prosecutor's office told a news conference in the Belgian capital.
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| Obama to discuss Islamic State at CIA next week Posted: 08 Apr 2016 02:07 PM PDT  U.S. President Barack Obama will convene a meeting of his National Security Council next week at the Central Intelligence Agency headquarters to review the fight against Islamic State militants, the White House said on Friday. The meeting, to be held on Wednesday, comes as the administration weighs a plan to increase the number of U.S. special operations forces deployed to Syria to try to advance recent gains against Islamic State. The top U.S. general, Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has said he is working on options to present to Obama to increase U.S. forces in Iraq to bolster Iraqi forces preparing for a major offensive against the militant group in Mosul.
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| 7 Ways the US Screwed Up Rebuilding Afghanistan Posted: 08 Apr 2016 01:49 PM PDT  The top watchdog for U.S. spending in Afghanistan recently gave a blunt assessment of the conditions in the war-torn country. "Conditions are not, to put it mildly, what we would hope to see 15 years into a counterinsurgency and nation-building campaign," John Sopko, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, said Thursday in a speech at Harvard University. Since the office was established in 2008, SIGAR has produced over 200 audits, inspections, letters and reports scrutinizing how the U.S. has spent $113 billion in reconstruction funds in Afghanistan since fiscal year 2002.
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| Cooking in Antarctica and Urban Planning in Beijing: The Week in Global-Affairs Writing Posted: 08 Apr 2016 01:09 PM PDT Refugees in Greece, Waiting for the Unknown Max Rothman | The Awl "Tebri explained how he had managed to cross the Aegean, scamper through forests and over mountains near the Macedonian border, and sneak into Tirana, the Albanian capital. He was sent back to Greece when his friends got into a fight and were caught by police, and he has failed to gain asylum. Eyes sunken from constant anxiety, Tebri spent hours every day wondering how to find somewhere to live. 'I start to lose my mind,' he said. 'If I stay here long time I will be crazy. I will be crazy.'" |
| Facing Democratic Fury, Sanders Walks Back His Attack on Clinton Posted: 08 Apr 2016 12:32 PM PDT  Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont backed down on Friday from his controversial assertion that rival Hillary Clinton isn't qualified to be president following a huge backlash from Democrats complaining that Sanders was hurting their party's chances for victory in November. Fuming after days of perceived slights from Clinton that he might not be prepared to be president and needs to do his "homework" -- even on his signature issue of breaking up the big banks -- Sanders earlier this week said she had disqualified herself by accepting millions of dollars in campaign funds from Wall Street and other special interests, voting in 2002 to support the U.S. invasion of Iraq, and backing free trade deals that hurt U.S. workers. The response from Democratic party leaders and liberal columnists was swift and stern: The Vermont senator who once prided himself on his civility in campaigning had breached political etiquette and risked creating an irreparable fissure in the party.
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| More migrants return to Turkey from Greece under EU pact Posted: 08 Apr 2016 12:15 PM PDT  By Dasha Afanasieva DIKILI, Turkey (Reuters) - Two ferries carrying more than 120 migrants returned to Turkey from the Greek island of Lesbos on Friday, in the second round of arrivals under an EU deal with Ankara to stem mass migration to Europe across the Aegean Sea. The accord, which came into force on Monday, aims to help end a chaotic influx into the European Union of migrants and refugees, most fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and beyond, after more than 1 million arrived last year. Around 325 people have now been sent back from the Greek islands under the accord, which the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) has condemned and rights advocates say may violate international law.
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| Institute of International Education (IIE) Announces $1 Million Donation in Honor of Former DE Attorney General, Beau Biden Posted: 08 Apr 2016 12:07 PM PDT WILMINGTON, Del., April 8, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- At a ceremony today in Wilmington, Delaware, the chairman of the Institute of International Education's (IIE) Scholar Rescue Fund, Mark Angelson, announced a $1 million gift in honor of Beau Biden, the former Attorney General of Delaware who passed away in May of 2015. Mr. Angelson and former Delaware Senator Ted Kaufman, a board member of the IIE, together with IIE President Allan Goodman, presented Biden's widow, Hallie Biden, with a specially crafted chair to commemorate the occasion. |
| Kerry backs Iraqi leader, no planned increase in US troops Posted: 08 Apr 2016 11:39 AM PDT  BAGHDAD (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry backed Iraq's prime minister on Friday in his efforts to resolve a mounting political crisis, underlining the importance of securing a "unified and functioning government" in the fight against the Islamic State. Kerry also pledged $155 million in new U.S. aid to Iraq.
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| In one Colorado prison, convicts save dogs, veterans – and themselves Posted: 08 Apr 2016 10:58 AM PDT Miriam Helmick, an inmate on Unit 1 of the Denver Women's Correctional Facility, recalls laying on the floor of her cell, singing to a new arrival who was too timid to come out from under the bed. |
| No more 'free' Saudi money for Egypt: Saudi businessman familiar with matter Posted: 08 Apr 2016 10:50 AM PDT  By Asma Alsharif CAIRO (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's financial support for strategic ally Egypt will no longer involve "free money" and will increasingly take the form of loans that provide returns to help it grapple with low oil prices, a Saudi businessman familiar with the matter said. Return on investment is important to Saudi Arabia as it diversifies sources of revenue," the businessman told Reuters on Friday during what has been described as a "historic" visit to Cairo by Saudi King Salman. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait showered Egypt with billions of dollars after then-military chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi toppled President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013 after mass protests against his rule.
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| Italian hostage released in southern Philippines Posted: 08 Apr 2016 09:55 AM PDT  A retired Italian priest abducted six months ago in the southern Philippines by suspected Islamic militants was released on Friday, police and the Italian government said. Rolando Del Torchio was picked up at a port on the remote island of Jolo, a stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf group, national police spokesman Wilben Mayor, told AFP. The Abu Sayyaf is a small group of militants infamous for kidnapping foreigners and demanding huge ransoms.
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| Kerry vows to up pressure on IS during visit to Iraq Posted: 08 Apr 2016 08:54 AM PDT  US Secretary of State John Kerry vowed Friday to turn up the heat on the Islamic State jihadist group as he visited Baghdad to show support for Iraq's crisis-hit government. Kerry, on his first visit to Iraq since 2014, met with senior officials including Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari to discuss the fight against the extremist group. Kerry said that retaking Mosul -- the largest Iraqi city under the jihadists' control -- remained "at the top of the list in terms of priority".
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| UN hails nuclear terrorism accord Posted: 08 Apr 2016 08:50 AM PDT  The UN atomic agency hailed Friday the imminent entry into force of a key nuclear security agreement aimed at preventing extremists wreaking havoc by getting hold of nuclear material. The announcement by the International Atomic Energy Agency that the accord will come into effect on May 8 follows a summit last week that saw stark warnings about the risks of nuclear terrorism. "This is an important day for efforts to strengthen nuclear security around the world," IAEA chief Yukiya Amano said.
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| Special Report: Al Qaeda emerges stronger and richer from Yemen war Posted: 08 Apr 2016 08:40 AM PDT  By Yara Bayoumy, Noah Browning and Mohammed Ghobari DUBAI/CAIRO (Reuters) - Once driven to near irrelevance by the rise of Islamic State abroad and security crackdowns at home, al Qaeda in Yemen now openly rules a mini-state with a war chest swollen by an estimated $100 million in looted bank deposits and revenue from running the country's third largest port. If Islamic State's capital is the Syrian city of Raqqa, then al Qaeda's is Mukalla, a southeastern Yemeni port city of 500,000 people. Al Qaeda fighters there have abolished taxes for local residents, operate speedboats manned by RPG-wielding fighters who impose fees on ship traffic, and make propaganda videos in which they boast about paving local roads and stocking hospitals.
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| Sanders' hit on Clinton not the first, or likely the last Posted: 08 Apr 2016 07:52 AM PDT  DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Bernie Sanders' claim that Hillary Clinton isn't qualified to be president landed with a boom this week. The blow was far from the first — and won't likely be the last — from the candidate who pledged to stay away from negative campaigning.
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| When Fighting in War Tests Your Faith Posted: 08 Apr 2016 07:50 AM PDT Two military veterans share their experiences. This first reader, Tony from Boise, was deployed to the Middle East three times, once to Afghanistan and twice to Iraq: |
| Kerry urges Iraq not to let politics impede war against IS Posted: 08 Apr 2016 07:48 AM PDT  By Arshad Mohammed BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, visiting Baghdad on Friday, urged Iraq not to let its political crisis interfere with the fight against Islamic State and voiced unequivocal support for Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. Abadi last week unsettled Iraq's political elite with a proposed cabinet reshuffle that aims to curb corruption by replacing long-time politicians with technocrats and academics. U.S. officials fear the political unrest may harm Iraq's efforts to retake territory it has lost to Islamic State militants, notably its second city of Mosul, seized when parts of the Iraqi army collapsed in 2014.
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| Coalition, Iraq to 'turn up the pressure' on IS: Kerry Posted: 08 Apr 2016 07:43 AM PDT  US Secretary of State John Kerry vowed Friday that America and Iraq will "turn up the pressure" on the Islamic State jihadist group, and said that retaking its stronghold Mosul is a "top" priority. "In the coming weeks and months, the coalition will work with Iraq to turn up the pressure even further. Kerry arrived in Baghdad on Friday for an unannounced visit, his first to the country since 2014.
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| The Resumption of Deportations From Greece Posted: 08 Apr 2016 07:39 AM PDT The second group of ferries left Greece for Turkey Friday with migrants to be returned across the Aegean Sea as part of a deal between the European Union and Ankara. |
| Kerry says Iraq's Abadi did not request new U.S. troops Posted: 08 Apr 2016 06:38 AM PDT U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, visiting Baghdad on Friday, said Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had made no request for a new infusion of U.S. troops to help fight Islamic State militants. Kerry told reporters at the embassy that he wanted to reiterate the support of the U.S. president and vice president for Abadi, who is grappling with a political crisis, a collapsing economy and the war against Islamic State. Kerry met earlier with Abadi and other senior Iraqi officials. |
| U.S., allies stage 26 strikes against Islamic State in Iraq, Syria: U.S. military Posted: 08 Apr 2016 04:33 AM PDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and its allies conducted 26 strikes against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria on Thursday, the coalition leading the operations said. In a statement released on Friday, the Combined Joint Task Force said eight strikes in Syria, including seven near Mar'a, hit eight tactical units and destroyed four fighting positions, two vehicles and a command and control node. ... |
| Turkish military hits Kurdish militant PKK targets in Turkey, Iraq: statement Posted: 08 Apr 2016 02:20 AM PDT ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish warplanes struck targets of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in southeastern Turkey and northern Iraq on Thursday, the military said in a statement on Friday. (Reporting by Tulay Karadeniz and Humeyra Pamuk; Writing by David Dolan; Editing by Nick Tattersall) |
| China's new Syria envoy praises Russian military mission Posted: 08 Apr 2016 01:32 AM PDT  By Ben Blanchard BEIJING (Reuters) - China's first special envoy for the Syrian crisis praised Russia's military role in the war on Friday, and said the international community should work harder together to defeat terrorism in the region. Russia's military intervention in Syria in September helped turn the tide of war in President Bashar al-Assad's favor after months of gains in western Syria by rebel fighters, who were aided by foreign military supplies including U.S.-made anti-tank missiles. While President Vladimir Putin announced last month that "the main part" of Russian armed forces in Syria would start to withdraw, the Russian air force has continued to carry out strikes on targets in the country.
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| Islamic State fighters in Libya doubled but militias check growth: U.S Posted: 08 Apr 2016 12:42 AM PDT  Islamic State has doubled its fighters in Libya to between 4,000 and 6,000 in the last 12 to 18 months but militias in the North African nation have limited the hardline militants' growth, the commander of U.S. forces in Africa said on Thursday. Islamic State's stronghold in Libya is the city of Sirte but it also has a presence in Derna and Benghazi in the east and Sabratha in the west, General David M. Rodriguez, head of U.S. Africa Command, told a news briefing. "In Benghazi and Derna, (Libyan armed groups) have fought back against the Islamic State and made it much tougher for them to operate, as well as in Sabratha," he said.
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| Yemen truce raises hope of ending conflict Posted: 08 Apr 2016 12:40 AM PDT  A new ceasefire enters into effect in Yemen midnight Sunday, with the United Nations hoping it can be the cornerstone of a long-lasting peace deal at upcoming talks in Kuwait. Analysts are optimistic after mediation efforts have largely silenced the guns along the border with Saudi Arabia, which is leading a pro-government coalition that has bombed Huthi rebels and their allies since March 2015. "For the first time, the groups that can end major military operations, particularly the Saudis and the Huthis, appear to be more willing to do so," said April Longley Alley, a Yemen specialist at the International Crisis Group.
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| Seven killed, 15 injured in Sinai blasts Posted: 08 Apr 2016 12:37 AM PDT At least five Egyptian soldiers, a military officer and a civilian woman were killed, and 15 injured, on Thursday in the Sinai peninsula, after armoured personnel carriers exploded in two separate incidents, security and medical sources said. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks on several websites. Several explosive devices were planted on the road in Rafah and southern Sheikh Zuwayed and were remotely detonated as soon as the vehicles passed by, the sources said. |
| Australia to strip dual nationals involved in terror of citizenship Posted: 07 Apr 2016 10:34 PM PDT Australia, a staunch ally of the United States and its battle against Islamist militants in Iraq and Syria, said on Friday it would strip dual nationals convicted of terror-related crimes of citizenship. French President Francois Hollande last month abandoned plans to strip French nationality from people convicted of terrorism, climbing down from a tough stance he took days after the November attacks in Paris that killed 130 people. Dual nationals who were either involved in terror activities, members of a banned organization or convicted of terrorism offences could lose their Australian citizenship, Immigration Minister Peter Dutton told reporters in Melbourne. |
| Most Wanted Men: The Ink Factory On 'The Night Manager,' Tom Hiddleston and Ang Lee's Next Oscar Contender Posted: 07 Apr 2016 09:00 PM PDT Simon Cornwell, co-founder of the British production indie, explains the secret behind making, and selling, high-end TV (with a little help from his dad, one John le Carre). |
| New report finds terrorists and arms dealers selling through Facebook groups Posted: 07 Apr 2016 06:47 PM PDT  Facebook is being used by arms dealers and resellers to display and sell their goods in countries that have an Islamic State presence, states a new report. These online "arms bazaars" are usually set up as members-only Facebook groups that sell everything from handguns and grenades to heavy machine guns and guided missiles. Even weapons distributed by the U.S. to security forces and rebel groups have made it on to the social network, reports the New York Times. In Libya alone, since 2014, there have been 97 documented attempts at the unregulated transfer of missiles, grenade launchers, rockets, and various rifles, through Facebook groups. It is thought that some of the weapons being resold — including a component of an anti-aircraft defense system — were looted from Libyan state custody after the death of the country's ruler Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi in 2011. Related: Private gun sales are now banned on Facebook, Instagram Meanwhile, in Iraq, clandestine Facebook groups are reselling an endless assortment of weapons originally provided by the Pentagon to the country's government. These include rifles, assault rifles, sub-machine guns, and pistols, many of which still carry inventory stickers and aftermarket add-ons preferred by American forces and soldiers. A similar approach is being taken in Syria, where arms provided by the U.S. to local rebels have also made their way on to social media. One particular example saw a Facebook seller provide a phone number connected to his WhatsApp, using the two services to sell a wire-guided anti-tank missile system of the same type the U.S. has delivered to rebel groups. When contacted by the Times, the individual claimed he had already sold the launcher, claiming further that he did not recall the price. Facebook arms dealers explicitly violate the platform's policies against the sale of weapons, which were instituted in January. Having added more e-commerce features and payment systems to Messenger, the social network has made it clear that "is not a site that wants to facilitate the private sales of firearms," a Facebook spokesperson told the New York Times. However, the platform still mainly relies on its users to report violations to its Community Operations team in order for it to take action. Although physical black-market arms traders have always existed in war-torn countries like Iraq, Syria, and Libya, it is thought that the appeal of Facebook groups lies in the platform's ability to display more catalogue information and images. Overall, the data from arms-sales Facebook groups across the Middle East indicate that approximately 6,000 trades have been executed. Nic R. Jenzen-Jones, an author of the report, claims the figure is "probably much bigger than that." The report's findings were based on data acquired through a study on social media arms trafficking in Libya by the private consultancy Armament Research Services, and through previous reports by the New York Times on Syria, Iraq, and Yemen. Since forwarding the research on to Facebook, six of the seven example groups operating on the platform have been shut down.
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| One Third of Iraqis Think US Supports Terrorism, ISIS Posted: 07 Apr 2016 03:29 PM PDT  The figures come from State Department polling cited in a State Inspector General report that was published online last week. The report, which used data from October to November 2015, focused on how well the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad was implementing the sixth of nine directives from the Obama White House's strategy to counter ISIS, namely, "Exposing [ISIS's] True Nature." While the report found that the embassy was working diligently to counter ISIS's messaging, mostly with America's own information about coalition military victories, the White House directive didn't exactly apply as written. But the report also found U.S. didn't fare much better than the murderous terror group in the minds of one third of Iraqis, who said they believed the U.S. directly supports ISIS or other terror groups.
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