أرشيف الوسم : syria

United States military commanders on Tuesday said that the US is planning to launch strikes on the Islamic State (IS) in its strongholds in Syria, and that it could send advisers into combat zones alongside Iraqi soldiers. They also warned of further escalation in their fight against the extremists, as two branches of a rival al-Qaeda group called for unity …

On Tuesday, branches of the Al-Qaeda in North Africa and Yemen called for extremists in Syria and Iraq to unite against the threat of the US-led coalition to battle extremists in the Middle East. In an unprecedented joint statement, the Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and the Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula urged their “brothers” in Syria and Iraq to …

French President Francois Hollande on Friday said that France is prepared to increase military aid to Iraq, as global efforts to combat the extremist fighters intensify. Hollande was on a visit to Baghdad, the highest-profile visit to the country since extremists led by the Islamic State (IS) seized territory in Iraq and Syria in a sweeping move which sparked international …

Syrian National Reconciliation Minister Ali Haidar on Thursday said that US air strikes over Syrian territory without the permission of the Syrian regime would be considered an “attack” on the country. “Any action of any kind without the consent of the Syrian government would be an attack on Syria”, Haidar said. However, he refused to say what the response to …

Late Wednesday night, US Senator Ted Cruz was booed off the stage at a conference for Middle East Christians, causing an interruption at a gala dinner for the In Defense of Christians summit in the capital city of Washington, D.C. “Tonight, we are all united in defense of Christians… Tonight, we are all united in defense of Jews. Tonight, we …

The Philippines is going to deport a Muslim Canadian national this week, after he was reportedly “inciting and recruiting locals to conduct terrorist activities”, a top official from the immigration bureau said on Wednesday. The Southeast Asian nation has been checking up on intelligence reports that around 100 Muslims in the Muslim-dominated south had left the nation in response to …

On Wednesday, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) confirmed the “systematic” use of chlorine in chemical warfare in Syria. After an investigation by an OPCW team in Syria, a report publishing the findings established “compelling confirmation” that the chemical was used “systematically and repeatedly” as a weapon in several villages in northern Syria earlier in the year. …

On Tuesday, British charity Oxfam called in rich countries to let in at least 5% of Syria’s 3 million refugees, and urged them to improve their aid contributions. It also called on them to stop providing weapons to all parties involved in the Syrian conflict which are committing human rights violations. The charity group slammed most of the international community …

On Monday, the UAE tried 15 extremists charged with joining and financing the Syrian wing of al-Qaeda and a rebel group, the official WAM news agency reported. Eleven of the fifteen defendants, whose nationalities have not been disclosed, appeared at the preliminary hearing in the Federal Supreme Court in Abu Dhabi, WAM reported. It is not clear why the other …

Hopes of a ceasefire between Ukraine and pro-Russia separatists increased on Thursday after Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko discussed the issue with key western leaders at a NATO summit in Newport, UK. Poroshenko said that he expected a ceasefire deal to be signed on Friday “for the gradual introduction of the Ukrainian peace plan”. Pro-Moscow rebels have also agreed to issue …