Syria
Russia ‘withdraws’ from Syria —not
Despite misleading media accounts, Moscow has only withdrawn its aircraft carier from Syria’s coast, and is in fact beefing up forces at its bases within the country.
Tag: Kurdistan
Greater Middle East
Turkey: life term for Kurdish opposition leader?
Turkish prosecutors are seeking a life sentence for Figen Yüksekdağ, co-chair of the Kurdish-led Peoples' Democratic Party, on charges of "terrorism" for her alleged ties to PKK.
Watching the Shadows
Obama’s final year: a CounterVortex scorecard
With a Trump despotism looming, CounterVortex offers its final assessment of Barack Obama's record in addressing the oppressive legacy of the Global War on Terrorism.
Syria
Great Power betrayal to re-unite Syrian revolution?
Now abandoned by all the Great Powers, Syria’s popular resistance is again emphasizing internal unity against the Assad dictatorship, bridging Arab and Kurdish forces.
Greater Middle East
Russia betrays Kurds as Syria alliance shifts
After initiating talks that exclude Washington, Turkey and Russia each accused the US of backing "terrorist groups" in Syria—obviously meaning the Kurds.
Greater Middle East
Assad delivers ultimatum to Aleppo Kurds
Kurdish forces will have to hand over control of their enclave of Sheikh Maqsoud in Aleppo to the Damascus regime by the end of the year, according to an Assad military advisor.
Greater Middle East
Turkey: thousands of Kurds displaced in crackdown
Tens of thousands of residents of Diyarbakır's historic Sur district are among a half million Kurds forced from their homes as a result of a brutal crackdown by Turkish authorities.
Greater Middle East
Are Kurds aiding Assad in Aleppo offensive?
As thousands of civilians flee the Assad regime's advance on Aleppo, rebel groups are charging that the Kurdish-led People's Protection Units are collaborating in the offensive.
Iraq
Syria and Iraq in the Trump world order
Trump intends to divide Syria with Putin the way Hitler divided Poland with Stalin—but will the US will be able to control its sphere amid social collapse and sectarian maelstrom?
Greater Middle East
Turkey: Kurdish opposition leaders arrested
Leading lawmakers with the leftist and Kuridish-led Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) were detained in police operations across Turkey, ostensibly as part of a terrorism investigation.
Greater Middle East
Turkey: Diyarbakir mayors detained on ‘terrorism’
The co-mayors of Diyarbakır were arrested in a supposed "anti-terrorism" investigation—part of the ongoing repression against the Kurdish opposition in Turkey's east.
Iraq
Erdogan revives Ottoman-era designs on Iraq, Syria
As Turkey turns its warplanes on the autonomous Kurds of northern Syria, state media release propaganda maps showing claims to former Ottoman lands in Syria and Iraq alike.