Greater Middle East
Syria: civil wars in the civil war
A growing split between secular and Islamist elements of the FSA is unfortunately mirrored by a breach between Kurds and Ankara-backed Arab and Turkmen forces.
Tag: Kurdistan
Greater Middle East
Kurdish lawyer shot dead at press conference
Tahir Elci, a prominent Kurdish human rights lawyer, was gunned down by unknown assailants while delivering a press statement in Diyarbakir, Turkey.
Greater Middle East
Opening shots of new Russo-Turkish war?
The situation in northern Syria is escalating amid Russo-Turkish brinkmanship, with Turkmen villages coming under intense Russian bombardment.
Greater Middle East
Russian warplane down: heightened contradictions
After Turkey's downing of a Russian warplane over Syria, Vladimir Putin openly accused Ankara of backing ISIS—echoing a charge Kurdish forces have been making for months.
Greater Middle East
Syria: protests break out in ISIS-held town
Residents of the ISIS-held northern Syrian town of Manbij have held unprecedented protests against jihadist rule, according to activists who got the word out via social media.
Iraq
Contradictions of post-Paris anti-ISIS convergence
Russia and France say they will cooperate against ISIS in Syria, but Turkey is undermining unity between Syrian and Iraqi Kurdish forces.
Iraq
Kurdish forces liberate Sinjar from ISIS
On the same day as the Paris attacks, a serious blow against ISIS was dealt in Iraq as the town of Sinjar was liberated by a mixed force led by Kurdish Peshmerga troops.
Greater Middle East
Syria: anti-ISIS forces advance —despite everything
The new Kurdish-Arab alliance in northern Syria continues to advance into ISIS-held territory—in spite of efforts by virtually all the regional powers to sabotage it.
Greater Middle East
US sells Turkey ‘smart bombs’ (to use against Kurds)
The Pentagon announces the sale of 900 "smart bombs" to Turkey just as Ankara is preparing to move against US-backed Kurdish forces in Syria.
Iraq
US ground troops to Iraq, Syria: Pentagon
Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said in a statement to Congress that the US will begin ground operations against ISIS forces in Iraq and Syria.
Greater Middle East
Turkey attacks Kurdish positions on Syrian border
Turkish military forces attacked Kurdish positions on the Syrian border, raising fears that Turkey is moving to establish its "buffer zone."
Greater Middle East
Turkey: lawyer arrested for comments on PKK
A Kurdish lawyer in Turkey will face trial for comments he made about the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), saying the group is not a terrorist organization but a political movement.