South Asia
Pakistan: deadly ISIS attack on Sufi shrine
An ISIS suicide attack on a Sufi shrine killed at least 75 worshippers and wounded dozens more—the deadliest in a string of blasts across Pakistan this week.
Tag: sectarian war
South Asia
Pakistan: acquittals in Christian home burnings
A Pakistani anti-terrorism court acquitted 112 individuals suspected of taking part in the 2013 burning of 150 Christian homes and two churches in Lahore.
Iran
Iran’s land-grab in Syria
Iran's government and companies close to the elite Revolutionary Guards have signed major economic contracts with Syria, gaining control of large areas of the country.
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Despite misleading media accounts, Moscow has only withdrawn its aircraft carier from Syria’s coast, and is in fact beefing up forces at its bases within the country.
Iraq
Amnesty: Iraq militias committing war crimes
Amnesty International charges that Shi'ite militias operating in Iraq have been committing war crimes—using weapons supplied by 16 different countries, including the US.
Iraq
Iraq: militia accused of extrajudicial executions
A Shi'ite militia backed by the Iraqi government is accused of summarily executing men captured in a village outside Mosul who were suspected of being ISIS supporters.
Greater Middle East
Egypt: terror blast targets Coptic church
A bombing during Sunday Mass at a chapel attached to Cairo's main Coptic cathedral killed at least 25 on the Egyptian holiday marking the birth of the Prophet Muhammed.
Greater Middle East
General Assembly demands halt to Aleppo siege
With action in the Security Council blocked by Russia and China, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution demanding an immediate end to all attacks on civilians in Syria.
Iraq
Iraq gives Shi’ite militias legal status to fight ISIS
Iraq's parliament voted to give the Shi'ite militias fighting ISIS an official paramilitary status—a move assailed by critics who say these forces are enflaming sectarian warfare.
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?
Iraq
Iraq: disaster feared as Mosul campaign launched
UN humanitarian agencies in Iraq are bracing for a displacement catastrophe of massive proportions as the US-led offensive to retake Mosul from ISIS is launched.
Africa
Nigeria: pogroms target Shi’ites
Shops and homes belonging to Shi'ite Muslims in Nigeria's Kaduna state were destroyed by rampaging Sunni mobs in a wave of attacks that spread across several towns.