Dozens of Bodies Found in Mass Grave in Northern Syria

Four Autonomous Administration’s Internal Security Forces members were killed by a Turkish drone targeting their car in the Ain Issa area, according to al-Modon.

On Thursday, the Kurdish Autonomous Administration’s local authorities stated that they had found a mass grave containing dozens of bodies in northern Syria. The statement suggested that ISIS may have killed the victims during the group’s control of the area.

Regional Implications of a Nuclear Iran

Advances in Iran’s nuclear program have heightened concerns that it could develop a nuclear bomb in a matter of weeks.

Israel views a nuclear-armed Iran as an existential threat and has signaled it would take aggressive military action to destroy Iran’s nuclear weapons program if it passes the nuclear threshold.

Maroc-Mauritanie : quand un prédicateur réveille le contentieux territorial

Le président de l’Union internationale des savants musulmans, Ahmed Raissouni, a remis en cause l’existence de la Mauritanie et prôné un retour au « Grand Maroc ». Des déclarations qui ont suscité de nombreuses réactions au Maghreb et qui n’ont pas manqué de relancer la polémique autour des conflits frontaliers avec l’Algérie et la Mauritanie.

Afghanistan’s Security Challenges under the Taliban

One year after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, fighting has decreased considerably. Yet serious security problems remain, not least the foreign militants still in the country. External actors should press the new authorities to fulfil their commitments and avoid any steps that could reignite large-scale violence.

Turkey makes peace bid with Chechen leader

As Ankara finesses relations with Moscow, top Turkish officials have quietly met with Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov after years of chill marked by a string of murders of Chechen exiles in Turkey.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Aug. 5 meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin appears to have turned a page in Ankara’s chilly ties with Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Russia’s Muslim-majority Chechen Republic and a Putin loyalist. Turkey’s foreign minister and intelligence chief, who accompanied Erdogan in Sochi, huddled with Kadyrov on the sidelines of the summit, and it was the Chechen leader who made the meeting public on Telegram.

Turkish official says slow pace of Armenia normalization designed to avert disappointment

Ankara has said both sides are focused on confidence-building steps to be taken “one at a time.”

Ankara has broken its official silence and provided details on ongoing reconciliation talks with its historic foe, Armenia. In a lengthy background briefing, a senior Turkish diplomat described the substance of the talks, what their goal was and the multiple challenges that lie ahead. Speaking on the sidelines of the annual ambassadors’ huddle organized by the Turkish Foreign Ministry, the official stressed that in order to avert “big disappointments,” the sides were focused on confidence-building steps to be taken “one at a time.” The official was addressing critics’ claims that Turkey is deliberately keeping the pace of the talks slow in order to allow its regional ally Azerbaijan to pressure Armenia into further concessions on the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh.

‘Normalization’ with Assad is the new normal in Turkey

Comments by Turkey’s foreign minister hinting at normalization with Damascus drove hundreds of Syrians across Turkish-occupied areas of northern Syria to stage demonstrations.

The chorus of Turkish officialdom calling for engagement with the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is growing louder by the day. The moves are calculated to draw votes ahead of elections and weaken Kurdish aspirations for autonomy. They are backed by Russia as it seeks to drive wedges between Turkey and its Western foes.

Shrouded in secrecy for years, Russia’s Wagner Group opens up

The mysterious network of mercenaries is embracing an ever-public image as the war on Ukraine drags on.

On paper, the Wagner Group, a Russian network providing fighters for hire, does not exist.

It does not file tax returns, its alleged backers deny any connection to it and officially, private military companies (PMCs) are illegal in Russia.