Author: M Barbu

The ISI’s Toxic Legacy: Will Pakistan Ever Be Able To Break Free? – Analysis

The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is Pakistan’s main intelligence agency, established in 1947. Initially a small military unit, it has grown into a powerful organization, often seen as more influential than the country’s government. Over the years, the military’s control over politics has allowed the ISI to operate almost like a separate state. Today, the ISI not only gathers intelligence, but also plays a key role in shaping Pakistan’s foreign policy.

‘I know we will win – and how’: Ukraine’s top general on turning the tables against Russia

Exclusive: Col Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi weighs Ukraine’s recent setbacks, counter strikes and the changing face of Europe’s biggest war since 1945

Sitting on a stack of ammunition crates at a secret military base, Col Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi was tight-lipped about when Ukraine will receive a long-awaited delivery of F-16 fighter jets. The Dutch and other allies have said they will arrive soon. This week? Or maybe August? “I know. But I can’t tell you about it, unfortunately,” he said, with an apologetic grin, as gulls squawked nearby.

‘This is a one-way ticket’ Inside the Russian military unit that’s lost so many soldiers it’s known as the ‘Bermuda Triangle’

The insignia of the 1st Slavyansk Brigade

Around 120,000 Russian soldiers have died fighting in Ukraine since Moscow began its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Analysts estimate that Russia loses 200–250 troops every day, and casualties have increased significantly in recent months. After capturing the city of Avdiivka in February, Russian forces launched a massive offensive all along the front line and opened a new front in the Kharkiv region. The independent journalism cooperative Bereg set out to investigate the cost of this offensive for one brigade known for its particularly high death tolls and the cruelty with which its commanders, who hail from the so-called “Donetsk People’s Republic,” treat their Russian recruits. Journalist Lilia Yapparova also learned about how senior officers extort these soldiers, capturing large sums of money (including the very benefits offered as incitements to serve) in exchange for safer assignments and access to promised compensation. The following English-language translation has been abridged for length and clarity.

Five Takeaways From Hungary & Slovakia’s Russian Oil Dispute With Ukraine

This incident shows the lengths to which Ukraine and the EU are going to keep those two in line after they united to form an anti-war bloc in the heart of Europe.

Ukraine’s decision last month to stop the transit of Russian oil from Lukoil across its territory has hit Hungary and Slovakia, who have EU sanctions waivers to continue purchasing this resource, very hard. They’ve accordingly requested that the European Commission mediate between them and Kiev on the basis that the latter’s actions violate its 2014 Association Agreement with the bloc. The exact outcome of this dispute remains uncertain, but the following five takeaways encapsulate its essence:

5 Things to Know About the Palestinian ‘Popular Resistance Committees’

The Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) is a loose coalition of armed Palestinian terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank that oppose Israel’s right to exist and the leadership of the Palestinian Authority. Since its founding in 2000, the PRC has carried out numerous attacks against Israelis and Americans with support from the Islamic Republic of Iran. Members of the PRC joined Hamas in attacking from Gaza into southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Despite its track record, the PRC is currently not a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization.

Terror Organizations Consolidating Their Control Over Tulkarm, Tubas In Northern West Bank, Undermining Control Of Palestinian Authority

The Tulkarm and Tubas governorates in the northern West Bank have lately become hotspots of terrorist activity against Israel, a situation that undermines the control of the Palestinian Authority (PA) in those areas, as has already happened in the governorates of Jenin and Nablus. This process – in which militias comprising fighters from multiple Palestinian organizations, including Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, gain strength and engage in escalating terror against Israel while undermining the security control of the PA on the ground – began before the outbreak of the Gaza war. But since then it has steadily increased, and in the recent months Hamas and other organizations have even been threatening to carry out attacks in the West Bank similar to Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack in southern Israel.[1]

Recalibrating Coastal West Africa’s Response to Violent Extremism

Coastal West African countries can strengthen resiliency to the threat of violent extremism by enhancing a multilayered response addressing local, national, and regional priorities.

Highlights

Extremist violence in the Sahel is spilling over into coastal West African countries.

Governments in coastal West African countries play the leading role in responding to this threat by proactively strengthening ties with local communities in vulnerable regions.