Syrian Jihadi Cleric Reports HTS Gave Foreign Jihadis Days To Leave Idlib, Lists 24 Names, Including French Citizens

On February 17, 2022, Syrian jihadi cleric Abu Yahya Al-Shami, a fierce critic of Syrian jihadi group Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) which largely controls Syria’s Idlib, published[1] a post on Telegram accusing it of expelling several foreign jihadis from the city. Al-Shami provided a list of 24 foreign jihadis of different nationalities, including Tunisians, Moroccans, an Egyptian, an Algerian, an Indian, and even some French citizens.

US tank sale to bolster Polish forces as allies focus on Russia’s movements

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Friday that the U.S. will sell 250 M1A2 Abrams tanks to Poland, giving a key NATO ally that borders Russia a substantial boost in firepower.

Adding the tanks to the Polish arsenal will ensure more equitable security burden-sharing in NATO, he said, although he noted that no delivery date has been set.

Eurafrique

Policy differences between Europe and Africa have been widening, and while there may be warm words about a new partnership when the leaders of the EU and African Union meet in Brussels, there are unlikely to be breakthroughs on key African demands.

If President Biden Believes Putin Has Decided To Invade Ukraine, Why Wait To Impose Sanctions?

President Biden claimed at a brief press conference yesterday that Russian President Vladimir Putin has already decided to invade Ukraine in the coming days. He reportedly received information that Russia has Ukraine completely surrounded and that the Kremlin would be targetting Kyiv. This is a sudden turn-around for Biden, who had just stated 72 hours ago that no final decision from Putin had been made to invade Ukraine. This follows an earlier prediction made by the White House that Russia would invade Ukraine on February 16th.