Author: M Barbu

PKK: Pantsir-S1 shot down Turkish Bayraktar TB2 in Iraq [video]

Russia’s self-propelled, medium-range surface-to-air missile and anti-aircraft artillery Pantsir-S1 systems have shot down a Turkish Bayraktar-TB2 attack UAV over Iraqi airspace, the pro-PKK news agency ANF News reported.

According to ANF News reporters, the Russian system attacked the Turkish drone in northern Iraq. There is a discrepancy in the time it is alleged that the Turkish drone was shot down. Reporters from the news agency claim that this happened only a few days ago, while other field sources say that the video is at least from May this year.

Death of Four Regime Officers, Including a Brigadier General

Shaam news network monitored the death of four officers of the Assad regime, including a brigadier general and three others with the rank of first lieutenant. The deaths happened in varying circumstances, between a traffic accident in Damascus, a heart attack in Lattakia, and direct targeting in Badia and Idleb.

Car bomb kills six in northern Syria’s Afrin: monitor

A car bombing in the northern Syrian city of Afrin on Monday killed six people, including at least one Turkey-backed rebel fighter, a war monitor said.

An AFP video journalist saw civil defence members douse the charred remains of a car with water, as rescue workers carried away what appeared to be a victim’s remains under a blanket on a stretcher.

Muqtada al-Sadr set to claim victory in Iraqi elections

Iraqis made their way to the ballot boxes to cast their votes for the council of representatives, as results show significant surprises.

Iraq’s parliamentary elections on Sunday were held in a quiet environment compared to previous elections.

Security measures meant to ensure a smooth and safe process were largely successful, as only 75 complaints during public voting and 16 complaints from the special voting of security forces were submitted to the independent electoral commission.

Turkey requests to buy 40 US F-16 fighter planes

Just last week Erdogan boasted about potential new defense deals with Russia, including aircraft purchases.

Turkey has requested to purchase 40 US-made F-16 fighter jets and dozens of modernization kits for aircraft it already owns, according to reports in both the Greek and the Turkish press.

News of the request, which has not been publicly confirmed by the US State Department, comes just days after Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his government was planning to expand defense ties with Russia.

EXCLUSIVE Turkish intelligence helped Iraq capture Islamic State leader, sources say

Turkish intelligence helped Iraq capture a senior Islamic State leader who had been hiding out in northwestern Syria, three security sources said on Tuesday, in an operation that points to closer cooperation against remnants of the jihadist group.

Iraq announced on Monday that its security forces had captured Sami Jasim, an Iraqi national, in what it described as “a special operation outside the borders”. It did not give details on when or where he was seized.

Ankara hints at new Syria operation after spate of attacks near border

Two years since its last Syria incursion, Ankara is hinting at a new cross-border military operation in response to a spate of attacks near its southern border, one of which killed two Turkish police officers Sunday.

In a press conference Wednesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the nation would “do what is necessary for its security,” saying Turkey would seek to clear border areas of US-backed Syrian Kurdish militants with the People’s Defense Units (YPG), which Ankara considers a national security threat and an offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

EXPLAINER: Can the Taliban suppress the potent IS threat?

With the Taliban in power in Afghanistan, there’s a new enemy ascending.

The Islamic State group threatens to usher in another violent phase. Except this time the former insurgents, the Taliban, play the role of the state, now that the U.S. troops and their allied Afghan government are gone.

The Taliban promised the United States to keep the extremist group in check during successive rounds of peace talks. Under the 2020 U.S.-Taliban accord, the Taliban guaranteed that Afghanistan would not become a haven for terrorist groups threatening the U.S. or its allies.