Author: M Barbu

Who Are the Extremist ‘Grey Wolves’?

In reality, the Grey Wolves movement very much does exist. It has a long history of bloodbaths across Turkey and is now a growing movement across Europe as well as the South Caucasus.

This ideology [Turanism, or the Greater Turkish homeland] believes in the superiority of a supposed Turkish race and wants to unite all Turks under one country, “Turan”, from Europe to the Pacific. These ideas have greatly influenced the Grey Wolves organization and its actions.

What the Return of the Taliban Means for Afghanistan

Twenty years after being dislodged from power by a U.S. invasion, the Taliban again took charge of Afghanistan in August, prompting the U.S. and its allies to expedite their planned exit from the country. The strict Islamic fundamentalists — whose previous five-year rule was characterized by the oppression of women and minorities, and the harboring of international terrorists — pledged to do things somewhat differently this time. Those vows met with skepticism among the world’s governments and multilateral institutions, which withheld recognition of the Taliban as the legitimate authority in Afghanistan, blocked access to billions of dollars in Afghan assets held overseas and severed the development assistance that had long propped up the economy.

Five Peshmerga killed in ISIL attack in Iraq’s Diyala

Armed group ISIL still poses a threat in several provinces in Iraq with hit-and-run attacks, kidnappings, and roadside bombs.

Five Peshmerga fighters were killed in an attack by the ISIL (ISIS) armed group in northern Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) said on Sunday.

The attack – which also wounded four Peshmerga – took place in Diyala province on Saturday night.

Islamic State down but not out in Syria and Iraq: Pentagon report

Also, Al-Monitor’s on-the-ground reporting on the security situations in Syria and Iraq, including the impact of the Turkish lira crisis on Idlib.

Islamic State ‘entrenched as low-level insurgency’

The most recent report from the Pentagon’s Inspector General on Operation Inherent Resolve, the US-led diplomatic and military operation against the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria, indicates that IS has weakened but remains a priority for US national security interests in the region.

Third Islamic State attack in three days hits northern Iraq

The Kurdistan Region’s peshmerga forces suffer another attacked by Islamic State fighters.

The Islamic State (IS) attacked Kurdistan Region security forces in northern Iraq again today.

The assault occurred north of Kifri in the Diyala province. There were casualties among the Kurdistan Region’s peshmerga forces, the Erbil-based news outlet Kurdistan 24 reported.

Only U.S. can resolve Kurdish issue, says SDF commander

Only the United States can play a significant role in a democratic solution to the Kurdish question, Mazloum Kobane, the commander-in-chief of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said.

Noting that the Kurdish question in Turkey impacts Syria, Kobane told the National Interest that the problems of all Kurds are “interconnected and tied to each other.’’

Iraqi Industry Minister: Benefiting from the Syrian experience in industrial cities domain

Damascus, SANA-Iraqi Minister of Industry and Minerals, Manhal Aziz al-Khabbaz affirmed the importance of sharing experiences between Iraq and Syria and benefiting from the advanced Syrian experience in the field of industrial cities and zones.

The Iraqi Minister’s remarks came during a press statement following his arrival in Damascus on Saturday, heading a delegation of businessmen, industrialists, and officials of the industrial cities to participate in the fourth conference of the Arab Union of Cities and Industrial Zones.

Khamenei’s Joy Over Economic Crisis And Devaluation Of Turkish Currency – OpEd

Turkey is facing a severe economic crisis these days, with a 15% devaluation of the Lira against the US dollar in just 24 hours. This has caused dissatisfaction among Turkish citizens since they have lost their purchasing power accordingly, and many of them marched in the streets of Istanbul and Ankara, demanding the resignation of Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

But some of the Iranian media affiliated with the government welcomed this news very much and published it widely. The question is, why is the Iranian regime happy and welcoming the devaluation of the Turkish lira, and how does it benefit from it?