Iraq’s Surprise Election Results

All is still not well in Iraqi politics some eighteen years after the U.S. invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein’s regime. In 2019, a wave of popular protest known as the Tishreen movement swept across the country, as demonstrators called for fundamental reform of the post-2003 political system. Elections held in October, which the government brought forward by six months in response to anger on the street, are the only tangible result of the protests to date. Yet well under half the electorate showed up to vote, raising doubt that the system can generate the legitimacy it so desperately needs. Meanwhile, some of the losing parties are crying fraud in a bid to change the results or at least improve their chances of gaining advantageous positions in a new cabinet. Some have resorted to violence – including, it appears, an assassination attempt on Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi – to press their demands. The most plausible outcome is another coalition that is ill equipped to govern and thus may not survive for very long.

Russian Air Force Takes Revenge On ISIS In Deir Ezzor Desert

Violent explosions rocked the areas under the control of the Syrian regime in the western countryside of Deir Ezzor, yesterday morning (Sunday), caused by intense air strikes, carried out by Russian warplanes on areas in the desert of the region, in an attempt to target ISIS, which is hiding in the caves and caves of the Badia. From him, hours after an ambush carried out by the organization, which caused heavy casualties among the militias loyal to the regime.

Syria will attend the next Arab summit in Algeria, Syrian politician predicts

“In my estimation, Syria will be present at the next Arab summit in Algeria,” Omar Rahmoun tells the Tehran Times.

It seems that the ice between Damascus and Arab countries are thawing.
United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on Tuesday in a sign of reestablishing ties between Syria and the Persian Gulf states.

Afghanistan: From American Strategic Defeat to Regional Integration Platform

In fact, if the Heartland were to succeed in joining the Rimland, the maritime superiority of the United States and more generally of the thalassocratic powers would be over. At that point, the U.S. would only have to shift all its military weight to the Indo-Pacific region and unleash a war directly against China, perhaps under the pretext of Taiwan and claims on the South China Sea. Of course, much will depend on the ability of the Eurasian powers to stabilize Afghanistan, to provide for the risks of Daesh terrorism and other Salafist groups closer to Washington’s interests than to Kabul’s.

Iraq’s elections weaken PKK in Sinjar

Iraq’s October elections may have strengthened the Iraqi Kurdistan administration’s hands in the Yazidi enclave of Sinjar.

The ongoing power struggle between the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP, the main political group ruling Iraqi Kurdistan) and armed Kurdish militants from Turkey over the Iraqi Yazidi enclave, Sinjar, has extended to the Iraqi elections, with the vote resulting in a surprising debacle for the latter.

Unidentified air bombardment of Iranian groups in Albu Kamal

The Syrian Observatory for Human rights’ sources have reported that an unidentified drone struck, with missiles, positions where Iranian-backed militias have been stationed on the outskirts of al-Bokamal city in the eastern countryside of Dei Ezzor. Plums of smoke were seen in the targeted sites. However, no casualties have been reported yet.

This attack came a few days after replacing Iranian-backed militias’ flags with the internationally recognized Syrian ones in some posts and military headquarters of these militias in al-Bokamal city for fear of expected attacks.

Iraqi Security Forces kill senior ISIS figure in Kirkuk

Members of the Iraqi security forces on Friday killed a senior ISIS figure in an operation south of the disputed Kirkuk province, the Iraqi Ministry of Defense said.

The ministry said in a statement that an Iraqi army unit had “killed the commander of the terrorist sniper detachment nicknamed (Abu Qatada) in the al-Bu Muhammad area in Wadi al-Shay.”

ISIS ambush kills 13 loyalist fighters in Syria

An ISIS ambush has killed at least 13 fighters loyal to the Syrian government, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said.

The attack in the country’s east killed “at least 13 members of a local pro-regime group and wounded others”, the watchdog said.

It took place in the Masrib area, in the West of Deir Ezzor province, while the fighters were conducting a sweep of the area, said the observatory, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria.

Le conflit oublié du Sahara occidental

Depuis un an, les indépendantistes sahraouis du front Polisario ont repris leurs opérations militaires contre l’armée marocaine, après quasiment trois décennies de cessez-le-feu. Un conflit asymétrique dont ils espèrent qu’il relancera les négociations autour de ce territoire au statut contesté, au cœur de la tension diplomatique entre le Maroc et l’Algérie.

À 6 km en face de nous s’élèvent des panaches de fumée. Allongés au sommet d’une dune de sable et de petits cailloux noirs rendus brûlants par le soleil, nous observons en compagnie de combattants de l’armée populaire de libération sahraouie (APLS), la branche armée du front Polisario, le résultat de tirs à l’arme lourde sur les positions marocaines.

Israel loses patience with Iranian entrenchment in Syria

Israel has detected increased activity by Iran as it builds up its military presence in Syria.

Is Syrian President Bashar al-Assad starting to change his mind about the long dominance of Iran and Russia in his country? Several intelligence analysts have assessed recently that with Assad’s regime stabilized, the Iranian presence in his country might no be longer an asset but a liability for the Syrian leader. As long as the Iranians remain entrenched in his back yard, the attacks on them attributed to Israel are likely to continue — and have already escalated.