A leaked report has revealed details about how the jihadi group used Turkey to traffic money and obtain supplies.
Shortly after the Islamic State’s (IS’s) leader was killed in a Syrian hideout near the Turkish border, a leaked report by Turkey’s Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) revealed details about how the jihadi group used the country to traffic money and obtain supplies, including drone parts.
At a weekend summit, six party heads charted a path to ending the executive presidential system that critics say has eroded the country’s democratic institutions.
Leaders of six Turkish opposition parties convened this past weekend in Ankara to chart a path back from the executive presidential system, which they say concentrates too much power in the hands of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the detriment of parliament, the courts and other democratic institutions.
The US-sponsored virtual summit for democracy on December 9 and 10 was an unprecedented event; a show of American innocence and righteousness. The conference, which selectively and unjustifiably invited the leaders of 100 countries, supposedly was to focus on fighting corruption, defending human rights, and confronting authoritarian regimes. But the main target of the conference was first China and then Russia. Thirty percent of the leaders invited to the conference, according to the Freedom House, are either not free at all or have little freedom.
The four missile and drone attacks against the UAE in the space of less than three weeks are a cruel reminder of the fragility of peace moves in West Asia. Responsibility for the first three attacks that took place on 17, 24, and 31 January was claimed by the Houthis as retaliation for the UAE’s support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen. The Houthis have close ties with Iran, and it would be fair to assume that the missiles and drones used in these attacks are of Iranian origin, with Hizbollah technicians from Lebanon reportedly providing on-ground support. The fourth attack, an attempt by three armed drones to strike unknown targets in the UAE on 2 February 2022 has been attributed to a relatively unknown Iraqi Shia group with presumed ties to Iran. The missile attacks on 17 January and 31 January and the drone attack on 2 February were thwarted, while the drone attack on 24 January caused limited damage but resulted in the death of two Indian and one Pakistani national in Abu Dhabi.
Iran has normalized the drone threat in the region.
A drone attack was intercepted as it targeted US-led coalition forces in northern Iraq, according to reports over the weekend. According to reports in Iraq the drones were targeting the Harir base.
Meanwhile, France 24 reported that “the Saudi-led coalition fighting Iran-backed rebels in Yemen destroyed a communications system on Monday used for drone attacks and located near the telecoms ministry in Sanaa, it said in a statement.” Last October, reports online predicted that Iran might attack the Harir base in Iraq.
N12 reported that 12 terror plots against Israelis in Turkey were foiled in the past two years.
More than a dozen plots against Israelis were foiled in the last two years, Channel 12 reported over the weekend. Further, I24 News reported: “According to the unsourced report, the majority of the plots were linked to the Islamic State jihadist group and targeted Israeli businesspeople on trips to Istanbul.”
From the Ukrainians’ perspective, there is no reason to rush for the exit.
Over the past two days, Daniel Aharon has reached out to 125 lone soldiers in the IDF who came from Ukraine, offering his organization’s help in case they wish to bring their families to Israel in light of the precarious situation in Ukraine.
While Russia may receive some tough words and even sanctions, world nations are getting out of Ukraine as fast as possible.
The unfolding Ukraine crisis illustrates how major Western governments are dealing with the chances for a conflict between a near-peer rival of the United States and another large country. In this sense, it paints a picture of how future conflicts may unfold.
The new deployments include artillery, reconnaissance troops and medics from units throughout Germany, with arrivals expected to continue throughout this week.
A German military aircraft carrying troop reinforcements landed at Lithuania’s Kaunas airport on Monday, a Reuters eyewitness said, the first of several planned deployments amid fears in the region over a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine.
It takes up the attention of world’s major powers, and Iran is taking advantage
Why is Russia invading Ukraine?
The constant and ongoing question of whether Russia will invade Ukraine is delaying the finalization of a nuclear deal with Iran. It has distracted the Biden administration completely from the Iranian nuclear issue and has harmed dialogue between Washington and Moscow in all areas.