Military Consolidates its Hold on Mali’s Interim Government
On October 5, Mali’s interim president, retired colonel Bah Ndaw, announced his cabinet. As is frequent in West Africa, it is large, with twenty-five members.
Iran says it’s among top countries in military radar – a message to Israel
Iranian media has claimed that the country is one of the world leaders in radar technology and Brig.-Gen. Ali Hajizadeh of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that new systems installed in Yazd province illustrate the country’s capabilities.
Iran, Syria worried about ‘regional conflict’ of Azerbaijan-Armenia war
Iran is growing increasingly concerned about the fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia and Armenia and has continued to issue statements and escalate rhetoric.
Le fils de l’otage Sophie Pétronin dit rester prudent mais garde l’espoir d’une libération
Au Mali, toujours pas d’annonce officielle concernant la libération de la Française Sophie Pétronin, enlevée à Gao il y a près de quatre ans. Pour ses proches, c’est encore l’attente. Sébastien Chadaud-Pétronin s’est exprimé sur RFI. Son fils est arrivé à Bamako, mardi après-midi, pour pouvoir être présent en cas de libération de sa mère.
Turkey, UAE Openly Flouting UN Arms Embargo to Fuel War in Libya
Flight data and satellite images show both nations using large-scale military cargo planes to funnel in goods and fighters to forces or proxies inside Libya, routinely violating the 2011 UN arms embargo despite political promises to abstain.
Assassinations | Ex-ISIS member kills three “Self-Defence” members in eastern Al-Raqqah
Reliable SOHR sources have confirmed that an ex-ISIS member, who later joined the “Self-Defence Forces”, killed three members of the “Self-Defence Forces” yesterday in the SDF-controlled city of Al-Karamah town in the eastern countryside of Al-Raqqah province. The “military intelligence service” has arrested the murderer with four other members, where it is found that they are working for ISIS cells.
Russia unhappy with Turkey sending Syrian mercenaries to Azerbaijan
The head of Russia’s foreign intelligence, Sergei Naryshkin, said: “We have to be concerned about the South Caucasus becoming a new launch pad for international terrorist organisations.”
Egypt extends surprising help to US over Libya crisis
Washington’s active role is tied by analysts to the influx of foreign mercenaries in Libya and wariness about Russia’s growing role.
Egypt’s involvement in efforts led by the US State Department, represented by its embassy in Tripoli and the acting UN envoy to Libya, US diplomat Stephanie Williams, has surprised observers of Libyan political affairs, given that the US State Department is known for its support of Islamists in western Libya who are opposed to Egyptian authorities and Libyan Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, Cairo’s ally in the east of the country.
Hold Those Obituaries for the Liberal World Order
Documenting the demise of the liberal international order has become a growth industry in the foreign policy sector. In a terrific new book, “A World Safe for Democracy,” G. John Ikenberry, the premier analyst of liberal internationalism, contends that reports of its death are greatly exaggerated. The rules-based, international system may be in crisis, but its strategic and normative logic is as compelling as ever.
Turkey’s Drone War in Syria – A Red Team View
Turkey’s armed forces gained worldwide attention when its air force launched a remarkable and innovative airpower show-of-force against Bashir al-Assad’s Syrian Army. As part of a combined air and ground operation, the Turkish air force used its Anka-S and Bayraktar TB2 drones to conduct hundreds of strikes against Syrian Arab Army units to halt a Syrian advance that threatened the assorted security forces, irregular militias and terrorist groups that form the Turkish-backed coalition which has been trying to hang onto Syria’s Idlib governorate. The Turkish air campaign was brief, beginning on 1 March and ending just 5 days later, when Ankara and Moscow hammered out a regional cease-fire.