As many have heard the Kurdish referendum led to an overwhelming “yes” vote from the Kurdish population. Iraq’s government didn’t exactly agree with this decision. They, along with the US, decided to not recognize this vote. As tensions began to rise, so did the fear of an all out civil war. With the state of the middle east being as… Read more »
Source: Reuters AGHDAD (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urged the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan region on Monday to resolve their conflict over Kurdish self-determination and disputed territories through dialogue. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson smiles alongside Qatar’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani during a media availability after their meeting, in Doha, Qatar… Read more »
Source: ABC news The Islamic State militants came into the Syrian town with a hit list. By the time they left three weeks later, more than 70 civilians had been killed — shot or beheaded, their bodies dumped in farms and ditches. The apparent revenge killings in the town of Qaryatayn underscore the ability of the extremists to inflict heavy… Read more »
Source: The Guardian An independence referendum supposed to strengthen the Kurds’ position ended in a retreat in which Iranian influence was key Kurds displaced from Kirkuk by the ongoing conflict between Iraq the Kurdistan region protest outside the US Embassy in Erbil. Photograph: Elizabeth Fitt/Rex When the guns fell silent on the Kirkuk-Erbil road, just after noon on Friday, a… Read more »
Source: ABC news In ongoing standoff following a referendum for an independent state separate from Iraq, Kurds in northwestern Iraq have suffered significant losses, including areas that supply much of the region’s revenue. Iraqi Kurds lost another major territory on Tuesday to Baghdad, surrendering the town of Sinjar — one day after losing the oil-rich Kirkuk. Alaa Al-Marjani/ReutersMembers of Iraqi… Read more »
As we spoke about in our last regional report, the middle east is truly one big dumpster fire. I feel like thats a bit harsh to say but it truly is a total mess. with the poorly drawn lines that don’t match up with their ethnic lines and all the terrorism and fighting that comes with it. War and terror… Read more »
source: cnbc Delil Souleiman | AFP | Getty Images Syrian Kurds wave the Kurdish flag, in the northeastern Syrian city of Qamishli on September 27, 2017, during a gathering in support of the independence referendum in Iraq’s autonomous northern Kurdish region. Iraq stopped selling dollars to leading banks in Kurdistan and banned foreign currency transfers to the autonomous region on… Read more »
source: fox Over 90 percent of Iraq’s Kurdish population have now voted for independence from Iraq. While the referendum is not binding, it reflects the will of a minority group that has a long history of persecution and statelessness. The independence referendum is an important step toward remedying a historic injustice inflicted on the Kurdish population in the aftermath of… Read more »
source: the guardian A Russian airstrike has killed 38 civilians as they tried to cross the Euphrates river to escape fighting in eastern Syria’s Deir ez-Zor province, a monitor has said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in Britain, said nine children were among those killed as they tried to cross the river aboard rafts, escaping from areas where… Read more »
(CNN) Forces aligned with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad made an incursion Wednesday into the 55km “de-confliction zone” surrounding the US base located at the At Tanf garrison in southeastern Syria, according to the US-led military coalition fighting ISIS. “There was an incursion into the de-confliction zone,” coalition spokesman US Army Col. Ryan Dillon told CNN, adding that after the pro-regime… Read more »