(AL JAZEERA): Ten Egyptian security personnel, including three army officers, have been killed in two roadside bombings during a security operation in Egypt’s troubled Sinai peninsula on Thursday, an Egyptian army spokesman said. The explosions hit the security vehicles during a raid on a group affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS). Security… Read more »
In both Iraq and Syria, anti-ISIL forces have been making tremendous strides in their fight against the Islamic State. Starting with Syria, the ancient city of Palmyra has recently been recaptured by the Syrian government with the backing of Russia and Iran. Palmyra, the UNESCO world heritage site, has been heavily contested, with the city itself being captured by ISIL… Read more »
Al Jazeera: The advance slowed during several days of bad weather, but was renewed on Sunday. The latest gains have brought government troops and police closer to Mosul’s densely populated Old City, where hundreds of thousands of civilians are believed to still be trapped under ISIL rule. The Iraqi government says 65,000 people have left Mosul in an attempt to… Read more »
Al Jazeera: US-backed Syrian fighters have cut the last main road out of Raqqa, the de-facto capital of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group, according to Kurdish military sources and a Britain-based monitor. If confirmed, it would be a major advance for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US-backed mainly Kurdish Syrian group, in its phased… Read more »
Al Jazeera: The Syrian army said it has recaptured the ancient city of Palmyra from ISIL for the second time in a year with help from allied forces and Russian warplanes. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group seized Palmyra in a surprise advance in December after having been driven out eight months before. “With backing from the… Read more »
Since the approval of the Constitution in 2005, the Iraqi government has still been far from stable, though President Trump may have unknowingly exposed how conflicted the Iraqi Federal Government actually is. What set forth this divide between the Legislative and Executive Branches was President Trump’s temporary travel ban, which included all Iraqi citizens, including US Green Card and Visa… Read more »