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☆ Syrian rebels sweep into Aleppo, Russia conducts strikes in support of Assad
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Anti-government fighters brandish their guns as they ride a vehicle in Syria's northern city of Aleppo on November 30, 2024. Russia's Defence Ministry said its air force had carried out strikes on Syrian rebels in support of the country's army, Russian news agencies reported. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, once known as the Nusra Front, is designated a terrorist group by the U.S., Russia, Turkey and other states. Acknowledging the rebel advance, the Syrian army command said insurgents had entered much of Aleppo. The rebels also took control of Aleppo airport, according to a statement by their operations room and a security source.

Persons: Jihadists, Hayat Tahrir, Sham, Bashar al, Assad, Sean Savett, Savett, Assad's, Aleppo, Ali Jumaa, Bassil al, Fighters, Maraat al Numan Organizations: Russia's Defence Ministry, White House National Security Council, Security, Reuters, for Locations: Aleppo, Turkish, redeploy, Hayat, U.S, Russia, Turkey, Moscow, In Washington, Iran, Syria, Russian, Damascus, al, Aleppo's Basel, Idlib, Aleppo's, Maraat, Gaza, Lebanon, Israel, Lebanese

☆ In a shock offensive, insurgents breach Syria’s largest city for the first time since 2016
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-30 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The advance on Aleppo followed a shock offensive launched by insurgents Wednesday, as thousands of fighters swept through villages and towns in Syria's northwestern countryside. A ceasefire in Hezbollah's two-month war with Israel took effect Wednesday, the day the Syrian opposition factions announced their offensive. Turkish security officials said Thursday that Syrian opposition groups initially launched a long-planned "limited" offensive toward Aleppo, where attacks targeting civilians originated. Besides backing opposition forces, Turkey has also established a military presence in Syria, sending troops into parts of the northwest. The opposition groups also seized heavy weapons and military vehicles belonging to the government forces, the agency said.

Persons: Hayat Tahrir, Robert Ford, Israel, Dareen Khalifa, It's, Hezbollah's, Bashar Assad's, Dmitry Peskov, Rami Abdurrahman, Abbas Araghchi Organizations: Syrian Observatory, Human Rights, International Crisis Group, Islamic, Anadolu Agency, Iranian, U.S, Zionist Locations: Rashidin, Aleppo, Hayat, Gaza, Lebanon, Israel, Russia, Iran, U.S, Syria, Hayat Tahrir, Hezbollah's, Ukraine, Turkey, Syrian, United States, Syrian Kurdish, Idlib, Damascus, Turkey's, Palestine

☆ As Syrian rebels sweep into Aleppo, army closes airport and roads, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-30 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A fighter inspects a seized Syrian Army rocket launcher in the district of Khan al-Assal which was taken over by Jihadists and their Turkish-backed allies in the northern Syrian Aleppo province, on November 29, 2024. Syrian authorities closed Aleppo airport as well as all roads leading into the city on Saturday, three military sources told Reuters, as rebels opposed to President Bashar al-Assad said they had reached the heart of Aleppo. The Syrian army has been told to follow "safe withdrawal" orders from the main areas of the city that the rebels have entered, three army sources said. The opposition fighters have said the campaign was in response to stepped-up strikes in recent weeks against civilians by the Russian and Syrian air force on areas in rebel-held Idlib, and to preempt any attacks by the Syrian army. Opposition sources in touch with Turkish intelligence said Turkey, which supports the rebels, had given a green light to the offensive.

Persons: Bashar al, Assad, Mustafa Abdul Jaber, Oncu Keceli Organizations: Syrian Army, Jihadists Locations: Khan, Turkish, Aleppo, Russia, Damascus, Iran, Israel, Gaza, Russian, Idlib, Syrian, Turkey

“The overall trend is unmistakable: The far right is gaining ground,” said Matthijs Rooduijn, a politics professor at the University of Amsterdam. But recent elections have seen the far right increasingly usurp centrist conservatives as the main right-wing force. “But that potential upper limit just keeps increasing.”The far right is “no longer second fiddle to the main right-wing party. Centrists can sometimes cobble together coalitions to keep out the far right — even if those parties are smaller individually. Whereas in France, Le Pen was kept from victory in June-July parliamentary elections by an intricate network of tactical voting between erstwhile rivals.

Persons: Donald Trump, remigrate, Geert Wilders, ”, Matthijs Rooduijn, ” Wilders, “, Le Pen, Wilders ’, Le, ” It’s, Björn Höcke, Jens Schlueter, Nadia Urbinati, Markus Wagner, ” Wagner, Jordan Bardella, Benjamin Girette, Herbert Kickl Organizations: U.S, Austria’s Freedom Party, NBC News, France’s National, Marine, University of Amsterdam, University of Georgia, London, Dutch Party for Freedom, France “, jihadists, NBC, Germany, Nazi, Ukraine —, Columbia University, Labour Party, ”, University of Vienna, France’s Rassemblement National, Bloomberg, Getty, Austrian People’s Party Locations: Germany, European, Europe, East, North Africa, France, Britain, “, Austria

CNN —Up to 600 people were shot dead in a matter of hours by al Qaeda-linked militants in an August attack on a town in Burkina Faso, according to a French government security assessment that nearly doubles the death toll cited in earlier reports. A series of coups across Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger led to the departure of French and American forces. The Russian mercenaries summoned by the juntas to bolster their grip have instead left a vacuum in which jihadists have thrived, says the assessment, given to CNN by a French security official. A view of the town of Barsalogho, Burkina Faso, where up to 600 people were killed by al Qaeda-linked militants in an August attack, according to a French government security assessment. CNN has reviewed videos of the alleged cannibalism that seem to show Burkina Faso soldiers dismembering and holding up body parts of apparent dead jihadists.

Persons: al, Nusrat al, JNIM, ”, jihadists, “, I’m, Fear, Ibrahim Traore, Zero ”, Burkina Faso’s, Traore, –, Wagner, group’s, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Donat Sorokin, ‘ Organizations: CNN, Getty, United Nations, Reuters, “, Burkina Faso’s, Civil Service, Labs Inc, Rapid Locations: al Qaeda, Burkina Faso, Barsalogho, Africa, Islam, Mali, Sahel, West Africa, United States, jihadists, Niger, Tawori, Bamako, Burkina, France, Moscow, Ukraine, Ouagadougou, Russian, Russia, Saint Petersburg, BIR, Togo, Kompienga, Togolese, Qaeda

☆ Putin pledged decades ago to conquer the horrors of Islamic extremism. Deadly Dagestan attack again proves he failed
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-24 | by ( Nick Paton Walsh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Only a fraction of the violence that raged across Dagestan on Sunday is visible at the moment, and it is already horrific. But it is particularly bad in Dagestan, where protests broke out in the earlier months of the war, as their sons had been disproportionately mobilized. Putin came to power in 1999 graphically pledging to wipe out “in the toilet” the extremists apparently behind apartment bombings in Moscow. But it is still the same problem Putin faced when he sneaked into Beslan in 2004. A raging sore for the Kremlin, and a reminder of both how Putin came to power and his limits on it.

Persons: Putin, Shamil Basayev, Vladimir Putin, –, Lenin, jihadists, ISIS’s Organizations: CNN, Hall, Kremlin, National Antiterrorism, Antiterrorism, Police, ISIS Locations: Dagestan, Moscow, North Caucasus, Moscow’s Crocus, Ukraine, Russia, Chechnya, Chechen, Chechnya’s, Beslan, Ingushetia, Boston, Makhachkala, South, Central Asia

☆ ‘ISIS isn’t done with us’: Arrested Tajiks highlight US fears of terror attack on US
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-14 | by ( Katie Bo Lillis | Josh Campbell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

By the time intelligence collected on overseas ISIS targets connected the men to the terror group, they had already been vetted by immigration authorities and allowed into the country, officials said. The men remain in federal custody on immigration charges and will eventually be deported following the counterterror investigation into them. US officials and analysts who closely track Islamist terror groups do know that ISIS-K has dramatically ramped up its online propaganda machine. But that’s not necessarily a reliable gauge of the number of actual terrorists who may be trying to enter the United States, US officials argue. Or they could belong to a legacy terror group — like the FARC — that isn’t known for conducting attacks on US soil.

Persons: ”, “ We’re, “, Michael Morell, Christopher Wray, CNN Colin Clarke, ” Clarke, ” Republican Oklahoma Sen, James Lankford, noncitizens, that’s, Clarke, — it’s, ” Said, It’s Organizations: CNN, ISIS, FBI, ICE, Islamic, Crocus, US, Affairs, Foreign Affairs, ” Republican Oklahoma, Jordanian, US Marines Locations: Tajikistan, Central Asia, Afghanistan, Europe, Moscow, United States, al Qaeda, Syria, North America, Central, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Quantico

☆ 3 Reasons This Country Is a Top ISIS Recruiting Ground
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Neil Macfarquhar | More About Neil Macfarquhar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the past year, jihadists from Tajikistan have been involved in an unusually high number of terrorist attacks or foiled plots linked to the Islamic State. Before that, Tajiks staged bloody assaults in Iran and Turkey, while several schemes in Europe said to involve Tajiks were thwarted. Hundreds of men from Tajikistan — a small, impoverished country in Central Asia controlled by an authoritarian president — have joined an affiliate of the Islamic State in Afghanistan known as the Islamic State Khorasan Province, or ISIS-K, analysts say. Poverty Fuels DiscontentTajikistan ranks among the world’s poorest countries, which drives millions of workers to seek better lives elsewhere. In a country of 10 million people, a majority of working men, estimated at more than two million, toil abroad at any given time.

Persons: — Organizations: Islamic, Fuels Locations: jihadists, Tajikistan, Islamic State, Moscow, Iran, Turkey, Europe, Central Asia, Afghanistan, Khorasan Province

☆ Opinion: Biden needs to bring US troops back from Iraq, now
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Opinion Daniel R. Depetris | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —The subject of finally concluding America’s counter-ISIS mission in Iraq has been the plot of ongoing deliberations between Washington and Baghdad for the last three years. If the Biden administration’s approach is to wait for the perfect time to get out, then it will wait for eternity. It’s worth remembering why the United States sent troops to Iraq in the first place. The mission — eliminating ISIS’ territorial caliphate — was achieved. US troops should be pulled out of Iraq and Syria now.

Persons: Daniel R, Monday’s, Joe Biden, Mohammed Shia, DePetris, Sudani, ”, Biden, Nouri al, Barack Obama, “, —, Trump, Bashar Al, Assad, Saddam Hussein, territorially, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Israel, Iran’s Organizations: Defense, Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, Politico, Street, Guardian, CNN, Iraqi, ISIS, “, Islamic State, Maliki, US, US Air Force, State Department, “ ISIS, Twitter Locations: The, Iraq, Washington, Baghdad, Israel, United States, Syria, Iraqi, Mosul, Syrian, Baghouz, Iran, Iranian, Turkey, Russia, Afghanistan, Moscow, Israeli, Tehran

The appalling attack on the vast Crocus City Hall concert venue and shopping complex near Moscow – claimed by ISIS – left more than 100 people dead. This is hardly the stability and security for which so many Russians voted for Putin. For years, the Kremlin strongman has been cast as a leader able to guarantee order in this vast, turbulent country. But now, the focus is firmly on the apparent reappearance in Russia of jihadists, unrelated to the Ukraine war or domestic opposition to the Kremlin. But for a leader who has promised security and stability to Russians, a large-scale terror attack on home soil is a powerful blow to his image.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Moscow –, Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin Organizations: Crocus City Hall, ISIS –, Kremlin Locations: Russia, Crocus, Moscow, Putin’s, Ukraine, Ukrainian, jihadists, Russian

☆ Nigeria: Suspected insurgents kidnap 50 people in northeastern region
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Reuters —Suspected Islamist insurgents kidnapped 50 people, mostly women, in northeastern Nigeria this week, local officials and a resident said on Wednesday, the latest mass abduction by fighters who have waged an insurgency for more than a decade. They were ambushed by gunmen and made to walk across bushy paths into neighboring Chad, the official said, adding that three of the kidnapped women managed to escape. The Nigerian Army did not respond to a request for comment. Barkindo Saidu, head of Borno’s emergency agency, said he was traveling to the area to assess the situation but was not yet ready to declare the people missing. The agency is in charge of camps housing thousands of Nigerians displaced by the insurgency.

Persons: Reuters —, Boko, Falmata Bukar, Barkindo Saidu Organizations: Reuters, Civilian, Task Force, Nigerian Army Locations: Nigeria, Boko Haram, Islamic, West Africa Province, Borno, Chad, Cameroon, Lake Chad

☆ Trump’s avalanche of dishonesty: Fact-checking 102 of his false claims from this fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Daniel Dale | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +111 min

Below is a fact check of 102 of Trump’s false claims from the 12 speeches. But contrary to Trump’s claim, it’s not true that people had been attempting for decades to create such an initiative. Trump’s aid to farmersIn speech after speech, Trump claimed that he had given US farmers $28 billion from China. Even if the poll result is off, it’s clear that Trump’s claim that “nobody wants them” is not true. He said he was an airline pilot.”Facts First: Trump made a false claim while mocking Biden for making false claims.

Persons: Donald Trump, –, Trump, Joe Biden, Biden, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, “, ”, Mexico’s, ‘ Trump, Defense Department –, ” Theresa Cardinal Brown, CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez, ” Trump, I’ve, Todd Harrison, Harrison, It’s, Trump’s, ” Ben Cahill, Nobody, Jimmy Carter’s, Barack Obama, isn’t, El Salvador –, Obama, we’d, Obama’s, Webster, Covid, Wuhan ”, They’d, they’d, you’d, Scott Gottlieb, ” Gottlieb, Trump Trump, it’s, Abraham, Aaron David Miller, Miller, Dana El Kurd, Qasem Soleimani, they’ve, we’re, We’re, ’, Iran haven’t, ” Matt Smith, Biden’s, Smith, Ali Vaez, Kpler, Biden Trump, Iran “, Democrats ”, that’s, Jimmy Carter, Carter “, Carter, ‘, Hillary Clinton, Kari Lake, Bill Gates, Gates, ” Chris Wallace, Chris Wallace, Hunter Biden, “ Chris Wallace, ‘ He’s, ‘ ” Trump, Wallace, “ you’re, “ Biden, ‘ You’re, Wallace interjected, Rather, you’ve, ’ ” Pavel Molchanov, Raymond James &, ” Molchanov, Tim Woody, Woody, autoworkers, CNN’s Ella Nilsen, Joe Biden’s, Erin Mellon, Gavin Newsom, Mellon, ” Vonette Fontaine, Biden “, CNN’s Matt Egan, Egan, ” Biden, Europe Trump, United Kingdom “, Brent, Pavel Molchanov, Raymond James, Patrick De Haan, GasBuddy, De Haan, Matt Smith, Matt Egan, Afghanistan Trump, we’ve, Krista Wiegand, Wiegand, ” Netanyahu, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Qasem, Bibi, Netanyahu, Soleimani, Asad, Mark Milley, Hezbollah Trump, Steven Cheung, John Kirby, Cheung, Kirby, Iran’s, ” Ali Vaez, Joseph Amon, Washington –, Faiq Zidan, Zidan’s, Zidan, Abu Mahdi al, China Trump, Ukraine Trump, Letitia James, James, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Matthew Colangelo, You’re, Bragg, Colangelo, Tanya Chutkan, I’m, Jack Smith, Bill Clinton, That’s, everybody’s, Letitia James –, Al Capone’s, Al Capone, Capone, Brad Schwartz, CNN couldn’t, Schwartz, Eliot Ness, MAGA, “ MAGA, …, White, CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, Inflation Trump, Bacon, Joe, PolitiFact, Trump . Howard Gleckman Organizations: Washington CNN —, CNN, Republican, Trump Trump, Republican Jewish Coalition, Department, ISIS, Trump’s, Democratic, Congress, Defense Department, former Defense Department, Center, US Customs, Trump, American Enterprise Institute, Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Strategic Petroleum Reserve, Energy Security, Center for Strategic, International Studies, US, IHS, Islamic, The State Department, Customs Enforcement, Policy Institute, ICE, El Salvador, ”, Merriam, The New York Times, Food and Drug Administration, FDA, Abraham Accords, United Arab Emirates, West Bank, Hezbollah, State Department, Carnegie Endowment, International, Arab Center Washington DC, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force, Obama, US International Trade Commission, Washington Post, U.S . International Trade Commission, New England lobstermen, England lobstermen, Americas, Crisis, government’s Energy, Administration, Washington Free Beacon, Energy Information Administration, Democrats, Biden, Electoral, Georgia, Michigan, Carter, Democrats can’t, Republicans, Alabama, Arizona, Fox News, ” Energy, Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Wildlife, Alaska Industrial Development, Export Authority, Raymond James & Associates, Wilderness Society, Cox Automotive, Pew Research Center, New York Times, National Oceanic, California Gov, California, American Petroleum Institute, Union, West, Energy, American Automobile Association, AAA, GasBuddy, New Hampshire, Houston, Keystone XL, Obama administration’s State Department, –, Foreign, Military, DoD, Afghan, Defense, Policy, Taiwan News, “, University of Tennessee’s Center for National Security, Foreign Affairs, Israeli, NBC, Jerusalem Post, Yahoo, Pentagon, ” CNN, Joint Chiefs, Staff, Post, National Security, Group, US government’s Defense Intelligence Agency, Narcotics Bureau, Global Health, Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health, Justice Department, Washington, Judicial, Popular Mobilization Forces, Customs and, Middle East, Customs, Protection, CBP, Border Protection, Kiel Institute, European Union, New York, New, ExxonMobil, Trump University, Trump Foundation, Manhattan, Attorney, federal Justice Department, Department of Justice, Washington DC, Presidential Records, Presidential, Mar, Biden White, MAGA Republicans, Inflation, Heritage Foundation, Trump ., Brookings Tax, Urban Institute Locations: New Hampshire, New York City, Saudi, Florida, al Qaeda, New York, Texas, Iowa, Mexico, “, U.S, Houston, Iraq, Israel, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Nord, Germany, Russian, Trump’s, Russia, Ukraine, Europe, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, El, Washington, ”, ” In Texas, Covid, China, Wuhan, Italy, France, Abraham, Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Yemen, Libya, Palestine, Afghanistan, Somalia, Pakistan, New England, England, Kpler, Malaysia, Oregon, Alabama, Maricopa County, Arizona, Arizona’s, Moscow, Alaska, East, South Carolina, California, “ California, West Virginia, Virginia, United Kingdom, West Texas, “ U.S, Los Angeles, Venezuela, Mississippi , Louisiana, Canada, United States, Paris, Taiwan, “ China, Iranian, that’s, –, Singapore, Iraqi, San Diego, Kiel, York, Manhattan, York’s, Chicago, Philadelphia, Georgia, Qaeda

☆ Herzog Says Israel Is Fighting on Behalf of the ‘Free World’
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( The New York Times | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

00:00:20.490 —> 00:00:23.310 We were in a trajectory of peace in the Middle East. 00:00:23.310 —> 00:00:25.760 We opened up Gaza to tens of thousands 00:00:25.760 —> 00:00:29.120 of employees, Gazan people who broke bread and came 00:00:29.120 —> 00:00:29.670 back home. 00:00:56.550 —> 00:01:00.300 They put on their uniform in order to defend and protect 00:01:00.300 —> 00:01:01.540 the people of Israel. 00:01:01.540 —> 00:01:03.930 And therefore, because we have the obligation 00:01:03.930 —> 00:01:06.570 to defend and protect the people of Israel, 00:01:06.570 —> 00:01:08.860 we will do whatever is necessary. 00:01:19.990 —> 00:01:23.330 And that is the real battle the world is facing.

Persons: who’ve Locations: Gaza, Israel, Europe

☆ Hamas Holds Everyone Hostage
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The civilized world is rejoicing at the release of hostages by Hamas, especially the sight of young children reunited with parents after seven weeks of hell. But that relief shouldn’t blind us to the way the jihadists are manipulating human sentiment to achieve their terrorist aims. The killers are releasing a dozen or so hostages each day in return for three times the number of Palestinians released by Israel. Hamas snatched innocent Israelis and others in a deliberate act of terror. The released Palestinians were arrested or convicted of crimes under the law.

Locations: Israel

☆ Russian forces kill 34 fighters in Syria's Idlib - Interfax agency
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 13 (Reuters) - Russian forces have killed 34 fighters and wounded more than 60 in air strikes on targets in Syria's Idlib governorate, Russia's Interfax reported late on Sunday, citing the deputy head of the Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria. "The Russian Aerospace Forces carried out air strikes in the province of Idlib on targets of illegal armed groups involved in shelling the positions of Syrian government troops," Interax cited Rear Admiral Vadim Kulit as saying of the Saturday attack. Kulit said that in 24 hours, positions of Syrian government troops were attacked seven times. Kulit also reiterated frequent Russian accusations of aircraft violation in Syria's airspace by the U.S.-led coalition saying that a number of jet and drone flights were not coordinated with the Russian side. Earlier, a source told Reuters that the United States has carried out two air strikes against Iran-aligned groups in Syria.

Persons: Vadim Kulit, Kulit, Bashar al, Assad, Lidia Kelly, Robert Birsel Organizations: Russian Reconciliation Center, Russian Aerospace Forces, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Idlib, Russia's, Syria, Aleppo, Moscow, Damascus, Gaza, U.S, Russian, United States, Iran, Melbourne

☆ Russian Forces Kill 34 Fighters in Syria's Idlib - Interfax Agency
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - Russian forces have killed 34 fighters and wounded more than 60 in air strikes on targets in Syria's Idlib governorate, Russia's Interfax reported late on Sunday, citing the deputy head of the Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria. "The Russian Aerospace Forces carried out air strikes in the province of Idlib on targets of illegal armed groups involved in shelling the positions of Syrian government troops," Interax cited Rear Admiral Vadim Kulit as saying of the Saturday attack. Kulit said that in 24 hours, positions of Syrian government troops were attacked seven times. Kulit also reiterated frequent Russian accusations of aircraft violation in Syria's airspace by the U.S.-led coalition saying that a number of jet and drone flights were not coordinated with the Russian side. Earlier, a source told Reuters that the United States has carried out two air strikes against Iran-aligned groups in Syria.

Persons: Vadim Kulit, Kulit, Bashar al, Assad, Lidia Kelly, Robert Birsel Organizations: Reuters, Russian Reconciliation Center, Russian Aerospace Forces Locations: Idlib, Russia's, Syria, Aleppo, Moscow, Damascus, Gaza, U.S, Russian, United States, Iran, Melbourne

☆ Russian forces strike drone warehouse in Syria's Idlib, Interfax reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 6 (Reuters) - Russian military forces carried out air strikes on a drone warehouse in Syria's Idlib governorate, the Russian Interfax news agency reported, citing Rear Admiral Vadim Kulit, deputy head of the Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria, on Sunday. "The Russian Aerospace Forces launched an air strike ... against a warehouse of unmanned aerial vehicles of militants involved in shelling the positions of Syrian government troops," Kulit was quoted as saying. No information about the scale of the damage or potential casualties was available. The Syrian army has blamed rebels, who it says are Islamist jihadists, for attacks on government-held areas in Idlib and Aleppo provinces and denies indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas in areas under rebel control. Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Richard ChangOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Vadim Kulit, Kulit, Bashar al Assad, Lidia Kelly, Richard Chang Organizations: Russian Reconciliation Center, Russian Aerospace Forces, Thomson Locations: Russian, Idlib, Syria, Aleppo, Moscow, Damascus, Gaza, Melbourne

☆ Two Swedes shot dead in Brussels; Belgium raises terror alert to top level
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Philip Blenkinsop | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The likely motive for the attack was the Swedish nationality of the victims, the prosecutor said. The suspected assailant, calling himself Abdesalem Al Guilani, claimed in a video on social media that he was a fighter for Allah. Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo confirmed on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, the victims were Swedish. "I have just offered my sincere condolences to the Swedish PM following tonight’s harrowing attack on Swedish citizens in Brussels," de Croo said on X. France is tightening controls at the border with Belgium after the deadly attack in Brussels, Belgian media said.

Persons: Abdesalem Al Guilani, Alexander de Croo, de Croo, Gunnar Strommer, King, Yves Herman Acquire, Ulf Kristersson, Emmanuel Macron, Allahu Akbar, Al Guilani, hamdoulelah, Salam Aleykoum, Philip Blenkinsop, Marine Strauss, Anna Ringstrom, Terje Solsvik, Richard Lough, John Cotton, Gabriela Baczynska, Stephanie Lecocq, Tassilo Hummel, Benoit van Overstraeten, Tommy Lund, Jan Strupczewski, Silvia Aloisi, Hugh Lawson, Matthew Lewis, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Islamic State, Palestinian, European Commission, Belgian, Twitter, PM, Sweden's, Reuters, Swedish, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Brussels, Belgium, Sweden, Belgian, Israel, Swedish, France, Islamic State

☆ Two Swedes shot dead in Brussels, Belgium raises terror alert to top level
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Philip Blenkinsop | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The suspected assailant fled the scene after the shooting as a football match between Belgium and Sweden was about to start, triggering a massive manhunt and prompting Belgium to raise its terror alert to the highest level. The federal prosecutor said the third victim, who was wounded but not in life-threatening condition, was a taxi driver. Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo confirmed on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that the victims were Swedish. "I have just offered my sincere condolences to the Swedish PM following tonight’s harrowing attack on Swedish citizens in Brussels," de Croo said on X. France is tightening controls at the border with Belgium after the deadly attack in Brussels, Belgian media said.

Persons: Abdesalem Al Guilani, Alexander de Croo, de Croo, Gunnar Strommer, Ulf Kristersson, King, Yves Herman Acquire, King Baudouin, Emmanuel Macron, Allahu Akbar, Al Guilani, hamdoulelah, Salam Aleykoum, Philip Blenkinsop, Marine Strauss, Anna Ringstrom, Terje Solsvik, Richard Lough, John Cotton, Jan Strupczewski, Silvia Aloisi, Hugh Lawson, Matthew Lewis Organizations: State, Palestinian, European Commission, Belgian, PM, Sweden's, Reuters, Government, Swedish, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Brussels, Belgium, Sweden, Belgian, Israel, jihadists, Swedish, France, Islamic State

☆ What is the Syrian Kurdish YPG?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 5 (Reuters) - U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish forces said on Thursday that Turkish attacks had killed eight people in an escalation prompted by a bomb attack in Ankara claimed by Kurdish militants. A Turkish defence ministry official said a ground operation into Syria was one option for Turkey, which has previously mounted several incursions into northern Syria against the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia. BORN IN SYRIAN WARThe YPG, or the People's Protection Units, emerged as a powerful armed group during the Syrian civil war, which began in 2011. It is affiliated to the main Syrian Kurdish faction, the Democratic Union Party (PYD), and has a female counterpart, the YPJ. YPG control was initially concentrated in three predominantly Kurdish regions of northern Syria - known in Kurdish as Rojava.

Persons: Khalil Ashawi, Bashar al, Assad, Abdullah Ocalan, Tom Perry, Jon Boyle Organizations: REUTERS, Kurdish, Syrian Kurdish, Islamic State, Kurdistan Workers Party, Democratic Union Party, U.S, Syrian Democratic Forces, Islamic, AS, European Union, NATO, DAMASCUS, Kurdish Regional Government, Thomson Locations: Tal Abyad, Syria, Syrian Kurdish, Ankara, Turkey, Syrian, United States, France, Kurdish, U.S, TURKEY, Damascus, Qamishli, Iraq

☆ Mali in meltdown as militants advance and U.N. withdraws
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Edward Mcallister | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/5] A man walks toward Sankore mosque, also known as the former University of Sankore, in Timbuktu, Mali September 25, 2023. "This conflict is escalating fast," said Ulf Laessing, the Bamako-based head of the Sahel programme at the Konrad Adenauer foundation. Back in 2012, French forces and the U.N. intervened to halt the advance in Mali. In Mali, fighting began in August between the army and an ethnic Tuareg group called the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA) around a base vacated by the U.N. "The problem is Mali has too few troops and too little mobility," said Michael Shurkin, director of global programs at 14 North Strategies consultancy.

Persons: Stringer, Sory Touré, jihadists, Ulf Laessing, Konrad Adenauer, Russia's Wagner, Jama'at Nusrat al, Michael Shurkin, Iyad Ag, Shurkin, Mohamed Massaya, Salaha, Aicha Sababou, Edward McAllister, Alexandra Zavis, Edmund Blair Organizations: University of Sankore, REUTERS, U.N, United Nations, Islamic, Reuters Graphics, CMA, Ghali, Transitional Council, Reuters, Authorities, Thomson Locations: Sankore, Timbuktu, Mali, DAKAR, jihadists, al Qaeda, Islamic State, West, Burkina Faso, Niger, Bamako, France, U.S, Sahara, Benin, Togo, Ivory Coast, Al Qaeda, Gao, Dakar

☆ Opinion | We All Have the Right to Mourn on Sept. 11
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Gabriella Ferrigine | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

She went instead to her office at 111 Broadway, the Trinity Building, next to the towers. She was there when jihadists plunged the first plane into the north tower, and along with everyone else in her building, she fled. Mom was on a street below near the south tower when the second plane struck. When she boarded the ferry home to Monmouth County, N.J., her blue dress suit, now gray, was still wet. The people she’d planned to meet in the south tower had died.

Persons: Michaela Ferrigine, Olivia —, jihadists, Mom, didn’t, — Organizations: World Trade, Trinity Locations: Monmouth County, N.J

☆ Britain warns of possible attacks in Denmark
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Tom Little/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 18 (Reuters) - Britain on Friday asked its citizens to be vigilant when travelling to Denmark due to possible attacks, following Koran burnings by anti-Islam activists in Denmark and Sweden that have outraged Muslims. Britain and the U.S. government have previously warned of possible attacks in neighbouring Sweden, which raised its terrorism alert to the second highest level on Thursday. "Terrorists are likely to try to carry out attacks in Denmark. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by foreigners," the British foreign ministry warned in an updated travel advice. The authorities in Denmark have successfully disrupted a number of planned attacks and made a number of arrests, it added.

Persons: Tom Little, Sweden's, Nerijus Adomaitis, Frances Kerry Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, Thomson Locations: Danish, Copenhagen, Denmark, Britain, Sweden, Oslo

☆ Factbox: What you need to know about Niger's ousted president
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum participates in a Peace, Security and Governance Forum during the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit 2022 in Washington, U.S., December 13, 2022. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/PoolAug 14 (Reuters) - Niger's ousted president Mohamed Bazoum was toppled by a military junta on July 26. Bazoum's victory in the 2021 election led to Niger's first transition from one democratically elected leader to another. Niger strengthened its alliances with Western powers under Bazoum, becoming a hub for French, U.S., German and Italian forces. Days before Bazoum was sworn in as president in 2021, a military unit tried to seize the presidential palace in an attempted coup.

Persons: Mohamed Bazoum, Evelyn Hockstein, Niger's, Bazoum, Mahamadou Issoufou, Abdourahamane Tiani, Alessandra Prentice, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Security, Governance, Africa, REUTERS, Islamic, Nigerien, International Crisis, West, United Nations, Thomson Locations: U.S, Washington , U.S, France, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, al Qaeda, Islamic State, Nigeria, West Africa's, United States

☆ Opinion: Russia capitalizes on Niger coup while US stands idly by
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( David A. Andelman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Two weeks ago, a military junta suddenly deposed Niger’s pro-American, democratically elected president. Already at least one leader of the Niger junta has met with Wagner representatives in neighboring Mali, where Wagner has developed a firm presence. Given the stakes, the initial responses by those who support Niger’s ousted president have been ill-considered and anemic. But the Wagner-supported ruling juntas in two of Niger’s neighbors immediately pledged to join with Niger’s military in fending off any such invasion, calling it a “declaration of war” against them. All have been grounded since Niger’s junta declared the entire country a no-fly zone.

Persons: David A, Niger’s, David Andelman, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Mohamed Bazoum, Bola Tinubu, Tinubu, ECOWAS’s, didn’t, Bazoum, Germany —, Putin, Antony Blinken’s, Victoria Nuland Organizations: CNN, French Legion of, The New York Times, CBS News, American, David Andelman CNN, Central African, West African States, ECOWAS, Wall Street, US, African Union, NATO, Russian, Wagner Group, Faustin, Twitter, Niger’s Locations: United States, Africa, Russia, Niger, Mali, Central African Republic, Sudan, Burkina Faso, African, Niamey, Sahel, South Asia, Afghanistan, East, North Africa, France, Italy, Germany

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