Introduction In the mainstream view, al-Qaeda did not play a role in the Syria conflict until Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi dispatched his deputy, Abu Muhammad al-Jolani, to Syria in August 2011 to establish a wing of the group there, called Jabhat al-Nusra, or the Nusra Front. Additionally, al-Qaeda allegedly did not carry out any military operations until December 2011 and did not announce its establishment until January 2012. However, there is evidence that al-Qaeda affiliated militants were involved in the Syrian conflict much earlier. Saudi intelligence...
Deir Ezzor
US Airstrikes Kill 32 Civilians in Eastern Syria
Airstrikes pound one of the last ISIS towns in Deir Ezzor Via Antiwar.com. US airstrikes against the town of Souseh, one of the last ISIS-held territories in Syria’s Deir Ezzor Province, killed at least 32 civilians, many of them women and children, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. This is one of two towns still under ISIS control in eastern Syria, which have been targeted by an offensive by US and Kurdish forces. These are among the first major airstrikes hitting the town itself in the past 24 hours. US officials have yet to comment on the matter, but it’s not hard...
Is the U.S. Planning a Long-Term Presence in Syria?
As gains are made against the Islamic State and other Islamist rebel factions in Syria, the United States appears ready to prevent the Assad regime from making major advances in the eastern half of the country, possibly suggesting plans for a long-term U.S. presence. In both Syria and Iraq, Iran-backed Shi'ite militias play an active role in the fight against the Islamic State, assisting the Assad government with operations against ISIS and other rebels, and aiding a U.S.-led coalition in efforts to clear ISIS out of Mosul, the group's Iraqi capital. On Monday, a Shi'ite militia, part of...
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Hotter Than The Sun: Time To Abolish Nuclear Weapons
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