Israeli Intelligence chief : We do not want isis defeat in Syria
By GPD on June 17, 2016 The Zionist intelligence Chief, Major General Herzi Halevy, said that the last three months have been the most difficult for ISIS since its inception.In […]
I still volunteer in the aid and development sectors But Now?
Source: ET We — and I still volunteer in the aid and development sectorsperiodically — are the unarmed soldiers on the frontlines these days. Most of us make informed decisions about going into harm’s way. Polio vaccinators are more likely driven to the job by poverty rather than the humanitarian […]
‘No dialogue between Syrians’
Oct 05,2016 – JORDAN TIMES – MICHAEL JANSEN Damascus is an island of relative normality at the centre of a storm. While most of its suburbs have been cleared of insurgents by the army, there is still fighting in Al Hami, 8.5 kilometres from the capital, and a standoff at […]
UN’s failures
Oct 04,2016 – JORDAN TIMES – OSAMA AL SHARIF At 70, one would think the United Nations’ conflict resolution record would be credible enough to provide hope for millions of people caught in complex conflicts in many parts of the world. But the reality is different. The record is dismal […]
U.S. Suspends Talks With Russia Over Syria
Source: Time By Matthew Lee / AP (WASHINGTON) — In a sharp deterioration of relations, the U.S. on Monday suspended diplomatic contacts with Russia over Syria, while Moscow halted cooperation on a joint program for disposal of weapons-grade plutonium. The U.S. move followed a threat last week from Secretary of State […]
Why the fight for Aleppo is a turning point in the Syrian war
Laura King Families huddle terrified in basements, stalked by staggeringly powerful explosions shaking the streets above. Wounded children writhe untreated on dirty clinic floors. Hospitals and rescue centers — a ravaged city’s last ragged line of defense — crumble daily into rubble, often appearing to have been methodically targeted. Even by the […]
Aleppo-educated Rumi, Messiah missing to an extremist world
October 1, 2016 September 30 was the birth anniversary of Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi, Persian poet and Sufi master born in 1207, and the Rumi Day named in his honor as a globally acclaimed poet. Born in Balkh, then part of eastern Iran but now in Afghanistan, Rumi went to […]
Watching Trump and Clinton debate Isis from my home in the Middle East was as predictable as it was absurd
‘We have to knock the hell out of Isis – and we have to do it fast,’ Trump told the world. Well, sure, but haven’t we all been knocking the hell out of Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Syria, even Lebanon, and achieving the constant rebirth of ever more vicious warriors, of which […]
The US has ‘no plan B’ in Syria to stop Russia operating without accountability, experts warn
US Secretary of State defends diplomatic efforts as Aleppo burns under a ferocious Russian-backed attack by the Syrian regime Bethan McKernan Beirut The US has been boxed into a corner in the face of a huge Russian-backed military escalation in the Syrian civil war, several experts have said. US Secretary […]
Different protagonists, and objectives, in Syria
Sep 25,2016 – JORDAN TIMES – Amer Al Sabaileh A new phase in the Syrian crisis was triggered by the Turkish intervention in the north of the country. While there are many reasons for this Turkish move, it very quickly ended the dream of a Kurdish state, which has been floated recently. […]
‘Do not play politics with Syrian Christians’
Sep 26,2016 – JORDAN TIMES – JAMES J. ZOGBY Elliott Abrams, a former Reagan and Bush administration official and a former colleague on the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), wrote the article “The United States bars Christian, not Muslim, refugees from Syria”, provocative, as its title suggests, but […]
Misunderstanding of region, Islam mars global anti-terror fight — King of Jordan
By JT – Sep 26,2016 – JORDAN TIMES His Majesty King Abdullah speaks to Scott Pelley of CBS’ ’60 Minutes’ during a recent interview (Photo courtesy of Royal Court) AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah has said that “misunderstanding” of Islam and the region among Western allies and […]
In battle for Iraq’s Mosul, many forces with many motives
By AP – Sep 25,2016 – JORDAN TIMES In this August 13, 2016 file photo, soldiers from the 1st Battalion of the Iraqi Special Operations Forces are stacked against a building during a training exercise to prepare for the operation to re-take Mosul from Daesh militants in Baghdad, Iraq […]
Syria conflict: US and UK rhetoric ‘unacceptable’ – Russia
Source: BBC Russia has criticised the US and UK for using “unacceptable” tone and rhetoric in speeches on Syria at the UN, after being accused of “barbarism”. On Sunday, US […]
Iraq oil fires could jeopardize mission to retake Mosul from Islamic State forces
An Iraqi government soldier celebrates in front an Islamic State group flag covered in graffiti in the town of Sharqat, around 80 km (50 miles) south of Mosul, Iraq, on Friday. | AFP-JIJI WORLD Iraq oil fires could jeopardize mission to retake Mosul from Islamic State forces AP SEP 24, […]
Turkey wants to join U.S.-led operation against Islamic State in Raqqa – Erdogan
Reuters International SEP 25, 2016 – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses the United Nations General Assembly in the Manhattan borough of New York, U.S. September 20, 2016. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz (reuters_tickers) ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkey wants to join the United States in a military operation to push Islamic State […]
Dramatic Footage Shows Syrian Girl’s Rescue From Rubble
Source: Time Dramatic footage of a young Syrian girl’s rescue from the rubble following an airstrike emerged on Friday, the latest in a string of videos highlighting the human toll of war on civilians in the rebel-held areas of Aleppo. The video obtained by Sky News shows men, including rescuers […]
Russian election data offers clues on troop strength in Syria
Moscow has declined to divulge the size of its military contingent backing up Al Assad Published: 16:09 September 22, 2016 Reuters Moscow: Data showing how many Russian citizens in Syria took part in a weekend election for a new Russian parliament suggests the Kremlin may have around 4,000 military […]
Signs of panic and rebellion in the heart of Islamic State’s self-proclaimed caliphate
Source: The Washington Post By Loveday Morris and Mustafa Salim BAGHDAD — The graffiti that appeared on a wall near the mosque in Mosul where the Islamic State leader declared […]