Latest Articles about Middle East
Russia Pushes ‘Gas Swap’ Plans With Iran Amidst Azerbaijan-Iran Gas Talks
The Presidents of Azerbaijan, Russia and Iran—Ilham Aliyev, Vladimir Putin and Hassan Rouhani, respectively—met in Baku, on August 8, and signed a Joint Declaration committing their countries to deepening cooperation on energy. In particular, the three sides pledged to collaborate on exploring oil and natural... MORE
Islamic State’s Female Enforcer in Mosul: A Profile of Umm Anas (a.k.a. Hajiah)
Halla Diyab Female militants’ roles within the Islamic State (IS) have recently evolved, breaking from their more conventional functions as recruiters and online propagandists for the jihadist cause. Increasingly, women act as vehicles of oppression against other female militants within the group. This departure from... MORE
Back from the Dead: The Turkistan Islamic Party’s Abdul Haq al-Turkistani
Jacob Zenn One of the key militant groups in the Jaysh al-Fateh coalition in Syria, the Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP) is made up of more than 1,000 Uighurs from China’s westernmost Xinjiang region. [1] The TIP attributes its founding to Hassan Mehsum, who was killed... MORE
Chinese Military Promises Aid to Syria
China has announced a shift in its foreign policy toward Syria. During a visit to Damascus on August 14, People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Rear Admiral Guan Youfei (关友飞) noted that this year marks the 60th anniversary of relations between the two countries. He further... MORE
Political Turmoil in KRG Risks Hindering Kurdish Efforts Against Islamic State
Kurdish Peshmerga forces in Iraq have been some of the most effective in tackling Islamic State (IS) on the ground, but the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) itself has been mired for more than a year in political turmoil over the extension of President Masoud Barzani’s... MORE
Why Islamic State Is Clinging on to the Syrian City of Manbij
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) officially launched its operation to take the city of Manbij on May 31. It is one of the most strategic and difficult operations the SDF – an alliance that includes Kurdish People’s Protection Unit (YPG) fighters as well as Syrian... MORE
BRIEFS
Iraq: Islamic State Targets KRG-Administered Oilfield Islamic State (IS) fighters attacked the Bai Hasan oil field in Kirkuk, northern Iraq on July 31, killing at least four people, including oil workers and security guards. Two coordinated attacks saw suicide bombers hit the oilfield and a... MORE
‘The Spielberg of French Islamism’: A Profile of Omar Diaby (a.k.a. Omar Omsen)
Andrew McGregor The Islamic State-inspired Bastille Day atrocity in Nice that killed 84 people and injured over 300 more has brought new awareness of a strain of radical Islam that thrives behind the lights and glamour of life on the French Riviera. Nurtured in hidden... MORE
A Look at the Refugee Turned Ansbach Bomber – Mohammad Daleel
Meghan Conroy Introduction On July 26, the Islamic State’s (IS) online newsletter, al-Nabaa, published a profile of a 27-year-old jihadist who had allegedly belonged to the organization since 2013. [1] This publication was disseminated in the wake of that jihadist’s claim to fame – a... MORE
To the Gates of Mosul: A Snapshot of Sayyid Ali al-Yasseri & Sayyid Hamid al-Jazaeri, Co-Leaders of the Khorasani Brigades Shiite Militias
Nicholas A. Heras Introduction The U.S.-led international coalition against the Islamic State (IS) is preparing a campaign to seize Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city. Located in Iraq’s northwestern Ninewah governorate, Mosul is arguably the most important city controlled by IS in Syria or Iraq. As... MORE