Baghdad, Iraq | AFP | It posted tens of thousands of troops in Iraq, huddled with its leaders and helped craft its laws — but with the country swamped by deadly protests, Washington is staying out of the fray. Its apparent absence during a key turning point in Iraq lays bare …
Read More »Turkey launches ground offensive against Kurdish forces in Syria
Ras al-Ain, Syria | AFP | Turkey has launched a broad assault on Kurdish-controlled areas in northeastern Syria, with intensive bombardment followed by a ground offensive made possible by the withdrawal of US troops. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced Wednesday the start of the attack on Twitter and soon after jets …
Read More »Turkey ready for Syria offensive despite mixed signals from Trump
Akcakale, Turkey | AFP | Turkey said Tuesday it was ready for an offensive into northern Syria, while President Donald Trump insisted the United States had not abandoned its Kurdish allies by pulling forces out of the area, Istanbul sent more armoured vehicles to the border with Syria on Tuesday, an …
Read More »US-backed Syria force pummels last IS bastion
Baghouz, Syria | AFP | Kurdish-led fighters backed by US warplanes tried Thursday to break the last defences of holdout Islamic State group jihadists making a suicidal last stand in a remote Syrian village. All that remains of a sprawling cross-border “caliphate” the jihadists declared in 2014 is a battered riverside …
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