[Published here January 22, 2021]
Twin suicide blasts in Baghdad claimed by the Islamic State group have exposed gaps within Iraq’s security forces, weakened by the Covid-19 pandemic, rival armed groups and political tensions.
Continue reading[Published here January 22, 2021]
Twin suicide blasts in Baghdad claimed by the Islamic State group have exposed gaps within Iraq’s security forces, weakened by the Covid-19 pandemic, rival armed groups and political tensions.
Continue reading[Published here on January 15, 2020]
Ain al-Asad Air Base (Iraq) (AFP) – Moments after volleys of Iranian missiles began to batter Iraq’s Ain al-Asad airbase, US soldiers at the desert facility lost contact with their ultra-powerful — and expensive — eyes in the sky.
[Published here on July 6, 2018]
From second city Aleppo all the way down to the border with Jordan, Syria’s longest highway cuts through fertile fields of green, buzzing industrial zones and four major cities.
[Published here August 29, 2017]
Jurud Ras Baalbek (Lebanon) (AFP) – The dust-covered soldiers, armoured vehicles and tents may not look very official, but they mark the first time Lebanese troops have deployed in this sliver of land along the Syrian border.
[Published here on August 5, 2017]
Beirut (AFP) – From special forces officer to brigade-hopping rebel, Abu Jaafar has seen Syria’s uprising from all angles. But after years of setbacks, culminating in cuts to US support, he feels disillusioned.
[Published here on March 2, 2017]
Beirut (AFP) – Syrian troops backed by Russian jets completed the recapture of the historic city of Palmyra from the Islamic State group Thursday, the Kremlin and the army said, in another blow to the jihadists.
[Published here on November 12, 2016]
Mosul (Iraq) (AFP) – “Two grooms are coming,” a low voice crackles over the walkie-talkie, prompting a lanky Iraqi special forces soldier listening in Mosul to shout: “Boys! They’ve just dispatched two suicide bombers!”