The increased level of Turkish cooperation with American efforts against the Islamic State (ISIS) has produced the uncomfortable side effect of the Turks declaring open season on our most vital ally, the Kurds. At least the Turks are making good on their promise to allow more extensive American use of their airbases, as the Pentagon says armed US drones are now operating from the Incirlik Air Base.
Relatives of fallen Kurdish People’s Protection Unit (YPG) fighters in Turkey say the Turkish government is denying permission for the bodies to return to Turkish soil to be buried. A group of 12 bodies, including that of a German national fighting in Syria, have been waiting in a refrigerated truck on the Syrian border for more than one week for permission to enter Turkey.
Over 50 Yazidis attended a demonstration outside of the United Nations building in Erbil, Iraq, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, one year after the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) slaughtered thousands of Yazidis in Sinjar. Protesters demanded action against ISIS to help free the numerous females still held by the terrorist group.
A senior United Nations official says Islamic State is circulating a slave price list for captured women and children, and that the group’s ongoing appeal and barbarity pose an unprecedented challenge.
Selim Suleiman al-Haram, a leader of the ISIS-affiliated militant group known as Sinai Province, was killed in a shootout, according to the Egyptian government.
Republican presidential candidate and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush stated that he would take military advice “very seriously” and use special forces to fight ISIS, but that he wasn’t sure if boots on the ground were “necessary” at Monday’s Voters First
U.S. officials announced Sunday that the Pentagon will defend American-trained Syrian rebels against attacks from the Syrian Armed Forces – the military forces controlled by Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Damascus.
A man named Ebrahim B., a German Tunisian, released details about life with the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) after abandoning his duties as a jihadi for the group. He hopes his journey will change minds of young people who still want to join ISIS.
Masoud Barzani, the president of the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq, is calling for the Marxist terror group the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to leave Iraq completely, as civilians have died in Turkish airstrikes targeting the group. Barzani also condemned Turkish forces for killing civilians in his territory.
Contents: Big losses expected Monday when Greece’s stock market reopens; Puerto Rico to default on Tuesday; Venezuela’s collapsing economy receives $5 billion from China; Venezuela in border dispute with Guyana; Turkey returns to war with the Kurdish PKK
Nigeria liberated 71 people held hostage by ISIS-affiliated Boko Haram jihadists in the northeastern city of Maiduguri, including 66 women and children, according to the country’s military.
Last week at the The Aspen Security Forum 2015 held by The Aspen Institute, Department of Homeland Security chief Jeh Johnson said it is “critical” we do not refer to ISIS as “Islamic extremism.” Johnson said, “ISIS I think would
The Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) released two Indian teachers out of the four they abducted last Wednesday in Libya. Indian Foreign Minister Sushama Swaraj tweeted about the release.
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Chechen women conned the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL/IS) out of almost $3,300 after they pretended to be prospective brides for terrorists. Instead, the three women wanted to use the money for a vacation.
According to the Kurdish Rudaw news agency, Turkish airstrikes against Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) targets destroyed a health clinic in the Amediye district of Duhok. The clinic is said to have serviced several nearby villages. No casualties were reported.
Yemen’s internationally-recognized president has decreed that armed groups fighting against Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen merge with his national army units in an apparent effort to bring ground forces on his side together.
Turkey Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioğlu visited Kurdistan Regional Government President Masoud Barzani to discuss Turkey’s plan with the United States to defeat the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL). The talks took place in Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan.
Kuwaiti authorities have arrested five men who are allegedly connected to the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL).
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The Prime Minister of Iraq, Haider al-Abadi, took to Twitter on Tuesday to condemn the Turkish government for participating in a “dangerous escalation” of violence against Kurdish targets in northern Iraq, after announcing they would limit their attacks to creating an “anti-ISIS” zone in the Syrian heartland.
An Assyrian Christian militia group has asked NATO to stop Turkey from attacking Syria, since the military is shelling the Kurdish militia People’s Protection Unit (YPG). The YPG, and its female counterpart the YPJ, are seen by many in the region as the last line of defense from the Islamic State.
Discussing Turkey’s recent military action in Syria and Iraq, CNN quotes Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu blaming the Western world for creating ISIS by failing to remove Bashar Assad from power in Syria–a long-standing strategic objective of the Turks.
The Islamic State-affiliated terrorist group Boko Haram has killed 29 people this week after raiding two Christian villages in northern Borno State. The attacks occurred as Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari is in Cameroon to meet with President Paul Biya regarding a strategy to eliminate the terror syndicate.
A Western New York man is in federal custody after being charged with attempting to join ISIS in the Middle East, the FBI said Wednesday.
