
Contents: Turkey’s politics become vitriolic after Suruç massacre; In major reversal, Turkey will let US use Incirlik to fight ISIS in Syria; Turkish soldier killed by ISIS in first gunfight across Syrian border
by John J. Xenakis24 Jul 2015, 4:00 AM PST0

On Wednesday, Kurdish militants allegedly shot two Turkish police officers, asleep in a shared residence on the Syrian border, they believed were collaborating with ISIS. The shooting has inflamed already dangerous tensions between Kurds and the Turkish government.
by John Hayward23 Jul 2015, 6:11 PM PST0

Contents: Riots and violence across Turkey after Monday’s suicide bombing in Suruç; PKK kills 2 Turkish police officers in retaliation for Suruç blast; Syria’s war comes to Turkey after Monday’s terror attack on Suruç; Greece’s parliament approves European lender reform demands
by John J. Xenakis23 Jul 2015, 6:02 AM PST0

Contents: Kurds blame Erdogan for ISIS terrorist attack in southeastern Turkey; Philippines reinforces grounded ship to challenge China in South China Sea
by John J. Xenakis21 Jul 2015, 4:00 AM PST0

ISIS has had a complicated relationship with poultry. Back in April, they were reportedly snatching boxes of frozen chicken away from starving people and burning them, because the chicken allegedly failed to meet the caliphate’s religious dietary standards. Now the UK Daily Mail reports that ISIS is conscripting chickens into service as suicide bombers.
by John Hayward20 Jul 2015, 10:09 PM PST0

Despite recent gains in national elections, Kurds in Turkey are threatening strikes against the country’s dam construction sites in Kurdish territory in the southeast. A statement from the Union of Kurdistan Communities, known by the acronym KCK, said that the construction project is primarily military in nature and, therefore, violates the ceasefire the group negotiated with the government.
by Michael Lucchese16 Jul 2015, 6:43 AM PST0

As the Syrian Kurdish army, the YPG and YPJ, continues its fight against the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL), a battalion of fighters’ mothers man the kitchens and galleys ensuring their armies do not go hungry.
by Mary Chastain15 Jul 2015, 12:26 PM PST0

Turkey would struggle to cope with a new influx of refugees from Syria’s civil war, and many of them would likely end up trying to get into Europe, Turkey’s EU Affairs minister warned in comments published on Friday. Turkey is
by Reuters10 Jul 2015, 1:16 AM PST0

A new report unveils the effectiveness of the Islamic State’s new fanatical murder squads, shooting anyone with a “more attractive and compelling vision” who happens to come into range.
by John Hayward9 Jul 2015, 7:55 PM PST0

Turkmen groups in western Syria, close to the border with Turkey, are working to create an independent militia to combat both the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) and any advances made by the Kurdish YPG forces, which have been the only group to enjoy success in keeping ISIS from sweeping through Syria’s border towns.
by Frances Martel7 Jul 2015, 9:13 AM PST0

As a variety of Kurdish forces continue containing the Islamic State’s advance in Syria and Iraq, leaders are becoming increasingly vocal about the establishment of an independent Kurdistan, with some sources close to the ground telling Fox News that Kurds are dedicated to the formation of a new state “whether the U.S. likes it or not.”
by Frances Martel3 Jul 2015, 8:12 AM PST0

Contents: Greece’s chaos continues as banks are closed; Turkey considers invasion of Syria to prevent a Kurdish state; Jordan makes plans for Syria invasion to protect its northern border
by John J. Xenakis30 Jun 2015, 4:00 AM PST0

Reports surfaced over the past week of Islamic State (ISIS) terror attacks on the much-abused Kurdish border city of Kobani in Syria, but it now appears ISIS only recaptured parts of the town for a few days. Kurdish forces have reportedly driven ISIS from Kobani for the second time this year. The victory came at horrible cost, as NPR reports ISIS may have killed about 300 civilians over the past 24 hours, many of them slaughtered in a brutal house-to-house massacre.
by John Hayward29 Jun 2015, 6:21 AM PST0

Contents: Pakistan gives ‘Save the Children’ a partial reprieve; Turkey denies responsibility for ISIS massacre on Kurds in Kobani; European leaders prepare for Greece to default
by John J. Xenakis26 Jun 2015, 4:00 AM PST0

Kurdish forces have successfully defeated Islamic State terrorists in a late Tuesday battle near the jihadi group’s headquarters in Raqqa, Syria. The Kurdish troops’s latest victory comes on the heels of a successful mission last week that saw its YPG-led forces capture a Turkish border town from ISIS, according to reports.
by Jordan Schachtel24 Jun 2015, 6:43 PM PST0

According to Kurdish officials, eight of the 22 ISIS fighters killed by recent coalition airstrikes in northern Iraq were German nationals. The airstrikes were conducted in the Aski Mosul region, west of the ISIS stronghold in Iraq, the city of Mosul. Kurdish forces were said to be involved in providing intelligence for the air campaign.
by John Hayward22 Jun 2015, 7:46 PM PST0

Keith Broomfield is the first American to die fighting against the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL). His father told mourners at the funeral that God led his son to Syria to battle against the sadistic radical Islamic group.
by Mary Chastain21 Jun 2015, 7:27 PM PST0

As Turkey’s majority Islamist Justice and Development Party (AKP) scrambles to build a coalition government in the legislature, the largest minority party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), has suggested pairing up with other minority parties to keep the AKP out of the ruling coalition entirely.
by Frances Martel16 Jun 2015, 9:10 AM PST0

Kurdish media outlet Rudaw has released a comprehensive report on the death toll of the Syrian Civil War, which has been ongoing for over four years.
by Jordan Schachtel13 Jun 2015, 8:38 AM PST0

American Keith Broomfield has been killed while fighting against the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL/IS) as a volunteer with Kurdish units, according to reports on Kurdish social media. The U.S. State Department has confirmed Broomfield’s death and has been in contact with his family.
by John Hayward11 Jun 2015, 10:23 AM PST0

urkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has submitted his formal resignation in a procedural move necessary for Turkey to begin rebuilding its government after shocking election results that left the nation with no parliamentary ruling party. The majority AK Party to which Davutoğlu belongs must now attempt to form a coalition with at least one other minority party for Turkey’s Parliament to function.
by Frances Martel10 Jun 2015, 7:24 AM PST0

Turkey’s parliamentary elections on Sunday have resulted in a fragmented legislature that has significantly weakened the power of ruling Islamist AK Party, while bringing to power a record number of Kurds, Christians, women, Yazidis, and even members of the Roma minority.
by Frances Martel8 Jun 2015, 8:26 AM PST0

SINJAR, Iraq– Yazidi men and women are taking up arms and joining the Peshmerga to help in defeating Islamic State, as thousands of refugees continue to take shelter on Sinjar Mountain, ten months after President Obama declared the mountain had evaded humanitarian disaster.
by Tera Dahl4 Jun 2015, 6:21 AM PST0

A communist organization in Spain has been filtering Spanish citizens into Iraq and Syria to fight with the communist Kurdish PKK against the Islamic State. The fighters, most serving as snipers protecting Kurdish and Yazidi areas, assert that they have a responsibility as communists to “further the advancement of this region’s proletariat.”
by Frances Martel3 Jun 2015, 9:28 AM PST0

Last February’s Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks proved a thriller. Behind 28-24 with 26 seconds left, the Seahawks had a first down on the Patriots one-yard line. With one of the best running backs in the league, the Seahawks were expected to run. Surprisingly, Seattle’s coach called for a pass play over the middle; the ball was intercepted and the Seahawks lost.
by James Zumwalt2 Jun 2015, 10:37 AM PST0