Iraqi Kurdish forces advance on ISIL-held town near Mosul

Iraqi Kurdish forces advance on ISIL-held town near Mosul

Special to WorldTribune.com Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty Iraqi Kurdish forces have launched an attack to retake a town held by Islamic State (IS) militants east of Mosul, where government forces are locked in fierce urban war with the extremists. Around 2,000 Peshmerga fighters entered the town of Bashiqa on November 7, which is […]

Turkey building a wall along its entire border with Syria

Turkey building a wall along its entire border with Syria

by WorldTribune Staff, November 6, 2016 Turkey plans to complete a 900-kilometer wall along its border with Syria by early 2017, the country’s defense minister said. “We plan to build a wall along our entire border with Syria,” Fikri Isik said on Nov. 2 during an inspection tour of military personnel and installations in the […]

President Obama uses ‘fog of elections’ to re-engage U.S. forces in Middle East before leaving office

President Obama uses ‘fog of elections’ to re-engage U.S. forces in Middle East before leaving office

Special to WorldTribune.com By GIS/Defense & Foreign Affairs Significant, and largely-unnoticed, changes, with long-term consequences, were being made in U.S. military commitments in the Middle East as the U.S. political system was preoccupied with the Nov. 8, election process. Outgoing President Barack Obama had initiated processes to attempt to commit the U.S. to comprehensive military […]

As Erdogan deploys tanks near border, Iraq warns Turkey will be treated ‘as an enemy’

As Erdogan deploys tanks near border, Iraq warns Turkey will be treated ‘as an enemy’

by WorldTribune Staff, November 4, 2016 Iraq’s prime minister warned Turkey of a possible confrontation after Turkish tanks, artillery and troops were deployed near the Iraqi border. “We do not want war with Turkey, and we do not want a confrontation with Turkey,” Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Iraqi state TV on Nov. […]

Fleeing ISIL fighters, Iran-backed militia and Turkey are all on collision course in Tal Afar, near Mosul

Fleeing ISIL fighters, Iran-backed militia and Turkey are all on collision course in Tal Afar, near Mosul

by WorldTribune Staff, October 31, 2016 As the battle for Mosul looms, Middle East watchers are focused on the nearby town of Tal Afar, where Iran and Turkey are making a play for increased influence in northern Iraq. Iraqi Shi’ite militias, who are backed by Iran, on Oct. 29 began to move toward Tal Afar […]

Turkey fires 10,000 more civil servants, shutters 15 media organizations

Turkey fires 10,000 more civil servants, shutters 15 media organizations

by WorldTribune Staff, October 31, 2016 In the latest wave of purges after the July 15 coup attempt, Turkey has sacked 10,000 more civil servants and shut down 15 more media outlets. Ankara said those let go in the new round of dismissals are suspected to have links with terrorist organizations by which is meant […]

Obama calls Turkey’s Erdogan, urges him to be team player against ISIL in Mosul

Obama calls Turkey’s Erdogan, urges him to be team player against ISIL in Mosul

Special to WorldTribune.com Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty U.S. President Barack Obama has personally intervened in a dispute between Turkey and Iraq involving the battle against the Islamic State (IS) extremist group, asking Turkey’s leader to coordinate his actions with both Washington and Baghdad. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to join the […]

Turkey moves to join fight for Mosul, sparking threat of ‘regional war’ from Iraq

Turkey moves to join fight for Mosul, sparking threat of ‘regional war’ from Iraq

by WorldTribune Staff, October 25, 2016 The United States is moving to calm tensions between Iraq and Turkey that were further inflamed on Oct. 23 when Turkish artillery hit Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) positions near Mosul. Baghdad considers Turkey’s presence on its soil a violation of sovereignty and has appealed to the […]

Americans in Istanbul warned against ‘attacks’, ‘kidnappings’

Americans in Istanbul warned against ‘attacks’, ‘kidnappings’

by WorldTribune Staff, October 24, 2016 The U.S. consulate in Istanbul has warned American citizens of the risk of “armed attacks” and “attempted kidnappings” by Islamist terror groups in the Turkish city. In a message issued on Oct. 22, the U.S. warned that jihadist groups were continuing their “aggressive efforts” to attack Americans in Istanbul. […]

Turkey-Iraq tensions mount as Erdogan puts down Abadi: ‘You are not my equivalent’

Turkey-Iraq tensions mount as Erdogan puts down Abadi: ‘You are not my equivalent’

Special to WorldTribune.com Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi should “know his place” and added that a Turkish Army contingent in Iraq will not take orders from Baghdad. Erdogan told a group of Islamic leaders in Istanbul on Oct. 11 that Iraq had requested […]

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