Special to WorldTribune.com ANKARA — The Kurdish Workers Party has begun its withdrawal from Turkey. Officials said the PKK has been pulling out fighters from Turkey as part of a ceasefire agreement. “They [PKK] surely know the routes from which they have entered Turkey and can use the same routes to leave,” Turkish Prime Minister […]
Special to WorldTribune.com NICOSIA — Iran has reported a new anti-ship ballistic missile. The Iranian Defense Ministry said it oversaw the firing of a coastal missile designed to destroy Western warships. The ministry said the missile could be fired from coastal launchers toward a range of Western naval vessels in the Gulf. “The Defense Ministry […]
Special to WorldTribune.com WASHINGTON — Sunni rebels have again attacked United Nations peacekeepers in Syria. On May 7, UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon reported that Sunni rebels captured four members of the UN Disengagement Observer Force in Syria’s Golan Heights. The rebels were identified as members of the Al Qaida-aligned Yarmouk Martyrs Brigades, which operates in […]
Special to WorldTribune.com LONDON — Egypt has acknowledged a crime wave amid the rule of President Mohammed Morsi. The Interior Ministry said crime has skyrocketed over the last year as police were unable to maintain order in much of Egypt. The ministry reported a near-200 percent in homicides since the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By Brian M Downing Most accounts of the Second Iraq War (2003-11) attach great importance to counterinsurgency programs in ending the conflict there. The shift from using heavy firepower to winning hearts and minds is said to have created a “Sunni Awakening,” which changed the course of the war and brought a […]
Special to WorldTribune.com CAIRO — Libya has ordered its largest military intervention in an effort to repel militias. Officials said the Tripoli government has launched the widest use of the new North African military since the ouster of Col. Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. The officials said the military, under the command of Chief of Staff […]
Special to WorldTribune.com LONDON — A British supplier of detectors of improvised explosive devices to Iraq has been sentenced to 10 years. A British court determined that the supplier, James McCormick sold more than $50 million worth of fake bomb detectors to the Iraq Interior Ministry amid an Al Qaida bombing campaign from 2007 through […]
Special to WorldTribune.com RAMALLAH — Iran is said to have forged relationships with leading members of the Fatah movement in the West Bank. Officials said Iran and Hizbullah were seeking to co-opt members of the Fatah leadership, particularly the Central Committee. They said the campaign was meant to prod the ruling Palestinian movement into a […]
Special to WorldTribune.com ABU DHABI — Saudi Arabia has reported fresh battles with Iranian-backed Shi’ite insurgents. Officials said police came under fire from suspected Shi’ite fighters in the oil-rich Eastern Province in late April. They said a Shi’ite fugitive and organizer, identified as Abdullah Al Asri, was captured. “Security forces will not hesitate to pursue […]
Special to WorldTribune.com LONDON — Britain intends to establish a permanent military presence in the Gulf, the report said. The Royal United Services Institute asserted that Britain seeks to restore military bases in Gulf Cooperation Council states. The London-based think tank said Britain was working to reach agreements for army, air force and naval installations. […]