Special to WorldTribune.com NICOSIA — Iran has sent troops to bolster the Shi’ite regime of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki. Iran pledged to defend the Al Maliki regime in an effort to head off an Al Qaida onslaught on the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. Diplomatic sources said Teheran has deployed thousands of troops and […]
UNITED NATIONS — Like a swirling and malevolent desert sandstorm, an Islamic jihadi terrorist movement is sweeping across northern Iraq. With decisive speed, lightning gains, and sickening brutality the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has seized key cities and destabilized an ineffective government in Baghdad. Washington has been jarred by these events […]
Special to WorldTribune.com WASHINGTON — The United States has ruled out sending troops to stop Al Qaida’s advance in Iraq. The administration of President Barack Obama said the United States was prepared to increase military aid to Iraq to stop the offensive of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. But officials said this would […]
Special to WorldTribune.com WASHINGTON — The West faces an Al Qaida blowback based on Sunni foreign fighters in Syria, a report said. The Soufan Group has warned that Al Qaida could use any of thousands of foreign fighters in Syria to attack the West. Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant parade through the Syrian […]
Special to WorldTribune.com NICOSIA — The regime of President Bashar Assad has helped Christians form militias in Syria. Opposition sources said the regime has helped the minority Christian community organize militias to protect their communities against attack by Sunni rebels. The sources said the regime was sending advisers and weapons to stave off raids by […]
Special to WorldTribune.com JERUSALEM — Israel has sought to stop the recruitment of Arab citizens to fight in Syria. Officials have cited recruitment of Sunni Muslims by Al Qaida to fight the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad. The officials said the Israeli Arabs were trained by Al Qaida and turned into experienced fighters who […]
Special to WorldTribune.com CAIRO — Thousands of Moroccans have been recruited for the civil war in Syria. Diplomatic sources and analysts said that Al Qaida and other Islamist militias were focusing on recruiting Moroccans and other North Africans to fight the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad, according to a report by Middle East Newsline. […]
Special to WorldTribune.com AMMAN — Jordan has sought to block the flow of Islamist fighters to Syria. Officials said the government has ordered tightened control over Jordan’s northern border with Syria. The officials said the intelligence community was also gathering information on plots to send fighters to join the Sunni revolt against President Bashar Assad. […]
Special to WorldTribune.com ANKARA — Turkey has been assembling a portable concrete wall along the border with Syria. Officials said the wall consisted of nine-ton concrete blocks designed for rapid transfer. They said the first phase of the project would span 1.2 kilometers. “The wall was designed to block smuggling routes,” an official said. Officials […]
Special to WorldTribune.com BAGHDAD — For the first time in decades, Iraq has attacked neighboring Syria. The government of Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki said the Iraq Army attacked a convoy in eastern Syria. Officials said Iraqi helicopters fired missiles toward vehicles sent by Al Qaida’s Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. “The army […]