Special to WorldTribune.com ANKARA — Turkey has acknowledged military operations in Syria. Prime Minister Recep Erdogan said Turkish troops were sent to northern Syria to protect the tomb of Suleyman Shah. Erdogan said a military convoy was sent to the tomb, some 25 kilometers inside Syria and under Turkish sovereignty. “The job of our convoy […]
Special to WorldTribune.com NICOSIA — A leading rebel commander has been killed in the Al Qaida war in Syria. Abu Mohammed Al Ansari was killed in the northern Syrian province of Idlib on April 16 in the latest attack by the rival Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Al Ansari, a commander for Al […]
Special to WorldTribune.com WASHINGTON — The United States has been training Iraqi special operations forces to quell the Sunni revolt. Officials said U.S. advisers were training and mentoring Iraqi SOF units in the war in Anbar. The officials said the advisers were training the Iraqis in urban warfare, counter-insurgency techniques, bomb detection and coordinated helicopter […]
Special to WorldTribune.com NICOSIA — The war between Al Qaida militias has resulted in heavy casualties in Syria. Opposition sources said nearly 3,000 people have been killed in the war between Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant and rival Islamist militias. They said ISIL was focusing its attacks on the rival Al Qaida-aligned Nusra […]
Special to WorldTribune.com BAGHDAD — Al Qaida has increased operations in a northern Iraqi province. Security sources said Al Qaida’s Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant expanded its presence in the Diyala province. The sources said ISIL was targeting Iraqi officials, politicians, and police in the northern Sunni-dominated province. “ISIL has moved from Anbar […]
Special to WorldTribune.com BAGHDAD — Al Qaida has moved military operations to Iraq’s capital ahead of parliamentary elections. Officials said Al Qaida in Iraq was targeting military bases and critical facilities in an attempt to torpedo elections on April 30. They said Al Qaida’s Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant was recruiting fighters from […]
Special to WorldTribune.com ABU DHABI — A Kuwaiti minister has been challenged to confirm allegations by the United States that he helped fund Al Qaida. Kuwaiti Justice Minister Nayef Al Ajmi was accused by a senior U.S. official of promoting what was termed terrorism. Al Ajmi, who also serves as Islamic Affairs minister, was also […]
Special to WorldTribune.com NICOSIA — The Syrian Army has been working on encircling the nation’s largest city. Western diplomats said the Army, backed by Hizbullah and other Iranian proxies, was moving steadily into Aleppo. They said forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad were advancing into Aleppo from three directions and reached the Old City […]
Special to WorldTribune.com WASHINGTON — The U.S. intelligence community has determined that President Bashar Assad would maintain his regime in Syria. The intelligence community concluded that Assad was winning the war against Sunni rebels. Officials said Assad was exploiting rebel infighting to capture large areas of the country over the last year. “I believe that […]
Special to WorldTribune.com BAGHDAD — Iraq has been attracting foreign fighters for the Sunni revolt. Officials said Western and other nationals were flowing into Iraq to join the Al Qaida-led Sunni revolt in Iraq. The officials cited recruitment by Al Qaida’s Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, which has seized large areas of Iraq’s […]