Turkey launches air strike on Al Qaida convoy in N. Syria

Turkey launches air strike on Al Qaida convoy in N. Syria

Special to WorldTribune.com ANKARA — Turkey has conducted air strikes on Syria. Officials said fighter-jets attacked Al Qaida-aligned targets in northern Syria. The officials cited a military strike on a convoy of Al Qaida’s Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. “A pickup, a truck and a bus in an ISIL convoy were destroyed,” the […]

Western intel agencies project Assad’s survival, re-establish contact

Western intel agencies project Assad’s survival, re-establish contact

Special to WorldTribune.com Geostrategy-Direct.com NICOSIA — Syria has reported renewed links with Western intelligence agencies. Officials said NATO and other Western intelligence agencies have resumed contact with the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad. They said the links were renewed over the last six months amid a Western assessment that Assad would survive the Sunni […]

NATO sources: Russia still shipping advanced weapon systems to Assad regime

NATO sources: Russia still shipping advanced weapon systems to Assad regime

Special to WorldTribune.com LONDON — Russia, after numerous pledges, has intensified weapons deliveries to Syria. Diplomatic sources said NATO has determined that the Kremlin approved an airlift of combat platforms and munitions to the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad. The sources said the flow of arms was detected in late 2013 and included unmanned […]

Chaos in Tripoli paralyzes training of Libyan military cadets

Chaos in Tripoli paralyzes training of Libyan military cadets

Special to WorldTribune.com CAIRO — The Western effort to train Libya’s Army has been stuck. Western diplomats said the NATO-aligned campaign to train the Libyan Army has stalled. The diplomats cited the chaos in the Tripoli government as well as feuds within the military in wake of the ouster of Col. Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. […]

U.S. plans quiet defense summit with Turkey in late January

U.S. plans quiet defense summit with Turkey in late January

Special to WorldTribune.com ANKARA — Turkey and the United States have been preparing a defense summit. Officials said U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel would arrive in Turkey and meet the leadership in late January. They said Hagel, deemed a supporter of Ankara, would seek to resolve a range of bilateral and multilateral issues, particularly Turkey’s […]

NATO data: Assad winning the war for Syrians’ hearts and minds

NATO data: Assad winning the war for Syrians’ hearts and minds

Special to WorldTribune.com LONDON — After two years of civil war, support for the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad was said to have sharply increased. NATO has been studying data that told of a sharp rise in support for Assad. The data, compiled by Western-sponsored activists and organizations, showed that a majority of Syrians […]

EU lifts sanctions on Syria oil exports from rebel-held areas

EU lifts sanctions on Syria oil exports from rebel-held areas

Special to WorldTribune.com LONDON — The European Union has lifted its energy embargo on Syria. Officials said the EU move was meant to relay aid to Sunni rebels who have been fighting the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad. They said the EU would allow Syrian crude oil exports from areas held by rebels supported […]

Western contractors warned Libyan oil facilities are next Al Qaida target

Western contractors warned Libyan oil facilities are next Al Qaida target

Special to WorldTribune.com LONDON — NATO states are urging their nationals to leave Libya immediately. Western diplomatic sources said Britain, France and the United States were warning their contractors of an imminent Al Qaida-aligned attack in Libya. The sources said Al Qaida Organization in the Islamic Maghreb was believed preparing to attack an energy facility […]

Europe gets the prize: Sixty years of peace, if not prosperity

Europe gets the prize: Sixty years of peace, if not prosperity

John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — The European Union, the concert of 27 countries ranging from the Bay of Biscay to the Baltics and the Balkans has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway. Some may smile, others may smirk, and many, when they think about it for a second time, may say […]