Republican offensive will complicate Obama’s bid to implement Iran deal

Republican offensive will complicate Obama’s bid to implement Iran deal

Special to WorldTribune.com Republicans in Congress intend to hold Iran accountable on several fronts where lawmakers say the Obama administration has delayed action or failed to act. This week, Republicans held five separate committee meetings aimed at shining a light on Iran’s compliance with the nuclear deal, its recent missile tests, human rights violations and […]

Morocco is in ‘complete solidarity’ with Saudi over Gulf region threats

Morocco is in ‘complete solidarity’ with Saudi over Gulf region threats

Special to WorldTribune.com Morocco on Feb. 10 signaled it stands with Saudi Arabia against threats in the Gulf region and backs the Saudi-led effort to “defend the legitmacy” of Yemen. “We are in complete solidarity with Saudi confronting any interference in its internal affairs,” Moroccan Foreign Minister Salaheddine Mezouar said during a joint press conference […]

Obama lectures Arab leaders on importance of being ‘responsive’ to citizens

Obama lectures Arab leaders on importance of being ‘responsive’ to citizens

Special to WorldTribune.com The U.S. president, who many critics say would rather be on the golf course than dealing with his constituents, gave Arab leaders a lecture on Feb. 8 on the importance of being “responsive” to their citizens. “As we’ve seen in the tumult across the Middle East and North Africa, when governments do […]

Two members of Jihadi John’s ‘Beatles’ beheaders cell identified

Two members of Jihadi John’s ‘Beatles’ beheaders cell identified

Special to WorldTribune.com Two terrorists have been identified as members of infamous executioner Jihadi John’s “Beatles” cell that beheaded several Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) hostages. Alexe Kotey, 32, and Aine Davis, 31, both of London, became known as “The Beatles” by their hostages because of their British accents, according to an investigation […]

Mosul Dam at ‘higher risk’ of failure, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers assesses

Mosul Dam at ‘higher risk’ of failure, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers assesses

Special to WorldTribune.com The lives of over a half million Iraqis are at risk if the Mosul Dam were to collapse and that risk has increased in the past year, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In an assessment made public by Iraq’s parliament on Feb. 8, the Corps of Engineers said it […]

‘Useless’: N. Korean satellite ‘tumbling in orbit,’ U.S. official says

‘Useless’: N. Korean satellite ‘tumbling in orbit,’ U.S. official says

Special to WorldTribune.com North Korea’s recently-launched satellite is “tumbling in orbit,” rendering it virtually “useless,” a U.S. official said. If the description is accurate, the satellite launched by Pyongyang on Feb. 7 would be incapable of functioning in any useful way, a senior U.S. defense official told CNN. Kwon Ki-hyun, a spokesperson for South Korea’s […]

Russian air power, Iran-backed militias help Syrian forces advance toward Turkish border

Russian air power, Iran-backed militias help Syrian forces advance toward Turkish border

Special to WorldTribune.com Syrian forces, in a major offensive supported by Russian air power and Iran-backed militias, advanced toward the Turkish border on Feb. 8. The Syrian advance and relentless Russian air strikes in recent days have led to one of the biggest shifts in momentum of the five-year war. The offensive by President Bashar […]

Iraq deploys thousands of troops to retake Mosul from ISIL

Special to WorldTribune.com Baghdad is preparing for a major offensive in Mosul, mobilizing thousands of troops in a plan to drive Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) out of its main Iraqi stronghold. The Iraqi army has sent large numbers of soldiers to a base near Mosul, officials said on Feb. 8. “Units from […]

Erdogan rules out meeting Egypt’s Sisi over death sentences for Brotherhood

Erdogan rules out meeting Egypt’s Sisi over death sentences for Brotherhood

Special to WorldTribune.com Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he will not meet with Egyptian President Abdul Fatah Sisi until Egypt lifts the death sentences of Mohammed Morsi and other Muslim Brotherhood leaders. “My stance on that issue is clear; in the first place, I will not meet Sisi until the decisions of death penalty […]

ISIL, said to fear uprising, executes 300 by firing squad in Mosul

ISIL, said to fear uprising, executes 300 by firing squad in Mosul

Special to WorldTribune.com Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) has executed 300 people in Mosul, Iraq. “Daesh (ISIL) terrorists executed 300 people by firing squad in Mosul,” said Mahmoud al-Sourji, a spokesman for Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces on Feb. 7. Those executed were “Iraqi police personnel, army troopers and civilian activists,” Arabic-language al-Sumaria satellite television network […]