Tag: syria

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World // Arab and U.S. Forces Surge Against ISIS

The Syrian Defense Forces (SDF), Turkish militias, Kurdish forces, and U.S. personnel have begun an offensive against the ISIS stronghold in Raqqa, Syria. SDF told CNN it established a joint operations center last Saturday, and launched the “Euphrates Rage” mission on Sunday.

Raqqa is the “de facto” capital of ISIS territory, according to CNN. Its population of 200,000 is held down by roughly 5,000 militants. The city has been under ISIS control since the summer of 2014, according to CNN. According to SDF leaders, the retaking of Raqqa may take up to two months as forces seek to isolate ISIS positions in the city.

The U.S. will support operations with air cover and military advisors according to NPR. Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff General. Joseph Dunford told CNN that the US and Turkey are drafting a long term plan for “seizing, holding, and governing” Raqqa provided the Euphrates Rage operation is successful.

The commencement of the Euphrates Rage came just days after Iraqi forces’ surge against the ISIS stronghold in Mosul. The offensive to recapture Mosul is the result of several months of united Iraqi, Kurdish, and U.S. effort, according to NPR. Coalition spokesman Colonel. John L. Dorrian said to CNN, “In the meantime we will continue shaping operations like airstrikes against Da’esh leaders, command and control and resources. This is the first step in a campaign that will be conducted deliberately.”

“Doing operations simultaneously with the campaign to liberate Mosul will complicate command and control for the enemy, giving them more problems to solve than their flagging command and control can manage,” he added. As with Raqqa, Mosul has been under ISIS control since summer 2014, according to Al Jazeera, which also reported dozens of decapitated bodies found by Iraqi forces.

If control of Raqqa is successfully wrested from ISIS, there may be conflict between the Kurdish and Turkmen militias. According to Reuters and NPR, Turkey is concerned about Kurdish influence spreading into northern Syria as a result of the planned takeover. The Kurds and Turks have long-standing tensions, despite joining forces against a common enemy.

Mark Lowen of BBC stated “The Kurdish participation is problematic,” because “Kurdish fighters are accused of expelling Arabs from areas they’ve taken in the north and Raqqa has an overwhelming Arab majority.”

NPR reported that the coalition stated the Arab troops involved in the operation will be key in the aftermath of the offensive, as they are “indigenous to the area and will help establish regional support for SDF operations.”

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International News

Shooting in Tunisia Museum

On Wednesday, March 16, gunmen entered and open fired on The Bardo Museum in Tunisia killing 19 people and injuring at least 20 more.

The museum, according to CNN, is housed in a 19th century palace, and calls itself “a jewel of Tunisian heritage.” The museum hosts exhibits featuring art, culture and history, marble sculptures, furniture, jewels, and mosaics dating from the back to the Roman and Carthaginian era, including one of the widely known poet, Virgil.

imgresAccording to Reuters, a London based news agency, the gunmen, dressed in military uniforms, stepped off of a bus and began open firing on tourists. Two of the gunmen then fled inside the museum with hostages.The two gunmen inside the building were later killed and are believed to be Tunisians, while the other three gunmen are still believed to be at large. Their identities, as well as their motives remain unclear.

Among the dead were five Japanese tourists and visitors from Poland, Germany, Italy, and Spain, as well as at least one Tunisian native, according to Reuters. In addition to the deaths, there were another 20 tourists and two Tunisians wounded in the attack.

While there is no solid evidence linking ISIS to the attack, many factors are forming suspicion of the influence of the Islamic State. The biggest factor causing suspicion, according to The New York Times, was the celebration of the attacks by ISIS supporters via social media which cited a video released by supporters in December that claimed there were ‘more attacks to come.’ Boubakr Hakim, a Tunisian militant, urged for the support of the Islamic state and claimed responsibility for the assassinations of two liberal Tunisian politicians and warned authorities, “You will not live in safety as long as Tunisia is not ruled by Islam.”

Another one of the largest indicators of the Islamic State’s involvement with the shooting is, according to New York Times, it’s emergence as one of the largest sources of foreign fighters joining ISIS. According to The International Centre for the Study of Radicalization in London, “Up to 3,000 Tunisians are believed to have traveled to Iraq and Syria to fight as jihadists, more than any other country.” While the country has not experienced as much violence as other nations that were part of the Arab Spring, it has experienced its share of outbreaks and protests. The Arab Spring, which took place in Tunisia, sparked protests throughout North Africa and the Middle East and was a revolutionary wave of non-violent and violent demonstrations, protests, and civil wars that took place in the Arab world.

Despite Tunisia’s transition from dictatorship to dictatorship, it’s recent completion of presidential and parliamentary elections, and “ a peaceful handover of political power from one governing party to another,” authorities have struggled to handle periodic attacks by Islamic extremists. According to CNN, in February 2015, Tunisia’s Interior Ministry announced the arrests of about 100 alleged extremists, and “published a video allegedly showing that the group possessed a formula for making explosives and a photograph of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.”

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News

World // ISIS Crisis Continues

The violent acts being committed by the Sunni-Islam extremist group ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) has prompted the United States and other nations take military action. ISIS, which has its base in Raqqa, Syria, has taken over large areas of Syria and Iraq. The group has declared this area to be the “Islamic State,” according to a CNN article. Its oppressive rule and interpretation of Islamic law has been ravaging civilians, including ethnic and Christian minorities. Video of public executions has been released on the internet as ISIS continues to tighten its grip in the Middle East.

MaryCroninAccording to CNN, the beheadings of two American journalists was an impetus to the United States’ military intervention. The offensive has mostly included missile strikes by sea followed by air raids by bombers and fighter jets. According to the US military, training compounds, headquarters, storage facilities, supply trucks, and armed vehicles were hit in the initial strike on Tuesday September 23. The Pentagon also stated that some ISIS operatives were hit, but the number was not specified.

Other nations have joined the United States, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Bahrain, and Qatar. As stated by a Washington Post article, France has also lent its support to the offensive.

According to Army Gen. Ray Odierno, who was quoted in the Washington Post, there is a possibility that civilians may be at risk as ISIS moves from more open areas with visible targets to urban areas. “We’ll have to determine that, as we go forward, if we can sustain the level of preciseness that is necessary to limit civilian casualties,” he cautioned.

Another complication threatening progress in the fight against ISIS may arise. Though there has been much cooperation in the Arab world with the West on this matter, the fact that ISIS is technically a Sunni Muslim group may be problematic for some governments. As stated in a CNN article, some governments may face dissent from their people, and they disagree with Sunnis fighting against other Sunnis.

Furthermore, Syria has cited disregard of its sovereignty, according to the New York Times. The nation has complained that American military actions on its soil without its cooperation is a violation of sovereign rights. President Obama and other US officials, on the other hand, insist this is not the case. Civil war in Syria helped extremist movements like ISIS to take root and spread, and Obama contends that by striking only ISIS and not “Mr. Assad”, the United States is helping Syria, thus the nation’s sovereignty is still intact.

Recent action involved the US-led air strikes targeting ISIS positions in northeastern Syria while the Syrian government aimed at other insurgents near its capital, Damascus this past Saturday. Meanwhile, ISIS attacked a Kurdish village near the Turkish border, according to the New York Times. At roughly the same time, two car bombs were detonated in the Syrian city of Homs, killing at least 45 people, including 41 children. The group has not taken official responsibility for this, though it is likely that it is responsible because of their recently increased presence in Homs. This, among other issues, has caused even more civilians to flee to Turkey, joining more than 150,000 refugees already there, the New York Times reported.

Military officials, including General Odierno, have dismally predicted that this conflict could endure much longer than previously anticipated.

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News

Saudia Arabia Refuses Security Council Seat

For the first time in the history of the United Nations, a member has denied an offer to take a Security Council seat. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia bluntly refused its elected position on Friday, October 18, citing its frustrations with what it perceives as the U.N.’s inability to resolve conflicts such as the Syrian civil war.

Courtesy of jpost.com
Courtesy of jpost.com

According to Al-Jazeera, the Saudi Foreign Ministry stated that “[a]llowing the ruling regime in Syria to kill its people and burn them with chemical weapons in front of the entire world and without any deterrent or punishment is clear proof and evidence of the U.N. Security Council’s inability to perform its duties and shoulder its responsibilities.” Saudi Arabia is an active supporter of Sunni Muslim rebels attempting to overthrow the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a member of the Alawites, an offshoot of Shi’a Islam. The Kingdom has also expressed its frustrations regarding the international community not punishing Assad’s regime enough after a chemical weapons attack killed over 1,400 civilians last August. Reuters reports that the director of Saudi intelligence, Prince Turki al-Faisal, finds an agreement made by both the United States and Russia that requires Syria to destroy its chemical weapons stockpile to avoid punishment militarily “lamentable.” This agreement was approved unanimously by the Security Council.

Because no country has ever refused an offer to sit on the Security Council, the U.N. is unsure on how to resolve this predicament. The Washington Post quotes Gerard Araud, France’s U.N. Ambassador as saying “there is no agreed procedure, because it is the first time that it happens.” Currently, it is thought that the Asia group, a group in the U.N. that selects the Arab member to the Security Council, will have to select a new candidate for approval by the 193-member U.N. General Assembly to take the seat. This scenario, however, will only happen once Saudi Arabia sends an official notification to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Though Saudi Arabia has been boisterous in denying its Security Council offer, Ban has yet to receive an official rejection notification from the Kingdom. Thus, the current view of the U.N. is that Saudi Arabia, despite its rhetoric, has taken its seat on the Security Council for the next two years until an official rejection statement is sent.

The Security Council is a 15-member body that decides the fate of U.N. resolutions regarding issues around the world. There are five permanent members that hold veto power over any and all resolutions: the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and China. There must be no vetoes from any of the permanent members in order for a resolution to be approved. The ten other members are elected for two year terms. Although they do not hold veto power, these members can influence debates and offer insight on the benefits and flaws of a resolution. After their terms are over, these countries step down from the Security Council and new members are elected. Besides Saudi Arabia, other newly selected members of the Security Council include Lithuania, Nigeria, Chile, and Chad.

 

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News

Finally an Agreement on Syria?

Hopes are rising as possible breakthroughs are underway in the deadlock gripping world powers concerning the Syrian civil war. This is a result of a possible United Nations resolution calling for international control of the Syrian government’s chemical weapons stockpile currently being considered.

Mideast_Syria-08c3c
Courtesy of www.washingtonpost.com

During talks at the recent G-20 meeting of the top twenty world economic powers, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said in an offhand comment that Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad could avoid American airstrikes if his government handed over “every single bit” of its chemical weapons stockpile to the international community. Later, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that Russia had taken Kerry’s comments into consideration and would propose a “feasible, clear and concrete plan” that would focus on Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal.

After the deaths of over 1,400 civilians in a suburb in the Syrian capital Damascus on August 21, U.S. President Barack Obama threatened limited military strikes against the regime of President Assad as punishment. Obama, however, has mustered little international support as Britain, a close U.S. ally, voted against participating in airstrikes against Assad. French President Francoise Hollande supports military action against Syria, but is reluctant to intervene without greater support from the international community. Domestically, Obama faces an uphill battle in his bid to win congressional support before authorizing military strikes. After 12 years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, many Americans oppose more involvement in another Middle Eastern conflict.

Some countries do support U.S. airstrikes in Syria. Saudi Arabia, a vocal critic of Assad and supplier of weapons to Syrian rebels, implored the Arab League to endorse airstrikes. Turkey, a one-time close ally of Assad but now a supporter of his overthrow, has also called for airstrikes. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin is a staunch opponent of outside intervention in Syria, warning of the serious consequences of what could follow if the U.S. follows through on its threats against Assad.

Syria is a main purchaser of Russian weaponry and is Moscow’s last Cold War-era ally in the Middle East. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council and with the power to veto any and all sanctions, Russia has rejected all Western-backed resolutions that condemn Assad’s regime and call for his resignation. Instead, Putin has called for dialogue between the Assad regime and the rebels seeking to overthrow him. Moscow also endorses the creation of a transitional government that includes Assad. Consequently, Washington and Moscow have been at constant odds over creating a unified international response to the Syrian civil war. Plans for peace talks in Geneva, Switzerland between the Syrian government and rebel officials collapsed and for much of the G-20 meeting the U.S. and Russia remained divided, particularly regarding airstrikes.

But with this potential resolution calling for Assad to hand over Syria’s chemical weapons, the permanent members of the Security Council, the U.S., Britain, France, Russia, and China, seem to be inching closer to an agreement. France is adding on to Russian proposals by calling for a clause that specifically condemns the chemical attacks. Assad, seeking to avoid potential U.S. airstrikes, has accepted the Russian resolution. If Assad fails to comply with the resolution, however, his regime will, again, face the threat of military strikes in consequence.

Since its beginning in March 2011, the civil war in Syria has claimed over 100,000 lives.  Nearly a third of the country’s population has been displaced and millions of Syrians have fled abroad as refugees.