Tag Archives: Islamic State

How the United States and Iraq tried, but failed, to disband the Kurdish Peshmerga

Posted on September 23, 2017

by Paul Iddon. Coming Monday, September 25, 2017, the Iraqi Kurds will hold a referendum on the independence of the Iraqi Kurdistan and the adjoining disputed territories (see also Patrick Truffer, “The Kurds in Iraq: Is Their Pursuit of Autonomy … Continue reading →

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Assad and the Russians turned their noses up at Raqqa operation

Posted on September 2, 2017

by Paul Iddon. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his Russian backer were extremely dismissive towards the United States-backed operation that is removing Islamic State (ISIS) from the group’s de-facto Syrian capital city Raqqa. At first, in last April he mocked … Continue reading →

Posted in English, International, Iraq, Paul Iddon, Russia, Syria, Terrorism | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

A Turkish attack on Afrin could spark a full-fledged war in Northern Syria

Posted on July 13, 2017

by Paul Iddon. Unlike the other three Kurdish regions in the Middle East, Syrian Kurdistan (known among Kurds as West Kurdistan, or Rojava) is not contiguous. The ruling authorities in Syria over the years attempted to keep the Kurds divided … Continue reading →

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The significance of Iran’s missile attack on Syria

Posted on July 3, 2017

by Paul Iddon On the night of June 18 Iran fired six long range missiles from its western provinces at Islamic State (ISIS) to the eastern Syrian city of Deir Ezzor in retaliation for the June 7 terrorist attacks in … Continue reading →

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US MOAB strike in Afghanistan was very Putin-esque

Posted on June 5, 2017

by Paul Iddon. The United States’ 21,600 pound (9,800 kg) GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast “Mother of All Bombs” (MOAB) saw its combat debut in Afghanistan in mid-April against the terror organization “Islamic State” (ISIS) in a massive retaliatory strike … Continue reading →

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The ISIS drone threat

Posted on May 10, 2017

by Paul Iddon. In a 1993 televised panel discussion about the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), and potential ballistic missile threats from countries like North Korea and Iran, scholar Russell Seitz briefly touched upon the simple forms in which asymmetrical threats … Continue reading →

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From Kalibr cruise missiles to the Kuznetsov: How significant is Russia’s power projection in Syria

Posted on December 11, 2016

On November 14, Russia lost a MiG-29K Fulcrum, which crashed while attempting to land on its only aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov. The incident happened as the Kuznetsov was en route to Syria, where it is to participate in Russia’s … Continue reading →

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Can Turkey capture ‘the Gate’ to Aleppo?

Posted on November 29, 2016

Turkey’s Free Syrian Army (FSA) proxy paramilitary allies are presently no less than two kilometers outside of the Islamic State (ISIS)-held city of al-Bab in northwest Syria. The last city that ISIS hold in that part of Syria. Al-Bab’s name … Continue reading →

Posted in English, International, Syria, Turkey | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The Taliban is learning from ISIS and al-Qaeda

Posted on November 27, 2016

by Austin Michael Bodetti. He is a student in the Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program at Boston College. He focuses on the relationship between Islam and conflict in Syria and Sudan. While the Taliban is seeing its greatest successes in over … Continue reading →

Posted in Afghanistan, Austin Michael Bodetti, English, Security Policy, Terrorism | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Islamic States’ limited anti-air and anti-tank capabilities won’t turn the tide of battle

Posted on November 25, 2016

Just two and a half week into the ongoing operation to recapture Islamic States’ (ISIS) primary, and last, Iraqi urban stronghold Mosul, the militants successfully took an American-made Iraqi Army M1A1 Abrams tank out of action with an anti-tank missile … Continue reading →

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