Syria – US permits and then opposes Turkish assault on the Kurdish north. Fears that IS may rise from the ashes.
Articles tagged: ‘IS’
The Libyan blind alley
Posted onHaftar’s military operation to take Tripoli seems to have failed. His foreign supporters. Need for an international conference and a political solution.
Syria: more bloodshed
Posted onSyria – inconclusive fighting in Idlib province and elsewhere. Peace talks not dead.
Tunisia – a black day
Posted onTunisia – President Essebsi survives a health crisis. Jihadi attacks. Economic problems breed discontent.
Mauritania elects a president
Posted onGhazouani peacefully elected as president of Mauritania in place of Abdel Aziz – no change. Economy doing well.
Yemen – talk peace, make war
Posted onStockholm peace process for Hudaida continues, but so does escalation of the war with Houthi attacks on Saudi territory. Two more tankers hit. Since our posting of 13 May the war in Yemen has continued unabated, not only between the Houthis and the Saudi led coalition forces; Al Qaeda and IS remain active, though largely against each other. Pro-coalition statements routinely describe the Houthis as “Iran backed“, but independent commentators argue that while there is certainly Iranian involvement the Houthi/Iranian relationship is pragmatic and limited. The war has increased …
Libya: oil and water
Posted onLibya – descent into civil war. Oil revenue and drinking water supplies under threat.
Syria – kaleidoscope of war
Posted onSyria – IS eliminated as a territory. Regime still seeking full control, but (about) five other armies have their own agendas.
Tankers sabotaged near the Gulf
Posted onFour oil vessels damaged off Fujaira. Little detail – no casualties or pollution. No claims of responsibility.
Yemen – glacial progress
Posted onYemen – Houthi withdrawal in Hudaida a small first step. The war goes on. Some unease among the arms suppliers.