Last week some of might have read my artice – Turkish Kidnapping: ISIS? – in which I questioned the validity of the claim made by Marc Pierin – a Carnegie Europe scholar published by Voice of America – that ISIS was responsible for the kidnaping of 18 Turkish construction workers in Bagdahd on 2nd September. … Read More
ISIS responsible for another Turkish kidnapping in Iraq? I’m not so sure that the Islamic extremist group is to blame this time. There’s alot more here than meets the eye. Turkey, like many other countries is used to having its nationals captured, but it has a far better record of getting them back. In 2013, … Read More
In May 2015, ISIS seized the city of Palmyra, the UNESCO World Heritage Site that lies in the Syrian Desert 215km north east of the capital Damascus. Another World Heritage Site the city of Hatra in northern Iraq has already become a casualty of the fanatical group. The question is; will ISIS destroy ancient Palmyra? … Read More
As Iraq is pushed closer to chaos by IS/ISIS forces, there is concern that Afghanistan – the other country invaded as a result of the policies undertaken after 9/11 – will follow, as troops from the NATO derivative ISAF, will be pulled out later this year. However before the Afghans can look at the scheduled pull … Read More
Two Cardiff men have been big news lately, their faces captured on a video enticing other young Muslim men to join in the fight in Syria. Reyaad Khan (20) and his friend Nasser Muthana also 20, have been missing since late last year, and now according to Nasser’s father, his 17-year-old son Aseel is … Read More
Iraq, three years after the withdrawal of Western Coalition forces is falling apart. Is it a straightforward result of Western intervention or is there more? Lets consider the wider context of Iraq, ISIS and the Sunni- Shia Split. As the ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) juggernaut gathers pace, it seems that the Iraq … Read More
