The United Nations says it fears for the safety of an estimated 10,000 families trapped in Falluja as Iraqi forces press in to retake the city from ISIS. Fierce fighting has been raging around Falluja since Iraq's military launched an offensive Monday to reclaim the traditionally Sunni-dominated city, about 65 kilometers...
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has announced the start of a military operation to retake Falluja from so-called Islamic State (IS). "Zero hour for the liberation of Falluja has arrived. The moment of great victory has drawn near," he said, adding IS had "no choice but to flee." Iraq's military has...
Female Italian EU boss behind migrant chaos set to order BRITISH ARMY into battle It comes as the UK leads the EU’s high-readiness European Battle Group, which could see senior British Army officers take direct orders from Brussels Eurocrats. Despite owing its allegiance to the Crown, the British Army was even...
The apparent death of Taliban leader Mullah Mansoor on Saturday won’t have an immediate impact on the military operations of the insurgent group, which has been expanding in recent months, analysts and Afghan government officials said. “The political leadership does not really impact the military operations,”...
A STATE-OF-THE-ART missile more advanced than the fearsome Brimstone used to destroy Islamic State hideouts is being developed by British manufacturers. The £400 million project will enable the UK's next generation of fighter jets to tackle terrorist groups in the Middle East. Spear 3 is from the same family of...
The Libyan unity government on Thursday called on the international community to provide it with arms to help fight Daesh. The government’s call comes hours after 32 of its fighters were killed in battles with Daesh, west of the coastal city of Sirte. The Associated Press quoted a statement by the government published on...
Two Chinese fighters have carried out an "unsafe" intercept of a US military aircraft over the South China Sea, the Pentagon says. The incident happened in international airspace on 17 May as the US maritime reconnaissance aircraft carried out a routine patrol in the area, it added. Tensions in the region have...
Human rights concerns are growing over the deteriorating situation of tens of thousands of Tatars since Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula, considered part of Ukraine, two years ago. “Since April 2014, Crimean Tatars have been subjected to arbitrary searches, seizure of books and arrests. Allegations of ill-treatment...
U.S. Representative Keith Ellison doesn’t mince words about the Islamic State group. In an interview with VOA’s Afghan service, Ellison, a Muslim American whom IS threatened recently with death, lashed out at the group, its message and its methods. “Daesh, they are neither Islamic nor a state,” Ellison...
World and regional powers have begun fresh talks aimed at putting the Syrian peace process back on track. Germany's foreign minister told reporters in Vienna that the aim was to strengthen a fragile truce and boost humanitarian aid. That would encourage the opposition to resume negotiations on a political settlement to end...
CRACK British special forces could soon be using wing suits to launch deadly silent attacks against Islamic State fanatics. The SAS is reportedly trialling gliding kits, which could replace traditional free-fall parachute jumps behind enemy lines. The hi-tech outfits mean soldiers can travel further and faster, surprising the...
Reaching its centenary amidst a general chorus of vilification around the region, the legacy of the secret Sykes-Picot agreement of 1916 has never looked more under assault. As Iraq lurches deeper into turmoil and disintegration, Kurdish leaders in the already autonomous north are threatening to break away and declare outright...