war
Sykes-Picot: The map that spawned a century of resentment
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...
EXCLUSIVE: THOUSANDS of British troops resign ‘due to low morale’, sparking safety fears
FOREIGN soldiers are urgently being drafted-in to fight for Britain because thousands of regular troops are resigning, official figures show. Droves of military personnel are handing-in their notices – largely due to low morale – meaning rules are being changed so hundreds of foreign fighters can sign-up to defend...
Military Drones Flood War Skies Over Syria, Iraq
When an Iraqi solider heard a buzzing sound overhead last month in Iraq’s Anbar province, he took aim and shot down what looked like a bird-sized model plane. After studying the device, Iraq’s Ministry of Defense said it was a surveillance drone available for purchase on the Internet for less than a $1,000...
MoD accused of ‘negligence on a grand scale’ as troops sue over controversial malaria drug
BRITISH troops who say they were left with serious mental health side effects after taking a controversial anti-malaria drug are taking legal action against the Ministry of Defence. The group of armed forces veterans say they have suffered hallucinations, severe depression, sleep deprivation and anxiety as a result of the...
Protecting Europe from ballistic missiles
America's latest addition to its Ballistic Missile Defence System looks out of place surrounded by mile after mile of flat Romanian farmland. The building at Devesulu, which houses radar and 12 interceptor missile tubes, appears remarkably similar to the "sensors and shooters" that have already been placed on US...
US naval commander demoted after Iran’s capture of sailors
The US Navy has demoted the commander of 10 US sailors who in January entered Iranian territorial waters and were briefly detained. In a statement, the US Navy said it had lost confidence in Eric Rasch, who was in charge of a riverine squadron at the time of the incident in the Gulf. A Navy official said Cmdr Rasch had been...
‘We could have been there’: Squadron member speaks out on stalled Benghazi response
His squadron got the alert: a “real world mission was going down.” The team – at Aviano Air Base in northeastern Italy – raced to the field and was briefed, as planes were armed and prepared to launch. Hundreds of miles away, fellow Americans were under attack in Benghazi. "There were people...
TRUTH behind the Gibraltar row: How US submarine threatened Royal Navy to act on Spain
THE commander of a US nuclear submarine threatened to ram a Spanish customs vessel trying to block its path unless the Royal Navy vessel escorting it took action. Last week it emerged that a Royal Navy patrol boat fired warning flares across the bow of the Spanish vessel during the altercation just outside Gibraltar...
EXCLUSIVE: Send the army to IRELAND before BREXIT TIME BOMB erupts, warn UKIP
THE British Army should be deployed to the Northern Ireland border immediately or the UK will face an influx of migrants, traffickers and drug dealers, a senior UKIP politician has urged. David McNarry, the chair of UKIP Northern Ireland, said armed patrols of the 500 kilometre long border were essential in preserving...
Syria conflict: Aleppo ceasefire extended by three days
A truce in the Syrian city of Aleppo has been extended for three days to "prevent the situation from worsening", the Russian defence ministry says. The Syrian army announced a two-day truce on Wednesday, after two weeks of clashes left nearly 300 civilians dead. The truce is part of international efforts to build on a...
Islamist Rebels Seize Village Near Aleppo, 73 Killed: Monitor
Rebels seized a village from government forces near Aleppo overnight, a monitoring group and rebel sources said on Friday, gaining important ground near the Syrian city where the United States and Russia are trying to de-escalate the war. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 73 people had been killed in the battle for...
