ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

206,000 people have fled the fighting between US-backed Iraqi forces and ISIS militants since the start of the offensive in October – and as many as 15,000 children in the last few days alone Terror etched on his face, this desperate civilian is made to strip by a nervous soldier to prove he is not a terrorist suicide bomber. He is just one of thousands fleeing ISIS in Mosul , northern Iraq – many carrying children and screaming for mercy as special forces troops advance. The Iraqi soldiers, who have lost hundreds of comrades to suicide bombers, order the adults to strip to show they aren’t bearing explosives. These were the heartbreaking and humiliating scenes over the weekend as the troops smashed their way into ISIS’s last remaining Iraqi stronghold. Figures released yesterday show 206,000 people have fled the fighting between US-backed Iraqi forces and ISIS militants since the start of the offensive in October – 40,000 in the past week. READ MORE ISIS dumps 4,000 corpses in gian...

The Jaish al-Islam terrorist group, known to be supported by Saudi Arabia, has launched a Soviet-made ‘Scud’ missile against government forces positions in the Damascus countryside. UPD: according to more detailed reports, it was a Zelzal missile Jaish al-Islam allegedly captured some missiles in the Qalamoun area in 2013. The usage of these missiles are a clear indication that Jaish al-Islam, which keeps positions in the Eastern Ghouta region near the Syrian capital, is not going to follow a ceasefire agreement promoted by Damascus, Tehran, Ankara and Moscow in the so-called “Astana format”.

Originally appeared at ZeroHedge Just day after we highlighted “Silent Hunter” – China’s new vehicle-slicing laser gun – it appears the US military is stepping up the propaganda on its own ‘hi-tech weaponry’. Air Force Special Operations Command plans to install and test combat lasers on AC-130 gunships within a year. The Pentagon has been experimenting with laser weapons for decades. In 2009, the Advanced Tactical Laser — fired from a C-130 — burned a hole in the hood of a truck. The Air Force and the Pentagon’s Missile Defense Agency spent billions of dollars putting a laser on the nose of the 747 jetliner that would be used to shoot down ballistic missiles. The project was canceled in 2012. Webb acknowledged that the project, which didn’t field an operational aircraft, left a bad taste in people’s mouths. In 2014, the Navy deployed a laser on an amphibious transport dock in the Persian Gulf. The captain of the ship was given permission to use the laser as a defensive weapon. ...

Syrian troops are in the area of Palmyra The Syrian army and the National Defense Forces (NDF) have retaken the Jazal Oil Field from the ISIS terrorist group in the province of Homs. The army and the NDF entered the Jazal Oil Field northwest of the recently liberated ancient city of Palmyra last weekend, engaging ISIS terrorists in an intense fighting. On Monday, government troops fully took control of the area, according to pro-government sources. The visual confirmation of reports is not available. The recently formed 5th Army Corps, trained and equipped by Russia, has been participating in the operation.

Original by Rostislav Ishchenko published by Rusvesna , translation by J.Hawk In his interview with the PolitVera channel, Rostislav Ishchenko, a well-known political scientist and the president of the Systems Analysis and Prognosis Center, explained why Petro Poroshenko has not made the decision to end the Donbass blockade. “Avakov, who says he has no orders, needs no additional orders in order to restore order. Just as General Zakharchenko, the Minister of Internal Affairs under Yanukovych, did not need any additional orders or authority in order to end the street riots. This is the law enforcement’s responsibility. Avakov likewise needs no additional orders or authority to end the Donbass blockade and the infractions of the law. Imagine being beaten on the street, then asking a passing police patrol why they didn’t intervene, and hearing that they had no orders. Avakov is simply passively waiting, he doesn’t want to take measures because if Poroshenko gives orders to scatter the b...