ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

Illustrative image On Friday, ISIS fighters withdrew from the strategic Omar oil fields in the southeastern Deir Ezzor countryside after planting dozens of IEDs and mines inside them, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported. The report added that ISIS withdrew after  the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) captured Dhiban village west of the Omar oil field . The SOHR also said that Russian airstrikes on ISIS positions inside the oil fields played a key role in the ISIS decision to withdrew from them. Moreover, some Syrian pro-government activists reported that the SAA already captured the oil fields. However, these claims are not confirmed yet. Meanwhile, Syrian opposition sources claimed that the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are also advancing towards the Omar oil fields. According to the sources, the SDF is now in only 8km from the oil fields. Due to the large size of the oil fields, the SDF might capture a part of it, even if the SAA captures the main ...

As it was previously  reported , North Korea is currently building a new submarine that would be its first operational ballistic missile sub. Designated by US intelligence as Sinpo-C, the submarine is estimated to carry at least one and perhaps two or more submarine-launched ballistic missiles. This information corresponds with the satellite  photos  showing submarine activity that emerged back in August. North Korea currently has one ballistic missile submarine, the Gorae (“Whale”), designated as Sinpo-B by US intelligence, which appears to be a test vessel, as there is no evidence that it has ever left North Korean waters. The pictures reportedly showed tarps and netting installed above the SINPO-class submarine to “obscure any activity taking place beneath them.” SOURCE: DigitalGlobe/38 North via Getty Images It looks that Pyongyang was accelerating the development of the sea-based leg of its nuclear forces made by the 38 North, an outlet devoted to infor...

Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad. FILE IMAGE: Reuters Brazil plans to reopen its embassy and restore full diplomatic relations with Syria in the hope of participating in the war-torn country’s reconstruction, according to  Bloomberg . Brazilian President Michel Temer had instructed foreign minister Aloysio Nunes Ferreira to carry out a feasibility study. Preliminary feedback from intelligence and defense officials is positive, he said, and a decision will be taken in the next few days. Brazilian foreign minister said “Our wish is to fully reactivate the Embassy and send a resident ambassador to Damascus.” In his assessment of why Brazil should expand its diplomatic presence in Syria, Nunes Ferreira said the country was a “hot spot of world politics” and home to an estimated 1,500-strong Brazilian community. When the war ends, Brazilian companies could participate in the reconstruction, he added. Brazil is also home to a significant community of Syrian and Lebanese origin...

On October 20, a suicide attack hit the Shiite Zaman Mosque in Dasht-e-Barchi area of the Afghan capital, Kabul city, according to Afghan sources. The Afghanistan Ministry of Interior Affairs confirmed in an official statement that 39 civilians were killed, and 45 others were injured in the attack. The Afghan Tolo news TV channel reported that ISIS announced that it was behind the attack on Zaman Mosque. However, the ISIS-linked news agency Amaq didn’t say that ISIS claimed responsibility for it. Meanwhile in the central province of Ghor, another suicide bomber targeted a Sunni Mosque in Daleema district, according to Afghan sources. Mohammad Iqbal Nezami, a spokesman for Ghor province police, said that 33 civilians were killed in the suicide attack. Nezami also said that the suicide bomber was targeting a local commander from the anti-Taliban Jamiat party. The Taliban did not claim responsibility for the suicide attack on the Ghor mosque yet. However Afghan...