ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

Written by  Hadi Gholami Nohouji For journalists and especially for those working at TV stations, it has never been easy to cover terrorism-related news, but things got much harder with the sudden advances made by the Islamic State (ISIS) in both Iraq and Syria in 2014, and the de facto establishment of its self-proclaimed Caliphate. ISIS, through its heavy reliance and use of social media as a propaganda tool, rapidly shocked the world with its savagery and barbarity. It continues to find new and horrifying ways of effectively “entertaining” the audience and attracting media attention. This violent group was by no means the first group to carry out such savage acts which it put on display through its social media accounts, but it was effectively the first to record (in a professional manner) and distribute them as means of getting fame and terrorizing the global community. One of the groups affected by the barbaric videos and images distributed by this group were and c...

Written by  Brian Cloughley ; Originally appeared on  strategic-culture.org After over sixteen years of foreign military occupation, Afghanistan, the fourth  most corrupt country  in the world, continues to be battered and blasted by war. Its citizens are victims of suicide attacks by insane savages and, according to the magazine  Stars and Stripes , the number of US bombs dropped on Afghanistan in March 2018 “was the highest for that month in five years. While ISIS is being pushed underground in Iraq and Syria, the number of fighters pledging loyalty to the group appears to be growing in Afghanistan.” But it isn’t only the ravages of war that are destroying the country. The social fabric is being terminally torn asunder by human rights violations that are either ignored or condoned by both the government and the US-NATO  military alliance amongst whose “ key functions ” is “Supporting the adherence to the principles of rule of law and good governanc...

ILLUSTRATIVE IMAGE: AFP PHOTO / AHMED FARWANAHMED FARWAN/AFP/Getty Images Over 1,000 Saudi soldiers have been killed in Yemen since early 2015, Saudi state media says. The Saudi-led coalition intervened Yemen in March 2015 in order to establish own puppet government in the country. However, Saudi and Saudi-backed forces faced a fierce resistance from the Houthis and their allies. Since then, the conflict has been flaring in Yemen. The Yemeni capital of Sanaa and a large part central and northern Yemen are still in the hands of the Houthis. The recent report about over 1,000 Saudi troops killed in the conflict is a rare admission of the military casualties by the kingdom. Saudi Arabia has a policy of withholding information on the casualties it has suffered during the conflict. Saudi-led forces are currently advancing along the western coast of the country with an aim to ccapture the key port city of Hudaydah.  MORE HERE If the Saudi military and its proxie...

FILE PHOTO: The S-400 Triumf anti-air missile system © Alexey Malgavko Russia and India are about to sign a $ 6 billion worth deal on S-400 air defense systems delivery,  Russian news agency RBC reported  on May 29 quoting own sources. RBC sources claimed that “5 regiments” could be delivered to India. A source from the Russian Ministry of Defense told RBC that four S-400 regiments and an additional regiment with ammunition and repair parts could be delivered. According to RBC sources, India and Russia signed a memorandum of understanding on May 28. The total value of the contract will be $6,2 billion. A source from the Indian side acknowledged with a course of the talks reported that the deal is at the final point. According to the source, the only problem of the deal is a risk for India to be slapped with US sanctions. The source pointed out that India is negotiating with the US over this issue. On August 2, 2017 US President Trump signed a federal law “Counte...

The Israeli-Palestinian military escalation has been developing  in the Gaza Strip and the nearby area. Since May 29, the Israeli Defense Forces (SDF) have attacked at least 65 targets in the Gaza Strip. The targets were allegedly belonging to Hamas and the Islamic Jihad Movement and included alleged facilities manufacturing rocket launchers and rocket engines. The IDF also claimed that its forces are currently operating in Gaza. The round of escalation started from mortar shelling from Gaza early on May 29. Throughout the day, Palestinian forces launched at least 70 mortar shells and rockets at Israeli targets. The situation is developing. Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups claimed that “bombings will be met with bombings and blood with blood”. They described the recent increased wave of shelling on Israeli targets as a “response to the Zionist aggression and the crimes against our people and the members of the resistance.” The map below shows the following a...

Illustrative image: Novatek France’s energy company Total will buy a 10% stake in Russian Novatek’s LNG-2 project in the Arctic, Novatek’s chief, Leonid Mikhelson, said, according to Reuters. The deal was signed during a visit of French President Emmanuel Macron visited Russia for the St. Petersburg economic forum. The deal for Arctic LNG-2 could be finalized in the first quarter of 2019. The project could be worth around $25.5 billion. The final investment decision may be made in the second half of 2019. At the moment, Total holds a 20% stake in Novatek and is one of the partners developing the Russian company’s first LNG project in Yamal, along with Chinese CNPC and Silk Road Fund. Yamal LNG became operational last December and has already shipped two million tons of LNG. When the facility is completed, it will have an annual capacity of 16.5 million tons of the liquefied fuel.

On May 27,  Polish news website Onet  published a “ Proposal for a U.S. Permanent Presence in Poland ” of the Ministry of National Defense Republic of Poland. According to this document, Warsaw agreed to allocate $2 billion in state funds to finance the establishment of a US permanent military base within the Polinsh territory. “This proposal outlines the clear and present need for a permanent U.S. armored division deployed in Poland, Poland’s commitment to provide significant support that may reach – 1.5 – 2 billion USD – by establishing joint military installations and provide for more flexible movement of U.S. forces. Together, the United States and Poland can build an even stronger bond – one which guarantees the safety, security and freedom of its people for generations to come,” the document reads. “Permanent US troops in Poland will send a clear message to Russia of US support for its Eastern European allies.” On May 28, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Pe...

Illustrative image On May 27, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang  stated  that an “unauthorized” entry of the US Navy’s warships into China’s territorial waters had “violated the Chinese law”. “The Xisha Islands are an inherent part of the Chinese territory,” Kang said. “The US Warships’ unauthorized entry into China’s territorial waters off the Xisha Islands again has violated the Chinese law and relevant international law, severely undermined China’s sovereignty and put in jeopardy the peace, security and sound order in relevant waters.” Kang pointed out that Chinese Navy accomplished “identification and verification” of the US warships and “warned them off”. He stressed that China demands “immediately stop such provocation” and “will continue to take every necessary measure to safeguard its sovereignty and security”. On May 27, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Higgins and a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Antietam sailed along t...

Illustrative image: SERGEI BOBYLEV/ALAMY Turkey will consider buying and will likely buy Russian fifth generation Su-57 stealth fighter jets if the US suspends F-35 stealth fighters deliveries in response to the Russian-Turkish S-400 anti-missile systems deal, the Yeni Safak newspaper reported on May 27 citing sources. The newspaper said that the Russian-Turkish military technology cooperation, including a possible delivery of Su-57 jets, was discussed during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Turkey on April 3. Russia and Turkey signed the S-400 anti-missile systems deal in December 2017. Since then, US-Turkish tensions over the issue have grown significantly. On May 24, US Senate Armed Services Committee released draft of annual defense policy bill. The document implies that the delivery of US F-35 jets to Turkey should be suspended in response to the purchase of Russian S-400 anti-missile systems by Ankara. On May 25, Rus...

Illustrative image On May 27, more than 700 policemen and officers of the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Police (FSP) were deployed in the northern city of Afrin, according to the pro-opposition news outlet Enab Baladi. The source said that most of these policemen and officers will soon be redployed from the city to several towns and villages around it. Syrian opposition sources said that the the Turkish Army had trained and equipped the policemen and officers of the FSP inside Turkey over the last few months. Reportedly, the FSP in Afrin area will be commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Rami Tlass who defected from the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) in 2012. The city of Afrin witnessed a large wave of looting of crimes which was mainly committed by the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) after it had been captured from the Kurdish People’s Units (YPG) on March 24. The city has even witnessed clashes between Turkish-backed groups on several occasions. Supposedly, the FSP is a part of Turk...

Illustrative image On May 27, more than 700 policemen and officers of the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Police (FSP) were deployed in the northern city of Afrin, according to the pro-opposition news outlet Enab Baladi. The source said that most of these policemen and officers will soon be redployed from the city to several towns and villages around it. Syrian opposition sources said that the the Turkish Army had trained and equipped the policemen and officers of the FSP inside Turkey over the last few months. Reportedly, the FSP in Afrin area will be commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Rami Tlass who defected from the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) in 2012. The city of Afrin witnessed a large wave of looting of crimes which was mainly committed by the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) after it had been captured from the Kurdish People’s Units (YPG) on March 24. The city has even witnessed clashes between Turkish-backed groups on several occasions. Supposedly, the FSP is a part of Turk...

Click to see the full-size map On May 27, the Libyan National Army (LNA) backed by warplanes of the UAE Air Force resumed its advance south of the northeastern city of Derna and captured the Tamiskit area from the Shura Council of Mujahedeen in Derna (SCMD), according to the Libyan outlet Africa Gate News. Sources close to the LNA acknowledged that an IED planted by SCMD fighters had killed four soldiers of the LNA south of Derna, while two other soldiers had been injured during the clashes in Tamiskit area. From its side, the pro-SCMD news outlet Derna Red Line (DRL) reported that SCMD fighters repelled an attack by the LNA on their positions in al-Fataih and al-Dahr areas east of Derna. Reportedly, SCMD fighters killed two soldiers of the LNA during the clashes. The DRL also revealed that two fighters of the SCMD were killed in an airstrike on Derna, which was carried out by an Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) of the UAE Air Force on May 26. The LNA, backed by the ...