ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

By Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi The Guardian today has a huge story based on a 'masterplan' text I leaked to the paper entitled 'Principles in the Administration of the Islamic State'. The text- likely written at some point between June and October 2014- concerns a variety of aspects of administration, including management of oil resources, composition of military ranks and propaganda. You can read the whole text, which I translated, here . The sign-off notably says that admin cadres are to receive instruction in administration according to the text. The question then arises of how far the Islamic State is actually following this administrative plan. Here are a few thoughts of my own: 1. The text calls for breaking down the differences between muhajireen (foreign fighters) and ansar (local Iraqis and Syrians) by integrating them together in the military ranks, uniformly accepting a fundamentally Arabic and Islamic character to their identity of affiliation with the Caliphate

by Valentin Vasilescu The elements presented during a Press conference in Moscow by General Viktor Bondarev, chief of staff of the Russian Air Force, leave no doubt – the Turkish aviation, which had been informed of the flight plan of the Russian Sukhoï, in accordance with the agreements on military co-ordination, had already recieved prior instructions to assume attack position. These elements invalidate the position of NATO. General Viktor Bondarev, chief of staff of the Russian Air Force. Two days after the attack on the Russian Su-24 by a Turkish F-16 in Syrian air-space, General Viktor Bondarev, chief of staff of the Russian Air Force, made an astonishing declaration which totally changes the image broadcast by the Western media, which has so far published only the Turkish version. In accordance with the memorandum concerning the Syria campaign signed by Moscow and Washington on the 26th October, the Russian command informed the US 12 hours before the mission involving two Su-24

Pierre Sprey, one of the brainchilds behind two of America's most successful fighter aircraft, the F-16 and A-10, explains in detail how the Turks set up an ambush for Russia's Su-24 By Andrew Cockburn On November 24, a Turkish F-16 fighter jet shot down a Russian Su-24 bomber near the border of Turkey and Syria. In the immediate aftermath, officials from the two countries offered contradictory versions of what transpired: Russian president Vladimir Putin claimed that the plane was flying over Syrian territory when it was downed; Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan countered that it was inside Turkey’s border and had been warned ten times to alter its course. Hours later, President Obama threw his support behind Erdogan. “Turkey,” he said, “has a right to defend its territory and its airspace.” I asked Pierre Sprey, a longtime defense analyst and member of the team that developed the F-16, to examine what we know about the downing and determine what actually occurred that mo

Turkey is building an airbase in Northern Iraq without the knowledge of the central government in Baghdad, images show. Images taken by field sources in Iraq display construction of an illegal airbase named ‘Bamerne’ by the Turkish army in Northern Iraq. The airbase is being built at the geographical coordinates of 37°05′52″N and 43°15′58″E which corresponds to a region in Dahuk, Northern Iraq. Turkey sent approximately 130-150 soldiers to Northern Iraq on Friday. Ankara claims that its forces that are deployed near the city of Mosul are tasked with training Peshmerga, which has been involved in the fight against the ISIL, but the troops have been sent there without the permission and even the knowledge of the Baghdad government. But Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi warned on Sunday that Baghdad might use all the available options, including an address to the UN Security Council, if Turkey fails to withdraw its troops from Northern Iraq within 48 hours,. “Iraq has the right to use a

The deployment of Turkish tanks and troops in Iraq is a gross violation of international law, and is being carried out with the implicit blessing of the United States, according to Russian Middle East expert Boris Dolgov. In an interview with Sputnik, Boris Dolgov, a prominent Russian expert on the Middle East, said that Turkey’s move to send troops to Iraq is a gross violation of international norms, one which was conducted with prior approval from Washington. The interview came after Turkey deployed hundreds of personnel to a camp in northern Iraq’s Bashiqa region, located near the city of Mosul, currently controlled by Daesh, (ISIL/ISIS). Ankara has called it a routine rotation to train Iraqis to retake Mosul. “Turkey’s decision to deploy its troops to Iraq and reluctance to withdraw them even after the Iraqi government’s demands is a flagrant violation of UN law and international norms as such,” Dolgov said. He drew attention to the fact that neither the UN nor the international co

Ankara carried out airstrikes targeting Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) forces in northern Iraq, the Turkish army said on Wednesday. The action comes in the wake of rising tensions between Ankara and Baghdad over the deployment of Turkish troops in Iraq. Ten F-16 fighter jets launched an attack between 10pm and 10:50pm on Tuesday, targeting PKK positions in the Kandil, Hakurk, Zap and Avasin-Baysan regions in northern Iraq, the Turkish General Staff said in a statement. It added that the targets were “destroyed in an aerial campaign.” Tensions have been rising between Ankara and Baghdad after Turkey deployed hundreds of troops equipped with tanks and artillery to Iraq’s northern Nineveh Governorate last Thursday, saying they will train forces battling Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL). Baghdad said it had not asked for the help of Turkish forces, and demanded their withdrawal after it said Turkey had “illegally” sent the troops into Iraq. Describing the move as violation of

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has asked NATO to "use its authority" to urge alliance member Turkey to withdraw its troops immediately from northern Iraq, according to a statement posted on his website on Tuesday. "NATO must use its authority to urge Turkey to withdraw immediately from Iraqi territory," Abadi said in the statement, posted after the expiry of a 48-hour deadline for a withdrawal of the troops set by the Baghdad government. Abadi spoke with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg by telephone, the statement added.

Arabic media report claims the terror group, which has taken nearly complete control of the Mediterranean city of Sirte in Libya, is training pilots on large simulators brought in from abroad. The Islamic State is reportedly training its fighters in Libya using civilian aviation simulators, Libyan military officials told Arabic daily Asharq al-Awsat on Wednesday. The training was being conducted in the city of Sirte, which has been under ISIS control for a several months. An estimated 3,000 ISIS fighters are currently based in Libya. ISIS in Libya According to the sources, ISIS was using at least one flight simulator, the source of which was unknown. "The simulator is about as large as a small car, and simulates every facet of flight including air-to-ground communications," the sources said. The officials initially believed that ISIS had attained the simulator during the looting of former Gaddafi airfields, but were later made aware that the simul