ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

The ex-mayor of Ovakent, a city close to the Syrian border, has said that terrorists from the Caucasus and Central Asia had become active in Turkey before the start of the war in Syria. According to media reports, citing an anonymous source in the Turkish government, the terrorist attack on an airport in Istanbul was carried out by nationals of Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Chechnya (Russia). Thousands of terrorists have reportedly joined Daesh with an estimated 10,000 terrorists from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan currently fighting in Syria. They cross into Syria after spending some time in Turkey and training at local mosques and Koranic schools. Zeytinburnu district in Istanbul is one such place where terrorists from the Caucasus and the Middle East get together under the umbrella of shady funds and associations with direct links to Hatay province which serves as the last stop for Syria-bound terrorists. In Ovakent, 90 percent populated by Uzbeks who settled down in Turkey in the early 198

ISIL Launches Chemical Attacks on Gov't Forces in Western Raqqa Battle A senior battlefield commander of the Syrian Army disclosed that the government forces have slowed down the pace of their advance in Raqqa province due to ISIL's mustard gas attack. "The ISIL was losing the battle. We had very good and rapid advances on the Southern side of al-Tabaqa town and airbase. We targeted around 99 percent of ISIL's suicide cars," the commander said, adding, "But, the ISIL then attacked the government forces with mustard gas to prevent our advances." "They filled their tanks and PMP vehicles with large amounts of explosive materials and used them in suicide attacks," he further added. "We advanced nearly 88 kilometer towards al-Tabaqa airbase and we finished the first phase of Raqqa liberation operation, which made the ISIL terrorists crazy," the commander said, adding, "The command center of Raqqa operation decided to call of

Hezbollah's Missile Attack Kills Daesh Top Commander in Lebanon's Arsal Region The Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement has hit Daesh military positions in Lebanon's Arsal region, killing several militants, including a senior commander. Abu Khatab, ISIL's commander in charge of military operations in the village of al-Qa'a in Arsal region, was killed in Hezbollah's guided missile attack on Saturday. Scores of ISIL terrorists were also killed and wounded in Hezbollah's missile attack. Earlier on Saturday, the Hezbollah fighters attacked the al Nusra Front terrorist group's military positions in Arsal heights. The al-Nusra Front's military positions came under Hezbollah's attacks in Wadi al-Kheil region in Arsal heights. A large number of Al-Nusra Front terrorists were killed in Arsal region. Meantime, the Hezbollah fighters attacked ISIL's centers in Ra'as al-Balbak region, scores of the Takfiri terrorists were killed in the attack. In a

Rapid Action Battalion members walk as police stormed the Holey Artisan restaurant after gunmen attacked it and took hostages early on Saturday in Dhaka, Bangladesh in this still frame taken from live video July 2, 2016. © / Reuters Armed men have attacked a restaurant in Dhaka’s diplomatic quarter, taking up to 40 hostages and killing at least 2 police officers. Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack. A Bangladesh army spokesman said that all 20 victims of the attack were foreigners, the majority of which were Italian and Japanese, Reuters reported. 07:45 GMT A Bangladesh army spokesperson has said one Japanese citizen and two Sri Lankans were among the 13 people rescued from the Dhaka cafe siege. Addressing the media after the operation, he reported that a total of 26 people had been killed. Most of the victims were killed on Friday night “with sharp weapons,” Reuters quotes the spokesman as saying. 06:36 GMT There were no Russian citizens among the hostages in the b

CCTV footage has caught one of the attackers at Istanbul Ataturk Airport smashing his rifle on the floor in frustration over being unable to find new victims. The footage released by Il Giornale newspaper shows dozens of people running away after hearing gunshots outside. The attacker, who was dressed in black and carrying a rifle, is seen entering the building, but finds the airport’s registration area completely empty. The man then appears to search the area for victims, but failing to find any, throws his gun on the floor in an apparent display of anger. Forty-four people were killed and over 230 injured in gun and bomb attacks on Europe’s third-busiest airport on Tuesday. Three suicide bombers first opened fire outside of the terminal to create panic before two of the attackers entered the building and blew themselves up, while the third detonated his explosive device at the entrance. Turkish police said the three suspected bombers at the airport were citizens of

In sunny central Florida, some 4,400 miles (7081 km)across the Atlantic from London, real estate broker Paul Torola is already sensing a chill from Britain's decision last week to leave the European Union. In the days since the June 23 "Brexit" vote that has rattled global financial markets and sent the British pound to 31-year lows, Torola has seen potential UK-based buyers suspend their searches for vacation homes in the Orlando area. "We've had people looking that have delayed because their money doesn't go as far," said Torola, a 64-year-old broker for American Ideal Homes. "It's not that they're not going to buy, but they're waiting for things to settle." While equity markets have bounced back, the pound has barely recovered and traded below $1.33 on Thursday, still off 11 percent since last week. Jane Dowle, an eight-year U.S. resident from the United Kingdom who sells vacation homes around the Walt Disney World theme park to

By Paul Craig Roberts Democracy no longer exists in the West. In the US powerful private interest groups, such as the military-security complex, Wall Street, the Israel Lobby, agribusiness and the extractive industries of energy, timber and mining, have long exercised more control over government than the people. But now even the semblance of democracy has been abandoned. In the US Donald Trump has won the Republican presidential nomination. However, Republican convention delegates are plotting to deny Trump the nomination that the people have voted him. The Republican political establishment is showing an unwillingness to accept democratic outcomes. The people chose, but their choice is unacceptable to the establishment which intends to substitute its choice for the people’s choice. Do you remember Dominic Strauss-Kahn? Strauss-Kahn is the Frenchman who was head of the IMF and, according to polls, the likely next president of France. He said something that sounded too favorable toward

The recent Istanbul bombings have claimed at least 42 lives while the death toll is feared to rise, as some of the injured are still in critical condition. The suspected ISIS attack is among the deadliest ones carried out by terror groups at airports. LOCATION: Istanbul Ataturk International Airport, Turkey DATE: June 28, 2016 CASUALTIES: At least 42 dead, 238 injured Istanbul Ataturk Airport is the largest airport in Turkey, and the third busiest in Europe after London’s Heathrow and Paris’s Charles de Gaulle. Its total passenger traffic was some 61 million people in 2015. The explosions occurred in the airport’s international arrivals terminal. The attacks on the airport involved three suicide bombers. An investigation has revealed that all three opened fire before detonating their explosive devices. The victims included at least 10 foreign nationals and three people with dual citizenship, authorities said. LOCATION: Brussels Zaventem International Airport, Belgium DATE: Ma