ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

© AFP 2017/ ANATOLII STEPANOV The UN has released a report  ( link )  covering a dramatic deteoration of the situation in the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine as well as a pure human rights situation and a systematic use of torture practices in Ukraine. “The report covers the period from 16 February to 15 May 2017, during which the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) recorded 36 conflict-related civilian deaths and 157 injuries – a 48 per cent increase on the previous reporting period from 16 November 2016 to 15 February 2017.  There were daily ceasefire violations and routine use of small arms and light and heavy weapons in the conflict zone. Such attacks and the resulting damage to critical infrastructure, including schools, hospitals and water facilities, raise serious concerns for the protection of civilians, the report notes.  The report warns that, as summer approaches, there is a risk of further escalation in hostilities, as in previous years.” Yest

FILE IMAGE The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed on Thursday that the US militay deployed High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) from Jordan to Syria. “ The US has redeployed two High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems from Jordan to a US special operations forces base near the Syrian town of al-Tanf  [at the Syrian border with Iraq]. Deployment of any foreign weaponry to Syria, especially multiple artillery rocket systems, has to be coordinated with the sovereign state’s government”, the ministry said in a statement. The ministry added that these sytems cannot provide a support to the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces storming the ISIS stronghold of Raqqah. Instead, they pose a direct threat to government forces. “ The US-led anti-Daesh coalition has several times already attacked Syrian government forces fighting Daesh [ISIS] near the Jordanian border. It is possible to assume that similar strikes could be continued in the future, involving HIMARS from now on

Romeo Ranoco/Reuters According to a Philippines politician, Zia Alonto Adiong, residents fleeing Marawi City said they have seen hundreds of dead bodies on the front lines as they fled the city. According to the politician, at least 100 bodies were seen at the entrances to Marawi City. “Dead bodies, at least 100, are scattered around the encounter area,” Adiong said. From its side, the Philippine Army said it could not confirm or deny these reports. Philippines military sources said at least 290 people have been killed in more than three weeks of clashes, including 206 extremists, 58 soldiers and 26 civilians. Last week ISIS published a video from Marawi showing its fighters executing civilians in the city. This means that reports of massacres are often true. Yesterday, ISIS claimed the killing of five Philippines soldiers by sniper fire in Mabandi district in Marawi City, moreover they claimed killing three other soldiers during clashes in Moncado district. Spokesm

A screenshot from the video The video shows a moment when Houthi forces targeted a Saudi vessel carrying weapons for troops involved in the Saudi-led coalition oepration in Yemen. The pro-Houthi media outlet  Al Masirah TV reported  on Wednesday, that the Yemeni Navy targeted the vessel off the coast near the port of Mocha. According to pro-Houthi sources, the vessel was destroyed. However, the video does not allow to confirm this.

Written by  Brian Kalman  exclusively for  SouthFront ;   Brian Kalman is a management professional in the marine transportation industry. He was an officer in the US Navy for eleven years. He currently resides and works in the Caribbean. Politico Magazine has joined the ranks of the Washington Post and the New York Times on the Anti-Russia bandwagon. Not only did their “investigation” rely exclusively on insider sources linked to the U.S. government and intelligence community, half of which remain anonymous and far from unbiased sources, but went a step further by insinuating that U.S. service members and veterans are unable to discern the truth from lies. Apparently, men and women smart enough to defend the nation cannot be trusted with access to the free market of ideas present in an open society. In an investigative report titled, “ How Russia targets the U.S. Military. With hacks, pro-Putin trolls and fake news, the Kremlin is ratcheting up its efforts to turn American serv

Written by  Darius Shahtahmasebi ; Originally appeared at  TheAntiMedia According to a U.N. Commission of Inquiry tasked with investigating violations of international war crimes and crimes against humanity in Syria, the intensification of airstrikes by the U.S.-led coalition has led to a “staggering loss of civilian life,” the  Guardian  reports . The U.N. war crimes investigators found that since the acceleration of airstrikes in the Syrian city of Raqqa commenced last week, 300 civilians have already died .  This statistic arguably makes Bashar al-Assad pale in comparison; Assad’s regime reportedly  kills  approximately 20-50 people in any given week. “We note in particular that the intensification of air strikes, which have paved the ground for an SDF advance in Raqqa, has resulted not only in staggering loss of civilian life, but has also led to 160,000 civilians fleeing their homes and becoming internally displaced,”  Paulo Pinheiro, the chairman of the U.N. Commission o

Source: bbc.com Qatar is trying to obtain the Trump administration’s support in the ongoing diplomatic crisis with some of its neighbouring states led by Saudi Arabia. According to the Qatari Defense Ministry, Doha has signed a $12-billion contract to buy F-15 fighter jets from the US.  The $12-billion deal was announced just days after US President Trump accused Qatar of supporting terrorism. “The aircraft purchase was completed by Qatari Minister of Defence Khalid Al Attiyah and his US counterpart Jim Mattis in Washington DC on Wednesday, according to Qatar News Agency (QNA). Attiyah said the agreement underscores the “longstanding commitment of the state of Qatar in jointly working with our friends and allies in the United States in advancing our military cooperation for closer strategic collaboration in our fight to counter violent extremism and promote peace and stability in our region and beyond”. The deal is “yet another step in advancing our strategic and cooperat

Reuters The European Commission will sanction Hungary, Czech Republic and Poland for refusing to participate in a scheme to share out refugees across the bloc. The bloc introduced a plan to “relocate” about 160,000 asylum seekers from Italy and Greece to other countries in the EU. But so far zero refugees have moved to Hungary, Czech Republic and Poland because of the opposition of these countries to the move. The European Commission responded with launching infringement proceedings (that could ultimately lead to fines) against Hungary, Czech Republic. The decision to relocate refugees across the EU was pushed during a contentious meeting of governments in Brussels in 2015. However, so far, only about 20,000 refugees have been relocated.