ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

Jaysh al-Islam issued an official video announcing the approval of Jaysh al-Islam on the initiative launched by the Military Council in Damascus and its countryside. The goal is to solve problems between Jaysh al-Islam and the joint forces of Faylaq al-Rahman and Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS; formerly Jabhat al-Nusra, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda). The initiative will dissolve all armed groups in Eastern Ghouta and unite them into one armed organization under any agreed name. “Despite all the attempts of military escalation against us by the alliance of Faylaq al-Rahman and the Al-Nusra Front, we haven’t been dragged into confrontation with those we see as brothers in religion, arms and revolution like Faylaq al-Rahman, and we have never stood up to any initiative to unite the ranks and heal the rift”. Jaish al-Islam spokesman Hamza Birqdar said in the video. “We declare our agreement, in the leadership of Jaysh al-Islam, to the initiative launched by the Military Council in Damascu

New data released by the Chinese government suggests trade with its restive neighbor, North Korea, has only increased by a modest degree since the beginning of the year,  rebutting criticisms from President Donald Trump and UN ambassador Nikki Haley that the world’s second-largest economy is undermining US efforts to curb trade with the North. China’s national flag is raised during the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games at the National Stadium, August 8, 2008. The stadium is also known as the Bird’s Nest. Jerry Lampe/Reuters A Chinese official said Thursday that China’s trade with isolated North Korea  rose more than 10 percent in the January-June period from a year earlier,  according to  Reuters.   The data show a sharp decline in trade in April, May and June after data released by China Customs in April showed a 37.4 percent increase in trade with North Korea in the first quarter of 2017. However, data released a week ago by China’s Ministry of Commerce show t

Pro-Saudi forces have continued attempts to seize the Houthi-controlled town of Sirwah located east of Sanaa. Forces loyal to the Saudi-led coalition have captured al-Makzara, but they have not been able to capture Sirwah. An intense fighting is ongoing. The Saudi-led coalition seeks to the Sirwah area in order to get a foothold for possible advance on the Yemeni capital of Sanaa. Click to see the full-size map

The Hezbollah media wing in Syria has announced the return of approximately 1,000 Syrian refugees from the Al-Nour refugee camp located in Jurod Arsal in Lebanon to their homes in Assal al-Ward village in Western Qalamoun in Syria. Fifty Syrian families returned to Assal al-Ward village on June 10. Lebanese Army has provided security to refugees during their way. According to the plan, 500 Syrian refugee families will return from Lebanon to their home in Syria, and the plan is believed to have been coordinated by Hezbollah. This week, Hassan Nasrallah, Leader of Hezbollah, has threatened ISIS and Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in the area of Grod Arsal. “Those in Jurod Arsal are a threat to all, including the Syrian refugees camps, because they are like ISIS that were in Mosul” and added:”It’s time to end this threat”. He said adding that the last chance to reach a compromise and said that he hoped to “Take advantage of the opportunity of compromises. Otherwise, we will face the f

Marking the first time Sweden country has ever lodged a complaint against a head-of-state, this week five members of parliament (MPs) from the Scandinavian country officially  accused  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of genocide. The MPs’ complaint alleges Erdogan has committed war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity against the Kurdish majority in Turkey’s southeast region since a truce between the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and government forces  fell apart  in 2015. The official complaint was  filed  in the Swedish International Public Prosecution Offices. If that department decides to move forward with an investigation, warrants could be issued for the arrest of Erdogan and several other Turkish officials, such as Prime Minister Binali Yildirim. MP Carl Schlyter  says  he likes the idea of Erdogan potentially having limited freedom of movement in his part of the world and hopes neighboring countries will follow suit: “If [Mr Erdogan] is hinde

The Turkish General Directorate of Security issued an official statement saying that security forces have carried out a wide operation against ISIS in 29 Turkish provinces. During the operation, Turkish security forces arrested 233 suspects of being members of terrorist organizations, , including 25 foreigners, according to the statement of the General Directorate of Security of Turkey. Among the places stormed by Turkish Security Forces a school suspected of belonging to ISIS and indoctrinating children and teens under the age of 18. The statement added that 5 suspected members of the ISIS terrorist group were killed after clashes with the Turkish Security Forces in Konya, central Turkey. According to Anadolu Agency, Turkish security forces in the state of Izmir in western Turkey stopped suspects who were planning terrorist operations on the night of July 15, the first anniversary of the failed coup attempt against Erdogan. During the campaign, security forces seized ISIS fla

The Qatari Defense Ministry announced on July 12  the arrival of the fifth batch of Turkish Army troops to Qatar. “Following the arrival of this reinforcement and its joining the Turkish forces currently in Doha (Tariq Bin Ziyad Mechanic Battalion military camp), It began its training activities in the framework of joint military cooperation between the State of Qatar and the brotherly Republic of Turkey,” the ministry said in its Twitter account. Meanwhile, Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Asheq contacted Saudi Defense Minister and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and both sides announced that they had discussed bilateral and military relations. At the same time one of the demands of Saudi Arabia and its allies to Doha is the withdrawal of Turkish forces from Qatar. In a separate development, Turkish Economy Minister Nihad Zibekji announced that Ankara have sent 197 cargo planes, 16 trucks and one vessel to Qatar to meet its daily needs since the outbreak of the crisis last mo

By Tyler Durden   Amid the constant media outrage over everything  Trump, Trump, Trump , some might have forgotten that in the political rollercoaster over the past 12 months, there were numerous other high-profile individuals involved, including not  only former DOJ head Loretta Lynch , whose every interaction with the Clinton campaign is about to be probed under a Congressional microscope, but the man who some say started it all: former FBI Director James Comey. First loved by the Democrats when he personally absolved Hillary Clinton of any sins regarding her (ab)use of her personal email server, then furiously loathed when he reopened the FBI probe into Hillary Clinton one week before the election, then finally getting into a feud with President Trump which cost his him job, Comey ultimately admitted to leaking at least one memo which contained personal recollections of his conversations with the president, in hopes of launching a special probe into the president's allege