ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

FILE IMAGE On Friday, the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) captured the buildings of Raqqa University in the southern part of Raqqa city, according to Kurdish sources. The SDF also announced that its fighters killed over 20 ISIS members who tried to sneak into al-Amin and an-Thaknah districts in the center of the city. Furthermore, the SDF discovered a large ammo depot of ISIS in the liberated areas in the center of Raqqa.  Follow Afarin Mamosta   @AfarinMamosta SDF captured ISIS depots of armaments, originally captured by ISIS from Syrian army.  # Raqqa 19:24 - 7 Sep 2017   3 3 Replies     58 58 Retweets     90 90 likes Twitter Ads information and privacy Meanwhile, the US-led coalition announced that its warplanes carried out more than 8 airstrikes against ISIS in Raqqa city in the last 24 hours. US Army colonel Ryan Dillon Spokesman for the US-led coalition announced ...

On Friday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Pakistani Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif announced from the Chinese capital Beijing that China, Pakistan and Afghanistan will hold new talks later this year in China to push forward the negotiations for a political solution in the war-torn country. Asif emphasized that there is no military solution for the war in Afghanistan and that the solution should be a political one. Asif statement is believed to be a response to the US President Donald Trump plan to deploy more troops to Afghanistan. “It’s our firm view that there is no military solution in Afghanistan, the focus should be on a politically negotiated settlement … China is playing a very constructive role in this regard,” Asif said. From his side, Wang indirectly criticized the US accusation about the relationship between Pakistan and the Taliban. Wang stressed that Pakistan contributed many efforts to solve the conflict in Afghanistan. “The government and people of Pakis...

Credit: PNA / MANILA BULLETIN On Friday, Captain Jo-ann Petinglay, spokesperson for Marawi Joint Task Force, announced that only 0.2 square kilometer of Marawi city is still under ISIS control. “Our soldiers are still trying to clear a portion of about 20-21 hectares [0.2 square kilometer] land area in the main battle area,” Petinglay said. So far 653 ISIS fighters have been killed in the Marawi battle by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), while the AFP has lost 145 soldiers. In a related development, Australian Minister for Defense Marise Payne announced after a meeting Philippines Defense Minister Delfin Lorenzana in Manila that Australia will send a small unit of Australian soldiers to train AFP soldiers. “We are very committed to supporting the Philippines in its efforts to defend itself against terrorist threats,” Payne said. The Australian soldiers will advise the AFP soldiers and train them, according to Payne’s statement. However, the Australian ...

Putin reveals 'fair multipolar world' concept in which oil contracts could bypass the US dollar and be traded with oil, yuan and gold By Pepe Escobar The annual BRICS summit in Xiamen – where President Xi Jinping was once mayor – could not intervene in a more incandescent geopolitical context. Once again, it’s essential to keep in mind that the current core of BRICS is “RC”; the Russia-China strategic partnership. So in the Korean peninsula chessboard, RC context – with both nations sharing borders with the DPRK – is primordial. Beijing has imposed a definitive veto on war – of which the Pentagon is very much aware. Pyongyang’s sixth nuclear test, although planned way in advance, happened only three days after two nuclear-capable US B-1B strategic bombers conducted their own “test” alongside four F-35Bs and a few Japanese F-15s. Everyone familiar with the Korean peninsula chessboard knew there would be a DPRK response to these barely disguised “decapitation” tests. S...

FILE IMAGE On September 7, the ISIS-linked news agency Amaq claimed that ISIS fighters repelled an attack of NATO forces and the Afghan Army in Nangarhar province in southeastern Afghanistan. Amaq claimed that NATO helicopters evacuated many injured soldiers from the battlefield. Furthermore, Amaq said that ISIS fighters shelled positions of the Afghan Army and NATO forces with mortars after repelling the attack. On September 5, a suicide attacker of the Taliban attacked one of the gates of the Bagram Air Base – one of the biggest US bases in Afghanistan. According to the US Army the attack resulted in a “small number of casualties.” The Taliban said that the attack was an answre for an “anti-Islam” leaflet that was dropped by US-led coalition aircraft over Parwan province. The leaflet featured a lion running after a white dog with the Islamic Shahada on it. The Islamic Shahada is considered one of the most holy roles and symbols in Islam, and it is a part of the Taliban ...

On Wednesday, two US Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II attack jets crashed during a training flight over a Nevada military range, the US newspaper Stars and Stripes  reported on Thursday  citing US officials. The incident took place at the Nevada Test and Training Range at 20:00 local time. According to a statement of Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, the warplanes’ pilots ejected safely and were taken into a military hospital. The pilots were assigned to the Air Force’s 57th Wing at Nellis. It is not clear yet what caused the crash. The incident is under investigation. Click to see the full-size image

Valeriy Sharifulin/TASS On September 7, a meeting was held between representatives of Free Syrian Army (FSA) groups in the northern Homs countryside and Russian officials, according to Syrian opposition sources. The meeting was also attended by Syrian government officials. Opposition sources revealed that the aim of the meeting was to modify the original de-escalation agreement. According to the sources, the Russians wanted the FSA to allow re-openning of the Homs-Homs highway that had been blocked since 2011. Moreover, pro-government sources claimed that Russia asked the FSA to hand over al-Rastan and Talbiseh towns in the northern Homs countryside. From its side, opposition representatives requested an immediate release of 5000 prisoners of war allegedly held by the Syrian authorities. It’s unlikely that FSA will agree to the new Russian demands. Furthermore, even if the road was re-opened it will be hard to consider it a safe road. FSA groups in northern Homs countr...

On Wednesday, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson brigadier general Restituto Padilla said that ISIS fighters in Marawi city are now weaker than before and unable to defend their positions. “They were not able to protect their controlled area that’s why their strongholds are declining. If they remain strong, the government would not have pushed through their strongholds,” Padilla said. According to Gen. Padilla ISIS fighters are now mainly using IEDs to stop the advance of the AFP units in Malawi city. Moreover, Gen. Padilla stressed that the AFP is committed to liberating Marawi city as fast as possible. “We are trying to end this clashes at the soonest possible time because what we want is to totally liberate the city of Marawi so that its residents could go back to their normal lives,” said Padilla. In a related development 27 unidentified remains were discovered by the Philippine authorities in the Muslim cemetery in Marawi city. According to Philippine au...