ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

FILE IMAGE The US official asked NATO to deploy more troops to support the new US strategy in Afghanistan, the Afghan News TV channel Tolo reported on October 7. Permanent Representative to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison told reports at a briefing in NATO HQ in Brussels that the US is looking for 1,000 additional troops from NATO to support the additional 300 US troops who are on their way Afghanistan. Hutchison added that the US have made a “specific” request regarding the type of troops needed in Afghanistan, not just a general request. “We are going to be much more efficient by asking people for specific expertise areas. So we’re not just saying we want 50 more troops from Denmark, we’re saying we want 50 more troops with technology or capability to fix machines or run tanks,” Hutchison said. The US request is a part of the US administration new policy in Afghanistan that’s focused on military actions. The US request also comes is the 16th anniversary of US intervention i

A Lebanese soldier carries his weapon as he stands at an army post in the hills above the Lebanese town of Arsal, near the border with Syria, Lebanon September 21, 2016. Picture taken September 21, 2016. . (photo credit:MOHAMED AZAKIR / REUTERS) On Saturday, the Intelligence Gathering Division of the Lebanese State Security announced in an official statement that it has arrested three members of an Israel Mossad cell in Lebanon over the last few days. Wikipedia:  Mossad is the national intelligence agency of Israel. It is one of the main entities in the Israeli Intelligence Community, along with Aman (military intelligence) and Shin Bet (internal security). According to the Intelligence Gathering Division, the Mossad cell worked between Bourj el-Barajneh municipality in the southern suburbs of Beirut city and Deir Koubel village in Aley District of Mount Lebanon. “The security operation begin by arresting two suspects in Bourj el-Barajneh and Hadath, and resumed in Frida

On October 7, the Saudi authorities announced that a gunman attacked the royal al-Salam palace in Jeddah city. The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) agency said that “at 3:15 pm on Saturday, an outpost of the Royal Guard, located in front of the western gate of the Peace Palace in Jeddah, came under fire by a person who got out of a Hyundai car”. SPA reveled that two guards of the al-Salam palace sergeant ”Hammad bin Shallah al-Mutairi”, and soldier “Abdullah bin Faisal al-Subaie” were killed in the attack. Three other guards were injured in the attack according to the source. The Saudi authorities identified the attacker as “Mansur bin Hassan bin Ali al-Fahid al-Amiri”, a 28-year-old Saudi national. According to SPA, al-Amiri was armed with an Ak-47 rifle and three Molotov fire grenades. Meanwhile, Reuters news agency reported that the US embassy in Saudi Arabia warned US citizens there “to exercise caution” around the al-Salam Palace in Jeddah city. The US embassy warning was issued ri

On Saturday, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) released an official statement threatening Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) groups that are planning to enter Idlib governorate from Turkey. HTS claimed in the statement that the upcoming military operation of the Turkish Army and the FSA will be backed by the Russian Army. HTS said that “Idlib will not be a picnic” for the FSA, and added that its fighters and suicide bombers are ready to face the FSA. HTS used a very aggressive language in the statement. It even threatened to turn the sons of FSA fighters to orphans, and their wives to widows. Click to see the full-size image From its side, Fateh Hasson the leader of Homeland Liberation Movement denied that Russia will back the upcoming FSA operation against HTS in Idlib governorate in an interview with the Russian news agency Sputnik. However, Hasson revealed that Russia did indeed propose to support the FSA operation in a perverse meeting. In a related development, the Turki

Few Americans are aware that the FBI actively plots a wide assortment of domestic terrorism scenarios in the United States for the purpose of recruiting targeted individuals into taking part in the plot, then arresting them as “terrorists.” Remarkably, this shocking reality was  documented by none other than the New York Times in 2012 , which detailed the FBI’s terrorism “sting” operations while asking whether it is appropriate for the FBI to be engaged in the plotting, planning and pseudo-execution of such mass terrorism crimes. Now, with the FBI clearly engaged in at least some level of a cover-up with the Las Vegas Mandalay Bay massacre, intelligent, rational people are starting to ask a very disturbing question:  Was the Las Vegas massacre another FBI terror plot that “accidentally” went live? No one is suggesting the FBI would intentionally plot the murder of Americans — well, unless they’re black of course, since  the FBI did pen a letter to MLK, Jr. and tell him to commit s

File photo: AFP On Friday, António Guterres Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) said that the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis are responsible for most of war crimes against children in Yemen. Guterres added the both sides to the UN’s Yemen war black list. According to Guterres report, the military operations of the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis killed or injured 1100 Yemeni child in 2016. Guterres said that the Houthis are responsible for killing or injuring 414 children, while the Saudi-led coalition is responsible for killing or injuring 683 Yemeni children mainly with airstrikes. Guterres added that the Saudi-led coalition was responsible for 73% attacks on hospitals and schools in Yemen in 2016. Guterres revealed that the UN and Saudi Arabia are in a dialog to improve the security majors for children in Yemen. However, Guterres didn’t talk about any similar steps with the Houthis. Only hours after the UN report, US official told Reuters news agency t

The US Department of State has approved the possible $15 billion sale of THAAD anti-missile defense systems to Saudi Arabia, the Pentagon announced on Friday. “The Government of Saudi Arabia has requested a possible sale of  forty-four (44) Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) launchers, three hundred sixty (360) THAAD Interceptor Missiles, sixteen (16) THAAD Fire Control and Communications Mobile Tactical Station Group, seven (7) AN/TPY-2 THAAD radars.  Also included are THAAD Battery maintenance equipment, forty-three (43) prime movers (trucks), generators, electrical power units, trailers, communications equipment, tools, test and maintenance equipment, repair and return, system integration and checkout, spare/repair parts, publications and technical documentation, personnel training and training equipment, U.S. Government and contractor technical and logistics personnel support services, facilities construction, studies, and other related elements of logistics and prog

Turkish troops. FILE IMAGE: AFP 2017/ BULENT KILIC On October 6, the Free Syrian Army (FSA) operation room in the northern Aleppo countryside named “Ahel al-Dar” announced that it is ready to support the Turkish Army if it launches a military operation against the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in Afrin city in the northern Aleppo countryside. Ahel al-Dar said in an official statement that its ready to exchange information and to work with the Turkish Army before or after “the zero hour” – the beginning of the attack. Ahel al-Dar also called all civilians in Afrin to move away from PKK positions in the city and around it. Meanwhile, Syrian opposition sources reported that high ranked officers of the Turkish Army met with commanders of the FSA groups involved in Ankara’s Operation Euphrates Shield (ES) in the northern Aleppo countryside to discuss a possible military operation against the PKK in Afrin. The sources said that co