Vice President Mike Pence announced Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to a ceasefire in northern Syria.

The two men, along with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, met for over five hours to discuss the situation.

(more…)

Mosques in Germany are praying for the Turkish army’s success as it wages a fierce military offensive against the U.S.-allied Kurdish forces and civilians in neighboring Syria, German newspaper Die Welt reported.

The worshippers pray the victory verse: “Allah, Lead Our Glorious Army to Victory.”

(more…)

President Donald Trump received major backlash on Monday morning after the White House announced late Sunday night it will remove troops in northern Syria. This will allow Turkey to start its offensive, effectively leaving the Kurds unprotected.

Officials told Fox News that Trump’s decision “

The Wall Street Journal has reported that the US military has started preparations to remove all of its forces from northeastern Syria:

U.S. officials began informing partners in northeastern Syria of their plans to begin immediately pulling American forces out of the region where they have been trying to wrap up the...

Turkey is preparing a military offensive against the U.S.-backed Syrian Kurds, Turkish state-run media sources say. “We will start our operation in a few days to liberate areas east of the Euphrates River from terrorist organizations,” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Last year, tensions between America and Turkey rose after members of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s security detail attacked and beat up protesters outside of the Turkish embassy.

Those tensions may ease since federal prosecutors have decided to drop charges against 11 of the 15 men charged…even though people caught the brawl...

Every once in a while there is a glimmer of hope in the global fight against radical Islamic terrorism.  When even the French Defense Minister says of French citizens who leave to join ISIS in Syria, “If the jihadis perish in this fight, I would say that’s for the best,” that...

Kirkuk, Iraq has become a centerpiece in the Iraqi government’s rejection of the overwhelmingly successful Kurdish Independence Referendum.

Monday, Iraq took control of Kirkuk, which has been under Kurdish control since they took it from ISIS in 2014 as Iraqi forces fled.  It is surprising that the Kurds did not stand and...

We blogged about the Kurdish Independence vote held last week and about the resulting international threats and tensions, including the closing of Kurdish airports.

Pro-western Iraqi Kurds are disappointed by the lukewarm European response to their overwhelming victory, and can’t be too happy with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s statement that the...

Iraqi Kurdish leaders have announced that yesterday’s vote for Kurdish independence was a resounding “yes.”

According to the Kurdish Rudaw news outlet’s live results page, as of this writing, 3,440,616 votes have been counted, with 91.83% voting yes.  Final results are expected Wednesday.

Reuters reports:

(more…)

Last week, we blogged about today’s Kuridsh Independence referendum.  Yesterday’s Kurdish independence rally attracted an enormous crowd, perhaps foreshadowing nearly 80% of the reported 3.9 million registered voters turning out at the polls today.

Jubilant Kurds described today as “the best day of their life” and some even took to flying the Brazilian...

The Kurds have been working toward an independent Kurdish state for many years, and they will finally vote on their independence on September 25, 2017.

Writing in 2014, Professor

The Turkish government has summoned the U.S. ambassador over a brawl that Turkish bodyguards instigated in front of the Turkish Embassy in Washington, D.C., last week. From

President Donald Trump welcomed Turkish dictator president Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the White House Tuesday.

A group of protesters outside of the Turkish Embassy showed support for the groups that Erdogan regularly cracks down on in Turkey. Erdogan’s bodyguards did not appreciate this move and decided to pummel the protesters in broad...

The Obama Administration told Kurdish forces in Syria to move back from their positions after they seized control of the ISIS-held Syrian town of Manbij. “We’ve made it absolutely clear [to the Kurdish forces that] they must move back across the river,” Vice President Joe Biden said during a visit to Turkey on...

As of now, I’m still planning on heading to Israel at the end of next week, though that could always change last minute. Family health issues seem under control at the moment, and I’m going with one of my daughters so I really didn’t want to cancel if at all possible.

I...

The Turkish parliament dived into another fistfight this week as the lawmakers debate changes to the country’s constitution.

The members fought again about stripping some members of parliament of their immunity if they face charges.

The fight “left one person with a dislocated shoulder and a second with a bloodied nose.”

(more…)