fightagainstterrorism – European Affairs Magazine

Iraqi forces fight to break through ISIS’ last four defenses in Mosul

22 Maggio 2017 BreakingNews @en di

Fierce armed clashes between the advancing Iraqi troops and ISIS militants are taking place around the last four districts the group holds in the western half of Mosul embedded with the Iraqi army in western Mosul, Rudaw’s Ranja Jamal reported on Sunday that heavy confrontations are ongoing in Najar neighborhood as the army managed to break into it the area and have Bab al-Sinjar besieged. Abdulwahab Saadi, an official with the US-trained Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service (ICTS), told Rudaw that large segments of Najar were controlled by the ICTS forces, who had begun to advance on Bab al-Sinjar. Saadi said ISIS militants were putting up stiff resistance given they are on the brink of final defeat in Mosul. Plumes of smoke could be seen covering the skyline over Najar neighborhood as ISIS was being bombed on the ground and from the air. ICTS officials said in a press conference on Saturday that Najar neighborhood remained for them to liberate and their mission would be accomplished in western Mosul after they took control of 47 neighborhoods in the western half of the city of Mosul in the course of the last three months. Saadi explained to Rudaw that ISIS retains control of just four neighborhoods overall in Mosul, including the Old Mosul district, Shifa, Saha, and Bab al-Sinjar. SIS has placed a large number of militants in these four remaining places, he added. Old Mosul remains the last stronghold of ISIS in the city. In previous battles the army faced strong resistance when they tried to make advances against ISIS militants in Old Mosul, a more densely populated neighborhood with narrow streets. As a result, Iraqi armed forces were forced to shift their focus and instead open a new front in northwestern Mosul. raqi armed forces launched a massive assault on ISIS held districts in northwestern Mosul over the weekend.

What will the African policy of French President Emmanuel Macron be?

9 Maggio 2017 BreakingNews @en di

No step backward in the fight against terrorism, sub-Saharan Africa will remain a theater of operation by the African Union, the G5 Sahel and the Algerian partner. On the economic plan, Emmanuel Macron intends to put the European Union at the centre of his plan. For the development aid, the famous 0,7 % of the French GDP is not denied. Between 2014 and 2016, Minister of Finance visits some countries of the CFA zone, meets Alassane Ouattara, Macky Sall. The candidate went to Algiers where he evokes the crimes against humanity committed by France, before returning to Paris.Who are men and women who will control the African policy of Emmanuel Macron? Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister of Defence of François Hollande, architect of the military operations in Africa, is the inescapable man in the fight against terrorism. Cédric Lewandowski, very close to Jean-Yves Le Drian, and who negotiated the liberation of the hostages in Sahel, should occupy a key post.

Iran, India’s MoD's call for joint cooperation against terrorism.

27 Aprile 2017 BreakingNews @en di

Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan and his Indian counterpart Arun Jaitley met on the sidelines of Moscow security conference to stress the need for a decisive fight against terrorism. During the meeting, Brig. Gen. Dehghan highlighted the many cultural and civilizational commonalities for mutual corporation, as well as the geopolitical and geostrategic importance of the two countries, adding “boosting the level of cooperation between Iran and India in political, military and security fields can help tremendously with the improvement of regional security indexes and the expansion of sustainable peace and security all across the region”. The Iranian defense minister noted the various mutual grounds for cooperation between the two countries including fight against terrorism, extremism, drugs trafficking, and piracy, as well as exchanging experiences in various fields, calling for further expansion of ties to the strategic level. Indian Defense Minister Jaitley, for his part, maintained that the common history and civilization has created a bilateral interest on both sides for expansion of relations in all areas related to the preservation of regional security. Stressing that New Delhi recognizes no distinction between different forms of terrorism, adding “every condition is ready to expand cooperation with Iran in defense and security spheres and talks and meetings between the two countries’ defense officials are of great importance in this regard”.

The Turkish government would adopt operations in Iraq to woo nationalist votes

28 Febbraio 2017 BreakingNews @en di

Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has said the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) could launch new operations in the Kandil Mountains of northern Iraq, where the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) is based, in a bid to attract nationalist votes ahead of the April 16 referendum. Speaking at a meeting in Ankara, Kılıçdaroğlu said the AKP could devise such a plan by the end of March to boost support from Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) voters on proposed amendments shifting Turkey to a presidential system of government. Such a move would signal that if the constitutional changes pass, military measures in the fight against terrorism will escalate, he added. Such a plan was faulty; however, as the PKK has already relocated itself to the other parts of the area, meaning that a potential operation against its base would be essentially pointless. In his speech, Kılıçdaroğlu also touched on his party’s referendum campaign promoting a “No” vote against the amendments. Campaign rallies will be kicked off from the Black Sea province of Amasya, a town where the initial steps of Turkish Independence War were taken by the founding father of the modern Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, he said.