Ankara, Reuters—Turkish forces swept into Syria overnight to rescue about 40 soldiers who had been surrounded for months by Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants while guarding the tomb of a revered Turkish figure. The operation, which involved tanks, drones, reconnaissance planes as well
Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—Iraqi Vice-President Iyad Allawi has unveiled a deal with senior Shi’ite leader Moqtada Al-Sadr to form a “supra-sectarian and ethnic” bloc in the Iraqi parliament, one week after the killing of a prominent Sunni sheikh threatened to exacerbate sectarian tensions in Iraq. In
Nizhnyaya Krynka, Reuters—A senior pro-Russian rebel commander said separatist forces were due to begin withdrawing heavy weapons from the front line in east Ukraine on Sunday, a sign rebels may be prepared to halt their advance as part of an internationally brokered peace deal. Fighting has eased i
Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti Abdulaziz Al Al-Sheikh recently advised a group of preachers he met at the Ministry of Islamic Affairs to keep away from politics and dedicate their time to religious preaching. It is perhaps one of the few times in which a prominent religious figure has frankly told young
London, Reuters—The United States and its allies are discussing imposing more sanctions against Russia for undermining a European-brokered truce in eastern Ukraine, US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Saturday. Kerry made the comments as he began talks with his British counterpart Philip Hammon
The horrifying seaside slaughter of 20 innocent Egyptian Copts and one Ghanaian opens a new chapter in the war against wanton terrorist violence, whose perpetrators are hell-bent on pushing Islam—as a whole—on a collision course with world civilizations. This crime, the worst I have ever seen, also
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—The Gulf Cooperation Council’s (GCC) statement backing Qatar in a recent row with Egypt was issued without consulting all member states and “does not represent the full view” of the organization, a Gulf official told Asharq Al-Awsat. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on the conditi
Jufra District, Libya, Asharq Al-Awsat—Militias in Libya have seized chemical weapons from arsenals located in the southern and central provinces of the country that used to belong to former leader Muammar Gaddafi, military sources told Asharq Al-Awsat. A Libyan military official who spoke to Asharq
Geneva, Reuters—United Nations war crimes investigators plan to publish names of suspects involved in Syria’s four-year war and push for new ways to bring them to justice, in a radical change of strategy announced on Friday. Diplomatic sources said the independent Commission of Inquiry, led by
Brussels, Reuters—Euro zone finance ministers agreed in principle on Friday to extend Greece’s financial rescue by four months, averting a potential cash crunch in March that could have forced the country out of the currency area. The deal, to be ratified once Greece’s creditors are sati
Benghazi, Reuters—Three car bombs ripped through the eastern Libyan city of Qubbah on Friday, killing 40 people and wounding 70 in what officials described as a revenge attack for Egyptian air strikes on Islamist militant targets. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. But parliamentary spe
London and Sana’a, Asharq Al-Awsat—Yemen’s feuding parties have agreed to form a transitional governing body after UN-brokered talks, as two influential southern tribes announced the formation of a “popular army” to fend off advances by the Houthi rebel movement. Jamal Benomar, the UN en
Brussels and Athens, Reuters—Euro zone finance ministers will try again on Friday to break a deadlock over Greece’s urgent need for further financing but it may take an emergency summit of the currency bloc in the coming week to clinch any deal. With EU paymaster Germany and the new radical le
Al-Khobar, Asharq Al-Awsat—Saudi Arabia’s oil production rose in 2014 to its highest levels in two years, according to a report by energy consultant PIRA Energy Group, as the world’s biggest oil exporter continues to pursue its strategy of maintaining market share amid some of the lowest oil prices
Egypt has every right to defend itself and its citizens, and it is incumbent upon us in the region to stand by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Egypt during this time, after the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) executed 21 Egyptian workers in Libya. Despite this, I do wish Sisi had taken a d
In the past few days I have been bombarded with messages drawing my attention to the emergence of a new chorus on Syria. The new song is sung by all sorts of people: British and American journalists, Israeli pundits and former officials, Russian and Iranian government mouthpieces, United Nations emi
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—Senior military officials from 26 countries taking part in the US-led international coalition against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) arrived in Riyadh on Wednesday for a two-day meeting hosted by the Saudi Ministry of Defense, the state-owned Saudi Press Agency (S
Washington, Reuters—The United States has so far identified about 1,200 Syrian opposition fighters for potential participation in a US military-led program to help train and equip them to battle the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the Pentagon said on Wednesday. The fighters will undergo vet
Sana’a and Al-Hudaydah, Asharq Al-Awsat—Yemen’s Houthi movement was plunged into a state of confusion on Wednesday following news of the sacking of one of its top military commanders over the failure to reach a settlement with other political factions. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on the condition of
Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat—Qatar recalled its ambassador to Egypt on Wednesday following a dispute over the latter’s bombing campaign of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) targets in Libya, Qatar’s state news agency QNA reported. The Qatari Foreign Ministry said Doha was taking the action in respons
