Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—Reconstruction in Iraq’s western province of Anbar, large parts of which remain under the control of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) fighters, will cost more than 18 billion dollars, a local official said on Tuesday. Arkan Khalaf Al-Tarmouz, head of the Anbar Re
The recent attacks by fanatical individuals in different cities and capitals across the world in support of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) beg some important questions: are they just random terrorist attacks by psychologically fragile individuals, or is there some force coordinating them
Sana’a, Reuters/Asharq Al-Awsat—Houthi fighters prevented Yemen’s new army chief from entering the defense ministry on Tuesday in a fresh show of power, a day after the Shi’ite faction accused the president of promoting corruption and demanded that it oversee state funds. The escal
London, Reuters—Oil fell below 59 US dollars a barrel for the first time since May 2009 on Tuesday, extending a six-month selloff as slowing Chinese factory activity and weakening emerging-market currencies added to concerns about demand. International benchmark Brent crude has almost halved since r
Ramallah, Asharq Al-Awsat—Palestinian envoy to the United Nations Riyad Mansour has confirmed that a draft resolution will most likely be proposed to the UN Security Council on Wednesday, calling for Israel to withdraw from the territory the Palestinians wish to claim for their future state. A
Doha, Reuters—Qatar Sports Club (QSC) have allowed head coach Radhi Shenaishil a leave of absence to take charge of his native Iraq at next month’s Asian Cup. “With the spirit of sincere cooperation in the Arab sports world, which we hope will lead to friendly ties between the Arab peopl
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Australia’s Grand Mufti denounced the actions of a Muslim gunman who held more than a dozen people hostage in a café in downtown Sydney on Monday, as Australians took to social media to rally against Islamophobia. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat the Mufti, Ibrahim Abu Mohamed, de
Peshawar, Pakistan, AP—Taliban gunmen stormed a military-run school in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar on Tuesday, killing 126 people, officials said, in the worst attack to hit the country in years. The overwhelming majority of the victims were students at the army public school, which
Beirut, Reuters—Around 100 Syrian soldiers and 80 Islamist fighters were killed during a two-day battle in which insurgents captured the Wadi Al-Deif military base, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said on Tuesday. The Britain-based group said Islamist insurgents including Al
During a hearing in the US Congress dedicated to discussing Syria and the war on ISIS, some congressmen were surprised that the American government military training program for the Syrian opposition will begin next spring and end a year later in the spring of 2016! “What are we supposed to do until
For the past four years, the world has accepted that Syria’s neighbors are primarily responsible for its refugees. Fleeing the brutality, oppression, and criminality of the bloody regime of Bashar Al-Assad, more than four million Syrians have taken refuge abroad, mainly in Turkey, Jordan and L
Erbil, Asharq Al-Awsat—The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has begun fortifying its positions in and around the city of Mosul as Iraqi and Kurdish troops gear up for a major offensive to recapture the city, a senior Kurdish official in Nineveh governorate said on Monday. In comments to
Geneva/Dubai, Reuters—President Hassan Rouhani said on Monday that he would try to clinch a nuclear deal with world powers despite opposition from some quarters in Iran. Rouhani was speaking as Iran resumed talks with the United States in Geneva on its nuclear program. An eventual deal would remove
Sydney, Reuters—Heavily armed Australian police stormed a Sydney cafe on Tuesday to free several hostages being held there at gunpoint, in a dramatic end to a standoff that had dragged on for more than 16 hours. Media said three people, including the gunman, had been killed. New South Wales police d
Nairobi, AP—Tens of thousands of people have died in South Sudan during one year of warfare and the country’s leaders are putting their “personal ambitions” ahead of the nation’s future, the UN secretary-general said Monday. A year ago Monday fighting broke out in South Sudan
Washington DC, Asharq Al-Awsat—Gulf states must cut spending in line with deteriorating oil prices in order to avoid budget deficits in 2015, the Deputy Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Middle East Department Adnan Mazarei said on Sunday. In a broad-ranging interview with Asha
Ramallah, Asharq Al-Awsat—The chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said on Sunday that the Palestinian Authority would unilaterally propose a UN resolution to create a Palestinian state if it was unable to win European or American backing. “If we can reach an agreement with Europe or the U
Beirut, AP—Jihadist fighters captured a Syrian army base Monday in the northwestern province of Idlib after two days of intense fighting that killed dozens of gunmen, activists said. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and an Idlib-based activist who goes by the name of Mohammed al
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz called on new ministers to take up their ministerial duties “with honesty,” after Saudi Arabia’s new cabinet took its oath of office before the monarch in Riyadh on Sunday. “Start your tasks with honesty. I d
Sydney, Reuters—Australian police locked down the center of the country’s biggest city on Monday after an armed man walked into a downtown Sydney cafe, took hostages and forced them to display an Islamic flag, igniting fears of a jihadist attack. Police said they knew of one armed assailant in
