Washington, Asharq Al-Awsat—The name ‘Central Command,’ or CENTCOM for short, has become familiar to anyone who follows developments in the Middle East. One of the US military’s nine ‘combatant commands,’ it is responsible for American forces in a slice of the globe running from Egypt in the west to
Kiev, Reuters—Ukrainian security officials said on Sunday they were in full control of the former rebel stronghold of Slaviansk after retaking it in a victory which President Petro Poroshenko said could mark a turning point in the fight against the separatists. Government forces routed pro-Russian r
Salvador, Reuters—Netherlands goalkeeper Tim Krul made a dramatic entrance off the bench to save two penalties in a shootout win over Costa Rica on Saturday following a 0–0 draw after extra time, sending the Dutch into a World Cup semi-final with Argentina. Heavy favorites for the clash, the D
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) will press ahead with a referendum on declaring independence from Iraq, the autonomous region’s top diplomat said on Saturday, as fears continue to grow of the break-up of the country. Speaking exclusively to Asharq Al-Awsat, the head o
Mombasa, Reuters—Gunmen killed at least 29 people in raids on two separate areas on the Kenyan coast, the Interior Ministry said on Sunday. The Somali Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab, which attacked the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi last September, said it had staged an attack on Saturday eve
I wrote my last article for Asharq Al-Awsat more than 1,000 days ago (Opinion: Thank You Asharq Al-Awsat) when I left the newspaper for Al Eqtisadiah. I ended this article by saying: “It is true that I have left Asharq Al-Awsat, but it has not left me, because although we may leave a place the [&hel
For the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the Muslim holy month of Ramadan is a month of jihad and crucial decisions. ISIS kicked off the month of Ramadan with the declaration of its Islamic State and it is, no doubt, planning large-scale military operations throughout the month. ISIS’s advanc
Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat—Al-Qaeda’s franchise in Syria, the Al-Nusra Front, will likely suffer a further drop in influence and popularity following the announcement of the establishment of an Islamic State by rival Islamist group, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Speaking to Asharq A
Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—Anti-government Iraqi Sunni tribes are marching on Baghdad with the objective of toppling Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki and forming a national “salvation” government, a tribal spokesman told Asharq Al-Awsat. Abu Abed Al-Naimi, spokesman for the “Iraqi Tribal Rebels,” said: “
Kabul, Reuters—Afghan presidential candidate Ashraf Ghani ruled out a coalition government with his rival Abdullah Abdullah on Saturday, quashing hopes for a power-sharing deal to defuse tensions that have threatened to split Afghanistan along ethnic lines. Ghani and Abdullah have locked horns since
Sana’a, Reuters—The Yemeni air force bombed Shi’ite Houthi fighters north of Sana’a on Saturday in fighting that caused “a large number of casualties”, local officials said, after a truce reached last month between the insurgents and government forces collapsed. Houthi
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—A Saudi border post along the Saudi-Yemeni borders was attacked by suspected Al-Qaeda militants on Friday. The commander of the Wadia border post in Saudi Arabia’s southern province of Sharura was killed in the attack along with three of the assailants; two other assailants w
Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat¬—The Syrian National Coalition remains divided over who will succeed its outgoing president, Ahmed Al-Jarba, a day before its general authority is set to meet in Istanbul. The stalemate within the main Syrian opposition umbrella group prompted the delay of its general authori
Belo Horizonte, Reuters—Hosts Brazil suffered a huge blow when they lost leading forward Neymar for the rest of the World Cup through injury on Friday as they set up an epic-looking semi-final against Europe’s biggest remaining team Germany. Brazil’s poster-boy, in terrific form with fou
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Lebanese security services have stepped up security around Roumieh Prison following reports of radical Sunni groups seeking to stage a major jailbreak to release Islamist inmates, Lebanon’s interior minister told Asharq Al-Awsat. The decision was based on intelligence that Is
Donetsk, AP—A rebel stronghold in east Ukraine has been taken by government troops, the country’s president and a spokesman for the rebels said Saturday. President Petro Poroshenko said in a statement that government troops took the city of Slovyansk, a city of about 100,000 that has been a ce
Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—Prominent Iraqi Sunni figure and Mutahidoun coalition leader Osama Al-Nujaifi has said that he will not seek another term as speaker of parliament if Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki abandons his attempts to secure a controversial third term in office. Iraq’s new parliament has
Baghdad, Reuters—The Iraqi army drove Sunni insurgents out of late dictator Saddam Hussein’s home village, state media and police said, part of a campaign to retake wide areas of northern and western Iraq overrun by the rebels. The Al-Qaeda splinter group leading the insurgency has declared a
Beijing, Reuters—Officials in China’s restive western region of Xinjiang have told Muslims to ignore religious customs during the holy month of Ramadan, an indication of what rights groups say is discrimination targeting the Uighur minority group. The fasting month follows a series of attacks
Washington, Asharq Al-Awsat—On the anniversary of the ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi, Asharq Al-Awsat speaks to Brookings Fellow Dr. Shadi Hamid, an analyst and author who specializes in political Islam and the Arab Spring. Hamid gives his view on the ouster of Muslim Brotherhood Preside
