-
The Fate of ISIS Detainees Transferred to Iraq
In recent days, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) began taking a highly consequential step: evacuating thousands of Islamic State fighters from prisons in northeastern Syria and transferring them to Iraq. In exclusive statements to Alhurra, CENTCOM said the transfer of nearly 7,000 ISIS detainees from Syria to Iraq would take only a few days. The move…
-
Alhurra Exclusive: State Department Says U.S. Rejects Role for Militias in Iraq’s Government
The U.S. State Department said Tuesday that the United States believes Iran-backed militias should have no role in Iraq’s political life. The statement, delivered by a State Department spokesperson to the Alhurra via email, coincided with remarks by Iraqi officials who said Washington had warned Baghdad of “catastrophic” sanctions if militias allied with Iran were…
-
Iraq: Intra-Kurdish Disputes May Obstruct Presidential Election Session
Iraq is scheduled to form a new government with the election of a new president in a parliamentary session set for Tuesday. The session is also expected to include the nomination of former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to form the next government. However, developments on the ground suggest complications ahead. According to an Iraqi parliamentary…
-
Saudi-Emirati Rift Faces a New Test
Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan has reopened debate over the future of disagreements between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi and the prospects for containing or managing tensions, saying that the Kingdom’s relations with the United Arab Emirates are “of critical importance to regional stability.” Bin Farhan’s remarks, made Monday during a joint news conference with…
-
Kobani Under Siege: Overcrowded Hospitals and Treatment Without Medicine
The Mishtanur Health Center in the heart of the predominantly Kurdish city of Kobani has received fatalities and dozens of wounded from shelling by factions linked to the Syrian government targeting villages and areas surrounding the city in northern Syria, Avin Khalil, a physician at the Mishtanur Health Center in Kobani, told Alhurra. Khalil said…
-
Behind the Transfer of ISIS Detainees to Iraq
As northern Syria entered a new phase, the transfer of thousands of Islamic State detainees to Iraqi custody was seen as more than a logistical operation. Analysts said the move reflected shifting regional dynamics and exposed either a lack of confidence in Damascus’s emerging leadership or an effort to bolster its role in restoring security…
-
China and Iran: Support Without Rescue
Claims that China carried out a large military airlift to Iran in late January spread quickly online. U.S. officials say the story is false and distracts from the more limited reality of Beijing’s role. Social media posts and some Iranian outlets alleged that 16 Chinese military cargo aircraft delivered advanced air-defense systems to Iran over a 56-hour period.…
-
The Kurds in Syria: A Quiet U.S. Downgrade
What looks like a collapse of Kurdish power in Syria is better understood as the final phase of a gradual U.S. downgrade. A Kurdish official close to the Washington Kurdish Institute told MBN’s Joe Kawly that the shift did not begin in January. “This wasn’t abandonment,” the official said. “It was a slow withdrawal of guarantees. The Kurds were…
-
Iraqi Government Adviser Tells Alhurra: U.S. Threatened Iraq with Sanctions
The Iraqi government and major political forces are dealing seriously with U.S. demands to ensure that Iran-aligned militias are not included in the next government, an Iraqi government adviser told the Alhurra website on Friday. The adviser, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said the current Iraqi government and the main…
-
Syrian Refugees in Lebanon: Those Returning and the New Arrivals
Outside one of the registration centers run by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Beirut, dozens of Syrian families stand in silent lines. No one here speaks of a “dream” or a “future,” but rather of two questions that have been repeated for years: Is staying possible? And is returning safe? This…