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The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored today the entry of a convoy of logistical and military assistance to the International Coalition, from Simalka border crossing with Iraq, the convoy consists of more than 60 trucks and carriers and they carry armored vehicles, 4×4 vehicles, tanks, and electricity generators, and the convoy headed towards al-Hasakah and Deir Ezzor where the oil wells are, in support of the Syria Democratic Forces there. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored on the 4th of January 2019 that the SOHR sources confirmed seeing a new batch of trucks belonging to the international coalition...

BREAKING NEWS: U.S.-led military coalition says it will WITHDRAW from Iraq after country's parliament voted for anti-ISIS troops to leave in wake of Qassem Soleimani's death General in charge of U.S. coalition forces in Iraq tells military counterpart to prepare for helicopter flights as troops pull up stakesLetter says troops will soon begin flying out in transport helicopters under cover of darknessDonald Trump said Sunday that he would only withdraw troops if Iraq paid the U.S. for building and maintaining the main air base the coalition usesHe also threatened greater sanctions than those he has imposed on IranIraq's parliament had...

Intelligent Democrats could end the impeachment nonsense if enough of them leave their brain dead party to start a new party I'll refer to as the "Y2K" party [to use a non-political term]. With enough members, the "Y2K" party could form a new majority coalition with the Republicans to take control of the House. The coalition agreement should allow Y2K members to keep their committee positions and seniority. . The coalition might issue a statement that coalition members want to work together to develop compromise approaches to controversial issues. A compromise on immigration could involve Congress providing money to hire...

Video Blue and White leader Benny Gantz returned the mandate to form the government to President Reuven Rivlin Wednesday evening, signalling the end of his attempts to form a coalition. Both Gantz and incumbent Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu have failed to form a government more than two months after the last elections. Members of the Knesset will now have the opportunity to recommend a candidate for prime minister over the next three weeks, However, a third round of elections appears likely. "Gantz told the president that he is also committed in the remaining 21 days to continue to make every...

After months of attacking each other and not speaking, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his nemesis, Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman, will meet on Thursday morning at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem. Netanyahu repeatedly told Likud leaders that there is no point in speaking to Liberman, because the Yisrael Beytenu leader is determined to end the prime minister's political career. But after Blue and White leader Benny Gantz canceled a meeting with Netanyahu, he called Liberman on Wednesday evening. "There is no point in wasting the country's time," Netanyahu told Liberman. "We will meet and see if it is...

Right-wing factions convened at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem Wednesday afternoon, deciding to establish a "right-wing bloc" headed by Prime Minister Netanyahu, that will work for the establishment of the next government. It was decided to form a joint coalition negotiations team for all factions in the bloc. In addition to Netanyahu, the meeting saw the participation of Minister Yariv Levin and faction heads: Yaakov Litzman, Moshe Gafni, Naftali Bennett, Ayelet Shaked, and Bezalel Smotrich. Minister Aryeh Deri met with Prime Minister Netanyahu earlier this morning, as he was unable to attend the meeting due to the memorial ceremony...

QAMISHLI, Syria — Since the battles against the Islamic State (IS) in Baghouz ended in March, several factors have indicated the Kurdish-led autonomous administration in northeast Syria is garnering international political support. Previously, support to that region — known as Syrian Kurdistan or Rojava — from the international coalition against IS had been limited to military and security aspects. Now, diplomatic visits have increased in frequency, actually coming weekly in the past two months, Abdul Karim Omar, head of the region's Foreign Relations Department, told Al-Monitor. Most foreign delegations visiting the self-administration area used to avoid the media and focused on receiving their countries' children and wives of IS fighters held there. But...

Melbourne, Australia - Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has declared victory in the country's federal elections after his Liberal-National coalition defied opinion polls and secured a surprise win over the opposition Labor Party. Morrison, who had campaigned on providing tax cuts and the strength of Australia's economy, claimed the win shortly after Labor leader Bill Shorten conceded defeat on Saturday. "I have always believed in miracles ... and tonight we've been delivered another one," Morrison told a jubilant crowd of supporters in Sydney. "Tonight is not about me or it's not about even the Liberal party. Tonight is about every...

U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo will host a day of meetings with the foreign ministers of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS on February 6 in Washington, D.C. The full 79-member Coalition will meet for in-depth discussions on the impending territorial defeat of ISIS in Iraq and Syria... Ministers will discuss the next phase of the campaign in Iraq and Syria, which will focus on protecting against a resurgence of ISIS through stabilization and security assistance.

The International Coalition spokesman said contacts are aimed at reducing tension.   International Coalition Against ISIS Spokesman, Sean Ryan, said in a statement posted on Twitter: "We are in contact with Turkey and Syria Democratic forces in an effort to reduce tension". On Wednesday, the US State Department had announced that they were in contact with the YPG and the Turkish state in an effort to ease tension. The US also stated that they were worried after receiving news of the attacks carried out by the Turkish state. Turkish state attacks against Kobanê and Girê Spî were launched after a...

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A US official confirmed coalition forces exchanged fire with armed groups on October 15 near Manbij as suspicions rise that they were Turkish-backed rebel factions.“They [coalitions forces] received gunfire from undisclosed persons and returned fire, and it ended quickly, skirmish at best,” Army Colonel Sean Ryan, Spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), told Kurdistan 24.“But we don’t know who fired and it was during a US-MMC [Manbij Military Council] patrol,” he added.Syrian Kurdish journalist Hosheng Hesen posted a video on his Twitter account that reportedly showed the clashes between US troops in Manbij and armed rebel...

Yemen government forces — backed by the Arab coalition — launched on Wednesday morning an offensive on the rebel-held port city of Al Hodeidah.

Syrian Democratic Forces initiated ground operations for phase two of Operation Roundup to defeat Daesh remnants in northeastern Syria today, the US-led coalition said on Sunday. The coalition said the SDF operation is also helped by Iraqi air and artillery strikes. “The SDF ground offensive, aimed at clearing Dashisha, is bolstered by coordinated Coalition cross-border air and artillery strikes, and our Iraqi partners' strikes by the Iraqi Air Force and Iraqi Army artillery positioned near the border.” “Iraqi Security Forces have also enhanced their border presence to prevent the escape of Daesh members from Syria into Iraq,” the statement added....

Italy’s populist parties would win an outright majority in parliament if new elections were held, according to the latest polls. The anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) and nationalist Lega parties’ first attempt to form a coalition fell apart last week when President Sergio Mattarella vetoed their choice of finance minister, Paolo Savona, because of his eurosceptic views — but a populist government appears to be back on the cards now, with the two parties ready to put fresh proposals to the unelected president following polls showing fresh elections could make them even stronger.

The United States, the Global Coalition, and local partners, including the Syrian Democratic Forces, are launching operations to liberate the final ISIS strongholds in Syria. The fighting will be difficult, but we and our partners will prevail. We will defend United States, Coalition, and partner forces if attacked. The days of ISIS controlling territory and terrorizing the people of Syria are coming to an end. We will work with our NATO ally Turkey and our partners Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon to secure their borders from ISIS. We will seek further fair share contributions in forces, material, and resources from...

MANBIJ, SYRIA/WASHINGTON — As part of the global coalition against Islamic State, the United States this week increased its special operations troops in the flashpoint town of Manbij in northern Syria. In an email Thursday to VOA, Col. Thomas F. Veale, a U.S. military spokesperson and public affairs director for the coalition, said the recent deployment is a protection measure to ensure the safety of coalition troops in the area. “Coalition forces are establishing a joint coordination mechanism for operations there, through the coalition's official relationship with the Manbij Military Council,” Veale said. Manbij, in northern Syria, has recently become...

It’s been almost half a year since Germans went to the polls and completely disrupted the old guard of politics in that country. The Christian Democrats party (CDU) of Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered losses across the board and also saw their former partners in the Social Democratic Party (SPD) split away from them. At the same time, Alternative for Germany (AfD) made major gains, largely based on growing opposition to Merkel’s open borders policy regarding primarily Muslim migrants entering the country. Since that time, Merkel has been unable to form a majority coalition and the nation has been effectively left...

The Conflict Intelligence Team found the Russians "may have fought alongside pro-Russia separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine prior to joining the fight against the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) and other insurgents challenging Assad's rule in Syria." The group also found Russians killed "appeared to have joined the Wagner Group, a private paramilitary company, before traveling to fight in Syria. Last October, ISIS released a video showing two Russian-speaking men the militants claimed to have captured, and subsequent research showed the two men were likely Wagner Group members fighting in Syria." "While the total number of 'Wagner' operatives killed in...

U.S. coalition forces stationed in the Syrian Kurdish town of Manbij are ready to guard against a threatened Turkish offensive that risks direct confrontation between the NATO allies, a coalition spokesman said Friday. snip "Our forces there are well prepared to defend themselves," coalition spokesman Col. Ryan Dillon told the Washington Free Beacon. "We have air coverage over all of our troops so we're always prepared to defend ourselves, whether it's from ISIS or any other threat." Dillon reaffirmed American support for the Kurdish YPG fighters who make up the backbone of the Syrian Democratic Forces, a key U.S. partner...

NEWS DESK- The United States-led international coalition in the coming period to take military and diplomatic steps towards federal areas in northern Syria and include diplomatic and political recognition.Al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper said that the international coalition is expected to carry out ten military, political and diplomatic steps towards the areas east of the Euphrates river,whicch has been liberated by Syria’s democratic forces SDF including diplomatic and political recognition of the area of 28,000 square kilometers, or three times the size of Lebanon.The newspaper quoted a Western official that the U.S Administration is in the process of adopting a new strategy for...