Free Republic

Once part of one of the most brutal dictator's army in the Middle East, over 100 former members of Saddam Hussein's military and intelligence officers are now part of ISIS. Now they make up the complex network of ISIS's leadership, helping to build the military strategies which have led the brutal jihadi group to their military gains in Syria and Iraq. The officers gave ISIS the organization and discipline it needed to weld together jihadi fighters drawn from across the globe, integrating terror tactics like suicide bombings with military operation

Iran's defense minister on Thursday vowed that his country would "use nuclear defense as a potential" if "threatened by any power." Speaking following a meeting with his Syrian counterpart Hassan Ali Turkmani in Teheran on Thursday, Iranian Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar emphasized that Iran "should be ready for confronting all kinds of threats." Teheran has denied accusations by the US and its allies that Iran was seeking uranium enrichment technologies in order to develop nuclear weapons, saying its program was only meant to generate electricity. Meanwhile, Turkmani told reporters that Syria and Iran's "policy is the policy of strengthening...

Lebanon, Syria agree on response to 'enemy'; Hezbollah shells IDF posts Smoke rising from the area near Kfar Shouba, in southern Lebanon, after an Israeli air strike on Monday. (AP) Last Update: 27/10/2003 23:20 Hezbollah fires shells at IDF positions on Lebanese border By Uri Ash, Haaretz Correspondent, Haaretz Service and Reuters The Lebanese army said on Monday it had agreed with Syria on ways to confront "enemy" threats, hours after Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas traded fire. Earlier in the day, one Israel Defense Forces soldier was lightly wounded Monday when Hezbollah attacked IDF positions in the Har Dov...