Maliki: Saudis, Qataris Backing al-Qaeda In Iraq

Maliki claimed during a news conference that some of Iraq’s gulf neighbors were actively involved in undermining Iraqi security.

Jason Ditz
By Jason Ditz
Saudi Arabia's permanent representative to the League of Arab States Ahmad al-Qattan, center, attends the Arab League summit in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, March, 29, 2012. The annual Arab summit meeting opened in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Thursday with only 10 of the leaders of the 22-member Arab League in attendance and amid a growing rift between Arab countries over how far they should go to end the one-year conflict in Syria. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has accused Qatar and Saudi Arabia of having effectively declared war on his nation, saying they have been pushing sectarian attacks among Sunni militants in his country as well as neighboring Syria. “These two countries are primarily responsible for the sectarian and terrorist and security crisis of Iraq,”

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Nigerian Leader Appoints New Defense Chief To Combat Northern Islamic Militants

The shuffle is meant to take the Nigerian army’s fight to Boko Haram, an Islamic militant movement responsible for the deaths of more than 400 people alone in brazen attacks over the last five weeks in the country’s north.

Les Neuhaus
By Les Neuhaus
NIGERIA RULING PARTY

Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan has appointed a new minister of defense in a strategic move to battle extremists who have wreaked havoc in the country’s Muslim north, various sources reported Wednesday. The president named retired Lieutenant General Aliyu Gusau, who comes from northern Nigeria, as his new defense minister for the job to push

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Iraq Near Implosion: The ‘Bad Years’ Are Back

As U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry hurried to his helicopter ready to take off at the end of a visit to Iraq last year, it was becoming clearer that the Americans have lost control of a country they wished to mold to their liking. His departure on March 24, 2013 was the conclusion of […]

Ramzy Baroud
By Ramzy Baroud

As U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry hurried to his helicopter ready to take off at the end of a visit to Iraq last year, it was becoming clearer that the Americans have lost control of a country they wished to mold to their liking. His departure on March 24, 2013 was the conclusion of a ‘surprise’ visit meant to mark the 10th anniversary of the

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Turkey Destroying Al Qaeda-Linked Convoy In Syria ‘Significant Escalation’

Turkish fighter jets destroyed a convoy belonging to Al Qaeda-linked militants fighting inside Syria, the armed forces confirmed on Wednesday.

Global Post News Desk
By Global Post News Desk
Smugglers break through the border as they enter Syrian territory near Cilvegozu, Turkey, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2013. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Turkish fighter jets destroyed a convoy belonging to Al Qaeda-linked militants fighting inside Syria, the armed forces confirmed on Wednesday. Small arms fire struck a Turkish military outpost late Tuesday as the Free Syrian Army battled Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) fighters, Al Jazeera said, citing Turkish media. The Turkish

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The Reactionary Essence Of The Syrian Insurgency

In the space of a week, two new formations of armed rebels mysteriously appeared across the mass-media lexicon and declared war on the dominant extremists through the usual “activist” social media accounts.

Phil Greaves
By Phil Greaves
Jabhat al-Nusra, wave their brigade flag.

Western corporate media, its Oil and Gas counterparts (GCC), and the various acolytes and paid-propagandists in the “tailored analysis” industry, are once again attempting to bolster and rebrand the public image of the fundamentalist rebels in Syria. In the space of a week, two new formations of armed rebels mysteriously appeared across the

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Syria’s Aleppo: Civil War Has Destroyed What Was Once The Cultural Jewel Of The Middle East

As all sides continue to kill civilians and ravage cities, the future of Aleppo’s ancient civilization has become a glaring question.

Jo Erickson
By Jo Erickson

The city of Aleppo, Syria, was once the cultural jewel of the Ottoman Empire and the last outpost of Silk Road trade route to the west. Today, however, the historic city is at the heart of the Syrian civil war -- bombarded with missiles and bombs, and suffering the loss of its historic treasures, such as the home of the ancient 700 Dead Cities,

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