Benghazi, Libya | AFP | Libyan strongman General Khalifa Haftar on Saturday announced a ceasefire in his months-long battle to control the capital Tripoli after calls for a truce from Russia and Turkey. The North African state has seen an escalation of the turmoil that erupted after a NATO-backed uprising killed …
Read More »Turkey’s foreign minister visits Algeria over Libya conflict
Algiers, Algeria | AFP | Algeria’s newly-elected President Abdelmadjid Tebboune received Turkey’s foreign minister Tuesday, the official APS news agency reported, days after Ankara confirmed it was deploying troops to Libya. The meeting between Tebboune and Mevlut Cavusoglu focused on Libya’s “escalating violence resulting from foreign interventions, which complicate the search …
Read More »Trump confirms death of Islamic State group chief Baghdadi in US raid
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump said Sunday that the Islamic State group’s elusive leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had been killed, dying “like a dog” in a daring nighttime raid by US special forces in northwest Syria. Trump told the nation in a televised White House address that …
Read More »Trump defends Syria pullout, condemned by House in bipartisan vote
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump on Wednesday defended as “strategically brilliant” his decision to pull US troops out of Syria as the House of Representatives overwhelmingly condemned the move in a rare bipartisan rebuke. A total of 129 members of Trump’s Republican Party joined Democrats as the …
Read More »France’s Macron warns Trump of need to prevent IS resurgence
Paris, France | AFP | French President Emmanuel Macron made clear to Donald Trump on Monday “the absolute necessity to prevent a re-emergence” of the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group, after the US pulled its troops out of northern Syria. Macron warned, in a telephone call on Monday evening, that the …
Read More »EU ‘has no magic powers’ to stop Turkey offensive
Luxembourg, Luxembourg | AFP | EU foreign ministers on Monday voiced concern and condemnation at Turkey’s assault on Kurdish forces in northern Syria, but warned their options for coordinated action across the bloc were limited. Several European countries including Germany and France have halted arms exports to Turkey over the offensive …
Read More »Turkey launches ground offensive against Kurdish forces in Syria
Ras al-Ain, Syria | AFP | Turkey has launched a broad assault on Kurdish-controlled areas in northeastern Syria, with intensive bombardment followed by a ground offensive made possible by the withdrawal of US troops. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced Wednesday the start of the attack on Twitter and soon after jets …
Read More »Europeans fear IS comeback after Trump pullback from Syria
Paris, France | AFP | European powers on Monday warned against a threatened Turkish offensive in northern Syria, saying the move, which has been facilitated by a US pullout, would boost the Islamic State group and spark a new refugee crisis. Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has long threatened that an …
Read More »Ozil marries in Istanbul, with Erdogan as best man.
Istanbul, Turkey | AFP | Former German international football Mesut Ozil was married in Istanbul on Friday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as his best man. The 30-year-old Ozil, who has Turkish family roots, sparked controversy last year when he was photographed with Erdogan, raising questions about the footballer’s loyalty …
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