The timing and motivation for last Sunday's raid on a Syrian border town were already something of a mystery, but they have become even more so in the wake of an interview with a US military intelligence official published in Abu Dhabi newspaper 'The National.' In the...
Iraq, Syria Aim to Ease Tensions Over US Raid
The Iraqi Foreign Ministry has released a statement saying that Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari has been in talks with his Syrian counterpart over the past week in an attempt to defuse the growing tensions between the two countries since last Sunday's US raid. The...
Iraq Expects US Answer on Amendments After Election
An aide to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki says that the Iraqi government expects a US reply on a myriad of submitted amendments to the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) sometime after Tuesday's election. The most recent draft of the SOFA was initially reported...
Was Syria Complicit in US Attack?
With Syrian officials demanding a formal apology for last Sunday's attack and US officials painting it as a "warning" to the Syrian government to do more about policing its borders, it would come as quite a surprise to learn that the two governments may have...
Planned US Missile Defense in Eastern Europe Beset by Delays
US General Henry Obering is "very concerned" this week as Polish lawmakers still haven't ratified August's deal to host a US interceptor missile base in Northern Poland. The base, ostensibly aimed at preventing Iranian missile strikes but being built well outside of...
Twin US Drone Strikes Kill 32 in Waziristan
Pakistani Prime Minister Yousef Raza Gilani once again warned NATO that the unilateral air strikes into Pakistani territory were "counter-productive" today as the United States launched two drone strikes, in North and South Waziristan Agency, respectively, killing a...
McCain, Obama Advisers Get Secret Afghan Briefing
The New York Times is reporting that the Bush Administration held a secret meeting two weeks ago to brief advisers from the campaigns of both Republican Presidential nominee John McCain and his Democratic Party counterpart Barack Obama on the ever-deteriorating...
32 Killed in US Drone Strikes in North and South Waziristan
Updated 10/31 7:40 PM EST US drones launched two separate attacks in the North and South Waziristan Agencies of Pakistan today, killing 32 people. The primary target in North Waziristan appears to be a "mid level al-Qaeda leader" known as Abu Akash al-Iraqi. One...
Barzani Raises Prospect of Hosting US Troops in Kurdistan if Iraq Deal Fails
Kurdish Regional Government President Massoud Barzani, visiting Washington DC as part of a delegation aiming to rescue the faltering Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) between the United States and Iraq, has dropped something of a bombshell as the Washington Times...
White House Dismisses Doubts as Iraq Deal Talks Falter
Massoud Barzani, the President of the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq, said yesterday that he believes it is "doubtful" that the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) between the United States and Iraq will be approved by Iraq's cabinet and parliament by the end of...