Category: Middle East

Blast at Afghanistan Journalist Event Kills at Least 1, Injures 8

KABUL—A blast hit a cultural centre during an event for journalists in northern Afghanistan on Saturday, killing at least one person and wounding eight, according to authorities and journalists, a few days after the province’s governor died in an explosion claimed by Islamic State. “Today, at 11:30 a.m. an explosion occurred at the Tabyan Cultural…


WH Denies US Stepping Back From Middle East After Iran, Saudi Arabia Restore Ties With China’s Help

The White House is pushing back against the idea that the United States is stepping away from the Middle East following the announcement that Iran and Saudi Arabia have agreed to re-establish relations, in a deal brokered by the Chinese regime. National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communication John Kirby told reporters on March 10…


Taliban Seized Billions in US Military Equipment After Afghanistan Collapsed: New IG Report

Throughout the 20-year U.S. military mission in Afghanistan, the United States provided nearly $90 billion to the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF), including $18.6 billion to arm and equip the western-backed Afghan government. A new report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) found that a significant amount of that equipment…


US Transfers Alleged Al-Qaeda Suspect From Guantanamo Bay to Saudi Arabia

The United States has released and transferred an alleged al-Qaeda bomb maker from the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba to Saudi Arabia, the Department of Defense (DOD) announced on March 8. Ghassan Al Sharbi, a 48-year-old Saudi Arabian engineer, was sent to his native country after the Periodic Review Board (PRB) determined that it was…


Reports: Suspected Drone Strike in Syria Kills at Least 3

BEIRUT—An explosion in eastern Syria on Wednesday killed at least three people, according to reports. A war monitoring group said the blast was likely caused by a drone strike that targeted Iran-backed militiamen. No group claimed responsibility for an attack in the area and reports about what had happened were sketchy. A Britain-based opposition war…


Officials: 14 Women, Children Drowned in Shipwreck Off Yemen

CAIRO—At least 14 women and children died in a shipwreck off Yemen’s Red Sea coast earlier this week, authorities said Wednesday. The boat, with over two dozen of people on board, capsized off the Province of Hodeida, according to a statement by the Fisheries Authority in Hodeida, run by the country’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels. The…


Northern Egypt Train Derailment Kills 2, Injures 16

CAIRO—A passenger train derailed Tuesday north of Cairo, killing at least two people and injuring 16 others, Egyptian authorities said. It was the latest in a series of rail accidents in the country in recent years. The derailing happened as the train was traveling through a station in the city of Qalyub on its way…


Defense Secretary Makes Unannounced Visit to Iraq

Twenty years after the launch of the U.S.-led coalition invasion of Iraq, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin made an unannounced visit to Baghdad on March 7 to meet with the nation’s prime minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani. Austin is on a multi-day tour of the Middle East during which he will meet with the leaders of…


Saudi Arabia Announces $5 Billion Help For Turkey

Saudi Arabia will be depositing $5 billion in Turkey’s central bank, a move expected to boost Turkish currency rates as the country recovers from a massive earthquake. The deposit will be made via the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) and was announced by the Saudi finance minister in December. “This deposit is a testament to…


Al-Qaeda Says 2 Operatives Killed in Drone Strike in Yemen

SANAA, Yemen—Al-Qaeda’s arm in the Arabian Peninsula said two of the terrorist group’s operatives, including its media chief, were killed by a suspected U.S. drone in central Yemen last month. The announcement came Sunday in a five-page obituary posted on websites typically used by the terrorist group. It says the group’s media chief was killed…