Turkish Forum

Author: Media Watch

  • Turkey Digs In Its Heels in Idlib

    Turkey Digs In Its Heels in Idlib

    Stratfor is now part of RANE, the Risk Assistance Network and Exchange

    Turkey Digs In Its Heels in Idlib

    Ryan Bohl
    Ryan Bohl
    Middle East and North Africa Analyst, Stratfor
    Turkish-backed Syrian fighters man an anti-aircraft gun in Saraqeb, in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib on Feb. 1, 2020.

    Turkish-backed Syrian fighters man an anti-aircraft gun in Saraqeb, in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib on Feb. 1, 2020. Turkey and Russia could be on a collision course in the province.

    (OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images)

    Ankara has no intention of abandoning its presence in the northwestern Syrian province — even if that drives a wedge between it and Russia….

    TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE

     

    Continue reading your article with a Stratfor Worldview subscription.

    Save Over 70% Now

    Preview Some FREE Worldview Articles Below:

    • The Geopolitics of the United States, Part 1: The Inevitable Empire
    • The Geopolitics of Rare Earth Elements
    • Russia Takes on Its Demographic Decline
    • Murder in Mexico: What’s the Danger to an American Tourist?
    • Espionage and LinkedIn: How Not to Be Recruited As a Spy
    • Why the S-400 Missile is Highly Effective — If Used Correctly
  • Trump Backs Away From Further Military Conflict With Iran

    Trump Backs Away From Further Military Conflict With Iran

    A day after Iranian missiles fell on bases housing American troops in Iraq, the president said that no Americans were harmed and that Iran now “appears to be standing down.”

    ‘Iran Appears to Be Standing Down,’ Trump Says

    In an address to the nation, President Trump spoke about the conflict with Iran after its retaliatory strikes on two bases housing American troops, and announced new economic sanctions against Tehran.

    As long as I’m president of the United States, Iran will never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon. Iran appears to be standing down, which is a good thing for all parties concerned, and a very good thing for the world. The American people should be extremely grateful and happy. No Americans were harmed in last night’s attack by the Iranian regime. We suffered no casualties. All of our soldiers are safe, and only minimal damage was sustained at our military bases. The United States will immediately impose additional punishing economic sanctions on the Iranian regime. These powerful sanctions will remain until Iran changes its behavior.

    ‘Iran Appears to Be Standing Down,’ Trump Says

    By The Associated Press

    In an address to the nation, President Trump spoke about the conflict with Iran after its retaliatory strikes on two bases housing American troops, and announced new economic sanctions against Tehran.CreditCredit…Doug Mills/The New York Times

    By Peter Baker

     

    WASHINGTON — President Trump backed away from further military action against Iran and called for renewed diplomacy on Wednesday as the bristling confrontation of the past six days eased in the aftermath of an Iranian missile strike that seemed intended to save face rather than inflict casualties.

    “Iran appears to be standing down, which is a good thing for all parties concerned and a very good thing for the world,” Mr. Trump said in a televised statement from the Grand Foyer of the White House, flanked by his vice president, cabinet secretaries and senior military officers in their uniforms. “The United States,” he added, “is ready to embrace peace with all who seek it.”

    The president sounded as eager as the Iranians to find a way out of a conflict that threatened to spiral out of control into a new full-fledged war in the Middle East. While Mr. Trump excoriated Iran’s “campaign of terror, murder, mayhem” and defended his decision to order a drone strike killing the country’s top security commander, he dropped for now his bombastic threats of escalating force, vowing instead to increase economic sanctions while calling for new negotiations.

    The president’s statement came hours after Iran’s government indicated that it had “concluded proportionate measures” avenging the killing of the commander, Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, with the launch of ballistic missiles at two Iraqi military bases housing American troops. The missiles did not result in any American or Iraqi deaths, an outcome interpreted by some analysts as a deliberate attempt by Iran to claim it had responded, but without provoking Mr. Trump.

    But analysts cautioned that even as the two sides edged away from a military clash in the short term, the conflict could very well play out in other ways in the weeks and months to come. Iran has many proxy groups that could stir trouble for American troops or allies like Israel and Saudi Arabia, and experts remained wary of a possible Iranian cyberstrike on domestic facilities.

    President Hassan Rouhani of Iran made clear that his country still saw its mission over the long run as driving the United States out of the Middle East after the killing of General Suleimani. “Our final answer to his assassination will be to kick all US forces out of the region,” Mr. Rouhani wrote on Twitter.

    Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country’s supreme leader, hailed Iran’s missile strike as a “slap in the face” of the United States and suggested that it would not be the end of the clash. “What matters is that the presence of America, which is a source of corruption in this region, should come to an end,” he said in a televised speech to a hall filled with imams and others, who chanted, “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”

    And the top American military officer disagreed with those who saw the missile strike as halfhearted and unintended to kill. “The points of impact were close enough to personnel and equipment, I believe — based on what I saw, and what I know — that they were intended to cause structural damage, destroy vehicles and equipment and aircraft, and kill personnel,” Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters.

    The operation against General Suleimani may also prove to have consequences beyond the direct relationship with Iran. Outraged that the general was killed after arriving at Baghdad International Airport, Iraq’s Parliament voted to expel the 5,000 American troops from the country. Such a decision would still have to be enacted by the caretaker government, but the Pentagon has begun preparing for the possibility of losing its bases in the country nearly 17 years after the invasion ordered by President George W. Bush.

    Lawmakers in both parties welcomed Mr. Trump’s decision to pull back from the brink, but Democrats and even some Republicans expressed discontent with closed-door briefings provided on Wednesday about the supposedly “imminent” threat of attack cited in justifying the drone strike on General Suleimani.

    Several lawmakers said the presentations were unpersuasive. Two Republican senators, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Mike Lee of Utah, said afterward that the administration officials offered mainly generalities rather than concrete new information about any upcoming attack.

    “Drive-by notification or after-the-fact lame briefings like the one we just received aren’t adequate,” Mr. Lee told reporters.

    He also complained that one of the officials warned senators against publicly debating the administration’s actions because it would embolden the enemy, calling that “insulting and demeaning” to the Senate and the Constitution. “It’s un-American, it’s unconstitutional and it’s wrong,” Mr. Lee said.

    A Democrat, Representative Gerald E. Connolly of Virginia, called the briefing “sophomoric and utterly unconvincing,” and said that he believed “more than ever the Congress needs to act to protect the constitutional provisions about war and peace.”

    Even though the threat of further conflict with Iran appeared to recede for now, Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that the House would vote on Thursday on a measure curtailing Mr. Trump’s war-making power by requiring him to halt military action against Iran within 30 days unless Congress votes to approve it.

    Such a measure has little chance of becoming law given Republican control of the Senate and Mr. Trump’s veto pen, although Mr. Lee said he had been persuaded to vote for a similar resolution being offered by Senator Tim Kaine, Democrat of Virginia, because of the administration briefer’s effort to silence him.

    Mr. Trump’s 10-minute televised statement on Wednesday morning was his most extended effort to explain last week’s drone strike on General Suleimani. He surrounded himself with his national security team, including Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper, General Milley and Robert C. O’Brien, the national security adviser. They stood stoically around the president without commenting.

    The administration’s messages have been conflicting and confusing. In recent days, the president was forced to walk back threats to target Iranian cultural sites after the defense secretary made clear that doing so would be a war crime. The American headquarters in Baghdad had written a letter indicating it was withdrawing from Iraq, only to have the Defense Department say it was a draft document with no authority.

    In his statement on Wednesday, Mr. Trump sought to pin the current crisis on a predecessor, blaming former President Barack Obama for striking a “foolish” nuclear agreement with Iran in 2015 that unfroze billions of dollars of money for Tehran that could be used to finance ballistic missiles and terrorist activity. “The missiles fired last night at us and our allies were paid for with the funds made available by the last administration,” Mr. Trump said.

    There was no way to know if that was literally true, because money is fungible, but some of the president’s claims about the nuclear agreement were false, exaggerated or unsubstantiated claims. He asserted, among other things, that Iran’s hostile acts against America and its allies increased after the deal, rather than after the Trump administration withdrew from it in 2018, as statistics indicate.

    Either way, he urged Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China to recognize that it was effectively dead and called on those countries to join him in negotiating a replacement for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, as the agreement is officially known, that would go further to constrain Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

    “They must now break away from the remnants of the Iran deal, or J.C.P.O.A., and we must all work together toward making a deal with Iran that makes the world a safer and more peaceful place,” Mr. Trump said.

    The call on Europeans may fall on deaf ears. Only hours before Mr. Trump spoke, European leaders repeated their commitment to the pact and urged Iran to return to compliance despite American sanctions. Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, and Josep Borrell Fontelles, the foreign policy chief, both said the deal should be preserved.

    Similarly, Mr. Trump in his statement called on NATO, an alliance he has regularly scorned, to take on a larger role in the Middle East, and he spoke by telephone with Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO secretary general, about the idea.

    But NATO allies have little interest in following Mr. Trump’s lead, and in recent days they have been withdrawing troops from Iraq to avoid becoming entangled in the conflict between the United States and Iran.

    iraq embassy baghdad airport attack 1578026455663 articleLarge v11

    Maps: How the Confrontation Between the U.S. and Iran Escalated

    Here’s how the situation developed over the last two weeks.

    The president defended the drone strike, calling General Suleimani “the world’s top terrorist” responsible “for some of the absolutely worst atrocities” of recent years.

    “In recent days, he was planning new attacks on American targets, but we stopped him,” Mr. Trump said without elaborating or offering evidence. “Suleimani’s hands were drenched in both American and Iranian blood. He should have been terminated long ago.”

    But Mr. Trump emphasized that he did not want a wider war despite his efforts to build up American combat capacity. “The fact that we have this great military and equipment, however, does not mean we have to use it,” the president said. “We do not want to use it.”

    He said instead that he would ratchet up sanctions on Iran, although administration officials said later that they had no specific plan to do so. The administration has already imposed so much economic pressure on Tehran that it was unclear if additional measures would make a meaningful difference.

    Still, in Washington, Republicans and Democrats alike breathed sighs of relief that the two nations seemed to be pulling back from violent confrontation, at least for now.

    “I applaud the president for de-escalating the situation and putting us back on the path of diplomacy,” said Senator Jim Risch, Republican of Idaho and the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “We do not seek conflict, but the United States will not be deterred from protecting American lives and our vital national security interests.”

    But Democrats faulted Mr. Trump for stoking that eyeball-to-eyeball face-off in the first place and said that the United States would still reap negative consequences. “I am glad that the road to war may be narrowing,” said Senator Christopher S. Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, “but the damage done to U.S. national security interests is enormous and potentially irreparable.”

    General Suleimani, the commander of the elite Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, helped direct wars in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen and was held responsible for attacks on American troops in Iraq that killed at least 600 during the height of the Iraq war. More recently, American officials blamed him for a Dec. 27 rocket attack on a base in Iraq that killed an American civilian contractor.

    The Iranian missile strikes, which began early Wednesday morning local time — late Tuesday in Washington — targeted Al Asad Air Base, long a hub for American military operations in Iraq, and another base in Erbil in northern Iraq, which has been a home for Special Operations forces in the fight against the Islamic State.

    The Pentagon said 16 short-range ballistic missiles were fired from three different locations in Iran and that 11 of them struck Al Asad and one hit Erbil, with the rest missing the bases. General Milley attributed the lack of casualties not to lack of intent but to the military’s own early-warning systems and bunkers.

    Mr. Esper said the missiles damaged tents, taxiways, a parking lot, a helicopter and other targets. “Nothing,” he said, “that I would describe as major.”

    Reporting was contributed by Helene Cooper and Alan Rappeport from Washington, and Steven Erlanger from Brussels.

     

  • 2020 Iranian attack on U.S. forces in Iraq

    2020 Iranian attack on U.S. forces in Iraq

    On 8 January 2020, in a military operation code named Operation Martyr Soleimani (Persian: عملیات شهید سلیمانی‎),[3] Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched at least 15 ballistic missiles at the Ayn al-Asad airbase in Al Anbar Governorate, Western Iraq, as well as another airbase in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan in response to the assassination of Major General Qasem Soleimani by United States forces.[4][5][6]

    Iran had informed the Iraqi government regarding the attack. No Iraqi or American casualties were reported.[7]

    Background

    Main article: 2020 Baghdad International Airport airstrike

    In the lead up to the attacks, Iranian officials had stated that Iran would retaliate against U.S. forces for the killing of general Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad on 3 January 2020.[8] Reportedly, following the Baghdad strike, U.S. spy agencies detected that Iran’s ballistic missile regiments were at a heightened readiness but it was unclear at the time if they were defensive measures or an indication of a future attack on U.S. forces.[9] U.S. President Donald Trump warned Tehran that any retaliation would result in the U.S. targeting 52 Iranian significant sites, including cultural sites.[10]

    Weeks earlier[clarification needed], on 3 December 2019, five rockets had landed on the Ayn al-Asad airbase and there were no injuries.[11] A “security source” inside Ayn al-Asad airbase and a “local official at a nearby town” said that the reports that the Ayn al-Asad airbase were under attack at that time were false.[12] These reports on Twitter temporarily caused a rally of U.S. and Brent crude oil futures.[12]

    According to the PM’s spokesman, on 8 January shortly after the midnight, the Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi had received a message from Iran, that the response to the killing of General Soleimani had “started or was about to start”. Iran also informed the PM that only those locations where the US troops are stationed would be targeted. The exact locations of the bases were not disclosed. [7]

    Attacks

    According to the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA), the country’s state-run news outlet, Iran fired “tens of ground-to-ground missiles” at the base and claimed responsibility for the attacks.[3] ISNA stated that the code used to launch the missiles was ‘Oh Zahra.’[13][3] The attacks unfolded in two waves, each about an hour apart.[14] The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for the attack and announced that it was carried out in response to the killing of Suleimani. The IRGC added that if the United States responded with a retaliatory strike, the IRGC would respond in kind. The IRGC further declared that their statement was intended as a warning and applied to all of the United States’ partners who provided their bases to its military.[15]

    Although the Pentagon disputes the number launched, it has confirmed that both the Ayn al-Asad and the Erbil airbases in Iraq were hit.[16][17] A U.S. military spokesman for United States Central Command stated a total of fifteen missiles were fired. Ten hit the Ayn al-Asad airbase, one hit the Erbil base, and four missiles failed.[14] Other sources confirmed that two ballistic missiles targeted Erbil: one hit Erbil International Airport and did not explode, the other landed about 20 miles west of Erbil.[18]

    According to the Iraqi military 22 ballistic missiles were fired on the two sites between 1:45 am and 2:15 am at the al-Asad and Erbil facilities. They said 17 missiles have launched on Ayn al-Asad base and five missiles on Erbil.[19][20]

    Fars News Agency released video of what it claims is the attack on U.S. military forces in Iraq.[21][22]

    Casualties

    Neither missile targeted at the Erbil base caused any casualties.[18] No casualties were immediately reported at Ayn al-Asad airbase.[14]

    U.S. officials stated that bomb damage assessment was ongoing in the hours after the attack. U.S. President Donald Trump later stated that an assessment of casualties and damages was taking place.[4][23] The initial assessment was that there were “no U.S. casualties”[14] and that the missiles struck areas of the Ayn al-Asad airbase not populated by Americans.[24] An Iraqi security source said there were Iraqi casualties at the base.[24] However, the Iraqi military later reported no casualties among its forces.[19][20][25] Senior Iraqi officials have added on their statements on that there were neither American nor Iraqi casualties resulting from the strikes.[26]

    A spokesperson for the Norwegian Armed Forces stated there were no injuries reported for the approximately seventy Norwegian troops stationed at Ayn al-Asad airbase.[13] Scott Morrison, the Australian prime minister, confirmed that no Australians were injured in the attack. During the attack, the Australian PM reportedly told Angus Campbell, chief of the Australian Defence Force, to “take whatever actions are necessary to protect and defend” Australian troops and diplomats in Iraq.[4][27] Jonathan Vance, chief of the Canadian Armed Forces, confirmed that no Canadians were killed in the attack.[4][28] The Danish Defense confirmed that no Danish soldiers were harmed.[29] Poland’s Defence Minister declared no Polish troops stationed in Iraq were injured.[30][31] OPEC’s Secretary-General Mohammed Barkindo on conference in Abu Dhabi announced Iraqi oil facilities secure.[31]

    Iranian Television claim 80 US deaths and damage to US helicopters.[32][33]

    Aftermath

    The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration issued a notice to airmen prohibiting U.S. civil aviation operators from operating in the airspace over Iraq, Iran, and the waters of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.[4][34][35] Singapore Airlines diverted its air flights from Iran airspace following the attacks.[36]

    Oil prices surged by 4% on news of the attack, with analysts noting that traders had underestimated Iran’s expected response to Soleimani’s death.[37] Reuters reported of impacts to financial market and oil prices.[38]

    Reactions

    On 8 January 2020, Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, said that military actions are not enough and that the “corruptive presence” of the United States in the Middle East must be ended.[39]

    After the attack, Iran’s foreign minister Javad Zarif stated on Twitter that “Iran took & concluded proportionate measures in self-defense under Article 51 of UN Charter targeting base from which cowardly armed attack against our citizens & senior officials were launched. We do not seek escalation or war, but will defend ourselves against any aggression.”[4][40][41]

    In his first public comments on the attack, U.S. President Trump stated on Twitter that “All is well!”. He added that damage assessments were ongoing and that he would make a statement on the attack the following morning.[4][23]

    British Prime Minister Boris Johnson denounced Iran’s missile attacks on U.S. military bases in Iraq, urging Tehran to avoid further “reckless and dangerous” strikes.[42]

    See also

    • 2020 in Iran
    • 2020 in Iraq

    References

    • “بیانیه رسمی سپاه درباره حملات موشکی سنگین به پایگاه آمریکایی عین الاسد | نام عملیات: شهید سلیمانی”. همشهری آنلاین. 7 January 2020.
    • “Iran claims 80 American troops killed in missile barrage; US says no casualties”. www.timesofisrael.com.
    • “Iran launches missiles into US air bases in Iraq: US official”. ABC News. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
    • Washington (earlier), Maanvi Singh Joan E. Greve in; Doherty, Ben; Butler, Ben; Safi, Michael; Safi, Michael; Borger, Julian (8 January 2020). “Iran launches missiles at US forces in Iraq at al-Asad and Erbil—live updates”. The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
    • Eqbali, Aresu; Malsin, Jared; Leary, Alex (7 January 2020), “Iran Fires Missiles at U.S. Forces in Iraq”, Wall Street Journal, retrieved 7 January 2020
    • “Iran Fires Missiles at Two U.S. Bases in Iraq: Live Updates”. The New York Times. 8 January 2020. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
    • “Iraqi PM received word from Iran about missile attack”. Reuters. 8 January 2020. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
    • U.S.–Iran tensions after Soleimani killing: All the latest updates Al Jazeera, January 5, 2020
    • “US spies detected Iranian ballistic missiles at a heightened state of readiness following the assassination of Qassem Soleimani”. Business Insider. 5 January 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
    • Suleimani killing: Donald Trump defends threat to target cultural sites in Iran The Guardian, January 6, 2020
    • Rasheed, Ahmed; Hassan, Samar (3 December 2019). “Rockets hit base hosting U.S. forces in western Iraq”. Reuters. Cairo. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
    • “Reports of attacks on U.S. military base in Iraq are false: two sources”. Reuters. 3 January 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
    • “Iran warns US not retaliate over missile attack in Iraq”. AP NEWS. 7 January 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
    • Miles, Frank (7 January 2020). “Iran launches 15 ballistic missiles into Iraq targeting US, coalition forces, officials say”. Fox News. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
    • “Iran ‘Concludes’ Attacks, Foreign Minister Says”. 7 January 2020 – via NYTimes.com.
    • Borger, Julian; Wintour, Patrick (8 January 2020). “Iran crisis: missiles launched against US airbases in Iraq”. The Guardian. London. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
    • Alkhshali, Hamdi; Browne, Ryan; Starr, Barbara. “Pentagon says Iran attacked two Iraqi bases housing US forces”. CNN. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
    • Alkhshali, Hamdi (7 January 2020). “Two ballistic missiles hit Erbil, sources say”. CNN. Archived from the original on 8 January 2020. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
    • “Iran missile strike: Two US-Iraq bases hit by 22 projectiles, officials say, as crisis escalates”. independent.
    • “Iran launches missile attacks on US facilities in Iraq”. aljazeera.
    • Agency, Source: Fars News (8 January 2020). “Iran releases footage of missile attack on US airbases in Iraq—video”. The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
    • “Iran launches missile attack against US forces inside Iraq in ‘revenge’ for Qassem Soleimani assassination”. ABC News. 8 January 2020. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
    • Trump, Donald J. [@realDonaldTrump] (7 January 2020). “All is well! Missiles launched from Iran at two military bases located in Iraq. Assessment of casualties & damages taking place now. So far, so good! We have the most powerful and well equipped military anywhere in the world, by far! I will be making a statement tomorrow morning” (Tweet). Retrieved 8 January 2020 – via Twitter.
    • Browne, Ryan; Brown, Pamela (7 January 2020). “Missiles hit areas of al-Asad base not populated by Americans”. CNN. Archived from the original on 8 January 2020. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
    • Politics, P. M. N. (8 January 2020). “No Iraqi casualties in 22-missile Iranian attack overnight -military | National Post”. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
    • Rubin, Alissa J.; Fassihi, Farnaz; Schmitt, Eric; Yee, Vivian (7 January 2020). “Iran Fires on U.S. Forces at 2 Bases in Iraq, Calling It ‘Fierce Revenge’”. The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
    • “No Australian troops, staff hurt in Iran missile attacks on US airbases in Iraq”. SBS News. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
    • Vance, General Jonathan [@CDS_Canada_CEMD] (7 January 2020). “CAF families: I can assure you that all deployed CAF personnel are safe & accounted for following missile attacks in Iraq. We remain vigilant” (Tweet). Retrieved 8 January 2020 – via Twitter.
    • Prakash, Thomas; Olsen, Theis Lange (8 January 2020). “Militærbase med danske soldater ramt af iranske missiler – meldes i god behold” [Military base with Danish soldiers hit by Iranian missiles—declared safe and sound]. DR (in Danish). Retrieved 8 January 2020.
    • Charlish, Alan. “No Polish troops in Iraq hurt in Iranian missile attacks: minister”.
    • “Iran fires missiles at US targets in Iraq: All the latest updates”. aljazeera.
    • Stewart, Ahmed Aboulenein and Phil (8 January 2020). “‘We slapped them on the face’: Ayatollah tells Iranians”. The Sydney Morning Herald.
    • “Iran missiles target U.S. forces in Iraq; Trump says ‘All well’”. 8 January 2020 – via www.reuters.com.
    • “US bans airlines from flying over Iraq and Iran after attacks on military”. The Guardian. 8 January 2020.
    • FAA, The [@FAANews] (7 January 2020). “#FAA Statement: #NOTAMs issued outlining flight restrictions that prohibit U.S. civil aviation operators from operating in the airspace over Iraq, Iran, and the waters of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.pic.twitter.com/kJEbpPddp3” (Tweet). Retrieved 8 January 2020 – via Twitter.
    • “Singapore Air Diverts Flights From Iran Airspace After Attacks”. Bloomberg. 8 January 2020.
    • Stevens, Pippa (7 January 2020). “Oil prices surge 4% at high following attacks on Iraq bases”. CNBC. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
    • “GLOBAL MARKETS-Stocks, gold and oil whipsawed as Iran strikes spark fears of wider Mideast war – Reuters”. Reuters. 7 January 2020.
    • “Iran attack: US troops targeted with ballistic missiles”. bbc.
    • “Iran does not seek escalation or war, but will defend itself – foreign minister tweets”. Reuters. 8 January 2020.
    • Zarif, Javad [@JZarif] (7 January 2020). “Iran took & concluded proportionate measures in self-defense under Article 51 of UN Charter targeting base from which cowardly armed attack against our citizens & senior officials were launched. We do not seek escalation or war, but will defend ourselves against any aggression” (Tweet). Retrieved 8 January 2020 – via Twitter.

    “British PM condemns Iranian missile attack; Iranian President pledges US forces wil be ejected”. Breaking News. 8 January 2020. Retrieved 8 January 2020.

    Iranian missile attack on U.S.-led coalition forces in Iraq
    Part of the Persian Gulf crisis
    and the Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict
    Operational scopeMultiple-sites targeted military strike
    LocationAyn al-Asad Airbase, Al Anbar Governorate, Iraq
    Erbil International Airport, Erbil Governorate, Kurdistan Region, Iraq 17px WMA button2b33°48′N 42°26′ECoordinates: 17px WMA button2b33°48′N 42°26′E
    Planned byIran Iran
    Commanded byMaj. Gen. Hossein Salami
    TargetAl Asad Airbase
    Erbil International Airport
    Date8 January 2020 (UTC+03:00)
    Executed byAerospace Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps[1]
    Outcome6 to 10 Fateh-313 missiles hit Ayn al-Asad Airbase
    1 Qiam 1 missile hits 20 miles from Erbil International Airport (alleged)
    1 Qiam 1 missile reaches Erbil International Airport and does not explode (alleged)
    3 Qiam 1 missiles fail in the air (alleged)
    CasualtiesNo Iraqi or American casualties officially reported;
    More than 80 soldiers killed and 200 injured (according to Iranian media)[2]
     
    Ayn al-Asad Airbase is located in IraqAyn al-Asad AirbaseAyn al-Asad AirbaseLocation of Ayn al-Asad Airbase in Iraq

    Iraqi insurgency (2017–present)

  • Turkey to send troops to Libya at Tripoli’s request: Erdogan

    Turkey to send troops to Libya at Tripoli’s request: Erdogan

    Ece Toksabay, Ali Kucukgocmen

    ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey will send troops to Libya at the request of Tripoli as soon as next month, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday, putting the north African country’s conflict at the center of wider regional frictions.

    Libya’s internationally recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) has been fending off a months-long offensive by General Khalifa Haftar’s forces in eastern Libya, which have been supported by Russia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.

    Last month, Ankara signed two separate accords with the GNA, led by Fayez al-Serraj, one on security and military cooperation and another on maritime boundaries in the eastern Mediterranean.

    Related Coverage

    • Libyan interior minister says will ask for Turkish support if Tripoli war escalates

    The maritime deal ends Turkey’s isolation in the East Mediterranean as it ramps up offshore energy exploration that has alarmed Greece and some other neighboring states. The military deal would preserve its lone ally in the region, Tripoli, which is surrounded by Haftar’s forces.

    “Since there is an invitation (from Libya) right now, we will accept it,” Erdogan told members of his AK Party in a speech. “We will put the bill on sending troops to Libya on the agenda as soon as parliament opens.”

    The legislation would pass around Jan. 8-9, he said, opening the door to deployment.

    However, it was unclear what specific invitation Erdogan was referring to, as the interior minister in the Tripoli-based government, Fathi Bashagha, suggested in comments to reporters in Tunis that no such official request had yet been made.

    “If the situation escalates and then we have the right to defend Tripoli and its residents… we will submit an official request to the Turkish government to support us militarily so we expel the ghost of mercenary forces,” Bashagha said on Thursday.

    Haftar’s forces were not immediately available for reaction to Erdogan’s comments.

    For weeks Ankara has flagged the possibility of a military mission in Libya, which would further stretch its armed forces less than three months after it launched an incursion into northeastern Syria against a Kurdish militia.

    FILE PHOTO: Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan leaves after the Global Refugee Forum at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, December 17, 2019, REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

    Turkey has already sent military supplies to the GNA despite a United Nations arms embargo, according to a U.N. report seen by Reuters last month.

    Erdogan visited Tunisia on Wednesday to discuss cooperation for a possible ceasefire in neighboring Libya. On Thursday, he said Turkey and Tunisia had agreed to support the GNA.

    TENSION WITH RUSSIA

    Moscow has voiced concerns over a possible Turkish military deployment to Libya in support of the GNA. Erdogan has said Turkey will not stay silent over mercenaries from the Kremlin-linked Wagner group supporting Haftar.

    “Russia is there with 2,000 Wagner (fighters),” Erdogan said on Thursday, also referring to some 5,000 fighters from Sudan in Libya. “Is the official government inviting them? No.”

    “They are all helping a war baron (Haftar), whereas we are accepting an invitation from the legitimate government of the country. That is our difference,” he added.

    Haftar’s eastern-based Libyan National Army has been trying since April to take Tripoli from the GNA, which was set up in 2016 following a U.N.-brokered deal. The UAE and Egypt have for years provided military support for Haftar’s forces, U.N. reports have said.

    Russian mercenaries have put more pressure on the GNA and “accelerated this quid pro quo between Tripoli and Ankara,” said Sinan Ulgen, a former Turkish diplomat and chairman of the think-tank Center for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies.

    Slideshow (3 Images)

    “So the troop deployment must happen right away, but the risk is that Turkey is being sucked into a military game where the only path is more engagement and escalation,” he added.

    Turkish and Russian officials held talks in Moscow this week to seek a compromise on the issues of both Libya and Syria, where Russia backs President Bashar al-Assad.

    In the Mediterranean, Turkey is at loggerheads with Greece, Cyprus, Egypt and Israel over rights to resources off the coast of the divided island of Cyprus. Athens says Ankara’s maritime deal with Tripoli violates international law.

    Additional reporting by Nevzat Devranoglu in Ankara, Ulf Laessing in Cairo, and Ahmed Tolba and Nadine Awadalla in Tunis; Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Jonathan Spicer and Gareth Jones

    Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
  • 10 of the Greatest Female Warriors in Ancient History

    10 of the Greatest Female Warriors in Ancient History

    Edited By: Natalia Jones
    History’s pages are full of bloodshed on the battlefield, and those great men and women that dared to lead the ranks have the honor of being remembered for centuries, if not millennia. However, most often than not, we hear of the greatest male commanders in ancient history, with many notable female warriors being left unheard of. The stories of these 10 great warrior women are worth repeating and remembering, as their achievements were equally as remarkable and admirable, as those of Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, or Napoleon.

    1. Lagertha (12 century)

    A lithography depicting Lagertha (1913) by Morris Meredith Williams
    The 12th-century chronicles of “Gesta Danorum” (Deeds of the Danes) by Saxo Grammaticus tell the story of a legendary shieldmaiden named Lagertha, the ruler of Norway. Lagertha and other women under her leadership are said to have participated in battle concealed as men after King Siward had been killed and overthrown by the Swedish king.
    Among her exploits are her leadership of a fleet counting 120 ships in aiding her ex-husband, famous Viking Ragnar Lodbrok, to silence a revolt in Denmark, a move that ensured his victory. Today, the image of Lagertha is believed to be a collective representation of female Viking warriors rather than a reference to a concrete person. Those of you who have seen the popular “Vikings” show on the history channel may also recall her being one of the main characters on the show, as well as Ragnar.

    2. Lakshmibai, the Rani of Jhansi (1828 – 18 June 1858)

    Like
    Rani Lakshmibai’s statue in Solapur Image source: Dharmadhyaksha/ Wikimedia Commons
    Lakshmibai was the ruler of the Jhansi state in North India, ousted from her kingdom in her early twenties after her husband’s sudden departure. Instead of giving way to British occupation, however, Lakshmibai joined the resistance and soon became the leader of the Indian Rebellion of 1857.
    Alas, her attempts at preserving the Jhansi throne would never come to fruition. After two years of fighting against the British, she and her army would be defeated in June of 1858. Still, the courageous queen would ultimately become the symbol of nationalism and resistance to the British Raj, and today, several statues commemorating her efforts have been erected in India.

    3. Tomoe Gozen (c. 1157 – 1247)

    Like
    Tomoe Gozen and Fan Kuai, an 1824 Print by Yashima Gakutei
    This is a story of a samurai warrior commander named Tomoe, who is known for her incredible bravery and fighting skills that helped her overcome prejudice and fight alongside other samurai. According to “The Tale of Heike”, she was “a remarkably strong archer, and as a swordswoman, she was a warrior worth a thousand, ready to confront a demon or a god, mounted or on foot.”
    Tomoe Gozen participated in the Genpei War (1180-1185), where she earned her reputation and was even considered the first general of Japan after she had escaped from captivity and killed the rivaling Honda no Moroshige of Musashi and Uchida Ieyoshi. In 1184, Minamoto no Yoshinaka, her general, would be defeated during the Battle of Awazu. Tomoe Gozen managed to escape the battlefield, but after that tragic event, she swore to never fight again, so her army career came to an end.

    4. Khutulun (c.1260-c.1306)

    Like
    Khutulun daughter of Qaidu, a medieval miniature (1410-1412)
    Khutulun was a Mongol noblewoman and a wrestler. Her father, Qaidu, became the khan of the Chagatai Khanate, a large division of the Mongol Empire in 1280. Qaidu endorsed his daughter’s wrestling training, and she subsequently accompanied him on a number of military campaigns. Marco Polo described Khutulun as a superb warrior, as did historian Rashid al-Din Hamadani, also pointing out that she was the favorite child.
    Khutulun even attempted to become the successor to the throne after her father’s death in 1301, however, she was unsuccessful. According to legends, Khutulun had also wrestled her suitors, and only those who’d win would become her husband, forfeiting horses to her if they lost. As a result, she gained 10,000 horses, but no husband, and she subsequently married one of her father’s companions.

    5. Khawla bint Al-Azwar

    Khawla was one of the members of the family of noblemen that supported the conquest of Syria, Palestine, and Jordan from the Byzantine Empire.

    As one of the earliest converts to Islam, Khawla and her family, particularly her brother Dhiraar Bin Azwar, actively participated in the Rashidun Army, with Khawla managing to save her brother from captivity during the Siege of Damascus, supposedly leading the troops concealed as the famous general Khalid Bin Walid on an occassion, and even starting a revolt after being taken prisoner by the Byzantine army. Certainly, these accomplishments explain why, even today, many places in Saudi Arabia are named after her.

    6. Fu Hao (died c. 1200 BC) 

    Like
    Tomb and Statue of Lady Fu Hao
    Fu Hao, or Lady Hao, was one of the 60 wives of Emperor Wu Ding of ancient China’s Shang Dynasty. Breaking more modern convention, but not that of the time, Fu Hao also served as a military general and high priestess. Though little information remains of her military accomplishments today, as her life preceded the invention of paper, she is known to have led 13.000 soldiers and was the most powerful general of her time.
    In 1976, Fu Hao’s tomb had been unearthed, and the contents of her burial support both her high rank and supposed accomplishments. Fu Hao died at the age of 33 of reasons unknown, buried with a great assortment of pricey military equipment, such as great battle-axes, other treasures, namely hundreds of jade, bronze, bone, and stone objects, as well as 16 human sacrifices and 6 dogs, as was customary. Fu Hao was subsequently deified and remains the only female head of the army in Ancient China.

    7. Artemisia II of Caria

    Like
    Artemisia, Queen of Halicarnassus, shooting arrows at the Greeks at the Battle of Salamis, from the 1868 painting by Wilhelm von Kaulbach (left); Carian coinage device depicting Artemisia (right), Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
    Artemisia was the 5 century BC Queen of Halicarnassus, a kingdom that once stood in modern-day Turkey. Named after the courageous goddess of hunt Artemis, Artemisia was an outstanding naval commander, most well known for being an ally to Persian King Xerxes during his invasion of a number of Greek city-states.
    Definitely the most notable and most well recorded is Herodotus’ account of the Battle of Salamis, during which Artemisia managed to trick the Greeks into believing that she is their ally by sinking one of Xerxes’ ships while simultaneously making Xerxes, who watched the battle unfold from the ground, believe she sank a Greek vessel. In history, she will always be remembered as cunning, independent, and loyal to no one but herself.

    8. Ching Shih (1775–1844)

    Meet the most successful pirate in history, a woman who terrorized anyone who dared enter the China Seas in the early 19th century. She commanded over 300 ships manned by 20,000-40,000 men, women, and even children. Ching Shih inherited her pirate fleet after her husband’s death and had been in open conflict with the Chinese Qing Dynasty, the British and the Portuguese Empires.
    In a surprising turn of events, Ching Shih and all other pirates were given amnesty by Imperial China with the ability to retain their wealth, an opportunity they took advantage of, and Ching Shin ended up leading a gambling operation until her death at the age of 69.
    Related Article: 33 Photos of Strong and Brave Women in History

    9. Joan of Arc (c.1412-May 30,1431)

    Like
    Joan of Arc (1865), a painting by John Everett Millais

    Joan of Arc is not only a legendary warrior, but also a Roman Catholic saint. By the age of 17, Joan became a commander of the French army, and her strategics revolutionized the French battle model. Joan was supposedly lead by her visions of the Archangel Michael and managed to convince King Charles VII of France to let her participate in the Siege of Orleans, a battle that ended victoriously for Joan and the French in nine days.

    However, in 1430, Joan was captured and put on trial by the English for cross-dressing and heresy. On May 30, 1431, at the age of 19, Joan was sentenced to death by burning alive at the stake. Centuries later, in 1920, Joan was deified and proclaimed one of the patron saints of France.

    10. Boudicca

    Like
    Around 60 AD, Boudicca, a widow of the king of the Celtic tribe Iceni, united 100.000 at her command to fight back against the Romans, fearing the demise of her family and her tribe. The Briton woman who dared defy Rome is remembered as a national hero of Britain for her spirited rebellion and victories in the hopeless war against the Roman Empire, defeating a Roman legion and sacking two fortified towns.
    Though ultimately unsuccessful, her attempt to liberate her people and defend the honor of British women has become legendary. In 1902, a bronze statue (seen above) was erected at the western side of Westminster Bridge in London to commemorate her outstanding courage.
  • Recollect These 10 Major News Stories From This Decade

    Recollect These 10 Major News Stories From This Decade

    Edited By: Bhavesh Bhimani

    The year 2019 is coming to a close, and at the end of this year, we also see the culmination of the current decade. As we get ready to welcome the new year, it would perhaps be a good time to pause and look back on those 10 years gone by.

    The 2010s, like every decade before it, were an eventful time. There were plenty of incidents and stories that grabbed the headlines each year. Most of these we have forgotten about as more prominent news replaced them.  Here is a list of major news stories from each of the past 10 years that will perhaps help refresh your memory.

    2010: The Original iPad Was Launched

    The Apple iPad has become a part of our lifestyle. Not many would remember, though, that it’s been 9 years since it first came out. On January 27, 2010, co-founder and CEO of Apple Inc., Steve Jobs, now deceased,  introduced the iPad at a special event. When it was launched in April 2010, the iPad immediately caught the fancy of everyone. Also known as a ‘First Generation’, the device had a 9.7-inch screen at 1024×768 and 132ppi. It also included the Apple A4, Apple’s first branded processor.

    Today, we are already in the ‘Third Generation’ of the iPad and the gadget has added a number of interesting features to make it more user-friendly. However, the original iPad still holds nostalgic value to the users who had bought it back when it was a new invention.

    2011: Osama bin Laden Killed by U.S. Forces

    In 2011, notorious terrorist Osama bin Laden was killed by the U.S forces. Bin Laden was the mastermind behind the September 11th terrorist attacks in the United States on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center. The 54-year-old leader of Al Qaeda was on the FBI’s “most wanted” list for over a decade as he evaded capture. He was finally traced to a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, by the CIA and other intelligence officials.

    On May 2, 2011, a team of Navy SEALs raided the compound, found Osama in an upstairs bedroom and shot and killed him on the spot. The news of Osama’s death caused widespread celebrations across America and it also gave a modicum of closure to countless bereaved families who had lost their loved ones in the September 2011 attack.

    2012: World doesn’t End on December 21, 2012, as Prophesied

    For years it was speculated that the world as we know it would end on December 21, 2012. The basis of these speculations was the prediction by ancient Mayans who had recorded the date of the end of the world on their calendar thousands of years ago. It was one of the most famous doomsday predictions for years and as the big date drew nearer, countless theories and rumors began floating around on how the world would actually end. Some believed there would be a great natural disaster, such as the tidal wave that would wipe every living being on earth. There were also some theories about earth colliding with a mysterious “Planet X” that would lead to magnetic pole shifts or a massive black hole that would devour our solar system.

    However, December 21st, 2012, came and went like any other day. The world breathed a sigh of relief. Most claimed that they had never believed the doomsday theories but there was no denying that many had been sucked into the hype of the end-of-the-world phenomenon.

    2013: South African President Nelson Mandela Dies at 95

    On December 5, 2013, Nelson Mandela, president of South Africa, breathed his last at the age of 95. One of the pioneers of the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa, Mandela was known as a freedom fighter, an activist and a civil rights leader.

    Mandela had a difficult life. He served 27 years in prison after being charged with conspiracy to overthrow the government by the use of violence. This was known among many as a thin excuse to quiet him as a political voice in South Africa.  During his years in prison, Mandela’s reputation grew exponentially. He was widely regarded as the most influential black leader in South Arica and his role in the anti-apartheid movement made him an icon for resistance all over the world. Four years after his release from prison, Mandela took office as the first democratically elected President of South Africa on May 10, 1994.

    Nelson Mandela always fought for the freedom of his people. Even today, he remains a symbol of hope and virtue for the world. If you’d like to learn more about him, we recommend his incredible autobiography The Long Road to Freedom.

    2014: Girl Swept Away in Tsunami 10 Years Ago Reunited With Family

    Raudhatul Jannah was just 4 years old when the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami had ravaged her Indonesian town on December 26, 2004. When the tsunami hit her home, little Raudhatul was holding on to her parents along with her then 7-year-old brother, Arif Pratama Rangkuti. Unfortunately, Raudhatul and her brother were swept away in the vicious force of the tsunami. The parents searched for their children for months but the two kids weren’t seen again and were presumed dead.

    10 years later, in what almost felt like a scene from a movie, the parents were reunited with Raudhatul. It turned out that Raudhatul was swept onto a remote island in the nearby Aceh Barat Daya district. There an elderly woman raised her for the next 10 years until she was found by Raudhatul’s uncle one day by accident. After confirming that the girl, then 14 years of age, was indeed his niece, the uncle happily took her back home. It was an overwhelmingly emotional moment for the parents who couldn’t believe that they were being reunited with their little girl who they felt they had lost forever.

    Raudhatul told her parents that her brother is likely to have survived as well and the search for him is still on.

    2015: China Ends One-Child Policy

    China officially ended its controversial one-child policy in 2015 after signing into law a bill that allowed married couples to have two children. The one-child policy was introduced in the late 1970s in China and restricted most couples to having only a single child. The policy was strongly enforced by the authorities by enacting penalties on offenders and frequent sex-selective abortions. This led to a great amount of heartbreak and frustration for countless would-be parents.

    Eventually, China faced a looming population crisis and gender imbalances because of this rule. Thankfully, the authorities finally saw reason and ended the hugely contentious one-child policy.

    2016: Harambe the Gorilla’s Death Triggers Widespread Shock and Grief

    In a highly unfortunate incident, Harambe, a 17-year-old silverback gorilla, was shot dead at Cincinnati Zoo when a 4-year-old kid fell into his enclosure. The confused and agitated gorilla was seen dragging the little boy around like a rag doll, leading to panic among the visitors and especially the mother of the child. Fearing that the boy’s life was in danger, the zoo authorities killed Harambe with a single shot.

    Harambe’s death sparked off heated internet debates about the welfare standards in the zoo and whether there was an actual need to kill the gorilla. There was an outpour of grief and shock over the animal’s death and candlelit vigils were held in his memory. As the news about the incident spread, Harambe’s face was even used as a meme to spread awareness about animal safety.  

    2017: The ‘#MeToo’ Movement Takes the World by Storm

    (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

    The ‘#MeToo’ hashtag became a battle slogan for countless women across the world in late 2017 to share their horrifying sexual harassment stories openly. The trigger for the movement was a New York Times story in early October 2017 that detailed decades of allegations of sexual assaults against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. This led to widespread protests and spurred over 19 million tweets on Twitter on the subject. The news eventually became a mass movement by women to express similar sexual harassment stories faced by them and to raise awareness and support on the topic. The ‘Me Too’ movement has since then spread to many countries and has become an important tool for women to fight back against their long-time harassers.

    2018: The Royal Wedding Captivates the World

    The world was enamored as it got the opportunity to witness a royal wedding in 2018. Prince Harry of Sussex married actress Meghan Markle at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor in May 2018 with a total of about 600 guests in attendance. The wedding was watched by an estimated 29.2 million people and was the most talked-about event for days preceding and following. Meghan Markle’s 16.5-foot long veil also became a subject of hot discussion among internet users and sparked off a spree of memes on social media.

    2019: First-Ever Photo of a Black Hole is Captured

    The black hole has fascinated scientists and researchers for decades. NASA has described the black hole as “a place in space where gravity pulls so much that even light can not get out”. The gravity is so strong there because matter has been squeezed into a tiny space.

    For a long time, this elusive cosmic entity appeared to be out of reach of humans and the mysteries of what lies inside the black hole have been a subject of many discussions and theories for a number of years. In April 2019, astronomers were finally able to capture the first-ever image of a black hole. It was a titanic moment in human history and will hopefully leave the doors open to more answers on the mysteries of this subject.

    Here is hoping that the coming decade will bring better news for the world and we will have some great positive stories to share by the end of it