This article is very different than all the others that I have found. The article seems to downgrade the effects of the barrel bombs and seems to put down the regime by saying the bombs are "nothing special" and stating that by all accounts, the bombs are not that effective. The effectiveness they are referring to is the accuracy of the bombs.
This article states what I have seen many times that President Bashar Assad denies the use of barrel bombs. This link goes into the fact that barrel bombs are crudely made and are indiscriminate killers. The bombs have killed thousands of people but the UN is still waiting to take action.
The article begins talking about Syrian aircrafts dropping barrel bombs on Islamic State-held areas in the north-east. The bombing killed around 40 people. Although the bombs are crudely made they are very dangerous and deadly as shown throughout recent events in both Syria and Iraq.
Putin and Russia have intervened in the civil war in Syria by bombing opponents of ISIS. They are bombing the moderate opposition. The country says that it has a range of targets that it is bombing but residents and rebels say that this is not the case.
Belgian police have been moving rapidly in the past couple of days as they have been searching for any information regarding what happened during the bombings. They have found a bomb making factory that housed chemicals, nails and bolts.
This link leads to a Wikipedia article that gives the basic information regarding barrel bombs. Through the link you can find information on barrel bomb history, countries who have used them, reactions, specific incidents, and how they pertain to chemical weaponry.
According to ISIS, an Australian teen named Jake Bilardi, who defected and joined the rebel group sometime late last year, drove a van containing a suicide bomb into an Iraqi army outpost yesterday as part of a series of attacks that killed 17 and injured 38 in Iraq's Anbar Province.
According to ISIS, an Australian teen named Jake Bilardi, who defected and joined the rebel group sometime late last year, drove a van containing a suicide bomb into an Iraqi army outpost yesterday as part of a series of attacks that killed 17 and injured 38 in Iraq's Anbar Province.
This article, released on February 19th, details Turkey's attack on Kurdish targets post Ankara bombing. Heightened tensions between the Turks and the Kurds after a car bombing in Ankara killed 28 people. The YPG, a Syrian Kurdish group denied the accusations of involvement.
Several Arab states, believed to include the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, have offered to help attack Islamic State (Isis) targets in Syria and Iraq,
US officials declined to say which countries had offered help, but one appeared to be the UAE, whose aircraft recently bombed Islamist militia targets in Libya from bases in Egypt.
Saudi Arabia felt so threatened by Isis that it was prepared to act in a frontline role. "There is a very real possibility that we could have the Saudi air force bombing targets inside Syria. That is a remarkable development, and something the US would be very pleased to see."
direct threat to Saudi Arabia. "They actually see themselves as the real target.
France has indicated that it will back US air strikes against Isis after its president,
expressed support for the Iraqi prime minister, Haider al-Abadi,
But Turkey, which borders on both Iraq and Syria, has quietly made clear that it would not take part or allow its bases to be used for combat operations – a disappointment coming from Nato's only Muslim membe
Syrian ministers have repeated calls for Damascus to join the coalition, though the US and Britain – backed by their Gulf allies – have insisted president Bashar al-Assad cannot take part because he has "lost all legitimacy" in the course of a war that has cost 200,000 lives
Details of how the anti-Isis campaign will be waged are still sketchy, though the US reportedly discussed basing and overflight rights at talks in Jeddah last week with the Saudis and the other Gulf states as well as Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt. All expressed support for a "coordinated military campaign".
Arab states have began to jump on board offering support to the coalition against ISIS. UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon have recently voiced their support. Turkey, the only Arab member of NATO has voiced their lack of support in the coalition thus far. Saudi, the home to major religious cities, feels like a direct threat to ISIS and have made it clear that they will be playing a major role in the war against the Islamic State. UAE allegedly initiated bombings from Egyptian bases on Libya due to islamic militia takeovers of major cities and institutions. Arab states along with France, Germany, and Britain have agreed to form a "coordinated military campaign." Bringing in Assad from Syria is somewhat crucial, but the coalition is hesitant due to the loss of the Assad Regime's legitimacy over the past years of civil strife. Official plans of attack are still sketchy, but are definitely in the works. The coalition of states have made it clear that in order to tackle this ISIS threat, they must band together to dynamically exterminate the Islamic State from all angles.
Car bombs exploded outside the embassies of Egypt and the United Arab Emirates in Tripoli, Libya, early on Thursday, apparently in a backlash against the two countries for their role in a regional proxy war playing out in Libya.
The side that controls Tripoli includes hard-line and more moderate Islamists, as well as non-Islamist regional or tribal groups who all say they are fighting against a return to Qaddafi-style authoritarianism. The other side, based in Tobruk and Baida, includes former soldiers loyal to Colonel Qaddafi and tribal groups who say they are fighting Islamist extremists.
Egypt and the United Arab Emirates have backed the anti-Islamist faction. Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and their ally, Saudi Arabia, all see Libya as a central front in a broader regional war against the forces of political Islam — a fight that began to intensify when the Egyptian military ousted President Mohamed Morsi last year.
The United Arab Emirates launched a series of airstrikes from Egyptian bases against Islamist-allied militias fighting in Tripoli over the summer. And Egyptian forces have actively aided anti-Islamist military units fighting around Benghazi in eastern Libya.
Western diplomats familiar with intelligence reports say that Egyptian special forces have participated in raids near the airport in Benghazi, Libya, as well as at a camp near the Libyan stronghold of Derna, with mixed results.
Each side in Libya’s conflict now claims its own government — one in Tripoli and the other in Tobruk. The anti-Islamist government in Tobruk includes the headquarters of a recently elected Parliament, although it operates with little visibility and the number of lawmakers attending its sessions has been difficult to assess.
The Islamist-allied government in Tripoli contends that a recent Supreme Court decision invalidated the election of the Parliament in Tobruk. The government in Tobruk argues that the court was intimidated by the threat of militias in Tripoli.
Any doubts that Libya has pivoted to a proxy war have been eliminated with the recent bombings outside UAE and Egyptian embassies as a backlash against their role in the regional "tug of war" on Thursday. Each side of the conflict has its own government as well as city headquarters. Islamists have occupied Tripoli and Haftar's forces Tobruk. The actions of regional players are escalating the civil war to the utmost extent.
Awesome article about the recent Russian bombing of Syria and how it affects the big picture. This article has some time-lapse maps with territories highlighted on it. It is very helpful in better understanding how current events are affecting the territories being controlled.
Multiple schools and hospitals were bombed in Syria. Russia and the Syrian government seem to be responsible for the airstrikes, but there is no definitive proof.
Iraq had some material stolen from them that has sparked fear of possible future ISIS attacks that may contain this dangerous material. It was stolen from a US owned storage facility and according to the documents about the material, it could be attatched to explosives to make a dirty bomb.
It's one key piece of evidence authorities are looking at as they search for suspects after two explosions at the Brussels airport and another at a busy metro station in the Belgian capital Tuesday killed at least 30 people and wounded 230 others. This explosion and attack was said to be caused by ISIS in their latest message to the western powers.
Any doubts that Libya has pivoted to a proxy war have been eliminated with the recent bombings outside UAE and Egyptian embassies as a backlash against their role in the regional "tug of war" on Thursday.
consider working with the Syrian leader to combat the group
we cannot be in an alliance with countries which support terrorism," he said.
refuse to talk with American officials
"because they don't talk to anyone, unless he's a puppet",
"There are no indiscriminate weapons. When you shoot you aim, and when you shoot, when you aim, you aim at terrorists in order to protect civilians... You cannot have war without casualties."
A somewhat in-depth interview with Assad concerning Syria's present state, answers to questions of bombing Syrian cities, and Syria's foreign relations. Interview taken 1 week ago
US Republican, John R. Bolton, declares an arms race has begun and the only way to stop Iran's nuclear program is metaphorically beating them to the punch. As of now the Obama administration does not foresee Iran negotiating any way out of it's nuclear program with the United States.
Fatah and Hamas are on their way to war after long string of car bombings. ISIS may have planned some of these bombings in order to frame one side against another.
4 were killed including an army colonel and three soldiers in a bomb that went off in the Sinai Peninsula. For years Egypt has been fighting a Sinai Islamic insurgency, and this is just another attempt of them to spread terror. They have even spread into mainland and tourist areas.