Podcasts about syrian kurdish

The Kurdistan Workers Party, the PKK, has announced the end to its more than forty-year fight against Turkey, a conflict that claimed more than 40,000 lives. But the declaration, called historic by Turkish officials, is being met by public skepticism with questions remaining over disarmament and its calls for democratic reforms. Upon hearing the news that the PKK was ending its war and disarming, Kurds danced in the streets of the predominantly Kurdish southeast of Turkey. The region bore the brunt of the brutal conflict, with the overwhelming majority of those killed being civilians, and millions more displaced.From armed struggle to political arena"It is a historic moment. This conflict has been going on for almost half a century," declared Aslı Aydıntaşbaş of the Brookings Institution, a Washington-based think tank."And for them [the PKK] to say that the period of armed struggle is over and that they are going to transition to a major political struggle is very important."The PKK, designated as a terrorist organisation by the European Union and most of Turkey's Western allies, launched its armed struggle in 1984 for Kurdish rights and independence. At the time, Turkey was ruled by the military, which did not even acknowledge the existence of Kurds, referring to them as “Mountain Turks.”Nearly fifty years later, however, Turkey is a different place. The third-largest parliamentary party is the pro-Kurdish Dem Party. In its declaration ending its armed struggle and announcing its dissolution, the PKK stated that there is now space in Turkey to pursue its goals through political means.However, military realities are thought to be behind the PKK's decision to end its campaign. “From a technical and military point of view, the PKK lost,” observed Aydın Selcan, a former senior Turkish diplomat who served in the region.“For almost ten years, there have been no armed attacks by the PKK inside Turkey because they are no longer capable of doing so. And in the northern half of the Iraqi Kurdistan region, there is now almost no PKK presence,” added Selcan.Selcan also claims the PKK could be seeking to consolidate its military gains in Syria. “For the first time in history, the PKK's Syrian offshoot, the YPG, has begun administering a region. So it's important for the organisation to preserve that administration.“They've rebranded themselves as a political organisation.” Turkish forces have repeatedly launched military operations in Syria against the YPG. However, the Syrian Kurdish forces have reached a tentative agreement with Damascus's new rulers—whom Ankara supports.Kurdish leader Ocalan calls for PKK disarmament, paving way for peace Erdoğan's high-stakes gambleFor Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who is trailing in opinion polls and facing growing protests over the arrest of his main political rival, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, on alleged corruption charges, this could be a golden opportunity. “This is a win for Erdoğan, no doubt,” claimed analyst Aydıntaşbaş.Along with favourable headlines, the PKK's peace announcement offers a solution to a major political headache for Erdoğan. The Turkish president wants to amend the constitution to remove term limits, allowing him to run again for the presidency.The pro-Kurdish Dem Party holds the parliamentary votes Erdoğan needs. “Yes, Erdoğan, of course, will be negotiating with Kurds for constitutional changes,” said Aydıntaşbaş.“Now we are entering a very transactional period in Turkish politics. Instead of repressing Kurds, it's going to be about negotiating with them. And it may persuade the pro-Kurdish faction—which forms the third-largest bloc in Turkish politics—to peel away from the opposition camp,” added Aydıntaşbaş.However, Aydıntaşbaş warns that Erdoğan will need to convince his voter base, which remains sceptical of any peace process with the PKK. According to a recent opinion poll, three out of four respondents opposed the peace process, with a majority of Erdoğan's AK Party supporters against it.For decades, the PKK has been portrayed in Turkey as a brutal terrorist organisation, and its imprisoned leader, Abdullah Öcalan, is routinely referred to by politicians and much of the media as “the baby killer.” Critics argue the government has failed to adequately prepare the public for peace.“In peace processes around the world, we see a strong emphasis on convincing society,” observed Sezin Öney, a political commentator at Turkey's PolitikYol news portal. “There are reconciliation processes, truth commissions, etc., all designed to gain public support. But in our case, it's like surgery without anaesthesia—an operation begun without any sedatives,” added Öney.Turkey looks for regional help in its battle against Kurdish rebels in IraqPolitical concessions?Public pressure on Erdoğan is expected to grow, as the PKK and Kurdish political leaders demand concessions to facilitate the peace and disarmament process.“In the next few months, the government is, first of all, expected to change the prison conditions of Öcalan,” explained Professor Mesut Yeğen of the Istanbul-based Reform Institute.“The second expectation is the release of those in poor health who are currently in jail. And for the disarmament process to proceed smoothly, there should be an amnesty or a reduction in sentences, allowing PKK convicts in Turkish prisons to be freed and ensuring that returning PKK militants are not imprisoned,” Yeğen added.Yeğen claimed that tens of thousands of political prisoners may need to be released, along with the reinstatement of Dem Party mayors who were removed from office under anti-terrorism legislation.Turkey's Saturday Mothers keep up vigil for lost relativesErdoğan has ruled out any concessions until the PKK disarms, but has said that “good things” will follow disarmament. Meanwhile, the main opposition CHP Party, while welcoming the peace initiative, insists that any democratic reforms directed at the Kurdish minority must be extended to wider society—starting with the release of İmamoğlu, Erdoğan's chief political rival.While the peace process is widely seen as a political victory for Erdoğan, it could yet become a liability for the president, who risks being caught between a sceptical voter base and an impatient Kurdish population demanding concessions.

Conflicted brings to an end our three part series with Ronnie Hamada, a Syrian Kurdish civilian, whose experience of the Civil War has been thrilling us over the past few episodes...  Thomas and Ronnie open with the impact of the Battle of Aleppo on the Kurdish province of Afrin, highlighting the rise of jihadist groups and the challenges faced by the Kurdish community. Ronnie also shares his harrowing experiences living under siege in Afrin, describing dire conditions, economic lockdowns and food shortages, and the desperate measures he and his family took to survive. Ronnie then recounts his journey fleeing to Turkey, as well as the broader humanitarian crisis in Syria and the role of NGOs in providing aid amidst the chaos.  In a final conversation which helps explain the complex dynamics of the Syrian Civil War in the country's north, the pair describe growing tensions between the YPG and the Assad regime, Turkey's military operations against Kurdish forces, and the aftermath of multiple Turkish operations in Syrian land, reflecting on what it has all meant got the future of Kurdish autonomy in Syria.  New Conflicted Season 5 episodes will be coming every two weeks, but if you want to have your Conflicted fix every single week, then you'll have to join our Conflicted Community. Subscribers will get bonus episodes every other week, and can also join our Conflicted Community chatroom, where you can interact with fellow dearest listeners, discuss episodes past and future, get exclusive messages from Thomas and Aimen, ask future Q&A questions and so much more. All the information you need to sign up to the Conflicted Community is on this link: https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm/  Conflicted is proudly made by Message Heard, a full-stack podcast production agency which uses its extensive expertise to make its own shows such as Conflicted, shows for commissioners such as the BBC, Spotify and Al Jazeera, and powerfully effective podcasts for other companies too. If you'd like to find out how we can help get your organisation's message heard, visit messageheard.com or drop an email to hello@messageheard.com! Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MHconflicted And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The future of American troops in Syria is in the spotlight, as Turkey and Israel push competing agendas with the Trump administration regarding the role of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in countering the Islamic State group. The United States' military presence in Syria has been called into question, as President Donald Trump faces conflicting pressure from Turkey and Israel over the 2000-strong US force supporting a Syrian Kurdish-led coalition.The US force is supporting an Arab-Kurdish coalition of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in its war against the Islamic State (IS) group.Thousands of IS militants are currently being held in SDF prisons, but the US military presence now hangs in the balance. Turkey analyst Sinan Ciddi, of the Washington-based research institute, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies says Trump is in a dilemma because he ran on this promise of putting America first. "Getting out of foreign entanglements, not committing US troops and US money to parts of the world in which the US doesn't have any interest," he tells RFI.However, Ciddi warns a quick withdrawal would not be without risk: "The dilemma for Trump is that in a theatre such as Syria, if he were to pull back 2,000 troops, then you've got this major security threat."Turkey's Erdogan sees new Trump presidency as opportunityTurkey labels SDF 'insurgents'However, a US pullout would be welcomed by its NATO ally Turkey. Ankara strongly opposes Washington's military support for the SDF, which it accuses of being linked to Kurdish insurgents fighting Turkey.International relations expert Bilgehan Alagoz, of Istanbul's Marmara University, maintains the US deployment has poisoned relations between the two allies, but says a withdrawal by Trump would offer a reset in ties."I believe that there is going to be a new ground between Turkey and the United States," Alagoz said. "And Turkey will guarantee the safety of US soldiers and a successful withdrawal from Syria. So it is all going to be a kind of new negotiation between Turkey and the United States."Until now, US soldiers in Syria have prevented the Turkish military – massed on the Syrian border – from overwhelming the SDF, but time may be running out for the Kurdish-led forces."Assuming that the US withdraws at one point from Syria ... this will mean the end of the diplomatic umbrella for the SDF that the US was able to put over them," according to Aydin Selcen, a former Turkish diplomat and now foreign policy analyst for Turkey's Medyascope independent news outlet.Selcen warns that the SDF has only a small window to secure its future: "Time is of the essence for the SDF to get their act together and join forces with Damascus... to fold their forces into the Syrian armed forces, which would also satisfy Ankara's security concerns."Turkey steps up military action against Kurds in Syria as power shiftsIsrael sees SDF as key against ISTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has close ties with Syria's new leaders, and is demanding that the SDF disband or face a Turkish assault.However, the Israeli government is voicing support for American backing for the SDF, given the risk posed by the Islamic State."We know that the SDF controls prisons in which there are around 10,000 Islamic State fighters and families," explains Gallia Lindenstrauss, a foreign policy specialist at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv."Nobody wants to see the resurgence of the Islamic State. And I think in this respect, the US understands this is a small number of troops [and] they are effective. So why pull them out?"Paris hosts global conference on shaping Syria's futureLindenstrauss told RFI: "Israel has voiced that it does want to see the West continue supporting the Kurdish presence in northeast Syria, so there will be Israeli diplomatic efforts to keep the [US] troops there."Israel's foreign minister, Gideon Saar, recently underlined the importance of the Syrian Kurds as an ally to Israel – a message that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is likely to have delivered to Trump during his visit to Washington this month, Ciddi believes."We've seen an increase in moves by the Israeli government to provide more formal and government support for non-state actors, such as the Syrian Kurds," he said. "Because they understand that hitherto they've been entirely reliable in thwarting some of the major security concerns that the Israelis hold close to their heart."

With Donald Trump returning to the White House on Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sees a chance to rekindle what he calls his "close working relationship" with the incoming US leader. But a Trump presidency could bring risks as well as opportunities for Erdogan. Erdogan was quick to congratulate Trump on his election victory, making clear his desire to work with him again."Donald Trump is a man who acts with his instincts, and Erdogan is too," explains Huseyin Bagci, a professor of international relations with Ankara's Middle East Technical University. "They are not intellectuals as we used to have, big political leaders after World War II. They are tradespeople. They are very pragmatic ones, and they are political animals. In this sense, they like transactional policies, not value-based policies."Syria a key focusErdogan's top priority is expected to be securing the withdrawal of US forces from Syria, where they support the Kurdish militia YPG in the fight against the Islamic State.Ankara views the YPG as a terrorist group linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged an insurgency in Turkey for decades.During his first presidency, Trump promised to pull US forces out of Syria, though this move faced strong resistance from American officials.Sezin Oney, a commentator with Turkey's independent Politikyol news portal, said new challenges in Syria make an early withdrawal unlikely."Not to have the ISIS resurgence again or this HTS presenting a threat to the United States, the Trump administration would be interested in protecting the YPG and the Kurds, their alliance with the Kurds," said Oney."We already have the (US) vice president, JD Vance, pointing out the ISIS resurgence."Turkey steps up military action against Kurds in Syria as power shiftsIsrael and IranThe ceasefire between Hamas and Israel could ease another potential point of tension between Erdogan and Trump, as Erdogan has been a strong supporter of Hamas.Meanwhile, both Ankara and Washington share concerns over Iran's regional influence, which could encourage cooperation between the two leaders."Trump administration is coming in with a desire to stabilise relations with Turkey," said Asli Aydintasbas, an analyst with the Brookings Institution."We are likely to see more and more of a personal rapport, personal relationship, which had been missing during the Biden administration," she added. "President Erdogan and President Trump will get along famously. But it does not mean Turkey gets all of its policy options."Success of rebel groups in Syria advances Turkish agendaFighter jets and UkraineErdogan is also hoping the Trump administration will lift a Congressional embargo on advanced fighter jet sales. Experts suggest Turkey could play a key role in any Trump-led efforts to negotiate a ceasefire in the Ukraine war, given Erdogan's ties with both Russia and Ukraine."If Trump is pushing for a ceasefire in Ukraine between Russia and Ukraine, in this case Turkey could be very helpful as a potential mediator," said Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, head of the German Marshall Fund's Ankara office.But Unluhisarcikli warned of potential challenges."What happens in Syria could be a test for the US-Turkey relationship very early on. Turkey is actually preparing for a new intervention in northeast Syria against what Turkey sees as a terrorist organisation, and what the United States sees as a partner on the ground."Economic risksTrump's previous presidency saw tensions with Erdogan peak after Trump threatened to destroy Turkey's economy over its plans to attack US-backed Syrian Kurdish forces. This move triggered a sharp drop in the Turkish lira.With Turkey's economy now weaker than before, analysts say Erdogan will need to proceed cautiously in his dealings with the new Trump administration.

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: Turkey's military buildup along the Syrian border is raising alarms. Ankara's moves signal a potential large-scale incursion into northern Syria—one that could lead to conflict with U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish forces. Promising developments in ceasefire talks for Gaza, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heads to Cairo for what's being described as the final stage of negotiations. The U.S. Treasury imposes new sanctions on North Korea and Russia, targeting Pyongyang's finances and its military support for Moscow. And in today's Back of the Brief, a potential political earthquake in Canada—Prime Minister Justin Trudeau may be on the verge of resignation. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President's Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief Patriot Gold: Call 1-888-870-5457 for a free investor guide. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It took years for Bashar al-Assad's forces to take back Syria's second city. But it took only days for Islamist rebels to overrun Aleppo. Why has a conflict that has been effectively frozen for four years suddenly sprung back to life? What to make of Hezbollah, which says it won't be sending help for now as it's pinned down at home by a precarious truce with Israel? What role for Assad-backers Russia and Iran? And what role for Turkey, which backs some of the rebel groups with an eye to pushing Syrian Kurdish forces away from its border? Recep Tayyip Erdogan last summer offered a deal with Damascus, which Assad turned down on the grounds that it would mean ceding the nominal sovereignty he has over a territory never really recaptured in eleven years.Back then, it was the Arab Spring and the leader of a hereditary dynasty who looked ready to fall, but Assad proved predictions wrong. Could this time be different? If so, how?Produced by Alessandro Xenos, Rebecca Gnignati and Ilayda Habip. 

With Donald Trump on course to begin his second term as US president, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is eyeing renewed opportunities for collaboration – hoping to rekindle the close relationship the two shared during Trump's first presidency. Erdogan, who congratulated Trump as a "friend" on social media, sees this as a chance to reshape US-Turkey relations.During Biden's presidency, engagement was largely limited to foreign ministers – marking a stark contrast to the “strong leader-to-leader relationship” Erdogan and Trump had enjoyed, says analyst Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, of the German Marshall Fund in Ankara.Trump and President Erdogan met face to face about nine times, compared to only two "brief encounters" with Biden, he adds.ChemistryErdogan often speaks warmly of his dealings with Washington during Trump's first term in office."The chemistry is the same. Two charismatic leaders, two leaders who are unpredictable," notes Turkish presidential adviser Mesut Casin, a professor of international relations at Istanbul's Yeditepe University.He believes their personal rapport could set the stage for greater bilateral and regional cooperation, including efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war.Erdogan has long sought to play a role in ending the Russia-Ukraine war, given his close ties with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and, more controversially, with Vladimir Putin – a relationship that drew criticism and suspicion from some of Turkey's NATO partners."Trump will push for negotiations in the Russia-Ukraine war. And I think that's something that Turkey has always preferred," predicts Asli Aydintasbas a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington.Turkey eyes US presidential race that stands to shake up mutual tiesYPG policyErdogan will also look to Trump for changes in US policy toward the YPG, a Syrian Kurdish militia that Ankara views as linked to the PKK, a group fighting the Turkish state.The YPG's alliance with Washington against the Islamic State has strained US-Turkey relations, with Biden resisting Erdogan's calls to end support for the group.Former Turkish diplomat Aydin Selcen predicts Erdogan will hope Trump might be open to a deal."Erdogan thinks that, like himself, Trump too is a pragmatic leader. So leaving aside principles or other such in brackets, the two sides can reach an agreement by giving and taking something between the two," says Selcen.UnpredictabilityWhile Trump has often spoken positively about Erdogan, he nonetheless remains unpredictable.“Can you rely on him?” asks Murat Aslan of SETA, a Turkish pro-government thinktank.Tensions between Turkey and Israel could also complicate relations.Erdogan has expressed hope that Trump will succeed where Biden failed in ending Israel's war on Hamas and Hezbollah, but with Trump's strong support for Israel and Erdogan's backing of Hamas, a clash could be looming."What happens if there is an escalation in the Middle East with the polarisation of Israel and Turkey, as it currently is, and the attitude of Trump, it's very clear that the Trump administration will threaten Turkey," says Aslan.With conflicts raging across the region, Erdogan views a new Trump presidency as an opportunity for Turkey and the region.But given the leaders' unpredictability, that opportunity doesn't come without risks.

With the presidential election in the United States only days away, Turkey is watching the vote closely. While Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan enjoyed a close working relationship with Donald Trump when he was president, analysts warn that a second term for Trump wouldn't come without risks for Ankara. Erdogan has avoided commenting on the US election, but Ankara sees the outcome of the 5 November vote as key for Turkish-US relations.Each of the contenders, Vice-President Kamala Harris and Trump, are expected to take significantly different approaches to Turkey's long-time leader."During the past Trump presidency, the political relationship at the highest level between Erdogan and Trump was a strong one," says Sinan Ulgen, head of the Centre for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies, an Istanbul think tank.Ties with President Joe Biden have been notably less friendly, however, if Harris were to win the relationship with Erdogan is likely to be a much more shallow one, Ulgen believes.Face-to-face timeErdogan met Trump nine times during his 2017-21 presidency, including on a state visit to Washington.In contrast, he met Biden only briefly on the sidelines of international summits, with US-Turkish relations mainly conducted at foreign-minister level."Erdogan has been in power for more than 20 years and Biden is the only US president who has refused to meet him in an official capacity, either in the US capital or in the Turkish capital," says international relations professor Serhat Guvenc of Istanbul's Kadir Has University."For Erdogan, leader-to-leader talks are key to achieving his goals. And probably, he thinks deep down that he can sort out many things through personal contact, connections or personal engagement."Such interaction, especially with the most powerful person in the world, is also seen as vital to Erdogan's status at home."It's very important for his domestic standing and legitimacy," says Asli Aydintasbas, a political commentator and visiting fellow at the Washington-based Brookings Institution."He has built a personalised system but also convinced voters, particularly his base, that he is a consequential leader, that Turkey is rising, that he is very important, he is on par with the US president and the Russian president, that everybody is looking up to Erdogan."Turkey and Russia closer than ever despite Western sanctionsLack of chemistry?Aydintasbas questions how easy it would be for Erdogan to develop a relationship with Harris, even if she were ready to engage more directly than Biden."I cannot imagine what type of chemistry Harris and Erdogan would have. They don't come from similar backgrounds. It's difficult to imagine the two developing a very close personal relationship, to be honest," the analyst says.Erdogan has often spoken warmly of his relationship with Trump – despite the fact he got hit by sanctions during his time in the White House over the detention of an American pastor, prompting the Turkish lira to crash in 2018.Trump once even vowed to "totally destroy and obliterate" the Turkish economy over Turkey's threats to attack US-backed Syrian Kurdish forces."We have memories of the threats and sanctions," warns Murat Aslan of the pro-government Seta Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research in Ankara.Invoking the 2018 crisis, Aslan said: "Rather than words, I think deeds are important."Erdogan hopes a U-turn can salvage Turkey's floundering economyHigh-risk candidateThe Middle East is another potential sticking point.Trump is calling for more support for Israel in its wars against Hamas and Hezbollah, and analysts say differences could again emerge between the US and Turkish leaders."Trump's approach to the Middle East and the conflict between the Palestinians and Israel could actually escalate the tension in the Middle East to the extent that a regional war could be unavoidable," warns Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, who directs the German Marshall Fund's office in Ankara."So yes, a Trump presidency has many opportunities for Turkey – but at a very high risk."Meanwhile, though there has been little direct contact between Biden and Erdogan, Turkish-US relations have shown signs of improvement in recent months.With the two Nato allies increasingly cooperating and better managing their differences, Aydintasbas suggests, there are merits for Ankara to both candidates."A Kamala Harris administration would mean more continuity, but the promise of stability in Turkish-US relations," she says. "Whereas Trump is so unpredictable that it could be very good one day, very bad one day."With the Middle East war continuing to rage, Trump's unpredictability remains a risk to Ankara – but Erdogan will likely still covet the opportunity to renew his relationship with the US strongman.

In this episode of Battlegrounds, H.R. McMaster and Ahmet Üzümcü discuss the vital role of Turkey in advancing peace and prosperity in a time of economic distress; strained relations between Ankara and Washington over Turkey's acquisition of Russian air defense systems; disagreements over US support for Syrian Kurdish forces in the fight against ISIS in Syria; and concerns about Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's authoritarian tendencies and his support for the terrorist organization Hamas, on Wednesday June 26, 2024. Join former director-general of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons Ahmet Üzümcü, and Hoover senior fellow H.R. McMaster in a deep dive into the current state of US-Turkey (Türkiye) and NATO-Turkey relations. In this episode of Battlegrounds, Ambassador Üzümcü, who has previously served as Turkey's permanent representative to the United Nations and NATO, Turkish ambassador to Israel, and deputy undersecretary of state for bilateral political affairs, shares his expert insights on the evolving dynamics between Ankara and Washington, Turkey's controversial acquisition of Russian air defense systems, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's authoritarian policies and support for Hamas, and the broader implications of all these aspects for NATO and stability in the Middle East. ABOUT THE SPEAKERS Ahmet Üzümcü served as director-general of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) from 2010 to 2018. Ambassador Üzümcü accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in 2013 on behalf of the OPCW for the organization's extensive work toward eliminating chemical weapons. Prior to serving this role he was Turkey's (Türkiye's) permanent representative to the United Nations, its permanent representative to NATO, Turkish ambassador to Israel, and deputy undersecretary of state for bilateral political affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ambassador Üzümcü holds a bachelor's degree in international relations from Ankara University. He currently serves as a senior network member for the European Leadership Network and as a senior advisor for the Council on Strategic Risks. H.R. McMaster is the Fouad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. He is also the Bernard and Susan Liautaud Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute and lecturer at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business. He was the 25th assistant to the president for National Security Affairs. Upon graduation from the United States Military Academy in 1984, McMaster served as a commissioned officer in the United States Army for thirty-four years before retiring as a Lieutenant General in June 2018. ​

Editors Jimmy Lovaas and Vivian Wang discuss North Korea's recent launches of trash-filled balloons into South Korea, plus more on U.S. military training in the Pacific, Israel's Benny Gantz threatening to leave the war cabinet, elections by Syrian Kurdish groups and a G7 summit in Italy.Subscribe to the show: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and many more. These stories and others are also available in our free weekly Forecast newsletter.This episode was produced with work from Factal editors Vivian Wang, Joe Veyera, Owen Bonertz, Ahmed Namatalla and Agnese Boffano. Produced and edited by Jimmy Lovaas. Music courtesy of Andrew Gospe. Have feedback, suggestions or events we've missed? Drop us a note: hello@factal.comWhat's Factal? Created by the founders of Breaking News, Factal alerts companies to global incidents that pose an immediate risk to their people or business operations. We provide trusted verification, precise incident mapping and a collaboration platform for corporate security, travel safety and emergency management teams. If you're a company interested in a trial, please email sales@factal.com. To learn more, visit Factal.com, browse the Factal blog or email us at hello@factal.com.Read the full episode description and transcript on Factal's blog.Copyright © 2024 Factal. All rights reserved.

The Kurdish-led administration in northeast Syria is planning to hold landmark local elections in the majority Kurdish and Arab areas under its control. Syrian-Kurdish leader Saleh Muslim says "radical democracy" will be in play as people elect their leaders at every level of local governance, with a man and a woman selected for each post.Turkey has threatened to prevent the elections on the grounds they pose a threat to its national security. The Biden administration has advised against the polls, saying the conditions for conducting them are not ripe.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Turkish military forces are carrying out an air assault on US-backed Kurdish forces in Syria, and Ankara has warned that a land operation may follow. The crackdown comes amid reports that Washington may pull its forces out of Syria and Iraq. Turkey's government accuses Kurdish forces in north-eastern Syria of being linked to attacks on its army. Turkish drone strikes are bombarding oil refineries and electricity production in the Syrian border region controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a coalition of ethnic militias and rebel groups."The targets are energy infrastructure and that sort of stuff. Obviously, the goal is to make that area not sustainable, as a sustainable haven for the SDF," says Aydin Selcen, a former senior Turkish diplomat and now regional analyst for the Medyascope news portal.The SDF's ranks include the Kurdish People's Defence Units (YPG) and Women's Protection Units (YPJ), which Ankara accuses of being affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. The armed movement is considered a terrorist organisation by both Ankara and Washington."The end game as defined by the Turkish authorities is to prevent a terrorist statelet [being created] beyond Turkish borders," explains Selcen."This means allowing the PKK or its Syrian affiliates, the YPG and YPJ, to establish a local administration in that area. War on terror is perhaps the number one priority for this government." Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last month threatened a new land invasion into Syria.Turkish forces already control a large swathe of Syrian territory from previous operations against Syrian Kurdish forces.Possible US withdrawalThe SDF is backed by a US military force of around 900 soldiers in the war against the so-called Islamic State group, raising the possibility of a conflict between NATO and its allies.Ankara's ongoing assault comes amid reports that Washington is considering pulling its forces out of Syria and Iraq."Washington may be preparing to hand off SDF as a partner to the Syrian regime and saying: 'you guys sort yourselves out, we are actually going to leave'," said Turkey analyst Sinan Ciddi of the US-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies."The administration is apparently toying with the idea that it's no longer worth keeping US troops there because they are in harm's way," he said.At least some in the US administration want to explore, if they pulled their troops from northern Syria, "the extent to which Turkey could sort out its problems with the Kurds via engaging with the Syrian regime", Ciddi added.US-Turkey resetA US withdrawal from Syria would relieve years of tension between NATO allies Turkey and the United States."Unfortunately, this relationship with the United States and YPG creates a barrier between Turkey and the United States," said Bilgehan Alagoz, a professor of international relations at Istanbul's Marmara University. "A NATO ally should not act against other allies' national concerns," she said. "That's the main reason why Turkey perceives US policy in Syria as a national security concern." Sweden deal unlikely to resolve bitter dispute between NATO and TurkeyWith Ankara last month lifting its veto on Sweden's NATO membership and the White House reciprocating by green-lighting the sale of military jets to Turkey, the NATO allies appear to be seeking to reset ties. Analyst Selcen warns time may be running out for the SDF."If the Americans leave, it will be very difficult for the SDF to survive unless they cut a deal with Damascus," Selcen said. "But the timing is of the essence, of course – they cannot get the same terms that they will get once the Americans leave."Damascus compromiseBut Selcen suggests if the SDF moves quickly, it could secure a deal with Damascus that ensures its survival – at least in the short term, given the weakness of the Syrian security forces."At the end of the day, they will have to come up with some kind of modus vivendi with [Syrian President Bashar Al] Assad. It does not mean that Assad will come to control this region again as he did. But they will have to come up with some sort of a solution with Damascus."There could equally be advantages for the Turkish government, he believes. Turkey lays the ground for a smoothing of relations with Syria"It will also be, in the end, a kind of a safe face-saving formula for Ankara, which can now take Damascus as the main interlocutor to deal with this [Kurdish problem]," Selcen said."All these sides will be very happy to see the American presence leave the region – with the exception of, of course, the Iraqi Kurds and the Syrian Kurds."Opposition to the US military presence in Syria is rare common ground between Ankara and Damascus.If Damascus was to retake control of the predominantly Kurdish region, analysts say, it could be enough for Erdogan to claim victory over the SDF, end Turkey's assault, and remove the main point of tension between Ankara and Washington.

Ankara's ratification of Sweden's NATO membership after a 10-month delay has spurred hopes of a reset in relations between Turkey and the alliance, but tensions still run deep. French President Emmanuel Macron's recent state visit to Sweden focused heavily on defence amid Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine.While its NATO membership was seen as critical amid persisting concerns over border security, Turkey refused to ratify Sweden's entry until a long list of demands from its partners were met.Sweden's accession saw a lifting of restrictions by NATO countries on military hardware sales to Turkey, says Aydin Selcen, a former senior Turkish diplomat who is now a regional analyst for Mediyacope, a Turkish news portal."F-16s are being bought [from the US]. This will keep the Turkish air force up in the air for some time... Deals like this one will keep the relationship afloat," he told RFI.F-16 dealFor years, US President Joe Biden blocked the sale of American F-16 fighter jets amid concerns over rising tensions between Turkey and its neighbours over territorial disputes.With Ankara ratifying NATO's expansion, the White House has authorised the sale, and Congress is expected to ratify the deal. However it may not be the diplomatic victory Ankara claims."The last I heard was the State Department was drawing up a letter demanding the transfer of F-16s as a kind of a certification program," says Turkey specialist Sinan Ciddi, of the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies."They could halt transfers if the Turks , for example, continue to antagonise Greek airspace or overflights."Erdogan's advantage?Erdogan may retain an advantage, though. Hungary has yet to ratify Sweden's membership and Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Oban is a close ally of the Turkish leader.Last week, acting US Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland held two days of talks in Ankara. The talks were focused on enabling better cooperation between the US and Turkey.Analyst Selcen says Turkey's is still as strategically important to NATO as it was when it joined in 1952 at the height of the Cold War."The same geopolitical reasons to keep Turkey as a strong military ally remain valid," said Selcen. "On the one hand against the north, Russia, and on the other Iran and other terrorist threats."The war against the Islamic State jihadists remains a point of tension because of Washington's support for Syrian Kurdish fighters.These include the YPG, which is affiliated with the PKK, and which has been fighting Turkey for decades and is designated by both the European Union and the US as a terrorist group."The US relationship with YPG poisons almost all the potential collaborations," political scientist Bilgehan Alagoz of Istanbul's Marmara University says.So first [the] United States should check its policy towards the YPG, and then Turkey and the United States can start talking about other issues."Erdogan, Alagoz adds, is holding NATO hostage to extract concessions over Sweden's membership.Along with his close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his refusal to impose sanctions against Moscow, this is raising questions over Ankara's loyalties.With the threat posed by Russia expected to grow, and the danger of contagion from the Israel-Hamas conflict, resolving the trust deficit between Turkey and its NATO partners has never been more important. French president urges Turkey to support Sweden's bid to join NATO

The co-chair of the main party governing Kurdish-led northeast Syria believes Arab engagement with President Bashar al-Assad of Syria may help secure a peaceful resolution to the Syrian conflict, provided that there are conditions attached.These include granting ethnic and religious minorities equal rights. However, Muslim says "the miserable" League has delivered little if anything on other Arab conflicts.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This weekend missiles from a drone nearly hit a US convoy carrying American personnel and Mazlum Kobane, a top American ally in the fight against the Islamic State and the commander in chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces. Kobane said he was the target of an assassination, while the Pentagon said the strikes “directly threatened the safety of US personnel” working to defeat IS. Turkey is believed to have carried out the attack. The question now is how will President Biden react? Michael Rubin, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a former Pentagon official, joins Thanos Davelis to look into this latest troubling incident and explore what steps the Biden administration should take in order to signal to Erdogan that certain actions cross a red line. Read Michael Rubin's latest piece here: Turkey just tried to kill Americans. Will Biden react?You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:US-backed Syrian Kurdish leader Mazlum Kobane says Turkey's attempt on life not the first Turkish foreign minister: sovereignty of some Aegean islands ‘not determined'Dendias: Greece should be optimistic but also careful about relations with TurkeyIsrael inks $400 million sale of anti-tank missiles to GreeceIsrael signs $400 mln deal to sell Greece anti-tank missiles

The conflict in Ukraine has had a profound impact on geopolitical balances across the globe. The effects are certainly being felt in Syria, where Russia has been propping up the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. Russia has been pressuring Assad to respond to Turkish overtures, which are primarily underpinned by Ankara"s determination to crush the US-backed Syrian Kurdish statelet in northeast Syria.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Turkish military forces are poised to launch a ground offensive in Syria against US-backed Syrian Kurdish forces, accused by Ankara of attacks on Turkey. But Ankara is facing stiff opposition from both Washington and Moscow. Turkish security forces blame the Syrian Kurdish YPG for carrying out a series of recent attacks against Turkey, including in Istanbul, a charge the group denies.  The Turkish Defense Ministry said Sunday that Turkey launched deadly airstrikes over northern regions of Syria and Iraq, targeting Kurdish groups that Ankara holds responsible for last month's deadly bomb attack in a bustling street in Istanbul. Ankara also accuses them of being linked to PKK insurgents fighting in Turkey. After shelling positions held by the YPG, Turkish forces are now poised to create a 30 km deep security corridor inside Syria. Mesut Casin, a presidential advisor at Istanbul's Yeditepe University, says preparations are almost complete for the incursion saying Turkey has no choice. What will the deadly bombing in Istanbul mean for Turkish politics? "Just in a short time, three attacks killed many civilians. This is number one. And number two, the military has explained that within the last eight months, we lost more than one hundred military service people." Casin told RFI.  He points to a map on his computer screen of the Syrian region under YPG control. "A lot of weapons are deployed in the YPG area in eastern Syria. Often their missiles kill civilians. This is an unacceptable condition for Turkey. This is against our military security and sovereignty," he explains.  Difficult diplomacy The YPG strenuously denies it is launching attacks into Turkey. The Syrian Kurdish group is a close ally of the United States in its war against the Islamic State. The group says it suspended some its operations against the Islamic State because of the looming Turkish threat. "There's the danger that the US government will be torn between two unsavoury options," says Asli Aydintasbas, a visiting fellow of the Washington-based Brookings Institution think tank. "That is to say, abandoning their Kurdish allies, who they've been fighting with, fighting ISIS since 2014, or facing a confrontational relationship with Turkey, when things seem to be on a relatively even keel. "So both of these options are bad," Aydintasbas continues. "The US would be faced with this dilemma if there was a Turkish incursion. So what they're trying to do, behind the scenes, is urge and warn Turkey not to go ahead." Washington is calling on Ankara to step back, a stance echoed by Moscow, which controls part of Syria that Ankara is targeting. Russia also controls Syrian airspace access, which analysts say Turkish forces would need for any ground operation. Iranian-backed militia in Syria have also vowed to resist any Turkish incursion.  Political distraction But with Turkey in the midst of a deep economic crisis, some analysts say powerful domestic forces are behind the planned operation. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is facing reelection next year and cannot risk losing face by pulling back from such an incursion. "Erdogan desperately needs an operation, any military operation beyond Turkish national borders, and the best place would be in Syria," says Rtd general Haldun Solmazturk of the Ankara-based 21st Century Turkey Institute. Russia's Putin searches for allies in meeting with Iranian and Turkish leaders "But it has become obvious that neither the United States nor the Russian Federation would let this happen. So faced with this reality, Erdogan has already backed down, I believe, and now he's bargaining," Solmazturk says. One concession Ankara is looking for from Washington is purchasing American fighter jets, a sale currently stalled in the US Congress. No let up "I believe the incentive for Mr. Erdogan is to conduct this operation because it would create a kind of rallying around the flag movement," Aydin Selcen, a former senior Turkish diplomat and now a regional analyst for Medyascope news portal, told RFI. "The operation may be delayed, but the threat, or the statement of an imminent military operation for northern Syria, will stay with us until the elections, at least," Selcen adds. Whatever Ankara does, few predict any let up in the coming months by the Turkish military in its targeting of the YPG.

As Turkey threatens to mount a fresh ground assault against the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces in northeast Syria, America's Syrian Kurdish allies are warning that Washington and the Kremlin need to take a much firmer stance to prevent a Turkish offensive that will further undermine the battle against the Islamic State. While Washington has expressed “strong opposition” to a new Turkish military operation in Syria, sources have also indicated that Turkey is spurning all mediation efforts. Amberin Zaman, a senior correspondent reporting from the Middle East, North Africa and Europe exclusively for Al-Monitor, joins Thanos Davelis to discuss the increasing likelihood of a Turkish offensive, the response from Washington and Moscow, and the options on the table for Syria's Kurds. Read Amberin Zaman's latest reports here: Syrian Kurdish commander says Kobani likely target of threatened Turkish ground offensiveSyrian Kurdish commander slams US response to Turkish attacks as US diplomats evacuated from SyriaAmerican aid volunteer David Eubank says Syrian Kurds feel even more betrayed by US in wake of Turkey's most recent attacksYou can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:Greece to get EU-funded anti-disinformation hubGreece, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary agree to boost gas grid interconnections

Turkey is threatening to mount a fresh ground assault against the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces in northeast Syria after a wave of airstrikes that left 11 civilians and numerous Kurdish fighters dead. US officials say they are trying to de-escalate the situation, but their Syrian Kurdish allies say Washington's response has been weak and is unlikely to stave off another Turkish offensive. David Eubank, founder of the Free Burma Rangers, a volunteer group that assists civilians in conflict zones, came out of northeast Syria yesterday where he witnessed the devastation wreaked by Turkey's latest airstrikes. He told Al-Monitor that the sense of betrayal by the United States is even deeper than when President Donald Trump gave Turkey the green light to invade large chunks of northeast Syria in 2019. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In Turkey, the political and diplomatic fallout continues after a deadly bombing on Istiklal Avenue in Istanbul. Turkey blames Kurdish militants backed by the United States for the attack, which comes months before fraught elections. On Saturday, Bulgarian prosecutors charged five people in connection with the blast. Mourners continue to lay flowers at the site of the 13 November bombing in Istanbul's most famous shopping street. The attack killed six, including a mother and son, and a father and daughter. Dozens more were injured. Shop owners are clearing up the devastation and, like the rest of the city, trying to come to terms with this latest attack. "It has been a disaster, " said shopkeeper Lokman Kalkan. "People were fighting for their lives. There was blood everywhere, and screaming and crying. There was nothing we could do." While the country grieves for the dead, the political repercussions are already being felt. Security forces, after detaining the alleged bomber just hours after the attack, claimed it was carried out by the Kurdish militant group the Kurdistan Workers' Party or PKK, a charge it denies.  The PKK is fighting the Turkish state for greater minority rights. But Devlet Bahceli, leader of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's parliamentary coalition partner the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), has called for the closure of the political party that represents Kurds in parliament, the Peoples' Democratic Party or HDP. "We don't want to see separatists in the parliament. We cannot stand seeing terrorists. We cannot tolerate the HDP for even a second," Bahceli bellowed to cheers from his parliamentary deputies. The HDP is already facing closure, accused of having links with the PKK, a charge it denies. Many of its parliamentary deputies are jailed on terrorism charges, convictions condemned as politically motivated by the European Court of Human Rights.  Tension with the US The bombing fallout is also threatening to strain US-Turkish relations further. The police allege the bomber was trained by the Syrian Kurdish militia, the People's Defense Units (YPG), which Ankara says is affiliated with the PKK. Washington backs the Syrian Kurdish group in its fight against Islamic State extremists near the border between Syria and Turkey. Speaking at the site of the bombing, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said Turkey should rethink its relationship with the United States. "We refuse the condolences of the American embassy," Soylu said. "We cannot accept an alliance with a state that sends money from its own senate to these groups, feeding the terror zones in [border town] Kobani, which aims to disturb Turkey's peace. Such a state is in a contradictory situation. This is open and clear." Turkey lays the ground for a smoothing of relations with Syria Turkey and Russia closer than ever despite Western sanctions There is a large audience in Turkey for such anti-American rhetoric, argues Senem Aydin-Duzgit of the Istanbul Policy Centre. "You have the Americans' alliance with the Kurds, in particular in northern Syria. So there is this perception that America is sort of in an alliance with the PKK and the Kurdish nationalist movement. And that creates hostility," she says. "And there is a lot of anti-Americanism in Turkey as well – some of it historical, ideological, because you have anti-Americanism both on the right and the left of the political spectrum." Ghosts of 2015 election Diplomatic fallout between Ankara and Washington appears contained, at least for now. Despite strong words at home, Erdogan recently met US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Indonesia. But analysts suggest the real impact could be on Turkey's presidential elections next year. Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party, the AKP, are currently languishing in the opinion polls. Soli Ozel, a professor of international relations at Istanbul's Kadir Has University, is wary of a repeat of the 2015 general elections, when the AKP lost its absolute majority in parliament and an alternative government couldn't be formed. As elections loom in Turkey, Erdogan pulls plug on opposition social media How Turkish voters are beating internet press clampdown before polls That forced the vote to be repeated five months later, and in between violence escalated, says Ozel. "There were terrorist incidents, and one of the most awful terrorist incidents in the country's history with the largest number of deaths took place only 20 days before the repeat election," he recalls. Erdogan's AKP party eventually won the second election with a large majority. Opposition parties are already raising questions over the investigation into the Istiklal Avenue bombing, particularly the speed of the inquiry and its swift conclusions. That scrutiny is only likely to grow given the high political stakes, as many in the country look towards next year's election with increasing foreboding.

IN THIS episode we speak with Bethany Rielly, the home affairs reporter at the Morning Star newspaper, about the scandal surrounding the Manston migrant centre in Britain.  Manston is a former military base in Kent, which opened as a processing centre earlier this year for those who arrived into the country by crossing the Channel.  Bethany tells us how people are being detained in awful conditions at the overcrowded camp for weeks, when they are only supposed to be held there for 24 hours, and about the outbreak of Victorian-era diseases inside there.  We discuss how the recent far-right terrorist attack on a migrant processing centre in Dover made things worse for those detained at Manston, and how the British Home Secretary reacted to it with far-right rhetoric and conspiracy theories.  She also tells us about the protests against the conditions inside Manston and why the union that represents border guards is joining legal action against the government over it.  ---Get in touch--- @FleetCivil info@civilfleet.com Support:  ko-fi.com/civilfleet ---Show Notes--- You can follow Bethany Rielly on Twiiter via @bethrielly And you can find all of her stories for the Morning Star newspaper here: bit.ly/3Gaqwm9 You can find the Morning Star's website here: morningstaronline.co.uk Or follow it on Twitter here: twitter.com/M_Star_Online For anyone not familiar with British Politics, "the Tories" is the nickname of the ruling Conservative Party.  The UK Home Office is similar to the Department of Homeland Security in the US or the Ministry of the Interior and for Community in Germany.  The Home Secretary is currently Suella Braverman. Before her, it was Priti Patel. Both have been controversial figures and frequently demonised people seeking asylum in Britain. Here are some links to stories about Braverman's controversies:  • A general overview of her career in politics: bit.ly/3tt9d88 • A look at five controversial statements she has made: bit.ly/3UY3rat • And the time she made reference to "cultural Marxism," an antisemitic, Nazi-conspiracy theory: bit.ly/3TyteVq Confused by, or never heard about, cultural Marxism? Check this video out about it: bit.ly/3E5KUC7 Near the beginning of the episode, Bethany mentions the death of Alan Kurdi. He was a two-year-old Syrian-Kurdish boy who died in a shipwreck off the coast of Turkey. Photographs of his body lying face down on a beach were shown across the world. You can read more about him, here: bit.ly/3TxMEtB Stand Up to Racism, which Bethany mentions in the podcast, is an anti-fascist organisation. You can find more about them here: standuptoracism.org.uk. Want to know more about Lesbos? Then check out episode 28 with Alice and Hamid from Borderline Lesvos about their work on the island running a welcome centre for registered refugees For more on what was happening in Italy as this episode was being recorded, see the stories linked here: bit.ly/3GhUvZh  For more on the British government's Nationality and Borders Bill, and the Rwanda deportation scheme, check out episode 21 with Doctor's Without Borders (MSF) UK advocacy officer Sophie McCann Read my exclusive story on the rising numbers of deaths at Home Office asylum-seeker accommodations here: bit.ly/3O2qHlg Here's some links to Bethany's stories mentioned in this episode: • Refugee families detained in tents for weeks at ‘wretched' holding centre in Kent: bit.ly/3WWYLU3 • Migrant centre in Kent ‘catastrophically overcrowded', ministers warned: bit.ly/3EuheA9 • Protests break out inside ‘catastrophically overcrowded' asylum processing centre: bit.ly/3WUHXNz • Children cry for help while trapped ‘like animals in a cage' in overcrowded asylum centre: bit.ly/3X4jCVE • Harrowing conditions at Manston made me suicidal, former resident tells Morning Star: bit.ly/3tq9jNS • Hundreds demand end to ‘illegal and inhumane' Manston detention centre: bit.ly/3URoMST •  Dover petrol bomb attack on migrant centre not treated as terror incident until two days after: bit.ly/3X4jJAy The RAF stands for The Royal Air Force Ben compares the Mantson Camp to Moria, which was an overcrowded camp on the Greek island of Lesbos. You can read more about that here: bit.ly/3O6kMvv Here's a link to Diane Taylor's story in the Guardian newspaper about the outbreak of MRSA at Manston: bit.ly/3Ob5YMk Here's the clip of BBC journalist talking about the UK 'defending itself on the frontline against migrants' that Ben mentions: bit.ly/3TACHf4  For more on The Channel, see here: bit.ly/3hBmads Check out Hope Not Hate here: hopenothate.org.uk For more on Action Against Detention and Deportations (AADD), see here: bit.ly/3UH6kNe

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a strong opponent of the Syrian regime, says his country could be ready for dialogue with Damascus. It's a prospect that's causing alarm in the ranks of the Syrian opposition that relies heavily on Turkish support. Since the onset of the Syrian civil war, Erdogan routinely targeted his Syrian counterpart Bashar Al Assad as a tyrant, devil, and butcher, pledging that he would pay for what he calls his atrocities against his people.  But this month, Erdogan is singing a different tune. Referring to his nation's relations with the Syrian regime, the Turkish leader told reporters: "Political dialogue and diplomacy cannot be cut off between states."   Ankara severed its diplomatic ties with the Assad government at the start of the civil war. Erdogan has played a leading role in backing the opposition in its bid to oust Assad from power. But Turkey is now looking to return millions of Syrian refugees.  Talk of 'peace' Earlier this month, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu revealed he had recently held talks with his Syrian counterpart.  "I had a brief chat with the Syrian foreign minister on the sidelines of a meeting, telling him that Turkey believes there will be peace between the Assad regime and the opposition and that Turkey is ready to help in such circumstances," Cavusoglu said.  Syrian rebels angrily protested, burning Turkish flags as they got news of the discussion between the Turkish and Syrian foreign ministers.   "It's terrible news for the Syrian opposition," said Galip Dalay, a Turkey analyst at Chatham House.  "Because of the trouble they were facing, they were already more and more turning into Turkey's proxies, and now that will be basically the nail in the coffin of the Syrian opposition. "But some of the groups there might also be decoupling between Turkey and some of the Syrian opposition groups." Syrian Kurds Analysts say Erdogan could be looking for rapprochement with Damascus to get rid of Syrian Kurdish forces of the YPG from its border.  Ankara accuses the YPG of having links to an insurgency inside Turkey. "From our perspective, we need to feel secure definitely," said Omer Onhon, Turkey's last ambassador to Syria. Erdogan is also facing mounting public pressure over the millions of Syrian refugees who fled to Turkey. But Onhon says Ankara needs to be cautious in its dealings with Damascus. Kurdish PKK fighters may retreat to Iran as Turkish military closes in "We need to see that Syria is secure for the return of Syrians in Turkey and in other countries. So, the regime has to prove that they are sincere in seeking a real political solution. But up to now, this is not the case," said Onhon. But time may not be on Erdogan's side. He faces reelection next year and is languishing in the polls, with many voters citing the presence of Syrian refugees as one of his most significant election liabilities.  Moscow a player The hand of Moscow, which has long backed the Assad regime, could also be a factor in Erdogan's deliberations, says analyst Dalay. "This is precisely in line with the Russian vision of Syria," said Dalay.  "The core of it is that Turkey needs to engage Damascus. That the road to Turkey's concerns in Syria goes through Damascus, so that's the message that Putin and Russia have been sending to Turkey. "How Turkey will follow through is a big question because Turkey has a significant military presence there (Syria). How Turkish voters are beating internet press clampdown before polls "So, Syria would insist on the withdrawal of the Turkish presence from Syria. And this is a very difficult position in terms of foreign and domestic policy. "  Assad has repeatedly called for the unconditional withdrawal of Turkish forces from Syrian territory — Ankara controls a large swathe of Syrian territory along the Turkish border, seized in its fight against the Kurdish YPG group.   It's a demand the Syrian president could make face-to-face with Erdogan in September when both leaders are invited to attend a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. 

Turkish leaders continue to threaten another military offensive against the Syrian Kurds. But they need either the Kremlin's or Washington's approval to mount any such offensive in the zones that are under Russian and US control. Salih Muslim, the leader of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party that hold power in northeast Syria says Erdogan is unpredictable and might carry out a military operation.Muslim recalls in this conversaton with Amberin Zaman the days when he used to travel to Turkey when Ankara was holding peace talks with the Kurdistan Workers Party leader Abdullah Ocalan and his commanders in the field. Muslim says until Turkey solves its Kurdish question there cannot be peace in the region.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A lecture delivered by Professor René Provost, McGill University at the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law (LCIL) on 29 April 2022. Several hundred European ISIS fighters, reportedly including nine British men and fifteen British women, have been held without trial by Syrian Kurdish forces for several years. The UK, like many European governments, are reluctant to repatriate their nationals, and would prefer them to be tried “where the crimes were committed”, concretely meaning prosecutions before the courts of the unrecognised administration of the Kurdish enclave in North-East Syria. Would such trials be lawful under international and European human rights law? How are the requirements of a fair trial transformed when transposed to the courts of a non-state armed group? Does human rights law impose extraterritorial obligations upon the state of nationality of these foreign fighters? René Provost Ad.E. FRSC is Professor of Law at McGill University, where he was the founding Director of the Centre for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism. His books include: Rebel Courts – the Administration of Justice by Armed Insurgents (Oxford University Press, 2021); International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (Cambridge University Press, 2002); State Responsibility in International Law (Ashgate/Dartmouth, 2002); Mapping the Boundaries of Belonging: Law Between Religious Revival and Post-Multiculturalism (Oxford university Press, 2014); Culture in the Domains of Law (Cambridge University Press, 2017); Confronting Genocide (Springer Verlag, 2011); and Dialogues on Human Rights and Legal Pluralism (Springer Verlag, 2013). Chaired by: Prof Sandesh Sivakumaran For more information see https://www.lcil.cam.ac.uk/

Syria is in the throes of conflict. In the northeast, Syrian Kurdish forces are fighting ISIS militants who forced a prison break last week. It's the largest recent ISIS resurgence. The president and his Russian allies are continuing airstrikes in Northwest Idlib province. But Syrian children are determined to pursue their education, video journalist Abddulrazaq Alshani found. Ali Rogin reports. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

The Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq has sealed a critical border crossing to the US protected and Kurdish governed zone in northeast Syria over a violent clash between a Syrian Kurdish youth organization and Iraqi Kurdish border forces. The closure has interrupted the flow of aid to the region as northeast Syria grapples with the effects of US sanctions against the Syrian regime, and of the COVID 19 pandemic not mention its worst drought in decadesAnalyst Hiwa Osman explains what is at stake.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Turkey is threatening to launch a military operation against Syrian Kurdish forces after a deadly attack in Syrian territory where Turkish forces are present. Last month's deadly car bombing in the Turkish-controlled Syrian Afrin region saw Ankara blaming the Syrian Kurdish group YPG. Turkish forces, along with Syrian rebels, ousted the YPG from the area three years ago. The Kurdish group has been waging a guerrilla campaign against the Turkish troops and their Syrian rebel allies.  But in an address to the country, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he had reached his limit. "The latest attacks against our police and the aggressions against our country were the last drop. We will take the necessary measures to solve this issue as soon as possible," Erdogan said. Turkey accuses the YPG of having links to Kurdish separatists the PKK fighting in Turkish territory since the 1980s. But the YPG denies any links to the PKK.  Erdogan says Turkish forces and Syrian rebels backed by Turkey will seek to oust the YPG from the strategic town of Tell Rifaat. Ankara believes that is the launchpad of the Kurdish group's attacks against Turkish forces in Syria.  Russian presence But Russian forces control Tell Rifaat, along with the airspace. "If Tell Riffaat will be the focus of the operation, Russian cooperation, or let's say Russian facilitation, would be of utmost importance because Russia has air dominance in the area," said Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, head of George Marshall Fund office in Ankara. "Because the area of Tell Rifaat is not close to the Turkish border, and any operation would be very difficult without Russian approval."  Ankara has long sought Tell Rifaat, as it would link the three areas of Syria under Turkish military control. But the Syrian town is a vital transportation hub and close to Syria's second-largest city, Aleppo.  Moscow is predicted to be wary of giving Ankara such a valuable prize.  "I think Russia is at least resisting it [Turkish military operation], but everything is possible," said Galip Dalay, associate fellow at Chatham House in London. "Russia will drive a hard bargain, and at the end of this hard bargain, this process will involve many give-and-takes," Dalay added. "If Russia thinks it will get something significant in return, then yes, it's a possibility; in the end, let's not forget, two out of three Turkish operations into Syria were facilitated by Russia."  Elections The United States backs the YPG in its war against the Islamic State group. Thus, any Turkish operation against the Kurdish group could further strain already complicated relations between Turkey and the US.  But Turkey is to hold presidential elections by 2023, and that could factor into Erdogan's calculations. "Erdogan is in an election year, and the central bank reserves are empty," said Aydin Selcen, a columnist for the Duvar News portal. "Either the diplomatic and the real cost of any move or any new military operation in Syria will be considered as exorbitant," added Selcen. "Or maybe such a story will be needed in this election year as a propaganda tool."  Erdogan rarely makes empty threats, given Turkish forces have already carried out three primary Syrian military operations. Still, this latest proposed operation could prove to be the Turkish president's biggest gamble.

Sherin Seyda is a director, producer, screenwriter, and film consultant at the Nederlands Filmfonds. Born to Syrian-Kurdish parents in Berlin, Sherin studied film and law in the UK and at the Sorbonne in Paris. At the University of Amsterdam, she received her Bachelors in Psychology and a Bachelors and Masters in International Law. Sherin finished her studies with a Masters in Audiovisual Arts at the LUCA School of Arts in Brussels, Belgium. She worked as a moderator, curator, and programme producer for De Balie, IFFR, and Human Rights Watch Film Festival. Today, Sherin splits her time between creating her own films and her work as film consultant at the Nederlands Filmfonds. Film consultants are responsible for the qualitative assessment of selective funding applications for film development and production. The Netherlands Film Fund is the national agency responsible for supporting film production and film related activities in the Netherlands. This episode is split in two parts. First, Nadine and Sherin talk about her journey and work. They touch her decision to study both her interests and her passions, and her commute between Brussels and Amsterdam whilst studying at LUCA and working at De Balie. They talk in depth about what it means to produce film screenings, panels, and programs. In the second part of the episode, Nadine and Sherin chat about her newish role at the Nederlands Filmfonds and her day-to-day responsibilities. They discuss the pitching process, creating film plans, and the criteria the fund put in place.Sherin Seyda is a director, producer, writer, and film consultant. Sherin is based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.Nadine Reumer is a Dutch actress and podcaster based between Amsterdam and New York City. For further information on her work & to get in contact, visit her website: www.nadinereumer.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The template for the renewed battle against the Taliban in Afghanistan may well be found in Gayle Tzemach Lemmon's book, The Daughters of Kobani: A Story of Rebellion, Courage, and Justice, (2021): the story of how the all-women's Syrian Kurdish militia (YPJ) defeated ISIS and left in its wake the most far-reaching experiment in women's justice and equality in their corner of the Middle East and beyond. Join Michael Zeldin in his conversation with Gayle as they discuss her book and its portends for future battles. Guest Gayle Tzemach Lemmon Gayle Tzemach Lemmon is the author of the New York Times bestsellers, The Dressmaker of Khair Khana (2011), about a young entrepreneur who supported her community under the Taliban, Ashley's War: The Untold Story of a Team of Women Soldiers on the Special Ops Battlefield (2015), and The Daughters of Kobani (2021), the story of what ISIS has left in its wake: the most far-reaching experiment in women's equality in the least likely place in the world brought to you by women who have been battling ISIS town by town, street by street since 2013. These women served as America's ground force in the fight to defeat the Islamic State and The Daughters of Kobani tells for the first time this David and Goliath story of how they came to serve ISIS its first battlefield defeat. Ashley's War is currently being developed into a major motion picture at Universal with Reese Witherspoon producing, and The Daughters of Kobani has been optioned by HiddenLight Productions, founded by former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Sam Branson, and Chelsea Clinton.  Lemmon, who serves as an adjunct senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, along with private sector leadership roles in emerging technology and national security firms, began writing about entrepreneurship in conflict and post-conflict zones while studying for her MBA at Harvard following a decade covering politics at the ABC News Political Unit. This work from Afghanistan, Rwanda, Liberia, Bosnia and beyond has been published by the World Bank, Harvard Business School, the Financial Times, Harvard Business Review and CNN, among others. Following MBA study, she led public policy analysis during the global financial crisis at the global investment firm PIMCO. Lemmon is a frequent speaker on national security topics, including at the Aspen Security Forum and TED forums, and has given talks at West Point, ODNI, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the U.S. Naval Academy, and the National Infantry Museum. Her TED Talk on Ashley's War and the reshaping of the hero story to include women has received more than a million views worldwide.  She regularly appears on MSNBC, CNN, PBS, and National Public Radio. Along with her national security work, she has reported and written extensively on topics including child marriage in the United States for PBS NewsHour and on school choice, single moms and the power and importance of girls' ambition for The Atlantic. Lemmon holds an MBA from Harvard and received the Dean's Award for her work on women's entrepreneurship. In addition to serving as a Robert Bosch Fellow in Germany, she served as a Fulbright scholar in Spain, on the board of the international aid organization Mercy Corps and is a member of the Bretton Woods Committee. She speaks Spanish, German and French and is conversant in Dari and Kurmanci.  Host Michael Zeldin Michael Zeldin is a well-known and highly-regarded TV and radio analyst/commentator. He has covered many high-profile matters, including the Clinton impeachment proceedings, the Gore v. Bush court challenges, Special Counsel Robert Muller's investigation of interference in the 2016 presidential election, and the Trump impeachment proceedings.  In 2019, Michael was a Resident Fellow at the Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School, where he taught a study group on Independent Investigations of Presidents. Previously,

In today's episode, we speak with Sea-Eye spokeswoman Sophie. She tells us about saving 409 people aboard the Sea Eye 4 in May, what happened when the ship encountered the Libyan Coastguard during a rescue operation, and how the Italian authorities misused safety laws to stop the ship going back to sea. Sophie also talks about why Sea Eye's previous ship was named after Alan Kurdi, a three-year-old Syrian-Kurdish boy whose body was photographed face down on a Turkish beach in September 2015 --- Show notes --- For more on The Civil Fleet visit civilfleet.com You can find a glossary of the terms used in this episode here: bit.ly/3kGhkt0 For more on Sea Eye visit: sea-eye.org/en/ Or follow them on Twitter: @seaeyeorg Read more about the Amnesty International report on the detention centres in Libya here: bit.ly/3s2JOkn Get in touch: @FleetCivil info@civilfleet.com Support: patreon.com/civilfleet

The template for the renewed battle against the Taliban in Afghanistan may well be found in Gayle Tzemach Lemmon's book, The Daughters of Kobani: A Story of Rebellion, Courage, and Justice, (2021): the story of how the all-women's Syrian Kurdish militia (YPJ) defeated ISIS and left in its wake the most far-reaching experiment in women's justice and equality in their corner of the Middle East and beyond. Join Michael Zeldin in his conversation with Gayle as they discuss her book and its portends for future battles. Guest Gayle Tzemach Lemmon Gayle Tzemach Lemmon is the author of the New York Times bestsellers, The Dressmaker of Khair Khana (2011), about a young entrepreneur who supported her community under the Taliban, Ashley's War: The Untold Story of a Team of Women Soldiers on the Special Ops Battlefield (2015), and The Daughters of Kobani (2021), the story of what ISIS has left in its wake: the most far-reaching experiment in women's equality in the least likely place in the world brought to you by women who have been battling ISIS town by town, street by street since 2013. These women served as America's ground force in the fight to defeat the Islamic State and The Daughters of Kobani tells for the first time this David and Goliath story of how they came to serve ISIS its first battlefield defeat. Ashley's War is currently being developed into a major motion picture at Universal with Reese Witherspoon producing, and The Daughters of Kobani has been optioned by HiddenLight Productions, founded by former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Sam Branson, and Chelsea Clinton.  Lemmon, who serves as an adjunct senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, along with private sector leadership roles in emerging technology and national security firms, began writing about entrepreneurship in conflict and post-conflict zones while studying for her MBA at Harvard following a decade covering politics at the ABC News Political Unit. This work from Afghanistan, Rwanda, Liberia, Bosnia and beyond has been published by the World Bank, Harvard Business School, the Financial Times, Harvard Business Review and CNN, among others. Following MBA study, she led public policy analysis during the global financial crisis at the global investment firm PIMCO. Lemmon is a frequent speaker on national security topics, including at the Aspen Security Forum and TED forums, and has given talks at West Point, ODNI, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the U.S. Naval Academy, and the National Infantry Museum. Her TED Talk on Ashley's War and the reshaping of the hero story to include women has received more than a million views worldwide.  She regularly appears on MSNBC, CNN, PBS, and National Public Radio. Along with her national security work, she has reported and written extensively on topics including child marriage in the United States for PBS NewsHour and on school choice, single moms and the power and importance of girls' ambition for The Atlantic. Lemmon holds an MBA from Harvard and received the Dean's Award for her work on women's entrepreneurship. In addition to serving as a Robert Bosch Fellow in Germany, she served as a Fulbright scholar in Spain, on the board of the international aid organization Mercy Corps and is a member of the Bretton Woods Committee. She speaks Spanish, German and French and is conversant in Dari and Kurmanci.  Host Michael Zeldin Michael Zeldin is a well-known and highly-regarded TV and radio analyst/commentator. He has covered many high-profile matters, including the Clinton impeachment proceedings, the Gore v. Bush court challenges, Special Counsel Robert Muller's investigation of interference in the 2016 presidential election, and the Trump impeachment proceedings.  In 2019, Michael was a Resident Fellow at the Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kenn...

A dramatic drop in water levels on the Euphrates River in recent weeks has increased tensions between Turkey and Syrian Kurdish forces. Kurdish officials in northeast Syria accuse Turkey of reducing the levels of water flowing from the Euphrates, causing an agricultural crisis and a major power shortage in the region. Turkey's Foreign Ministry denies that this is taking place. USCIRF Commissioner Nadine Maenza joins The Greek Current to discuss reports that Turkey is weaponizing water rights in northeast Syria, and why this is a threat to regional stability and to vulnerable religious minority communities in the area.Nadine Maenza is a Commissioner with the USCIRF and the President of the organization Patriot Voices. She has represented USCIRF in various delegations, and has traveled in her own personal capacity to better understand religious freedom conditions in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Bangladesh, as well as recently spending a month in northeast Syria. You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:Water Drop in Euphrates River Increases Tensions Between Syrian Kurds, Turkey Syria: Are water supplies being weaponized by Turkey?USCIRF Annual Report 2021USCIRF Commissioner Nadine Maenza's statementEU Confident of COVID-19 Travel Certificate for SummerGovernment seeking to vaccinate all islanders by end-JuneGreek, Spanish PMs see joint EU debt as precedent for more fiscal integrationSchinas says Greek recovery plan will be approved ‘within June'

Arab Digest editor William Law in conversation with the Syrian Kurdish journalist Sirwan Kajjo. In northeast Syria,in the midst of civil war, the SDF has carved out an autonomous region and the Kurdish Region of Iraq has long asserted its autonomy from Baghdad but Kurds in both countries face significant challenges and the dream of a Kurdish homeland seems as elusive as ever

Dr Heval Kelli will never forget when during his third year as a medical student, a man kept coming to the clinic complaining about being hungry. The team was checking for underlying health issues, when one of Dr Kelli’s attendings took his history and realised that this patient was not able to get access to food. Dr Kelli came away from this episode with a lesson that still shapes him as a doctor: “If you treat everyone as you want your family to be treated, you will do well.” Ankur Kalra’s guest is Dr Heval Mohammed Kelli, cardiologist at Northside Hospital Cardiovascular Institute, and a member of the ACC Diversity and Inclusion Task Force. In this inspirational and emotional interview, Dr Kelli talks about his journey, facing and overcoming obstacles, and the power of compassion. Just after 9/11, Heval, the 18-year-old Syrian Kurdish refugee found a job as a dishwasher. At this point, he was the sole provider of his family. The pressure that comes from being poor did not leave him for many years. Today, he is firm believer in giving back to underserved communities by spreading awareness within the medical community. As he says, well-meaning people of privilege are sometimes afraid to act. What we need is more people to bridge the gap and find ways to help each other. How can we use our power and privilege to serve? How did his experiences shape Dr Kelli to become an ambassador for his community? What is his message to our listeners? Questions and comments can be sent to “podcast@radciffe-group.com” and may be answered by Ankur in the next episode. Guest @hevalkellimd, hosted by @AnkurKalraMD. Produced by @RadcliffeCARDIO. Brought to you by Edwards: www.edwardstavr.com

Ethiopia's PM issued a “final notice” to the fugitive leaders of the country's embattled Tigray region, Turkish air force conducted a strike against a zone in northern Syria held by Kurdish militia, Thousands of people in Sydney's outer suburbs were ordered to evacuate & other news updates in your morning shot.

In the years-long battle to retake northeastern Syria from ISIS, a small but powerful band of fighters led the way. The women of the YPJ, a Syrian-Kurdish force, fought alongside their male counterparts and face-to-face against ISIS. Author and journalist Gayle Tzemach Lemmon spent years reporting on their stories. She joins Amna Nawaz to discuss her new book, "The Daughters of Kobani." PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

In the years-long battle to retake northeastern Syria from ISIS, a small but powerful band of fighters led the way. The women of the YPJ, a Syrian-Kurdish force, fought alongside their male counterparts and face-to-face against ISIS. Author and journalist Gayle Tzemach Lemmon spent years reporting on their stories. She joins Amna Nawaz to discuss her new book, "The Daughters of Kobani." PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Article by A.P: The leaders of New Zealand and Australia were engaged in a bitter fight Tuesday over which country will inherit an alleged Islamic State militant who at one point held citizenship in both nations.The 26-year-old woman and two children were detained when they tried to illegally cross from Syria into Turkey, Turkey's Defense Ministry said Monday. The woman was identified only by her initials, S.A.New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has been arguing with Australian counterpart Scott Morrison over which country should take responsibility for the woman if she's deported from Turkey. The two were due to speak again on the matter Tuesday evening.The woman was a dual citizen of both Australia and New Zealand, but Australia has stripped away her citizenship under anti-terrorism laws.Ardern said the woman had lived in Australia for most of her life and had traveled to Syria on her Australian passport.“We believe Australia has abdicated its responsibilities in relation to this person and I have personally made that point to Prime Minister Morrison," Ardern said in an unusually blunt statement.“It is wrong that New Zealand should shoulder the responsibility for a situation involving a woman who has not lived in New Zealand since she was 6."But Morrison said he was simply doing his job by protecting Australia's interests.“We do not want to see terrorists who fought with terrorism organizations enjoying privileges of citizenship, which I think they forfeit the second they engage as an enemy of our country,” Morrison said. "And I think Australians would agree with that.”Morrison said a 2015 Australian law that automatically cancels the citizenship of dual nationals who engage in terrorism is clearly understood.Turkey's Defense Ministry said the woman, who was wanted on an Interpol notice for allegedly belonging to the Islamic State group, was caught, along with the children, by border security units while trying to sneak into the town of Reyhanli, in Hatay province.For the past two years, Turkey has been stepping up efforts to send home foreign fighters, saying the country shouldn't be seen as a hotel for Islamic State militants.The repatriation push was in retaliation for the refusal by Western nations to back a Turkish incursion against Syrian Kurdish fighters, whom Ankara considers terrorists. Many countries voiced concerns that the incursion into Syria would lead to a resurgence of the Islamic State group.Turkey has also intensified security along its border with Syria to prevent infiltrations and regularly carries out raids against suspected Islamic State militants.Ardern said the welfare of the children needed to be considered, a point she'd be raising with both Turkey and Australia."These children were born in a conflict zone through no fault of their own," Ardern said. “Coming to New Zealand, where they have no immediate family, would not be in their best interests.”

Bestoon Khalid, a Sulaymani-based journalist and Kurdish affairs analyst, told Ahval that the fight against Kurds always brings regional states together, that Turkey plans to carve out a buffer zone in northern Iraq, and that the leadership of the Syrian Kurdish enclave known as Rojava is gaining experience and mastering administration and governance. 

As a young Syrian Kurdish refugee washing dishes in a restaurant to support his family, Heval Kelli could not know that many years later he would be a distinguished fellow in cardiology at a university less than one mile from where his journey in the United States began.  Facing a steep language learning curve, a monthly rent payment, and mountains of dirty dishes, Heval knew things could be much worse.  He and his family fled persecution in Syria where his father was beaten and imprisoned by the pol​ice. As members of the Kurdish minority, the family had few choices and paid a smuggler to get them out.  His family arrived in Germany in 1996 and lived in refugee camps till 2001. A circuitous route of migration finally brought them to the United States 2 weeks after the 9/11 where they were assisted by members of All Saints’ Episcopal Church in their adjustment and resettlement in Clarkston, Georgia. Through a network of caring community members, Heval was introduced to Dr. Omar Lattouf, an Emory cardiothoracic surgeon who took an interest in mentoring him through his undergraduate pre-med work at Georgia State University and his admission to Morehouse School of Medicine where he graduated cum laude and selected by his classmate as "Most Inspiring Person" award. He finished his internal medicine residency training at Emory University and received recognition as resident of the year as well as honorable distinctions in social and inpatient medicine. Dr. Kelli was awarded the Katz Foundation Fellowship in Preventative Cardiology at Emory University where he completed his cardiology fellowship in 2020. As a result of his life experiences, Dr. Kelli is a steadfast advocate for serving communities in need especially immigrant, refugee and minority communities.  He is a co-founder of several non-profit organizations focused on medical mentorship (Young Physician Initiative & U-Beyond) and healthcare outreach.

As a young Syrian Kurdish refugee washing dishes in a restaurant to support his family, Heval Kelli could not know that many years later he would be a distinguished fellow in cardiology at a university less than one mile from where his journey in the United States began. Facing a steep language learning curve, a monthly rent payment, and mountains of dirty dishes, Heval knew things could be much worse. He and his family fled persecution in Syria where his father was beaten and imprisoned by the pol​ice. As members of the Kurdish minority, the family had few choices and paid a smuggler to get them out. His family arrived in Germany in 1996 and lived in refugee camps till 2001. A circuitous route of migration finally brought them to the United States 2 weeks after the 9/11 where they were assisted by members of All Saints’ Episcopal Church in their adjustment and resettlement in Clarkston, Georgia. Through a network of caring community members, Heval was introduced to Dr. Omar Lattouf, an Emory cardiothoracic surgeon who took an interest in mentoring him through his undergraduate pre-med work at Georgia State University and his admission to Morehouse School of Medicine where he graduated cum laude and selected by his classmate as "Most Inspiring Person" award. He finished his internal medicine residency training at Emory University and received recognition as resident of the year as well as honorable distinctions in social and inpatient medicine. Dr. Kelli was awarded the Katz Foundation Fellowship in Preventative Cardiology at Emory University where he completed his cardiology fellowship in 2020. As a result of his life experiences, Dr. Kelli is a steadfast advocate for serving communities in need especially immigrant, refugee and minority communities. He is a co-founder of several non-profit organizations focused on medical mentorship (Young Physician Initiative & U-Beyond) and healthcare outreach. For more info: http://www.indiereviewcd.com https://twitter.com/IndieRevue https://www.instagram.com/indie.review https://www.facebook.com/indie.review --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/indie-review/support

Ahval editor David Lepeska spoke with Max Abrahms, assistant professor of political science and public policy at Northeastern University and terrorism analyst, about calming an increasingly troubling situation in Idlib, why international support for Syrian rebels is counter-productive and how Syrian Kurds have played their cards well.

This week’s episode features an interview and Q&A with Lukman Ahmad, a Syrian-Kurdish musician and artist. Last week, Lukman performed Kurdish instrumental music on the saz during an open house at the MEI Art Gallery, and we are pleased to be able to share a recording of a couple of the songs that he performed. The Gallery's current exhibition, "Speaking Across Mountains," featuring contemporary Kurdish artists from Iraq, Syria, and Turkey, has been extended through February 25. The MEI Art Gallery is free and open to the public from 10am to 5pm on weekdays.

On FPF #425, I explain why NATO should be dissolved. NATO leaders are meeting in London and there are plenty of issues among the members. Turkey is recently purchased Russian made air defense systems and is refusing to sign off on defense plans unless other countries label the Syrian Kurdish militia as a terror group. France is accusing Turkey of using terror proxy groups against the Kurds in Syria. The French president recently called NATO brain dead, identifying the alliance lacks an enemy. Trump said he would not be surprised if Franch leaves NATO and is threatening sanctions on Franch. Trump is also frustrated that many member states are making no progress in meeting the NATO target of spending 2% on defense.  Links Texas is seeking the death penalty against a man who killed someone breaking into the window of his home. The intruder was a SWAT team member in a no-knock raid. The police only found a glass pipe and grinder. [Link] Jordan Smith explains fingerprint analysis can be a complex and subjective science. The so called experts who testify in criminal trials have dubious qualifications. [Link] Trump is using the PATRIOT Act to indefinitely detain a non-US citizen in the US. Trump is the first president to use this power. [Link] The Trump administration is considering adding a regulation that would require all US citizens to be photographed entering and leaving the country. [Link] General Dynamics will get a $20 billion contract to build Virginia class submarines. [Link] The Navy awards General Dynamics with a three-quarters of a million-dollar contract to supply the ground systems for the Navy’s satellite communications. [Link] Singapore is attempting to enforce its fake news law. It claims a blog posted fake information. Singapore first pushed the author to publish a correction. He refused and is not under investigation. Singapore then asked Facebook to post a correction. Facebook has not responded. [Link] Julian Assange will testify in a Spanish court about a Spanish company spying on him while he was in the Ecuadorian embassy. The Spanish company is accused of illegally spying on Assange’s privileged conversations with lawyers and passed the intelligence to the US. [Link] NATO/New Cold War NATO countries are working on a plan to pay more of NATO’s budget in an attempt to appease Trump. France has said they will not sign on to the plan and already contribute enough to defense. [Link] Russia formally proposes to extend the NEW START Treaty for five years. Russia says it is also open to a shorter extension. [Link] Trump says Russia wants to make an agreement on arms control and nuclear. Trump suggested bringing China into the deal. [Link] A senior State Department official says Russia is in compliance with the NEW START Treaty. [Link] Russia showed US inspectors its hypersonic nuclear missile system under the auspices of the NEW START Treaty. [Link] The Trump administration is 100% duties on $2.4 billion in French champagne, cheese, and other products in response to a French tax on digital products. [Link] Trump says he can see France leaving NATO. [Link] The French president says Turkey is working with ISIS proxies. [Link] US Senators, led by Graham, send the White House a letter calling for sanctions against Turkey for buying S-400 air defense systems from Russia. [Link] NATO awards Boeing a $1 billion contract to upgrade AWACS recognisances planes. [Link] Turkey is refusing to sign off on a NATO defense plan until NATO starts recognize the Syrian Kurdish militia the YPG as a terror group. [Link] Turkey says their newly purchased Russian-made S-400 air defense system will not be integrated into NATO’s air defense. Russia says Turkey is looking to purchase more S-400s. [Link]  Latin America  Pompeo says the US will support Latin American countries trying to suppress riots and unrest. [Link] Trump will place steel and aluminum tariffs on Brazil and Argentia. Trump accuses the countries of currency manipulation that is harming American farmers. [Link] Afghanistan Secretary of State Esper says the US withdrawing troops is not necessarily tied to negotiations with the Taliban. [Link] The US killed a family of six with a drone strike in Afghanistan. [Link] Trump traveled to Afghanistan on Thanksgiving. He said he believes the Taliban would engage in a ceasefire. The Taliban confirmed they have resumed talks with the US. [Link] The top US general says peace talks have a higher chance of working this time. [Link] Fifteen members of an Afghan family were killed by a roadside bomb on the way to a wedding. [Link] Israel A UN report estimates the Israeli occupation of Palestine has cost the Palestinian economy $48 billion from 2000-2017. [Link] Syria The UAE says it hops Syria stabilizes under Assad. [Link] Heavy clashes in Idlib Syria have killed 96 people over two days. [Link] A Syrian airstrike killed ten civilians at a market in Idlib. A Turkish airstrike killed ten civilians in a Kurdish region of Syria. [Link] Two Turkish soldiers were killed by a mortar attack in southern Turkey near the Syrian border. [Link]   Yemen 20 African migrants were killed traveling through Yemen to Saudi Arabia. Reports say they may have been killed by an airstrike. [Link] The Red Cross says 128 Houthi prisoners of war have been released by Saudi Arabia. Saudi claims to have released 200 prisoners. [Link] The Houthi claim to have shot down a Saudi helicopter. [Link] A German court reverses a de facto ban on selling armored vehicles to Saudi Arabia. [Link]

On FPF #423, I break down an Oliver Stone tweet saying the US should develop a more diplomatic relationship with Russia. I look at some of the reasons, so many Americans reflexively oppose the US strengthening ties with our nuclear rival. I take on some establishment lies that created the dangerous situation we are now in with Russia and explain Trump has been more aggressive against Russia than Obama.  Links Russia showed US inspectors its hypersonic nuclear missile system under the auspices of the NEW START Treaty. [Link] The Pope visits Nagasaki to call for an abolition of nuclear weapons. [Link] Turkey is refusing to sign off on a NATO defense plan until NATO starts to recognize the Syrian Kurdish militia the YPG as a terror group. [Link] Erdogan says Turkey will manufacture fighter jets in house. [Link] NATO countries are working on a plan to pay more of NATO’s budget in an attempt to appease Trump. France has said they will not sign on to the plan and already contribute enough to defense. [Link] Turkey says their newly purchased Russian-made S-400 air defense system will not be integrated into NATO’s air defense. Russia says Turkey is looking to purchase more S-400s. [Link]  War Crimes The Navy is pushing back against Trump’s decision to restore the pay and rank of war criminal Navy Seal Eddie Gallagher. [Link] The Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer proposed a secret deal to the White House that would allow Gallager to retire a Navy Seal. Publicly, Spencer pushed to hold a hearing to determine if Gallager would be allowed to retire a Seal. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper asked for Spencer’s resignation in response to the secret proposal. [Link] Bolivia The coup government in Bolivia has passed a new law that annuls the recent election won by Evo Morales and bars him from the coming election. The government made an agreement with protesters to withdraw the military in exchange for the end of protests. [Link] Bolivia’s coup government is investigating the former president for sedition and terrorism. [Link]  UK The UK is refusing to hand control of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. A UN court rules the UK had to return the islands. [Link] China The US accuses China of attempting to influence the Taiwanese election. [Link] The US sailed warships through waters claimed by China in the South China Sea. [Link] Pro-democracy parties win a majority of council seats in an election. [Link] Afghanistan Trump says the US is working on a deal with the Taliban. [Link] An American civilian was killed by a grenade attack on a UN convoy in Afghanistan. [Link] Iraq The State Department has cut or withdrawn almost all personnel in Iraq, overseeing the distribution of $1.16 billion in aid. [Link]  Iraq shuts down 12 tv and four radio stations for supporting the protest movement. [Link]  Libya US officials meet with Libyan strongman Haftar. Haftar controls the majority of the country and is fighting an offensive for Tripoli. The US pushed Haftar to end the offensive. [Link]

On FPF #421, I discuss Trump getting Iran and Israel wrong. Trump continues the failed maximum pressure campaign against Iran. The Iranian people are suffering but their leaders remain firmly in place. The US continues to place more sanctions on Iran and Iran responds by moving away from more commitments outlined in the defunct JCPOA. The US is now looking to exploit protests in Iran in an attempt to weaken the leadership.  Like Trump's Iran policy, Trump has been wrong on Israel from the start. Trump has already taken major steps moving the US embassy and recognizing the Golan Heights as Israel territory. Now, the Trump administration has changed the US position on Israeli settlements.  The settlements clearly violate international law - and for the past four decades, the US has agreed - now the US says that isn't the case. The move is being seen as a boon to Netanyahu, who is in a power struggle, and to legitimize any Israel decision to annex parts of the West Bank.  Links Amazon will protest the Pentagon awarding the Penton’s cloud contract - JEDI - to Microsoft. [Link] Ukraine Russia will return three ships to Ukraine. Russia seized the ships after the Ukrainian ships entered Russian waters without permission. [Link] Bolivia Officials of the coup government in Bolivia are threatening opposition legislators and journalists. [Link] At least 23 people have been killed during protests in Bolivia. [Link] NK North Korea says it is not going to engage in talks with the US just so Trump can brag about it. North Korea wants to put changing the hostile policy on the table. [Link] The US and South Korea postponed upcoming wargames. [Link] Trump tweets at Kim Jong-un telling him to make a deal soon. [Link] North Korea says it will not engage in talks with the US unless the US hostile policy is on the agenda. [Link] Afghanistan From January through October, the US dropped over 6,000 missiles and bombs on Afghanistan. [Link] American and Australian hostages were released by the Taliban in exchange for three Taliban officials. [Link]  The Afghan government claims victory over ISIS-K. It says over 600-IS fighters have surrendered to the government over the past few weeks. [Link] 12 civilians - including three children - were killed by a car bomb in Kabul. [Link] Israel  Pompeo announces the US no longer views Israeli settlements are inconsistent with international law. [Link] Iran Protest breakout in Iran over rising fuel prices. At least one person has died during protests. [Link] Amnesty International reports that over 100 people were killed during protests in Iran. [Link] New documents from Iran are leaking showing how Iran capitalized on the Iraq War to gain influence in a new Iraqi government. [Link] The IRGC warns it will use decisive and revolutionary force to end protests. [Link] Pompeo says the US stands with Iranian protesters. [Link] Pompeo says the US will end sanction waivers for Iran’s Fordow nuclear site. [Link] Iran now has 130 tonnes of heavy water. The JCPOA limited Iran to under 130 tonnes. [Link] Syria Turkey is threatening to attack northeastern Syria if all Syrian Kurdish forces as withdrawn. [Link] Turkey says Syria Kurds killed 10 people with a car bomb in a Turkish controlled in northern Syria. [Link]  Russia announces it has taken control of a former-US base in northern Syria. [Link] Libya Seven civilians were killed by an airstrike at a biscuit factory in Libya. Haftar’s forces are behind the attack. [Link] The US carried out four drone attacks in southern Libya at the end of September. Officials claim the attacks killed roughly ⅓ of the 150 IS fighters in Libya. The drones were launched from Niger. [Link]

On FPF #419, I discuss all the money the US is wasting on war. The Watson Institute has an update on the cost of war project; the US has spent $6.4 trillion since 2001 on the Terror Wars. The wars have been a complete failure, took thousands of American lives, hundreds of thousands of lives of innocent civilians, made the world a less safe place, and spread the Osama bin Laden ideology. We must end the wars to save money and lives.  Links Terror Wars The Watson Institute reports the US spent $6.4 trillion on the Terror Wars. [Link] Bolivia Bolivia’s interim president decares Morales and his vice president cannot run for president in upcoming elections. [Link] North Korea North Korea rebuffs an offer from the US to engage in December talks. North Korea said the offer was just to appease Kim Jong-un’s year-end deadline. North Korea called on the US to call off scheduled war games with South Korea. [Link] Afghanistan  An American diplomat says the planned prisoner swap for  American and Australian professors did not happen. [Link] Syria The US sanctions 22 companies and individuals for assisting Syria’s WMD program. [Link]  DefSec Mark Esper says about 600 troops will remain in Syria to defeat IS and guard the oil. [Link] Trump is withholding troop numbers for Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan. [Link] A senior administration official says the US has no intention of ending its alliance with the Syrian Kurdish militia. [Link] The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports two civilians were killed by Turkish forces during a joint Turkish/Russian parol through a Kurdish city. [Link] US drones captured video of Turkish backed Syria rebels committing war crimes against Syrian civilians. [Link] France agrees to take back 11 suspected jihadists from Turkey. [Link] Russia identified 2,000 Russian nationals living in the Middle East with connections to people who are members of militias. [Link] The founder of the White Helmets has been found dead outside of his home in Istanbul. He is believed to have fallen off of a balcony. [Link] Turkey has started to deport people who are either suspected IS fighters or connected to IS fighters. Turkey has complained that foreign countries are too slow to take back their captured IS fighters. An American and German were the first people deported. [Link] Five people were killed in three bombing in northeast Syria. [Link] Iraq Four more protesters were killed by Iraqi government forces. Over 300 protesters have been killed since October 1. [Link] Israel  13 people were killed by israeli strikes in Gaza on the second day of fighting. [Link] After more than two days of fighting a cease fire has been reached between Israel and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Israeli airstrikes in Gaza killed at least 34 people. Half of the dead are civilians, including eight children. [Link] Yemen A Houthi missile kills five Saudi backed Yemeni soldiers at a major Yemeni army base. [Link] Sources report talks are intensifying between Saudi and the Houthi. [Link] DRC The Democratic Republic of the Congo forces killed the leader of a militant Hutu group. [Link] The Congolese Army also claimed to kill 25 Islamist militants. [Link]   

Please note that this event involved a translator, as a result there may be some background noise in parts of the recording where translation is taking place. This event will analyse current developments on the ground in Northern Syria with Ilham Ehmed, co-president of the Executive Council of the de-facto autonomous region of North and East Syria. Following the recent Turkish incursion and US withdrawal, the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) have stated that they are ready to negotiate with Damascus. This event will take a look at a general overview of what led up to this decision, what the future holds for the Kurdish project in North and East Syria and how these negotiations will impact the future of Syria in all it's regions. Ilham Ehmed is a Syrian-Kurdish politician. Until July 2018, she was a co-chair of the SDC, the political wing of the Syrian Democratic Forces in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria. She is a senior member of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and a member of the executive committee of the Movement for a Democratic Society (TEV-DEM) coalition. Ahmed is an active member of the Syrian Women’s Initiative for Peace and Democracy (SWIPD), a network of civil society organizations from inside and outside of Syria. Robert Lowe is Deputy Director of the Middle East Centre. Join the conversation on Twitter using #LSEKurds

Turkey has initiated a military operation into a part of Northern Syria controlled by Syrian Kurdish-led forces. The operation follows a U.S. decision to withdrawal from the immediate area controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) - the primary Syria-based U.S. partner in the campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and al Sham (ISIS). As Turkish forces move across the border and the SDF responds, ISW's Syria expert John Dunford explained the context, key dynamics shaping the battle, and the effects on the counter-ISIS campaign. *Originally published October 9, 2019. 

Rojava offered the hope that a progressive, multiethnic politics might be salvaged from the ashes of Syria’s civil war. Now the Turkish assault on northern Syria looks set to crush the Kurds and a radical experiment in the region. We talk to two British volunteers in Rojava about the prospects that the political structures set up there might be saved.  Dani Ellis (@lapinesque): engineer; civil defence volunteer, International Commune (@communeint)  Alexander Norton: deputy features editor, Morning Star; revolutionary volunteer, International Freedom Battalion Running order (05:27) - Dani interview  (41:39) - Alexander interview (01:27:51) - Final discussion Readings & Links: Internationalist Commune Rojava Information Center America abandons the Kurds, Tom Stevenson, LRB Russia and Turkey reach deal on Syrian border, Financial Times European leftists are rejecting the Kurds over their reliance on the US. It is just another disgusting betrayal, Slavoj Zizek, The Independent "Turkey Is Reviving Islamic State in Rojava", Rosa Burç & Kerem Schamberger, Jacobin Glossary: YPG: Yekîneyên Parastina Gel (People's Defence Corps); PYD’s armed wing in Syria  YPJ: Yekîneyên Parastina Jin (Women's Protection Units); all-female militia PYD: Partiya Yekîtiya Demokrat (Democratic Union Party); Syrian Kurdish affiliate of the PKK SDF: Syrian Democratic Forces; alliance composed primarily of Kurdish, Arab and Assyrian/Syriac militias, led by the YPG PKK: Partiya Karkerên Kurdistan (Kurdistan Workers' Party); Kurdish party in Turkey founded in 1978 by Abdullah Öcalan. Started armed insurgency in 1984, thousands of fighters in northern Iraq and Turkey IFB: International Freedom Battalion; armed group of foreign leftists fighting for the YPG in support of the Rojava Revolution  MLKP: Marxist-Leninist Communist Party, Turkey TEV-DEM: Movement for a Democratic Society; umbrella organisation in northern Syria, aims at organising Syrian society within the democratic confederalist system

On FPF #415, I cover important new dealing with US foreign policy. The House is moving forward with impeaching Trump. I argue that Trump's decision to give military aid to Ukraine is more of a scandal than the alleged quid-pro-quo. A UN investigator said Julian Assange's life is in danger because of the conditions he is being held in. I discuss the importance of getting Assange out of jail; for his own health and the rights of all journalists. The US policy in Syria remains unclear. I update some recent development and the problems with Trump's 'stay for the oil' plan.  Links The House votes for rules in the impeachment hearings. [Link] Steve Beigun has been named the number two at the State Department. Beigun will retain his duties negotiating with North Korea. [Link] Tulsi Gabbard introduced a War Powers bill to remove US troops from Syria. [Link] US veterans are increasingly suffering from cancer. [Link] Russia says it is too late to negotiate a replacement agreement to the New START Treaty. Russia says there is still time to extend New START. [Link] Assange An independent UN investigator into human rights says the UK is putting Julian Assange’s life at risk with arbitrary detention. [Link] Mexico Trump says he will surge to fight violent crime. His new push will include $600 million in military equipment to police forces. [Link] Mike Maharrey explains Trump’s law enforcement surge is unconstitutional. [Link] Thomas Knapp Sanctions The Treasury Department announces sanctions on five Venezuelans. [Link]  The US imposed sanctions on Iran’s construction sector. The US announced it would extend waivers on sanctions for 90 days for work on redesigning Iran’s nuclear facilities. [Link] The US places sanctions against nine Iranians described as being the Ayatollah's inner circle. [Link] Iran announces they will being using Uranium gas in centrifuges at the Fordow nuclear facility. Under the JCPOA, Iran agreed to only use the facility for research. The US broke the JCPOA last year and Iran has been reducing its commitments to the broken deal. [Link] Iran announces installing new advanced centrifuges and developing a new, more advanced centrifuge. [Link] Catalonia  The Spanish high court reissues arrest warrants for three members of the former Catalan government that held an independent vote in 2017. [Link] Afghanistan Nine children were killed by a landmine in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. [Link] Israel A leaked video shows an Israeli police officer shooting a Palestinian man in the back as he walked away from the officer. The officer was released from the police but joined the army. She may face charges. [Link] Iraq At least 13 protests have been killed in Iraq since Monday. [Link] Protesters in Iraq blocked a main port over the weekend. The protesters also attacked an Iranian consulate. [Link] Six more people were killed during protests in Iraq. The protesters are being killed with live fire, rubber bullets, and from being directly hit with tear gas canisters. [Link] Syria Turkey says it will send captured foreign ISIS fighters back to their home countries. [Link] Twelve people were killed by a car bomb in a Turkish controlled area of northeastern Syria. The dead included Turkish backed rebels and civilians. Turkey blames Syrian Kurds for the attack. [Link] Turkey releases 18 captured Syrian soldiers to Russia. [Link] US troops report lacking order and not understanding the mission. [Link] Turkish backed Syrian rebels attacked Syrian Kurdish positions south of the safe zone. [Link] Turkey says the US continues to hold joint patrols with Syrian Kurds in an agree the US agreed it would clear of armed Kurds. [Link]  Iran signs contracts with Syria to rebuild the country’s power grid. [Link] Yemen Saudi Arabia is inflicting a famine on Yemen. [Link] The Houthi claim to down a US-made ScanEagle drone near the Saudi border. [Link] Trump tweeted about Yemen today Niger AFRICOM says the US will begin armed and unarmed air operations in Niger. [Link]

House impeachment investigators want testimony from the lead lawyer for the National Security Council and from a senior associate counsel to the president. The probe's zeroing in on White House lawyers John Eisenberg and Michael Ellis, who were privy to a discussion about moving a memo recounting President Trump's phone call with Ukraine's leader into a highly restricted computer system. Turkey and Russia have launched their first joint patrol in northeastern Syria. It's part of a deal that halted a Turkish offensive against Syrian Kurdish fighters who were forced to withdraw from the border area following Turkey's incursion. Calmer weather's allowed crews to increase containment on multiple wildfires in California. Red Flag warnings for fire danger remain in place through Friday evening for some inland areas to the north and west of Los Angeles. Storms've caused flooding, knocked down trees and damaged homes from the Deep South through the Northeast. Hundreds of thousands were left without power.

Rod Reuven Dovid Bryant and Jerry Gordon discuss the superbly executed US special operations raid, that, with Kurdish cooperation and critical intel, bagged the elusive founder of ISIS, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi in Northwest Idlib province at al-Bashir village near Turkey. A separate attack took out ISIS spokesperson and possible successor, Abu Hassan al- Muhajir in Turkish controlled Jarabalus. The US raid was named after Baghdadi captive and rape victim, captured US humanitarian aid worker killed in Syria, young, Kayla Mueller. Dr. Stephen Bryen, a Reagan era Pentagon official, noted military technologist and Asia Times columnist revealed some of the technology and key intelligence that identified the al Bashir safe house in Idlib province in northwest Syria, less than a few miles from the Turkish frontier. Bryen commented that the successful raid was important as it “dashed the hopes of inspired adherents of building a new Caliphate”. That is not withstanding the ability of 14,000 ISIS fighters ranging in Iraq, including hundreds released from prisons in Turkish bombings of a “safe zone” in Kurdish-controlled northeastern Syria. The all-important intelligence for the raid’s meticulous planning and execution came from Iraqi and especially Syrian Kurdish sources. Information obtained from a Turkish-arrested ISIS figure, turned over to Iraqi National Security, led to one of Baghdadi’s wives as well as his courier. That identified the northwest west Syria safe house in al-Barish, Idlib Province. The key intelligence of the interior of the safe house complex and tunnels including Baghdadi’s DNA was acquired from an informant inside the safe house. That was revealed by the Kurdish Commander of the Syrian Democratic Force, Gen. Mazloum Abdi. Early Saturday morning, October 26, eight US Special Operations Chinook MH-47Gs and Sikorsky UH60’s flying low and fast from al-Asad air base in Iraq descended on the safe house in Idlib. Bryen noted these aircraft are equipped with special devices and are air refuelable and capable of flying longer distances. They deployed upwards of 70 US Rangers and Delta Force fighters, who secured the perimeter and blew a hole in a wall avoiding booby trapped entrances. They engaged in a short fire fight, killing ISIS fighters, sparing some children. They cornered Baghdadi in a dead-end tunnel with the assistance of a hero attack dog. He took his life and that of three children, injuring the attack dog, by triggering a suicide vest. The raiders took two prisoners and a veritable trove of documents that might identify future ‘kill or capture’ targets of remaining senior ISIS cadre. The accompanying attack helicopters fired missiles that destroyed the enclave. Following confirmation of Baghdadi's Identity from biometric and DNA evidence his remains were disposed at sea with appropriate Islamic rites. Beyond the Matrix 30OCT2019 - PODCAST

Syrian Kurdish forces say they're beefing up security in prisons and detention facilities where tens of thousands of Islamic State militants and their supporters are held, following the weekend killing of the IS leader. An official with the Kurdish-led internal security agency said the forces were "on high alert" in anticipation of possible riots or attacks. The European Union's agreed to delay Brexit until Jan. 31 next year.. Britain was due to to leave the bloc on Thursday. Prime Minister Boris Johnson now plans to seek an early general election, with the goal of getting a Parliament that'll back his Brexit plan. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti says some homes have burned in a wildfire on the city's west side but so far there have not been extensive losses. The cit's Fire Department Capt. says more than three-thousand homes are threatened. ...and Democratic congresswoman Katie Hill of California has resigned amid an ethics probe and revelations of an affair with a campaign staffer.

You have made it to the weekend, here's the top stories of today. From the BBC Why Terminator: Dark Fate is sending a shudder through AI labs Arnold Schwarzenegger means it when he says: "I'll be back," but not everyone is thrilled there's a new Terminator film out this week. In labs at the University of Cambridge, Facebook and Amazon, researchers fear Terminator: Dark Fate could mislead the public on the actual dangers of artificial intelligence (AI). AI pioneer Yoshua Bengio told BBC News he didn't like the Terminator films for several reasons. "They paint a picture which is really not coherent with the current understanding of how AI systems are built today and in the foreseeable future," says Prof Bengio, who is sometimes called one of the "godfathers of AI" for his work on deep learning in the 1990s and 2000s." From The Guardian Javid: government will push for general election 'again and again' Sajid Javid has said the government will repeatedly push for a general election if parliament rejects Boris Johnson's motion on Monday, as electoral administrators outlined potential problems with a pre-Christmas election including a lack of polling stations and late postal votes. Johnson on Thursday night threatened to pull his Brexit deal if Jeremy Corbyn rejected the offer of a general election on 12 December, but Labour appeared poised to block Monday's motion by telling MPs to abstain. The party has said it will only back an early election when a no-deal Brexit scenario can be firmly ruled out. From Sky News Russian troops patrol Syrian border following deal with Turkey The deal will see Syrian government forces establish 15 posts along the border, according to the Interfax news agency. As Russian troops began their patrols, US President Donald Trump said Turkey was making the ceasefire permanent, prompting him to lift sanctions imposed on Turkish imports in response to the recent violence "unless something happens that we are not happy with". Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan echoed Russia's demand for Kurdish soldiers to retreat, saying his military would resume its offensive in northeastern Syria if neither Russia or the US ensured the Syrian Kurdish fighters were removed. That's all for today! Have a great weekend !

President Trump has announced sanctions will be lifted on Turkey as a ceasefire remains in place in northern Syria, where Turkey invaded earlier this month after Trump withdrew U.S. troops. On Tuesday, Turkey reached an agreement with Russia that would force Syrian Kurdish forces to retreat from a wide swath of the Syrian-Turkish border. The United Nations is reporting Turkey's offensive in northern Syria has displaced over 176,000 people, including nearly 80,000 children. The Turkish assault also led to a number of former ISIS fighters escaping from jail in northern Syria. We speak with Andrew Bacevich, co-founder of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and author of several books. He is professor emeritus of international relations and history at Boston University. “I think in any discussion of our wars, ongoing wars, it's important to set them in some broader historical context,” Bachevich says. “To a very great extent, we created the problems that exist today through our reckless use of American military power.” The post Ending Endless War: Andrew Bacevich on How Reckless Use of U.S. Military Power Caused Today's Crisis appeared first on KPFA.

Following up on Episode #115, Phil and Cooper discuss what’s happened in Syria since President Trump decided to withdraw US troops from the northeastern territories, leaving Syrian Kurdish allies to fend for themselves against the Turkish military operation. But are the troops really “coming home,” and if so, when? Are there still plans for troops in Syria? And if the US is leaving, who’s going to fill that void? We answer these questions and speak with senior correspondent Amberin Zaman to learn more about how the Syrian Kurds are processing events of the last few weeks. US announces full withdrawal from northern Syria as Turkish forces advance (Jack Detsch/Amberin Zaman) 'Majority' of US troops depart Syria (Jack Detsch) Who betrayed Syria’s Kurds? (Amberin Zaman) Turkey, Russia both claim win in Syria agreement (Amberin Zaman) Trump administration scrambles to salvage US troop presence in Syria (Jack Detsch) Extra Listening: Episode #82,   Walk (Back) This Way (1/10/2019): Trump announces pulling troops out of Syria, only to be stopped by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. Episode #110,   The Not-So-Safe Zone (8/22/2019): The US and Turkey agree to a buffer zone along the Turkey-Syria border to prevent any military operations against the Kurds. Episode #115,  Seen and Not Kurd (10/10/2019): After a chance phone call with Turkish President Erdogan, President Trump announces that US troops will leave northern Syria, putting the long alliance with Syrian Kurds in jeopardy. Music: Sherine - “Hobboh Ganna” ( Spotify |  Apple Music)    

Rod Reuven Dovid Bryant and Jerry Gordon bring back Dilliman Abdulkader, a Kurdish policy expert. He is director of external relations at Allegiance Strategies, a Washington, DC -based public affairs consulting firm. He is involved in advocacy for Congressional passage of tough sanctions bi- partisan legislation just as a cease fire “pause” of 120 hours comes to close in northern Syria. The “pause” was concluded with Turkish President Erdogan during a session in Ankara with Vice President Pence and Secretary of State Pompeo. The pause has been interrupted with continued fighting between Turkish -supported jihadist Syrian National Army (SNA) militias and elements of the Kurdish YPG-led Syrian Democratic Force. Moreover, there is increasingly evidence of war crimes perpetrated by the jihadist SNA and use of chemical weapons such as white phosphorous. President Trump ordered the redeployment of 1,000 US forces in Syria to bases in Iraq, while abandoning and even bombing former bases in Syria. Abdulkader thinks sanctions in proposed bi- partisan legislation co-sponsored by Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) are tougher than those lifted by President Trump in the “pause “agreement with Erdogan. A bi-partisan US House resolution condemning the President’s withdrawal from Syria passed resoundingly by a vote of 354 to 60. A House version of the Senate sanctions bill has been scheduled for a vote. Adoption of the Senate version is dependent on a call by Senate Majority Leader McConnell (R-KY) who wrote a Washington Post op ed critical of President Trump’s withdrawal from Syria. Abdulkader said Erdogan’s Turkish Armed Forces unleased a jihadist terror war using former Al Qaeda, Al Nusra and ISIS fighters to ethnically cleanse Kurds from their ancestral homeland in northeastern Syria. He noted Friday preaching in Turkish Mosques of the Quranic Mohammedan Army verses promoting jihad against Kurds, Jews, Christians, Yazidis and other religious minorities. Abdulkader noted that Pakistan and Hamas support Erdogan’s terror war against the Syrian Kurds. The irony is Turkey is a NATO partner committing this jihadist terror war in Syria. The Turkish-backed jihadists have committed documented war crimes against Kurdish civilians. They have videoed the execution and beheading of prisoners, that in one example included the brutal murder of a 35-year-old woman Kurdish politician. Many children have been maimed by random Turkish artillery bombardments. Abdulkader noted that upwards of 300,000 people have been internally displaced during the fighting in a massive humanitarian crisis. The only realistic option for many fleeing the conflict is Iraqi Kurdistan, which is united in support of Syrian Kurds. The Turkish attack on October 9th followed a phone call on October 6th with President Trump who acceded to Erdogan’s demands for withdrawal of US special operators. Abdulkader believes that President Trump may have been “duped” during that call. Erdogan already had a security arrangement acceptable to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Force with joint US patrols, and removal of border barriers. Abdulkader thinks it would be in Israel’s long-term interest to support Kurdish interests in northeastern Syria. He suggests Israel reduce exports to Turkey akin to EU arms embargoes. He contends that US presence on the ground, while symbolic, is necessary to preserve the gains of Kurds and other religious minorities to stabilize the area. The alternative facing the US is the resurgence of ISIS that cost 11,000 Syrian Kurdish lives to defeat the Caliphate. Meanwhile, Russia has gained ground in the region, as evidenced by meetings with Saudi Arabia and the UAE concerned over US withdrawal from the region. The US appears to have no strategy in Syria, let alone the Middle East. Beyond the Matrix 23OCT2019 - PODCAST

Turkish media reports say Turkish troops and allied Syrian rebels are securing a town in northeastern Syria after Syrian Kurdish fighters pulled out of the area. The private DHA news agency says they were using heavy machinery to fill in tunnels dug by the Kurdish fighters.... ...and were disposing of traps or explosives left behind. U.S troops withdrawing from northeastern Syria to Iraq are “transiting” and'll leave the country within four weeks, according to Iraq’s defense minister. He made the remarks to the AP following a meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper. Police in southeastern England say 39 people have been found dead inside a large cargo truck believed to have come from Bulgaria. A man from Northern Ireland who was driving the truck has been arrested on suspicion of murder. Google says its achieved a breakthrough in quantum computing research... .... saying an experimental quantum processor's completed a calculation in just a few minutes that would take a traditional supercomputer thousands of years.

Syrian and Russian forces will deploy in northeast Syria to remove Kurdish YPG fighters and their weapons from the border with Turkey under a deal agreed on Tuesday which both Moscow and Ankara hailed as a triumph.

Hanim Tosun feels at home at the Istanbul office of the Human Rights Association, also known as the IHD, its acronym in Turkish. It was here that she and a group of Kurdish women launched the first Saturday Mothers vigil 24 years ago.The Saturday Mothers is one of the longest-running peaceful protest movements in the world. On Saturdays since 1995, the women would gather in Istanbul's Galatasaray Square, a popular pedestrian shopping area, to demand the whereabouts of their sons, fathers and husbands who disappeared after Turkey's 1980 military coup. Their protest was inspired in part by the Argentine women in white who demanded to know the fates of loved ones who disappeared during their country's dictatorship.Today, Turkey's Saturday Mothers continue to meet in Istanbul — at the IHD office. And while many of the founding protesters are growing frail, their daughters are taking the reins. Some men have joined the movement, as well.Hanim Tosun's husband, Fehmi Tosun, was among hundreds of Kurds who disappeared in the '80s and '90s, when Turkey's conflict with its minority Kurdish population was at its height. Anyone who sympathized with Kurdish separatists could be targeted. Related: Biden said ISIS is ‘going to come here.' Is he right?In the wake of another war Turkey is now waging against the Kurdish region of Syria, many Kurds fear that more of their loved ones will be kidnapped by militias and authoritarian regimes.US troops are crossing into Iraq as part of a broader withdrawal from Syria ordered by President Donald Trump, a decision that allowed Turkey to launch an offensive against the Syrian Democratic Forces, which for years was a US ally battling ISIS. (SDF is a leftist Syrian Kurdish militia considered terrorists by Turkey.)Turkey agreed to pause its offensive for five days under a deal with Washington. The truce expires late on Tuesday, just after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is set to discuss next steps in the region at a meeting in Russia with President Vladimir Putin.‘They're going to catch me. They're going to kill me.'The last time Hanim Tosun saw Fehmi Tosun was October 1995. She was upstairs in their Istanbul apartment when the yelling started. It was around 7 p.m., and a group of men were taking him away.“He was shouting a lot. He tried not to get in the [men's] car, but they forced him to get in the car ... they were dragging him in. While I was trying to go downstairs, I yelled, ‘Get that car's license plate,'” she said. Her daughter, Jiyan Tosun, who was 9 years old at the time, heard her father scream. “[He shouted,] ‘They're going to catch me. They're going to kill me,'” Jiyan Tosun said. “I ran downstairs. My brother ran up to the car, but my father told him to let go because they might do the same to him.”Related: Does the chaos in Syria help ISIS?They never heard from Fehmi Tosun again.“We didn't understand that it was undercover policemen at first.”Hanim Tosun, Saturday Mothers“We didn't understand that it was undercover policemen at first,” who took her husband away, Hanim Tosun said.Fehmi Tosun is among at least 1,300 Kurds who have disappeared in Turkey's conflict with its minority Kurdish population since 1935, according to Maside Ocak, a researcher with Turkey's Human Rights Association. Only 200 bodies of Kurds who've been killed have been identified, she said.Her own brother, Hasan Ocak, is among the dead — his body was identified by a Turkish soldier — while a local journalist found bones from two teenage Kurdish boys in a cave in 2016.At 53, Hanim Tosun is one of the youngest of the Saturday Mothers. Many of them are in their 80s and 90s now, and some have died without getting answers. The Turkish government banned them from meeting for 10 years, from 1999 to 2009.Related: Syrian civilians plea for 'no-fly' zoneIn recent years, Turkey has been cracking down on dissent by women. In March, police tear-gassed and stopped the International Women's Day protest in Istanbul after 17 years of allowing it.Successive Turkish governments have targeted and harassed the Saturday Mothers. But the current government, led by the AK Party, generally left them alone.Until August 2018. On the 700th vigil, police swooped in with tear gas. They arrested dozens of protesters, including one of the pioneering Saturday Mothers, 83-year-old Emine Ocak, who is Maside Ocak's mother. An image of Emine Ocak in 1997 alongside a photo of her last year being detained by police went viral on Turkish social media.  Video of Turkey: Clashes erupt as Saturday Mothers protest for missing  Since then, the government has banned the Saturday Mothers from gathering at Galatasaray.“The world heard about our struggle from Galatasaray. We want to return there. It's like a sacred ground, for us.”Hanim Tosun, Saturday Mothers“The world heard about our struggle from Galatasaray. We want to return there. It's like a sacred ground, for us,” Hanim Tosun said.Turkish officials say they blocked the vigils because the Kurdish militia group, the PKK, was using them as propaganda on social media. The Saturday Mothers say they have no connection to the PKK.Amnesty International is advocating for the government to allow the group back to the square.“It's a place of historic importance. It's a place of peaceful protest, not just for the Saturday Mothers actually, but sit-ins [and] small-scale protests over the years have taken place there,” said Milena Buyum, a campaigner for Amnesty. “Now, it's encircled by iron barriers, and there's a permanent police presence there discouraging and stopping anybody else. And this is a really big problem. The public space is being banned for people.”Keeping the protest aliveFor now, the Saturday Mothers have moved their sit-in to the human rights office.Jiyan Tosun is 34 now, and when her mom can't make it to the Saturday sit-in, she often steps in. She's studying to become a lawyer, she said, because she wants to fight in court, as well as the street.“Until the disappeared are found and the perpetrators are tried, our demands will remain the same. This has been my mother's struggle since we were kids.”Jiyan Tosun, Saturday Mothers“Until the disappeared are found and the perpetrators are tried, our demands will remain the same," she said. "This has been my mother's struggle since we were kids. Every week, my mother was going to the demonstration on Saturday … If we didn't go with her, we were waiting in front of the TV, to see how much she would be beaten that week,” said Jiyan Tosun.At one Saturday protest earlier this year, Jiyan Tosun was stationed in front of the human rights office. About 150 people gathered for the vigil, carrying red carnations and photos. Nearby, about a dozen police officers in riot gear stood on alert.“I'm angry because the reason we're here is the government … They are just standing in front of us and actually preventing us from finding our relatives,” she said. Fariba Nawa/The World  Credit: Saturday Mothers meets every Saturday to demand the whereabouts of their missing husbands, fathers and sons. But Hanim Tosun says she doesn't go as often as she used to.Related: For many US military vets, the offensive against the Kurds is personalShe said it's painful to keep retelling her husband's story. “When I was getting arrested, there was a lot of violence: kicking, slapping, tear gas, batons. But in jail, they didn't touch us. One time, they put us in solitary confinement,” said Hanim Tosun, who has been arrested numerous times over the years.And she doesn't like to discuss the details in front of her kids.“The hardest thing for me has been hiding the pain from my kids and enduring it in silence when I'm with them.”Hanim Tosun, Saturday Mothers“The hardest thing for me has been hiding the pain from my kids and enduring it in silence when I'm with them,” Hanim Tosun said.But she said that despite the pain, she will continue her activism. It's still important for the world to hear them, so more people don't disappear like her husband did.She and the Saturday Mothers have gotten recognition and support for their struggle. The Irish band U2 recognized Fehmi Tosun in their 1997 album, “Pop,” and the Tosun family met the band members after an Istanbul concert in 2010.“Our government doesn't hear our voice. Somewhere far away, they hear us," Hanim Tosun said. "Our struggle is not in vain. I'm happy to see that."Reuters contributed to this story. 

Hanim Tosun feels at home at the Istanbul office of the Human Rights Association, also known as the IHD, its acronym in Turkish. It was here that she and a group of Kurdish women launched the first Saturday Mothers vigil 24 years ago.The Saturday Mothers is one of the longest-running peaceful protest movements in the world. On Saturdays since 1995, the women would gather in Istanbul's Galatasaray Square, a popular pedestrian shopping area, to demand the whereabouts of their sons, fathers and husbands who disappeared after Turkey's 1980 military coup. Their protest was inspired in part by the Argentine women in white who demanded to know the fates of loved ones who disappeared during their country's dictatorship.Today, Turkey's Saturday Mothers continue to meet in Istanbul — at the IHD office. And while many of the founding protesters are growing frail, their daughters are taking the reins. Some men have joined the movement, as well.Hanim Tosun’s husband, Fehmi Tosun, was among hundreds of Kurds who disappeared in the ’80s and ’90s, when Turkey’s conflict with its minority Kurdish population was at its height. Anyone who sympathized with Kurdish separatists could be targeted. Related: Biden said ISIS is ‘going to come here.’ Is he right?In the wake of another war Turkey is now waging against the Kurdish region of Syria, many Kurds fear that more of their loved ones will be kidnapped by militias and authoritarian regimes.US troops are crossing into Iraq as part of a broader withdrawal from Syria ordered by President Donald Trump, a decision that allowed Turkey to launch an offensive against the Syrian Democratic Forces, which for years was a US ally battling ISIS. (SDF is a leftist Syrian Kurdish militia considered terrorists by Turkey.)Turkey agreed to pause its offensive for five days under a deal with Washington. The truce expires late on Tuesday, just after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is set to discuss next steps in the region at a meeting in Russia with President Vladimir Putin.‘They’re going to catch me. They’re going to kill me.’The last time Hanim Tosun saw Fehmi Tosun was October 1995. She was upstairs in their Istanbul apartment when the yelling started. It was around 7 p.m., and a group of men were taking him away.“He was shouting a lot. He tried not to get in the [men’s] car, but they forced him to get in the car ... they were dragging him in. While I was trying to go downstairs, I yelled, ‘Get that car's license plate,’” she said. Her daughter, Jiyan Tosun, who was 9 years old at the time, heard her father scream. “[He shouted,] ‘They’re going to catch me. They’re going to kill me,’” Jiyan Tosun said. “I ran downstairs. My brother ran up to the car, but my father told him to let go because they might do the same to him.”Related: Does the chaos in Syria help ISIS?They never heard from Fehmi Tosun again.“We didn't understand that it was undercover policemen at first.”Hanim Tosun, Saturday Mothers“We didn't understand that it was undercover policemen at first,” who took her husband away, Hanim Tosun said.Fehmi Tosun is among at least 1,300 Kurds who have disappeared in Turkey’s conflict with its minority Kurdish population since 1935, according to Maside Ocak, a researcher with Turkey's Human Rights Association. Only 200 bodies of Kurds who've been killed have been identified, she said.Her own brother, Hasan Ocak, is among the dead — his body was identified by a Turkish soldier — while a local journalist found bones from two teenage Kurdish boys in a cave in 2016.At 53, Hanim Tosun is one of the youngest of the Saturday Mothers. Many of them are in their 80s and 90s now, and some have died without getting answers. The Turkish government banned them from meeting for 10 years, from 1999 to 2009.Related: Syrian civilians plea for 'no-fly' zoneIn recent years, Turkey has been cracking down on dissent by women. In March, police tear-gassed and stopped the International Women’s Day protest in Istanbul after 17 years of allowing it.Successive Turkish governments have targeted and harassed the Saturday Mothers. But the current government, led by the AK Party, generally left them alone.Until August 2018. On the 700th vigil, police swooped in with tear gas. They arrested dozens of protesters, including one of the pioneering Saturday Mothers, 83-year-old Emine Ocak, who is Maside Ocak’s mother. An image of Emine Ocak in 1997 alongside a photo of her last year being detained by police went viral on Turkish social media.  Video of Turkey: Clashes erupt as Saturday Mothers protest for missing  Since then, the government has banned the Saturday Mothers from gathering at Galatasaray.“The world heard about our struggle from Galatasaray. We want to return there. It’s like a sacred ground, for us.”Hanim Tosun, Saturday Mothers“The world heard about our struggle from Galatasaray. We want to return there. It’s like a sacred ground, for us,” Hanim Tosun said.Turkish officials say they blocked the vigils because the Kurdish militia group, the PKK, was using them as propaganda on social media. The Saturday Mothers say they have no connection to the PKK.Amnesty International is advocating for the government to allow the group back to the square.“It’s a place of historic importance. It’s a place of peaceful protest, not just for the Saturday Mothers actually, but sit-ins [and] small-scale protests over the years have taken place there,” said Milena Buyum, a campaigner for Amnesty. “Now, it’s encircled by iron barriers, and there’s a permanent police presence there discouraging and stopping anybody else. And this is a really big problem. The public space is being banned for people.”Keeping the protest aliveFor now, the Saturday Mothers have moved their sit-in to the human rights office.Jiyan Tosun is 34 now, and when her mom can’t make it to the Saturday sit-in, she often steps in. She’s studying to become a lawyer, she said, because she wants to fight in court, as well as the street.“Until the disappeared are found and the perpetrators are tried, our demands will remain the same. This has been my mother’s struggle since we were kids.”Jiyan Tosun, Saturday Mothers“Until the disappeared are found and the perpetrators are tried, our demands will remain the same," she said. "This has been my mother’s struggle since we were kids. Every week, my mother was going to the demonstration on Saturday … If we didn’t go with her, we were waiting in front of the TV, to see how much she would be beaten that week,” said Jiyan Tosun.At one Saturday protest earlier this year, Jiyan Tosun was stationed in front of the human rights office. About 150 people gathered for the vigil, carrying red carnations and photos. Nearby, about a dozen police officers in riot gear stood on alert.“I’m angry because the reason we’re here is the government … They are just standing in front of us and actually preventing us from finding our relatives,” she said. Fariba Nawa/The World  Credit: Saturday Mothers meets every Saturday to demand the whereabouts of their missing husbands, fathers and sons. But Hanim Tosun says she doesn’t go as often as she used to.Related: For many US military vets, the offensive against the Kurds is personalShe said it’s painful to keep retelling her husband’s story. “When I was getting arrested, there was a lot of violence: kicking, slapping, tear gas, batons. But in jail, they didn’t touch us. One time, they put us in solitary confinement,” said Hanim Tosun, who has been arrested numerous times over the years.And she doesn’t like to discuss the details in front of her kids.“The hardest thing for me has been hiding the pain from my kids and enduring it in silence when I’m with them.”Hanim Tosun, Saturday Mothers“The hardest thing for me has been hiding the pain from my kids and enduring it in silence when I’m with them,” Hanim Tosun said.But she said that despite the pain, she will continue her activism. It’s still important for the world to hear them, so more people don’t disappear like her husband did.She and the Saturday Mothers have gotten recognition and support for their struggle. The Irish band U2 recognized Fehmi Tosun in their 1997 album, “Pop,” and the Tosun family met the band members after an Istanbul concert in 2010.“Our government doesn’t hear our voice. Somewhere far away, they hear us," Hanim Tosun said. "Our struggle is not in vain. I’m happy to see that."Reuters contributed to this story. 

What will become - what should become - of Jack Letts? HARDtalk's Stephen Sackur speaks to his parents, Sally Lane and John Letts. Alongside the humanitarian fall-out from Turkey’s invasion of northern Syria, there are grave security concerns - not least what will happen to the thousands of so-called Islamic State militants imprisoned by Syrian Kurdish forces. British-born Jack Letts left the UK in 2014 to live in the so-called IS Caliphate. Since then, he’s had his British citizenship revoked, and his parents have been convicted under UK anti-terror laws for sending him money.

Syria is our subject for the 158th episode. Our returning guest for former U.S. Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford, who served from 2010-2014. In this conversation we examine the cease fire announcement, consider the goals of Turkey, the U.S., Russia and Syria, discuss the sacrifice of the Syrian Kurdish forces, explore the risks of ISIS returning to its former strength, and ask what advice our guest would have for the Trump administration.

Rod Reuven Dovid Bryant and Jerry Gordon bring back Dilliman Abdulkader, a Kurdish policy expert. He is director of external relations at Allegiance Strategies, a Washington, DC -based public affairs consulting firm. Abdulkader’s family fled from Kirkuk, Iraq during the Gulf War and spent seven years as a child in the Al-Hol refugee camp in northeastern Syria now filled with 70,000 ISIS fighters and families. Abdulkader said Erdogan’s Turkish Armed Forces unleased a jihadist terror war using former Al Qaeda, Al Nusra and ISIS fighters to ethnically cleanse Kurds from their ancestral homeland in northeastern Syria. He noted Friday preaching in Turkish Mosques of the Quranic Mohammedan Army verses promoting jihad against Kurds, Jews, Christians, Yazidis and other religious minorities. Abdulkader noted that Pakistan and Hamas support Erdogan’s terror war against the Syrian Kurds. The irony is Turkey is a NATO partner committing this jihadist terror war in Syria. The Turkish attack on October 9th followed a phone call on October 6th with President Trump who acceded to Erdogan’s demands for withdrawal of US special operators at the border. Abdulkader believes that President Trump was “duped” during that call. Erdogan already had a security arrangement acceptable to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Force with joint US patrols, and removal of border barriers. The Turkish-backed jihadists have committed documented war crimes against Kurdish civilians. They have videoed the execution and beheading of prisoners, that in one example included a 35-year-old woman Kurdish politician. Many children have been maimed by random Turkish artillery bombardments. Abdulkader noted that upwards of 200,000 people have been internally displaced during the first week creating a massive humanitarian crisis. The only realistic option for many fleeing the conflict is Iraqi Kurdistan, which is united in support of Syrian Kurds. Abdulkader revealed Turkish Armed Forces, a NATO partner bombarding within 100 meters from a US special operator camp located in Kobani. The Turkish forces also bombed ISIS prison camps guarded by Kurdish forces, freeing detained fighters. Further, there are indications that Iran may be poised to takeover oil resources in eastern Syria. Abdulkader noted that without air support and heavy weapons, the SDF has adopted tactics including use of tunnels to stymie the advance of Turkish and jihadist troops to less than 3 to 5 kilometers. Their original goal for the “safe zone” was 30 kilometers. The main position lost was Manbij, a largely Arab town, which was handed over to Assad forces. It now flies a Russian flag. He noted the last-minute deal with Assad that SDF commander, General Mazloum Kobani said he who would rather have the ‘leverage’ of Syrian Forces on the border. This could signal the end of the tacit agreement with the Russians and Assad about autonomy and defense of the Kurdish homeland. As a result, Assad now controls 65% of Syria. Abdulkader thinks President Trump’s proposed sanctions are not as tough as those in proposed bi- partisan legislation co-sponsored by Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Chris Van Holen (D-MD). The President has dispatched Vice President Pence and team to Ankara seeking a possible withdrawal and cease fire. Abdulkader thinks it would be in Israel’s long-term interest to support Kurdish interests in northeastern Syria. He suggests Israel reduce exports to Turkey akin to EU arms embargoes. He contends that the US presence on the ground while symbolic is necessary to preserve the gains of Kurds and other religious minorities to stabilize the area. The alternative facing the US is the resurgence of ISIS that cost 11,000 Syrian Kurdish lives to defeat the Caliphate. Meanwhile, Russia has gained ground in the region, as evidenced by meetings with Saudi Arabia and the UAE concerned over US withdrawal from the region. Beyond the Matrix 16OCT2019 - PODCAST

Democratic presidential frontrunner Elizabeth Warren was a target during a spirited debate in Ohio. Her rivals accused her of ducking questions about the costs of "Medicare for All" universal health insurance and her signature wealth tax plan. The 12 candidates all said yes, when asked if President Trump should be impeached. Turkey's president says Syrian Kurdish fighters must leave a designated border area in northeast Syria "as of tonight" for Turkey to stop its military offensive. He's been under pressure to call a cease-fire and halt Turkey's incursion into Syria, now into its eighth day. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is vowing to overcome U.S.-led sanctions on his country he says have inflicted "many hardships and trials" on North Korea. State media also showed photos of him riding a white horse to a sacred mountain he has often climbed before making key decisions. The reports came days after North Korean and U.S. negotiations fell apart.

Syria's army has moved into towns and villages in northern Syria, setting up a potential clash with Turkish-led forces. The deployment came hours after Syrian Kurdish forces previously allied with the U.S. said they'd reached a deal with President Bashar Assad’s government to help fend off Turkey’s invasion. U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper says President Trump has directed U.S. troops in northern Syria to begin pulling out "as safely and quickly as possible." He says the administration is considering its options. Rescuers are searching for those missing from a typhoon that's left dozens dead and caused serious damage in central and northern Japan. The typhoon hit Japan's main island on Saturday. Pope Francis' chief bodyguard has resigned over the leak of a Vatican police flyer identifying five Holy See employees who were suspended as part of a financial probe. The Vatican says the police chief bore no responsibility for the leak but resigned so as not to disrupt the investigation and "out of love for the church and faithfulness" to the pope.

US President Donald Trump said Friday that the US and China have reached what he called a substantial “phase one“ trade deal in which Beijing agreed to limited measures to improve trade ties between the countries. In exchange, Trump will not move forward with another round of tariff increases against roughly $250 billion in Chinese goods that had been set to take effect on Tuesday. Who really won in this deal?The May dismissal of Marie Yovanovitch, the former US ambassador to Ukraine, is now a subject of interest to House of Representatives impeachment investigators. In prepared remarks to Congress Friday, Yovanovitch said Trump pressured the State Department to oust her. "She told lawmakers that she was forced to leave Kiev on “the next plane” this spring and subsequently removed from her post, with the State Department's No. 2 official telling her that, although she had done nothing wrong, the president had lost confidence in her and the agency had been under significant pressure to remove her since the summer of 2018," the Washington Post reported Friday. What are we to make of her testimony? Igor Fruman and Lev Parnas, two associates of Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, were arrested Wednesday at Virginia's Dulles International Airport while trying to leave the country. They were charged Thursday with "conspiring to make contributions in connection with federal elections in the names of others, and with making false statements to and falsifying records to obstruct the administration of a matter within the jurisdiction of the Federal Election Commission," according to the Department of Justice. How bad is this, not just for Igor and Lev but for Rudy?Turkey is now in its third day of ground and air strikes against Syrian Kurdish groups who were key allies in the US fight against Daesh. How big of a mistake is this? What about the mixed messages? "Mr. Trump acquiesced to the Turkish operation in a call with Turkey's president on Sunday, agreeing to move American troops out of Turkey's way despite opposition from his own State Department and military. On Wednesday, hours after the operation began, he condemned it, calling it 'a bad idea,'" the New York Times reported.Two missiles reportedly struck a National Iranian Oil Company tanker in the Red Sea off of Saudi Arabia's coast Friday, causing an explosion and an oil spill. Saheb Sadeghi, head of public relations for the National Iranian Tanker Company, told Iranian state-run outlet Press TV that the projectiles were "possibly" launched from Saudi soil, but Tehran has not yet provided any public evidence regarding the incident. According to global ship tracking service Marine Traffic, the tanker in question is traveling south, and the Iranian government has yet to blame the strike on anyone.GUESTS:Jim Kavanagh — Political analyst and commentator and editor of The Polemicist.Caleb Maupin — Journalist and political analyst who focuses his coverage on US foreign policy and the global system of monopoly capitalism and imperialism.Dr. Jack Rasmus — Professor of economics at Saint Mary's College of California.

Topics Discussed:Syria (03:05)Impeachment Update (16:34)Elizabeth Warren and Pregnancy Discrimination (21:45)Ellen and George W. Bush (28:08)Stephanie Wittels Wach (44:13)Pantsuit Politics in the Wild:Nuance Nation Tour tickets for D.C. and Dallas Ideas at Work with the Center for the Study of Liberty (October 16) Blissdom (November 14-16)Sponsors:HelloFreshBetabrandThank you for being a part of our community! We couldn't do what we do without you. To become a tangible supporter of the show, please visit our Patreon page, purchase a copy of our book, I Think You're Wrong (But I'm Listening), or share the word about our work in your own circles.Episode Resources: American inside German synagogue where worshippers thwarted attack, said it felt "like an eternity" (NBC News) Inspector general report shows at least 16 officers involved in cover-up of Laquan McDonald shooting (NBC News) Evacuations ordered as fast-moving wildfire spreads in Bay Area town (CBS News)Who are the Kurds? (BBC News) Why Is Turkey Fighting the Kurds in Syria? (The New York Times) Shells Fired Into Turkey as Syria Offensive Extends Into 2nd Day (The New York Times) The U.S. played down Turkey’s concerns about Syrian Kurdish forces. That couldn’t last. (The Washington Post) 2 Florida businessmen who helped Giuliani in Ukraine arrested on campaign finance charges (NBC News)

Turkey's forces have pushed deeper into northeastern Syria, on the third day of Turkey's offensive against Syrian Kurdish fighters. It's set off another mass displacement of civilians. Casualties are being reported on both sides. Iranian officials say two missiles struck an Iranian tanker traveling through the Red Sea off the coast of Saudi Arabia. It's the latest incident in the region amid months of heightened tensions between Tehran and the U.S. Police in northwestern England say a man held in connection with a series of stabbings at a shopping center has been arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation and instigation of an act of terrorism. Police say several people were hurt. The European Union says it's agreed with the UK to “intensify” Brexit negotiations in a belated attempt to reach a divorce deal ahead of Oct. 31.

This week, President Trump made a controversial decision to pull the US military out of northern Syria, allowing Turkey to proceed with a military operation against one of America’s staunchest allies in the region, the Syrian Kurds, the same coalition who did the lion’s share of destroying the Islamic State. Is there any rhyme or reason to Trump’s decision? What are Erdogan’s goals for northern Syria? And what has the reaction been from Washington? Dr. Bulent Aliriza, the Director of the Turkey Project at CSIS joins the podcast, as well as Al-Monitor’s Pentagon correspondent, Jack Detsch. Turkey launches Syria invasion hours after informing US of plans (Jack Detsch) Turkey launches attack on Syrian Kurdish forces as US steps aside (Amberin Zaman) Trump allies in Congress assail decision to let Turkey attack Syrian Kurds (Bryant Harris) Islamic State fight paused as Turkey invades northern Syria (Jack Detsch) Turkey's route into Syria full of pitfalls, uncertainties (Semih Idiz) Extra Listening: Episode #82,  Walk (Back) This Way (1/10/2019): Trump announces pulling troops out of Syria, only to be stopped by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. Episode #110,  The Not-So-Safe Zone (8/22/2019): The US and Turkey agree to a buffer zone along the Turkey-Syria border to prevent any military operations against the Kurds. Music: Aynur Dogan - “Zor İmiş Meğer” ( Spotify |  Apple Music)