Blog #10 Syria conflict: IS-rebel clashes 'leave 40 dead'

Summary:

Syrian Islamist rebels and Islamic State militants have been clashing north of Damascus. More than 40 people have been reported killed in the fighting. The area of the fighting is heavy in supply routes for the rebels. IS is aiming to cut off the rebels from their supplies. The government in the local area has been aiding the rebels in their fight against IS.

Analysis:

In a war where there are no clear lines it is difficult to tell what will happen next. The local governments are claiming to aid the rebels in their fight against IS. With a local group wanting to start their own state and independent rule over their own people we can see the potential for another war. With major powers aiding the rebel groups or IS it is easy for them to start to have conflicts among each other. Hopefully alternative solutions can be achieved before war is the answer.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-32418258

Blog #9 Yemen crisis: Al-Qaeda seizes southern airport

Summary:

Militants from al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula seized an airport in southern Yemen. Soldiers that were guarding the site fled. Al-Qaeda is using the state of chaos the country is in. They over ran Mukalla earlier this month and freed inmates that were in the prison. Al-Qaeda fighters also took control of a sea port and an oil terminal in southern Yemen.

Analysis:

From reading the news and following the middle east it is hard to understand what is actually happening over there. One week the news reports a story of how the militant groups are being beaten back and losing ground. The next week they spring up in another part of the middle east almost like a game of whack a mole. This is no conventional war and its hard say what will happen next.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-32341836

Blog #8 Islamic State militants release 200 Yazidis in Iraq

Summary:

IS militants have released more than 200 members of the Yazidi religios community that were being held in northern Iraq, Kurdish security officials have said. Many of the prisoners were in poor health and had signs of abuse. 40 children were among those frees while most of the rest were elderly. Meanwhile troops in Iraq said that had been gaining ground in a fresh offensive against IS in the western province of Anbar. Military sources said the insurgents were trading mortar fire with government forces in the Sijariya area, east of the region's capital Ramadi, where IS has been dominant. An air strike by a US-led coalition is reported to have hit militants who were trying to flee by boat on a river. No reason has been given for the release of the Yazidi prisoners, who were originally abducted by IS from the area around Sinjar last August.

Analysis:

The fighting between Iraqi forces and IS has been going on constantly though the media is no longer focusing on it. The Iraqi forces have been gaining ground as stated in the summary above. IS has taken many prisons and also killed many. With them losing ground against Iraqi forces the prisoners being set free could possibly mean that they didn't have the man power to control them or care for them. The prisoners that were freed depending on how they were treated might have more of a dislike towards IS. This could further more hurt IS and its reputation.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-32221467

Blog #7 Yemen crisis: Houthi rebels pushed back in Aden

Summary:

Loyalists of ousted Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi have pushed back Shia Houthi rebels in the southern city of Aden, officials say. In the south-east another port city, Mukalla, fell to al-Qaeda militants, who seized a military base.Over the past two weeks, fighting in Yemen has left more than 500 people dead and some 1,700 wounded, UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos has said. President Hadi fled to Saudi Arabia on 25 March after rebel forces advanced on Aden. Meanwhile, a military base and the port of the south-eastern port city of Mukalla were taken over by al-Qaeda militants. It happened a day after fighters broke into the town's jail freeing prisoners.


Analysis:

This event shows that Al-Qaeda is not something that has gone away. With the new focus by the media on ISIS Al-Qaeda has had less attention by the media. The fight between Sunni and Shia continue. It can be seen as a civil war that is happening in multiple countries. With coalition forces supporting the Shia it makes them the enemy of the Sunni Muslims. This might cause for increased involvement by coalition forces.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-32178064

Blog #6 Iraq crisis: Tikrit push 'no longer led by Shia militia'

Summary:

A US general says Iranian-backed Shia militia in Iraq are no longer leading the operation to recapture Tikrit from Islamic State (IS) militants. Gen Lloyd Austin, head of US Central Command, said the withdrawal was a precondition for US-led air strikes, which began on Wednesday night. The Iraqi military then launched a final push to drive IS from the city. Iraq asked the US-led coalition to mount air strikes on militants in Tikrit after the offensive stalled. The reason for the stall was to a lack of planning by the government and Iraqi forces. The city fell to IS last June and its recapture is considered a key step towards driving the jihadist group from Iraq's second city of Mosul, to the north.

Analysis: 

From the the news report it looks like the government did not was the Shia militia leading the push to take back the city. This caused the stall of the initial push into the city. This might be a worry for the government of Iraq because it shows that the Shia militias might have different plans then they do. Hopefully we don't see another splinter among groups otherwise the Iraq government will have even more on their plate.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-32074224

Blog #5 Yemen crisis: Islamic State claims Sanaa mosque attacks

Summary:

Islamic State (IS) say its militants carried out suicide bombings on two mosques in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, which killed at least 137 people.The attacks are the first claimed by IS a Sunni group since it set up a branch in Yemen in November. Both mosques were used mainly by supporters of the Zaidi Shia-led Houthi rebel movement, which controls Sanaa. Yemen has suffered from political instability for years and Houthi rebels control nine of the 21 provinces. Four suicide bombers attacked the Badr mosque, in the south of Sanaa, and the al-Hashoosh mosque, in the north of the capital, as worshippers gathered for Friday prayers. At the Badr mosque, one bomber entered the building and detonated his explosives while other people were caught by the second bomber near the main gates. Two more bombers attacked the al-Hashoosh mosque, with one detonating explosives near the entrance and the other running into the mosque itself. 

Analysis:

This was supposidly an attack by IS a Sunni group on Shia Muslims who were at the mosque to pray. Both al-Qaeda and IS consider Shia Muslims to be heretics and have rallied against Houthis in Yemen. They have been fighting against each other for some time now and things don't look like they will clear up anytime soon. This is due to the fact the governments such as the US back the Shia Muslims. IS has been having issues lately with gaining ground in Iraq. I believe this is an attempt to rally their troops morale to keep the fight going. It is not clear what will happen next as IS is an unpredictable group with strong propaganda messages which is gaining it new recruits everyday.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-31989844

Blog #4 Jerusalem: Israeli police hit in Palestinian car attack

Summary:

A Palestinian rammed his car into a group of Israeli pedestrians in Jerusalem, injuring six policewomen. It happened in the same area as a previous attack the year before. Police say the driver tried to stab people before he was shot and wounded by a security guard. The incident happened shortly after Palestinian officials voted to halt security co-operation with Israel. It followed Israel's decision to suspend the transfer of taxes to the Palestinians after they applied to join the International Criminal Court to pursue war crime allegations against Israel. The attack took place during the Jewish holiday of Purim when the street were busy.



Analysis:

Tensions have always been high in this area, Israel has occupied East Jerusalem since the 1967 Middle East war and annexed it in a move not recognized internationally. It regards the whole of Jerusalem as its "eternal and indivisible" capital, while the Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state. In the passage it was noted that the driver lives in an area where Israels and Palestinians are in constant conflict with each other. Though the article doesn't say the reason behind this attack I am sure the driver had some displeasure with Israel. Israel is backed by some of the world's greatest super powers like the US. They have more of a say to what goes on in their area because of this which enrages their neighbors such as the Palestinians. It might be a matter of time before things bubble over and the conflict becomes more serious.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-31760946

Kurdish forces and US advisers repel ISIS offensive in Iraq

Summary:

ISIS launched a major assault from several directions Tuesday night near the towns of Gwer and Makhmour. The towns are about 28 miles from Irbil, the Kurdish capital. After hours of heavy fighting, Kurdish fighters in Iraq have repelled the assault by ISIS fighters southwest of Irbil, Kurdish officials said. Kurdish commanders said ISIS fighters had threatened to overrun Kurdish defensive positions in the area for a while, the two sides were so close to one another that airstrikes were not possible for a period of the battle. By 3:00 am though local time Wednesday, the Peshmerga succeeded in forcing ISIS back which allowed airstrikes to begin. Commanders said that 40 ISIS fighters were killed because of airstrikes. Kurdish forces suffered several casualties.

Analysis:

It is believed that ISIS chose to attack to draw the already stretched Kurdish forces in many different directions to relieve the pressure on Mosul, which ISIS seized in June. The Kurds are our allies and right now we have advisers on the ground assisting them. If it wasn't for the airstrikes that are called in by the advisers it is a safe bet that ISIS would overrun the Kurds and capture more territory. The Kurds are relying on the US to back them in the fight against ISIS. If the airstrikes aren't enough to hold back ISIS then it might be a matter of time before major troop movements are used.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/18/middleeast/isis-conflict/

Blog #2 Islamic State: Key Iraqi town near US training base falls to jihadists

 

Summary:

The Islamic State (IS) has captured an Iraqi town 5 miles from an air base housing hundreds of US troops, the Pentagon says. Al-Baghdadi is within striking distance of the Ain al-Asad air base. The air base was attacked on Friday by IS but the attackers were reppelled. Al-Baghdadi was one of the few towns in the western Anbar province still held by the Iraqi army. According to Rear Adm John Kirby, a pentagon spokesman, it was the first time in the last couple of months that the militant group had taken new ground. On Friday a team of suicide bombers tried to attack the base, Rear Adm Kirby said. Eight militants were killed in the subsequent counter-attack, US and Iraqi officials reported, saying that the jihadists were pushed back by Iraqi troops backed by coalition fighter planes.


Analysis:

Currently viewing this conflict from my view which is limitied, I have noticed that the IS have not been gaining ground recently. It seems that the US wants to only take on an advisor role so the Iraqi army can be more effective. In the mean time they are waging an air campaign to keep the rebels back. Seeing that they recently took a town which is very close to an air base it gives them the ability to stage attacks. If the air campaign does not hold them back then the president might order more boots on the ground. The populace in these local cities must be wondering if the US is going to stick around to help.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-31449976

Blog #1 Dozens killed in heavy Damascus fighting

Summary:

Forty people have been killed and many more wounded in and around the Syrian capital of Damascus due to heavy fighting. In the past rebels have vowed that they would be on the offensive due to government attacks on the nearby town of Douma. On Tuesday, Jay al-Islam (Army of Islam) leader Zahran Alloush said his group now considered Damascus a "military zone." It is believed that these resent attacks on the capital were carried out by them. Government forces have been attacking Douma and its surrounding areas since it is a stronghold for Alloush's group. During these attacks many civilians have been killed alongside opposition fighters.

Analysis:

Viewing this conflict from the outside it is hard to say what will come of it. You have the Syrian government on one hand accusing the rebels of mortar and rocket fire into the capital. On the other hand you have the rebels accusing the Syrian government of airstrikes on the surrounding villages. In the capital there is growing intolerance for the rebels since rockets and mortars are hitting civilians in the area. In the outside villages many airstrikes are claiming the lives of innocent civilians even when they hit their intended target. This in turn creates more conflicts and enemies for the Syrian government. In the future this might mean more involvement of world powers in this conflict.