Author: Steven Sahiounie

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator While the world is focused on the Ukrainian conflict, Turkish jets, helicopters, and drones were pounding Kurdish targets in Iraq and Syria on Monday. Targets were camps, ammunition warehouses, and civilian homes caught in the cross-fire. In the northeast of Syria, in the countryside of Hasaka, the villages of Abu Rasin, Tal Tamer, al-Mabqir, Qabour al-Gharajneh, and Tel Shanan, Tal al-Ward, Rabi’at, Dada Abdul, al-Nuwaihat, al-Assadiya, Khadrawi, and Mushairfa were attacked with intensive artillery and airstrikes. The Turkish Army, along with the Radical Islamic terrorist mercenaries they employ, caused massive destruction of many houses…

The Israeli occupation forces fired tear gas, and rubber-coated metal bullets at Palestinians and press staff in the area, according to Al Mayadeen. Confrontations erupted in Burqa, a Palestinian village in the Nablus Governorate, northern occupied West Bank, following an Israeli far-right extremist march to the illegal Israeli settlement of “Homesh”, which is built on occupied Palestinian land, amid heavy deployment of Israeli occupation forces. Al Mayadeen correspondent reported that the Israeli occupation forces fired tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets at Palestinians and press staff in the area. Local sources told WAFA news agency dozens of young Palestinian men confronted the occupation…

Terror group urges members to strike while the West is distracted Terrorist group Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) has called on its members and supporters to wage jihad against Europe and Israel while the West is distracted by the situation in Ukraine, according to an online message posted cited by the Times on Monday. Jihadists should strike while those the group considers “crusaders” are fighting each other, IS’ new spokesman Omar al-Muhajir said in the message, released to coincide with Islam’s holy month of Ramadan. The terror group’s mouthpiece told followers to arm themselves, calling for a campaign of revenge…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky previously announced that the battle for Donbass has begun Russia’s military operation in Ukraine is entering a new phase, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has told Indian media. In an interview aired on Tuesday, Lavrov said the goals of the military action in Ukraine had been declared by Moscow from the start, and one of those goals was the capture of the entire territory claimed by the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics as their sovereign territory. “This endeavor will continue. Another stage of this operation is beginning,” he confirmed. “And I am sure this will be…

Ukrainian instructors will travel to third country to receive training on American tools, such as howitzers and radar The Pentagon intends to provide training to Ukrainian soldiers so they can use the howitzers and radars contained in the latest batch of weapons and equipment President Joe Biden has ordered to be sent to Kiev, the US military said on Monday. The training will reportedly take place in another country. Last week, the US announced it would deliver $800 million worth of weapons to the east European state. In addition to anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles, this batch includes armored vehicles, artillery pieces, and…

The final stage of the mop up operations in Mariupol began. The seaport and the Illich plant are under the Russian control. The last stronghold of the Ukrainian nationalist militants in the city is the large Azovstal plant. The AFU fortifications at the Azovstal plant are constantly shelled by Russian forces. On April 17, the members of the nationalist Azov regiment blockaded in the Azovstal were once again offered to surrender. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation offered them to surrender, guaranteeing security. No one left the plant along the provided humanitarian corridor. Kiev ordered the fighters in…

The country is no place for foreign parties to settle scores, Baghdad outlined Turkey’s invasion of Iraq is “a violation of its sovereignty and the sanctity of the country” that goes against the concept of being a good neighbor, Baghdad’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Monday. Ankara launched a new military campaign against Kurdish forces in the north of the Middle Eastern state on Sunday evening. Baghdad said it denounced the Turkish military operation waged on its territory. Iraq does not and will not serve as a staging ground for attacks on neighboring countries [there is also a large Kurdish…

Kiev says the “second phase of the war” has begun The second phase of the Russian offensive has started, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his advisers claimed on Monday. The government in Kiev said there were reports of heavy fighting on the Donetsk, Lugansk, and Kharkov fronts, and that Ukrainian troops were holding the line. “We can now confirm that Russian troops have begun the battle for the Donbass, which they have been preparing for a long time,” Zelensky said in a video posted on Telegram on Monday evening. “A large part of the Russian army is now dedicated to this…

Worrying statistics on gun violence in the US project the failing security system domestically. According to data presented by the research group, Gun Violence Archive, over 140 mass shootings have taken place in the United States so far in 2022. The year hasn’t struck half yet. “Mass shootings – 144, mass murders – 5,” the Gun Violence Archive said. GVA explained that it has been gathering data on a daily basis from 7,500 sources and the number of incidents has been “reported and verified.” According to the organization, more than 11,700 people have died by firearms since the beginning of…

Over 40 people arrested following violent clashes between cops and rioters outraged over Koran burnings More than 40 people have been arrested over the weekend’s violent clashes between police and enraged rioters in several cities across Sweden after a far-right group announced plans to burn copies of the Koran. The country’s national police chief, Anders Thornberg, has stated that he had never seen such violent riots following Sunday’s clashes in the city of Norrkoping, which is 160 kilometers southwest of the capital, Stockholm. Thornberg has claimed that police believe the violence was organized by a network of criminal gangs, adding that…