Author: Steven Sahiounie

For the second day in a row, an explosion rocked the Turkish-occupied city of Afrin in the northern countryside of Syria’s Aleppo. An improvised explosive device, which was planted under a SUV, exploded on July 5 morning. The explosion took place near a headquarter and jail of the Turkish-backed Hamza Division in Afrin’s city center. According to the North Press Agency, the SUV’s driver, whose identity is yet to be revealed, was killed in the explosion. Two other people were reportedly injured. A day earlier, an officer of the so-called Free Police, a law enforcement body backed by Turkey, was…

The Damascus government wants the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to hand over the SDF-held parts of Raqqa and Deir Ezzor in exchange for a political settlement, Commander-in-Chief of the SDF, Ferhat Abdi Şahin, claimed on July 4. Şahin, whose is known by his nom de guerre Mazlum Abdi, made his remarks while he was attending a rare meeting with Arab tribal leaders from Raqqa in al-Hasakah city. The Kurdish commander said that the SDF will not accept these demands, stressing that Raqqa and Deir Ezzor will be run by their respective councils. He also noted that the two areas were…

The U.S.-led coalition and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have arrested suspected terrorists in a successful spacial operation in eastern Deir Ezzor. The operation reportedly took place in the town of Husayn‏ on July 5 morning. Helicopters of the coalition landed in the town with support from SDF troops. Several attack helicopters supported the operation. According to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, four men suspected of being ISIS members were arrested in the course of the operation. The U.S.-led coalition and the SDF intensified their anti-terrorism operations this year in response to the ever increasing attacks by ISIS cells. Most…

Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator The European Union (EU) hosted a virtual conference titled “Supporting the future of Syria and the region” from June 22 through 30.  This is the fourth such conference focused on the crisis in Syria, #SyriaConf2020, and was co-chaired with the United Nations (UN).  Josep Borrell, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, said, “Syrians have suffered for too long. After nine years of conflict, there is a risk that the world becomes immune to the pictures and accounts of unacceptable and unnecessary suffering but we cannot allow that to…

Ankara’s actions could lead to a humanitarian disaster By Jonathan Smith Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Anwar Gargash, of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), confirmed in media statements on June 25, that Turkey and loyal armed groups are preparing to attack Sirte, calling for joint efforts to save the city. He explained that more than 60,000 civilians inside the city should be saved and a long-term political solution found in Libya. Gargash stressed the futility of a military solution to the Libyan conflict. He explained that the League of Arab States (LAS) made a sharp statement condemning the presence…

The global oil industry suffered a major blow in 2020 after the coronavirus pandemic sent world crude demand and prices diving to record lows. While the prices have since recovered somewhat, the long-term consequences of the crisis are yet to be examined. Europe could face a major oil supply crisis accompanied by skyrocketing prices within the next decade due to shifts in the industry, a French think tank focusing on issues related to transitioning from fossil fuels, the Shift Project, said. The think tank indicates that the oil production of the main crude exporters to Europe, namely Russia and the former USSR,…

US President Donald Trump claims that some of the US troops removed from Germany over Berlin’s alleged delinquent payments to NATO will be relocated to Poland. “We’re going to be reducing our forces in Germany,” Trump said on Wednesday during a joint news conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda, citing Berlin’s “delinquency.” “Some will be coming home and some will be going to other places … Poland would be one of those other places – other places in Europe.” “They [Poland] asked us if we would send some additional troops – they’ll be paying for the sending of additional troops…

US stocks took a massive plunge on Wednesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average index falling more than 700 points amid a new uptick in COVID-19 coronavirus cases emerging across several US states. At closing bell, the Dow was down by 710.16 points, and the S&P 500 slid by 80.96 points. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite fared no better and wound up closing the day’s trading with a 222.20-point dip into red territory. Elsewhere, European markets underwent similar losses, as investor confidence plunged while new COVID-19 cases were recorded worldwide. In fact, Germany, whose Dax Performance index fell by more than…

Yemen’s Houthi Ansarullah movement has said that all missiles and drones used in the army’s latest raid precisely hit their targets in Saudi Arabia, warning of further strikes on more sensitive locations inside the kingdom if it fails to end the bloodshed in Yemen. Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a senior member of Ansarullah’s political bureau, made the remarks on Tuesday shortly after Yemeni Armed Forces conducted large-scale attacks on a the headquarters of the Saudi Defense Ministry and general intelligence agency as well as King Salman Air Base, among other military targets in the capital Riyadh and Najran and Jizan regions. However, the Saudi-led coalition waging war on Yemen…

A surge in the number of coronavirus infections around the world has pushed European stocks down from a two-week high as investors turned cautious amid fears of a new wave of COVID-19. The pan-European STOXX 600 declined 1.5, with travel & leisure, automakers and banks being among the hardest hit sectors. The decline comes as European Union nations are prepared to block American travelers from entering as many US states reported record daily increases in coronavirus cases amid relaxing of lockdowns in a move that raised worries of further restrictions. “While the economic impact of such measures will be less…