Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

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Syrian Democratic Forces fighters in Raqqa. (Reuters)

Syrian Democratic Forces: US-Backed Kurdish-Arab Alliance

by Asharq Al-Awsat | Oct 18, 2017 | Middle East

London – Kurdish fighters represent the backbone of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which seized on Tuesday control of the city of Raqqa from the ISIS terrorist group after a four-month offensive. Comprised of Arab and Kurdish fighters, the SDF was formed in...

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Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (R) talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, June 19, 2017. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS

Saudi Arabia to Launch Coordination Council with Iraq

by Abdul Hadi Habtor | Oct 18, 2017 | Saudi Arabia

Riyadh- Saudi Arabia and Iraq will be cosigning the establishment of a joint Saudi-Iraqi Coordinating Council in Riyadh next week, sources told Asharq Al-Awsat. The body is said to cover various political, economic, security and cultural fields. Abdul Aziz...

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A man walks past a mosque that was damaged by airstrikes in Raqqa, eastern Syria in 2014. (Reuters)

Raqqa: From Ancient Capital to ISIS Stronghold

by Asharq Al-Awsat English | Oct 18, 2017 | Middle East

London – Raqqa was liberated on Tuesday from the grasp of the ISIS terrorist group that had turned the ancient city into its stronghold and a symbol of its atrocities. The city has been inhabited for hundreds of years, and its peak, it enjoyed a golden age under the...

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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas gestures as he delivers a speech in the West Bank city of Bethlehem January 6, 2016. REUTERS/Ammar Awad

Abbas Opens Recruitment for Security Services in Gaza

by Kifah Ziboun | Oct 18, 2017 | Middle East

Ramallah- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas opened the door to recruitment in the Gaza Strip, in a move that would rearrange the security services in the sector. Member of Fatah Central Committee Hussein Sheikh said that Abbas signed the decision to open the...

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Syrian Democratic Forces fighters ride atop military vehicles as they celebrate victory in Raqqa.

REUTERS/Erik De Castro

ISIS Loses Its Syria ‘Capital’

by Caroline Akoum and Kamal Sheikho | Oct 18, 2017 | Middle East

Beirut, Raqqa- ISIS lost on Monday its de facto capital in Syria, Raqqa, as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced they completely control the city, following four months of fierce battles that ended with the withdrawal of some of the terrorists’ militants in an...

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A woman holds her belongings as she flees Raqqa, Syria October 16, 2017. (Reuters)

Save the Children: Liberation of Raqqa Does not Signal End of Humanitarian Crisis

by Asharq Al-Awsat | Oct 18, 2017 | Middle East

Beirut – The liberation of the Syrian city of Raqqa from the ISIS terrorist group does not mean the end of humanitarian suffering in the region, warned Save the Children on Tuesday. It instead said that the situation is in fact escalating. “The military...