Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

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A protester holds a flag depicting jailed Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan as a van burns during clashes at the Taksim Square in Istanbul Tuesday, June 11, 2013. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

A Turkish Helping Hand

by Stephen Starr | Aug 1, 2013 | Majalla Blogs

There’s been much focus on religious-motivated violence by Al Qaeda-linked groups, Jabhat al-Nusra and others in Syria, and rightly so. However, other elements deserve consideration to offer a fuller understanding of the Syrian conflict. Over the past four decades,...

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A rebel arms workshop in Aleppo, Syria (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Gunning for Trouble

by Hannah Lucinda Smith | Jul 25, 2013 | Features

Aleppo, Asharq Al-Awsat—There seemed to be some fresh hope of British assistance for Syria’s opposition forces this week. British prime minister David Cameron, while continuing to avoid any firm commitments to arm the rebels, told a BBC interviewer that he still...

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Kurdish opposition fighters attend a ceremony on July 18, 2013, in the northern Syrian border village of al Qamishli. At least 29 people have been killed in fighting between Kurdish and jihadist fighters in northern Syria in the past two days, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said (AFP PHOTO/STR)

Islamic State of Iraq and Syria targets Kurdish neighborhoods

by Asharq Al-Awsat | Jul 23, 2013 | Middle East

Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat—The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which has close links with the Al-Qaeda network in Iraq, attacked Kurdish neighborhoods in the Tell Abyad area of northern Syria on Monday. The town of Tell Abyad is situated roughly 65 miles (105 km)...

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A rebel fighter points his gun towards pro-government forces’ positions during clashes in the Salaheddine district of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, on July 9, 2013. (AFP/JM Lopez)

The Zero Line

by Hannah Lucinda Smith | Jul 19, 2013 | Features

“We call this the zero line,” says Mohamad. He points a home-made periscope through the hole in the wall above him. When he brings it back down he confirms it. “Assad’s soldiers are only ten meters away.” In Aleppo’s Salaheddin district the front line runs straight...

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Buses piled up in Aleppo to shield Syrians from sniper fire. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Running the Gauntlet

by Hannah Lucinda Smith | Jul 17, 2013 | Features

Aleppo, Asharq Al-Awsat—Berlin had Checkpoint Charlie. Sarajevo had its sniper alley. Aleppo has Bustan Al-Kasr, the single point in a city of five million where it is possible to cross from one side to the other, from the area that has been under the control of the...