Middle Orient

Kurdish Iraqi forces launched a major operation today to retake the militant-held town of Sinjar in northern Iraq, part of a push to secure the road that leads directly to the Syrian border. Peshmerga forces, backed by US-led coalition airstrikes, moved into the town, which has been under the control …

Top US diplomat John Kerry was to meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov Sunday, amid anger in Moscow over the prospect of new US sanctions and possible lethal military aid for Ukraine. The meeting in Rome comes as tensions soar after US lawmakers passed a bill — dubbed the Ukraine …

The EU backed UN efforts to arrange a ceasefire in Syria’s second city Aleppo on Monday as one of the few good options left in a conflict which has claimed more than 200,000 lives. EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini said special UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura had briefed …

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry met Sunday morning with British parliamentary delegation , called the Friends of Egypt, to discuss the final phase of Egypt’s roadmap, and other regional topics. Shoukry also met Sunday with US Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan Donald Booth to discuss recent political developments there. …

US Secretary of State John Kerry appeared before Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday to ask for a new, broadened, three-year Authorization of Military Force (AUMF) under which US can continue to fight ISIL with boots on the ground if needed. The current AUMF used by the Obama Administration to …

Chuck Hagel is the first American defense secretary to visit Iraq since the US officially ended its long war three years ago. And his message to Iraqi leaders was plain- US military power didn’t solve Iraq’s problems last time, nor will it now.

The EU’s foreign policy chief did not raise any criticism or proposals for the alignment of Turkey’s foreign policy with the EU, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has said, in reply to remarks by Federica Mogherini. Despite Turkey’s “very important contributions” to the EU’s security and defense policies, the EU …

US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel arrived in Baghdad today to consult with Iraqi government officials and confer with US commanders about the campaign to defeat Islamic State fighters. In remarks to a group of US and Australian soldiers, Mr Hagel said the US wants to help Iraq regain the territory it lost to Islamic …

The Algerian Foreign Ministry has withdrawn its ambassador in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, Abdul Qadir bin Shaha, “because of the security situation taking place in the capital, as a precaution procedure and to avoid any undesirable consequences for security developments.”

New European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini was to meet Turkish leaders Dec. 8 for talks expected to focus partly on the war against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in neighboring Syria. “The Syrian crisis is going to be one of the key issues on …