October, 2021

• 9 October

  Tunisia’s Ennahda party shaken by resignations, political crisis

  

  The Islamic Ennahda movement is facing a wave of resignations that are depriving it of its historical leadership and popular base after being the country’s ruling party since 2011. TUNIS — During the Oct. 3 protests in support of Tunisian President Kais Saied in the coastal Monastir province in northeastern …

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• 9 October

  Arab-Israelis split on Shin Bet’s role in fighting surging violence

  

  Arab-Israelis are divided over the government’s decision to bring in the IDF and the Shin Bet to help police control rising crime and violence in Arab towns. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett convened the first meeting of the ministerial team for combating crime in Arab society on Oct. 3. This team, …

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• 9 October

  Iraqi intel service, tribal fighters kill Islamic State commanders

  

  Iraqi national security forces working closely with local tribal fighters say they have managed to kill two key Islamic State figures involved in planning suicide attacks. A man driving a car loaded with explosives who was thought to have been about to attack a police station detonated himself in the …

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• 9 October

  Why the World’s Eyes Are on the Afghanistan-Tajikistan Border

  

  Afghanistan and Tajikistan share a 1,400-kilometer border. Recently, a war of words has erupted between Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon and the Taliban government in Kabul. Rahmon censures the Taliban for the destabilization of Central Asia by the export of militant groups, while the Taliban leadership has accused Tajikistan’s government of …

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• 9 October

  Iran wants to goad Russia into Caucasus tensions – analysis

  

  Iran wants Russia to know that it is concerned by both the presence of Israel-Azerbaijan relations as well as Turkey’s moves to open up a land corridor. Iran is worried. It sees an emerging alliance between Turkey and Azerbaijan as well as between Azerbaijan and Israel as potentially cutting it …

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• 9 October

  United States to stay in Syria, top Kurdish politician says

  

  “They said they are going to stay in Syria and will not withdraw – they will keep fighting Islamic State,” Ahmed said. “Before they were unclear under Trump and during the Afghan withdrawal.” A leading Syrian Kurdish politician said on Thursday the United States will stay on in Syria to …

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• 9 October

  Iran-Saudi talks have gone a ‘good distance’ – Iran’s foreign minister

  

  Three rounds of Saudi-Iranian talks were held in Iraq in the months before Iran’s new hardline president, Ebrahim Raisi, took office in August. Talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia have gone a “good distance,” Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian told a news conference in Beirut on Thursday, referring to efforts …

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• 9 October

  The world is waking up to Iran’s drone threat

  

  Iran’s drone program, unlike its nuclear weapons program, is not secretive. The Islamic Republic openly brags about its drone capabilities. Iranian drones are an emerging threat to the Middle East. In 2019, Iran used a combination of drones and cruise missiles to attack the giant Abqaiq oil-processing facility in Saudi …

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• 9 October

  Political Corruption, Pro-Iran Militias In Iraqi Voters’ Sights – OpEd

  Iraq will head to the polls on Sunday for early legislative elections, the fifth in the past 20 years. The poll comes two years after mass protests brought down the government of Adel Abdul Mahdi, but not before security forces and paramilitary groups killed more than 600 protesters. Angry Iraqis …

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• 9 October

  Afghanistan Regained By Taliban – Analysis

  After two decades, Taliban has not only recaptured Afghanistan but also global attention. The US, mulling over the futility of years – at least through three Presidencies – to get out of the ‘forever wars’, finally exited on 31 August from the losing war on terror. In extricating, the full …

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