Report: ISIS sleeper-cell attacks down, Hol Camp and Deir-ez-Zor remain flashpoints

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An Iraqi IDP caught in the crossfire during an attempted ISIS shooting in Hol Camp, November 2020 (Picture credit: NPA) Key Points Overall attacks decreased 11% (51, 45) in October, with 69% of those attacks taking place in Deir-ez-Zor…

National Interest – Bashar al-Assad is struggling for influence in North and East Syria

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Original op-ed by RIC's Thomas McClure, The National Interest, 29 October 2020. The October 2019 ‘deal’ between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Bashar al-Assad’s Syrian Government was poorly-understood from the outset. Foreign…

VICE – Kurdish Women Are Working the Land to Achieve Financial Independence

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Original article by Rachel Hagan, VICE, 12 September 2020. Ahin Hassan’s family were angry when she decided to get a job. Her parents expected the 22-year-old to stay at home and focus on her domestic duties. They warned her that…

Providence – To Protect Syria’s Christians, Erdogan Must be Stopped

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Original op-ed by RIC's Thomas McClure, Providence, 26 October 2020 Extremists are slowly extinguishing of some of the world’s oldest Christian communities, while the world remains largely silent. The Syrian regime first repressed…

The National Interest – The Problem with Turkey’s Proxy Militias Isn’t Just Military

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Original article by Michael Rubin, The National Interest, 9 November 2020 National leaders are learning that relying on Turkish-backed forces comes at a serious political and diplomatic costs. by Michael Rubin Turkish-backed…
cooperative grain growing

Explainer: Cooperatives in North and East Syria – developing a new economy

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Currently, North and East Syria (NES) faces enormous economic difficulties: rampant inflation, a partial embargo, war and the draining of resources by occupying Turkish forces in Sere Kaniye, Tel Abyad and Afrin. In this crisis context,…

Explainer: Why is Turkey arresting its own proxy council members in Afrin?

Thousands of Kurds have been disappeared by Turkish forces in Afrin, but arrests targeting Turkey's own political apparatus are unusual (file photo, al-Andalou) Why is Turkey arresting its own proxy council members in Afrin?Mass arrests,…

Update: Coronavirus crisis in North and East Syria – October 2020

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Our latest monthly update on the coronavirus crisis in North and East Syria finds: October sees as many deaths and twice as many cases as rest of year combinedExponential growth through September and October with daily cases increasing…

Providence – The Untold Story of Syrian Kurdish Christians

Original Article by Nadine Maenza and David Alton, Providence, 12 October 2020 “We feel forgotten and abandoned sometimes. The world does not know much about the challenges and difficulties that face us. All countries in the region do…

Globalist – Rapimenti, stupri, torture: così Erdogan combatte le partigiane curde

Original Article by Umberto De Giovannageli, Globablist, 11 October 2020 Un anno fa erano le eroine da “esibire” nei salotti mediatici o sulle copertine di riviste patinate. Per la loro bellezza, prim’ancora che per la loro determinazione…