SYRIA Analyst Giorgio Cafiero writes on the lingering threat ISIS poses in Syria: The Islamic State (ISIS or IS) has lost 98 percent of the territory that it controlled in Iraq and Syria several years ago, a territory equivalent in size to Great Britain. Yet any doubt that IS remains a threat to the Ba’athist … Continue reading Middle East update: August 6 2018

EUROPERUSSIA You know what, folks? I think all this US-Russia nonsense might just work out OK after all: https://twitter.com/sseagalofficial/status/1026187294460600320 BELARUS The Belarusian government has a penchant for fining reporters and media outlets that report things without the government's permission, and they've particularly targeted online TV outlet Belsat, which is based in Poland. Belsat officials say they're … Continue reading Europe/Americas update: August 4-5 2018

ASIA AFGHANISTAN Taliban fighters reportedly killed at least 42 Afghan soldiers on Sunday in an attack in Uruzgan province in southern Afghanistan. Also on Sunday, a Taliban suicide bomber killed three NATO soldiers in an attack believed to have taken place in Parwan province, near the Bagram airbase that is the primary US base in … Continue reading Asia/Africa update: August 4-5 2018

SYRIA Aziz Asber, director of the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center, was killed in a car bombing outside of Hama on Saturday. The Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center does most of its studying and research, according to Western governments, in the area of chemical weapons. The United States insists that it's been producing sarin … Continue reading Middle East update: August 4-5 2018

ASIA AFGHANISTAN A pair of suicide bombers killed at least 39 people in an attack on a Shiʿa mosque in Paktia province on Sunday. The bombers haven't been identified but they're almost certainly ISIS products. PAKISTAN The Pakistani Taliban, meanwhile, is believed the be responsible for an overnight rampage in Pakistan's northern Gilgit-Baltistan province in which 12 … Continue reading World update: August 3 2018

SYRIA Reuters claims that Russia is using its military-to-military backchannel with the United States to prod the US to help rebuild post-war Syria. That may be. China's seeming reluctance to get involved could have Russia and the Assad government a little freaked out. But it's hard to imagine this idea gaining much traction in Washington. … Continue reading Middle East update: August 3 2018

ASIA TAJIKISTAN Not willing to let a good crisitunity pass, the Tajik government has reportedly already tried, convicted, and sentenced 14 members of the outlawed Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan for their alleged involvement in a hit-and-run attack that killed four bicyclists just earlier this week. Talk about speedy justice. ISIS claimed responsibility for that attack, … Continue reading World update: August 2 2018

SYRIA Syrian state media reported late on Thursday that the Syrian military "confronted a hostile target and destroyed it west of Damascus." This is a developing story and so far that's all the information that's been reported. The effects of the Syrian civil war have never stayed well confined within Syria, but they spilled over … Continue reading Middle East update: August 2 2018

ASIA GEORGIA The Georgian military opened its Noble Partner 2018 exercises with soldiers from the United States and several other NATO members on Wednesday. Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili took the opportunity to slam Russia for continuing to occupy the breakaway region of South Ossetia and support the breakaway region of Abkhazia, both of which Georgia still considers … Continue reading World update: August 1 2018