Tonight's roundup is going to be short and to the point (and a little earlier than usual), my apologies. Iraq The Iraqi military says that it captured another neighborhood in eastern Mosul today, in the process destroying (via airstrike) three facilities where ISIS has been manufacturing car bombs. In Baghdad, meanwhile, multiple bombing attacks today … Continue reading Conflict update: December 9

Libya After a surprisingly long operation, it appears that Sirte is fully under the control of the militias that have been battling ISIS there: The drawn-out capture of Sirte, the last major Islamic State (Isis) stronghold in Libya, has been completed after months of fighting and a stubborn resistance by snipers. Rida Issa, a spokesman … Continue reading Conflict update: December 5

Syria About half of formerly rebel-held eastern Aleppo is in Syrian government hands after the army announced yesterday that it had seized the Tariq al-Bab neighborhood. Moscow is saying that it's ready to talk about a withdrawal of the remaining rebel forces from the city, which frankly may be the best possible outcome at this … Continue reading Conflict update: December 3

Syria I wasn't planning on doing one of these tonight, and this one may not be as comprehensive as these usually are, but I feel compelled to say something about the amazing, ongoing cucking of Tayyip Erdoğan at Vladimir Putin's hands. Amberin Zaman has been covering this for Al-Monitor, and it's really something else. Two … Continue reading Conflict update: December 1

Syria The liberation/massacre of eastern Aleppo continues, but the UN is on it: The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting Wednesday on the dire humanitarian situation in the Syrian city of Aleppo, which a UN official described as a "descent into hell." "For the sake of humanity, we call on, we plead with the … Continue reading Conflict update: November 30

Yemen As our focus was limited yesterday, we missed a few developments in places other than Aleppo. For example, Yemeni rebels decided to go nuts and form themselves a brand new government: The announcement of the new government, reported by the Houthi-run state television and Saba news agency, said it was formed from “all walks … Continue reading Conflict update: November 29

Syria By all current outward appearances the Syrian army is well on its way to capturing eastern Aleppo. It reportedly controls at least two neighborhoods at this point and has entered several others. Syrian forces appear to be trying to drive through the center of the city to split the rebel-held areas in two. On … Continue reading Conflict update: November 27

France No, this isn't about that knife attack I mentioned yesterday--French authorities are saying that attack wasn't terrorism. However, they're also reporting that they've just arrested five ISIS operatives who were planning an "imminent" terrorist attack under direction from the group's leadership in the Middle East. At least some of the five appear to have … Continue reading Conflict update: November 25

Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrated it or are celebrating it today. If you're thankful for the work I do around this place, please don't hesitate to drop a little something in the tip jar down below, or (even better) to subscribe via the Patreon link on the front page. Every little bit helps, especially … Continue reading Thanksgiving conflict update: November 24

Syria Say, are you looking for a change of pace, something to shake up your dreary work routine? Have you thought about changing careers? Do you meet the strict physical requirements of the Syrian Arab Army (as long as you're not completely bedridden from some sort of wasting disease, you're good to go)? If so, … Continue reading Conflict update: November 22 (exciting job opportunity inside!)