ASIA AFGHANISTAN Afghan security forces on Sunday night raided the home of Atallah Safi, a candidate for parliament in Kunar province, killing three of his bodyguards. Two additional people were reportedly arrested for some reason--no explanation for the raid has been forthcoming. PAKISTAN The Pakistani government has reduced the Chinese loan backing a major Belt and Road … Continue reading World update: October 1 2018

SYRIA A day after reports (well, one report) said it was quitting the demilitarized zone that Russian and Turkey established in Idlib province--making it the first rebel faction to do so--a spokesman for Faylaq al-Sham said on Monday that the group has done no such thing. In another development that augurs poorly for the success … Continue reading Middle East update: October 1 2018

EUROPE RUSSIA This was probably inevitable, but Vladimir Putin now has his own reality TV show: To many Russians, Putin’s annual news conference and wildly popular question-and-answer program are “circus,” a mix of entertainment and politics. This month, Putin added another tool to his repertoire: a weekly prime time series following his daily activities. The … Continue reading Europe/Americas update: September 28-30 2018

ASIA AFGHANISTAN Two Afghan police officers were killed in Kandahar province late Friday in yet another insider attack by a fellow officer who then ran off, likely to join the Taliban. There were reports this week, based in part on anonymous quotes from Taliban officials, that Taliban representatives were meeting in Saudi Arabia with officials … Continue reading Asia/Africa update: September 28-30 2018

SYRIA The Islamist rebel group Faylaq al-Sham ("The Levant Corps") on Sunday reportedly began withdrawing from the demilitarized zone established in Idlib province under the Russia-Turkey deescalation agreement. It's the first rebel group to make that move. On the other hand, a formerly US-backed Free Syrian Army faction called Jaysh al-Izza ("The Army of Glory") rejected the deescalation … Continue reading Middle East update: September 28-30 2018

ASIA AFGHANISTAN Afghan President Ashraf Ghani visited the city of Ghazni on Thursday and was greeted by two Taliban rockets that landed near the facility where he was meeting with local officials. There's been no report of any casualties. In happier news, the US used an F-35 in combat for the first time on Thursday … Continue reading World update: September 27 2018

SYRIA The Syrian government is now basically daring Israel to conduct airstrikes once Russia has delivered its promised S-300 air defense systems to Damascus, which is supposed to happen within the next two weeks. I'm sure this will work out well. On a more positive note, the Israeli government says it's prepared to reopen its border … Continue reading Middle East update: September 27 2018

EUROPE RUSSIA Around 100 people protested on Wednesday in the city of Magas, capital of Russia's Ingushetia region. The regional government has apparently cut a deal with the Chechnyan regional government over some sort of minor land swap, which triggered the correspondingly minor public outcry. BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA Secessionist Bosnian Serb President Milorad Dodik has suddenly … Continue reading Europe/Americas update: September 26 2018

ASIA AFGHANISTAN The United Nations mission in Afghanistan says that 21 Afghan civilians were killed over the weekend in two airstrikes--nine in a Saturday strike in Kapisa province and 12 on Sunday in Maidan Wardak province. It does not know whether these were Afghan or NATO/US airstrikes. MALDIVES So remember how Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen … Continue reading Asia/Africa update: September 26 2018

SYRIA Officials involved with Turkish-aligned Syrian rebel groups in Idlib claim they've seen signs that jihadi groups, including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, are preparing to abide by the agreement Turkey and Russia reached to establish a demilitarized zone between rebel and government forces in the province. If true that should mean the agreement will hold, for … Continue reading Middle East update: September 26 2018