SYRIA The Syrian Democratic Forces on Friday completed another evacuation of civilians from Baghouz. Some 30 trucks carried mostly women and children out of the town, the second such caravan this week. The SDF says it's hoping to completely empty the town of civilians by Saturday, at which point the ISIS fighters remaining inside may decide … Continue reading Middle East update: February 22 2019

ASIA KAZAKHSTAN Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev ordered his entire cabinet to resign on Thursday, citing its failure to improve and diversify the Kazakh economy. He subsequently appointed Askar Mamin to replace now-former Prime Minister Bakhytzhan Sagintayev. There is growing discontent within Kazakhstan about the country's economic struggles and a lack of job creation. INDIA The … Continue reading World update: February 21 2019

SYRIA There were several bombings across northern Syria on Thursday, likely perpetrated by at least a couple of different parties. At least two civilians were killed in a car bombing in Afrin and four Turkish proxy fighters in a bombing in Jarabulus. It wouldn't be a big stretch to suggest the YPG was responsible for … Continue reading Middle East update: February 21 2019

We're having a snow day here and the news seems a little slow today anyway (or maybe my brain just isn't working very well). So today's update will be a little shorter than usual. MIDDLE EAST SYRIA Increasingly it looks like ISIS's remaining fighters in Baghouz are down to their last few days or even hours. The convoy sent into town by the Syrian Democratic Forces on Tuesday to evacuate the area's remaining civilian population finally left on Wednesday, with a number … Continue reading World update: February 20 2019

ASIA AFGHANISTAN Six civilians were killed by a roadside bomb in Laghman province on Tuesday. No group has claimed responsibility but the Taliban are likely culprits given the location. At LobeLog, journalist Alia Ahmed lays out a path forward for Afghanistan as peace talks continue between the US and the Taliban: In this phase, the … Continue reading World update: February 19 2019

SYRIA The Syrian Democratic Forces, with US air support, are making what appears to be their final push to take ISIS's last Syrian enclave. Earlier in the day they sent trucks into the town of Baghouz, intending to evacuate the last remaining civilians there before the final assault. But according to Reuters, at least, those … Continue reading Middle East update: February 19 2019

ASIA AFGHANISTAN It would appear that a Taliban delegation's planned trip to Islamabad this week, which maybe/probably would have included a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, fell through for a host of reasons. A formal Afghan government complaint to the United Nations about the Taliban's violations of its travel ban was part … Continue reading World update: February 18 2019

SYRIA What appears to have been a double-tap bombing killed at least 15 people in Idlib city on Monday. A car bomb detonated first, followed by a nearby motorcycle bomb a short time later. Several of the casualties were apparently first responders caught in the second blast. There's been no claim of responsibility, but the … Continue reading Middle East update: February 18 2019

EUROPE POLAND Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Sunday canceled a planned trip to Israel on Tuesday for a summit of the Visegrád Group (Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic), and his government summoned the Israeli ambassador. The Poles are angry over a comment Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made recently in Israeli media … Continue reading Europe/Americas update: February 16-17 2019

ASIA AFGHANISTAN A roadside bomb in Kandahar province killed three Afghan civilians on Sunday. Presumably the Taliban was responsible. On Friday, the Taliban attacked an Afghan border outpost in Kandahar and killed all 32 border guards posted there. So far it appears that one Taliban fighter--the one who drove the truck bomb that was used … Continue reading Asia/Oceania/Africa update: February 16-17 2019