The Banality of Terrorism: Sydney’s Other Hostage Crisis of 1984

Juan Cole / Truthdig Dec 15, 2014 One’s heart goes out to the Sydney hostages. But it is distressing to see the hostage-taker made 10 feet tall by the media and to have Daesh (which is what most Arabs derisively call Islamic State) invoked. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Here Are Some of the Ways Islamic State Is Losing as It Lashes Out Like a Cornered Rat

Juan Cole / Truthdig Nov 17, 2014 Islamic State has not had a good month, suffering substantial setbacks in Iraq and watching with concern as the Damascus regime of Bashar al-Assad looks set to retake the major northern city of Aleppo. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Islamic State Loses Refinery City in Iraq to Iraqi Army and Shiite Militias

Juan Cole / Truthdig Nov 15, 2014 This is perhaps the most significant military loss for Islamic State since it took 40 percent of Iraq in early June. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Islamic State Calls for Terror Attacks on Saudi Arabia

Juan Cole / Truthdig Nov 15, 2014 A voice recording has surfaced, attributed to Ibrahim al-Samarra’i, the leader of the brutal terrorist group Islamic State. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Why It Doesn’t Really Matter Whether Islamic State’s Leader Was Killed

Juan Cole / Truthdig Nov 12, 2014 Rumors are swirling that Islamic State leader Ibrahim al-Samarra’i (who goes by the nom de guerre Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi) was severely wounded and that some of his chief lieutenants were killed by a U.S. airstrike on a meeting of IS leaders Friday. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Iraq Boots

Signe Wilkinson / Truthdig Oct 31, 2014 Dig deeper

Smart Bomb

Nick Anderson / Truthdig Oct 27, 2014 Dig deeper

Fear

Clay Bennett / Truthdig Oct 25, 2014 Dig deeper

Is This the End of National Sovereignty in the Middle East?

Juan Cole / Truthdig Oct 23, 2014 The legislature of the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government (a super-province of Iraq) has voted to send Kurdistan forces to the Syrian Kurdish city of Kobane to help it fight off a concerted attack by Islamic State. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Iran Proposes an Axis Against Islamic State to Iraq as an Alternative to the U.S. Coalition

Juan Cole / Truthdig Oct 22, 2014 Al-Zaman reports that Iranian President Hasan Rowhani has proposed to visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Haydar al-Abadi an anti-IS axis including Syria, Lebanon and Iraq that would be led by Iran, as an alternative to the U.S.-led coalition proposed by President Barack Obama. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

U.S. Jets Airdropped Supplies for Kurds Fighting in Kobane Against Turkey’s Wishes

Juan Cole / Truthdig Oct 21, 2014 In a step that over-ruled America’s Turkish NATO ally, U.S. jets dropped food, first aid and weaponry into the besieged Syrian Kurdish town of Kobane on Monday morning. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Shells Land in Turkey as Kurds Fight Off Islamic State Forces in Kobane

Juan Cole / Truthdig Oct 20, 2014 Kurdish forces at Kobane (Ayn al-Arab) on Saturday fought off an assault by Islamic State that sought to cut the city off from Turkey and completely surround it, according to an Al-Jazeera reporter on the scene. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )