TRIPOLI, Lebanon — On a recent rainy January night, hundreds of people could still be found in Nour Square, the main protest site in Lebanon’s second largest city.
An estimated 5000 Syrian mercenaries have been sent to Libya by Turkey to fight in support of Tripoli’s Government of National Accord (GNA) since December 2019.
“We live on the edge, without data, dates or certified documents. A life which resembles words written down on carbon paper, that can simply wear off with time with nothing left behind.” Ahmed sighs.
As Syrian and Russian forces bombard Idlib and the Aleppo countryside, thousands of militants from the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (TFSA) who would presumably be defending these areas in Syria are instead in Libya.
When Turkish President Erdogan announced he would be sending men from the “Syrian National Army” to Libya to fight in support of the Government of National Accord (GNA), rumors among the Syrian opposition began to swirl.
Erdogan has been in the news lately for his controversial role in supporting one of the sides in the Libyan conflict with Syrian jihadi mercenaries, but beneath the headlines, even more is going on. Three recent crucial incidents indicate that Erdogan has been getting ready for a significant move.
Most commentators responding to the assassination of top Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani are focusing on the possible negatives. They bemoan the potential retaliation against American targets or allies, some even theorize that it might lead to World War Three.
Iran is facing major challenges to its position as a regional power. Economic problems brought about by mismanagement and corruption and increased by U.S. sanctions have made funding its network of proxy forces difficult. This has led to increasingly disruptive protests in Lebanon as well.
At the same time Pakistan is claiming to take action against banned militant organizations on its soil to avoid being blacklisted by the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the international watchdog that monitors efforts by countries in curbing terror financing
World Vision, an enormous international evangelical charity, is active in nearly 100 countries with a total revenue of more than $2 billion. In 2014, World Vision received a grant of over $700,000 from USAID.
The Houthi insurgency in Yemen is a military rebellion pitting Zaidi Shia Houthis (though the movement also includes Sunni Muslims against the Yemeni military that began in Northern Yemen and has since escalated into a full-scale civil war.
An American family is suing a Turkish bank over its alleged financing of the US designated foreign terrorist organization: Hamas. This isn’t any normal terrorism financing lawsuit however; one of the bank’s largest shareholders is also a NATO member.
Iraqis began protesting in October of last year and almost immediately, Iraqi police responded with force. Then, militia members and supporters began victimising them, as well.
Since Turkey launched attacks on Northeastern Syria in October 2019, locals have been boycotting Turkish goods. “Turkish goods become money, which become bullets, which kill our children and help Turkey occupy our lands.”
Dr. Abbas Mansoura came to Northeastern Syria from Sweden as a volunteer to treat victims of the Turkish invasion. Journalist Lindsey Snell documents the killing of civilians in Northern Syria.
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