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Iran-Supported Iraqi Paramilitaries Make Further Gains in Western Mosul
  • Analysis
  • Iran-Supported Iraqi Paramilitaries Make Further Gains in Western Mosul

    The Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces today seized nine villages around al-Qairawan region in western Mosul from the Islamic State, the Iranian media reports. According to a P.M.F. statement, the paramilitary forces “managed to reach the Sinjar mountains and block the road that connects Sinjar to al-Ba’aj.

    May 26, 2017

    Iran-Supported Iraqi Groups Marching ahead in Western Mosul
  • Analysis
  • Iran-Supported Iraqi Groups Marching ahead in Western Mosul

    The Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (P.M.F.) have seized eight villages from the Islamic State in western Mosul, the Iranian media reports. According to Iraqi officials, the paramilitary forces have also launched operations in northern Ba’aj and have secured the control of the main road linking al-Adaniyah district and the two of al-Ba’aj. According to a P.M.F.

    May 25, 2017

    Iranian-Backed Forces Advancing to Southeast Syria despite U.S. Warning
  • Analysis
  • Iranian-Backed Forces Advancing to Southeast Syria despite U.S. Warning

    The U.S. air strike last week targeting Iranian-led forces in southern Syria signaled escalating tension between Washington and Tehran over the six-year conflict in Syria. The U.S. military said it carried out the raid because an Iran-directed convoy was advancing toward a “de-confliction zone” near the al-Tanf region, where the U.S. military is training Syrian opposition forces to fight the Islamic State. The militia forces reportedly did not respond to U.S. warnings.  The air strike – the first such action by the U.S.

    May 24, 2017

    Egypt’s Emerging Alternative Film Scene
  • Analysis
  • Egypt’s Emerging Alternative Film Scene

    The cinema has long been a contested space in Egypt. Following its nationalization in 1966, a formerly flourishing film industry ran steadily downhill and movie theater operators were subjected to censors’ increasingly puerile whims. The only independent company allowed to operate was Misr International Films—founded in 1972 by Egyptian director Youssef Chahine (1926-2008)—to produce, distribute, and exhibit films while coincidentally enabling the state to posit itself as an indulgent patron of cinematic art. The annual state-run Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF, est.

    May 19, 2017

    I.R.G.C. Outlet: U.S. Eyes Post-ISIS Military Presence in Iraq and Syria to Counter Iran
  • Analysis
  • I.R.G.C. Outlet: U.S. Eyes Post-ISIS Military Presence in Iraq and Syria to Counter Iran

    A lengthy report in Fars News Agency (F.N.A.), an outlet close to the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (I.R.G.C.), claims that the United States is seeking to contain the growing influence of Iran and its proxies in Iraq and Syria by increasing its military presence in northern and southern Syria and keeping

    May 16, 2017

    Escalating Tension between Iran-Backed P.M.F. Groups and Peshmerga Forces in Sinjar
  • Analysis
  • Escalating Tension between Iran-Backed P.M.F. Groups and Peshmerga Forces in Sinjar

    A commander of Kurdish peshmerga forces in the Iraqi town of Sinjar, Sarbast Lazkeen, has cautioned that any further expansion of Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (P.M.F.) toward the Syrian border and into Kurdish regions could prompt a direct military intervention by Turkey, Saudi Arabia or the United States.

    May 15, 2017

    I.R.G.C. Outlet: U.S. Military Build-up along Iraq-Syria Border Aimed at Countering "Shiite Crescent"
  • Analysis
  • I.R.G.C. Outlet: U.S. Military Build-up along Iraq-Syria Border Aimed at Countering "Shiite Crescent"

    Recent reports that the Trump administration is in talks with Baghdad about keeping American troops in Iraq after the defeat of the Islamic State have triggered concern in Tehran. The Iranian media also have raised the alarm that the U.S. increasing military presence in Iraq and Syria is aimed at countering the influence of Iran and its regional allies in the Middle East.

    May 12, 2017

    Iran-Supported Militia Groups Eye Politics after Islamic State
  • Analysis
  • Iran-Supported Militia Groups Eye Politics after Islamic State

    Muhammad al-Hattab, a commander of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (P.M.F.), has hinted that the paramilitary forces may enter politics and participate in elections after the Islamic State is defeated.

    May 12, 2017