U.S. sends 615 more troops to Iraq as Mosul battle looms

U.S. sends 615 more troops to Iraq as Mosul battle looms

by WorldTribune Staff, September 29, 2016 The United States has deployed 615 additional troops to Iraq as preparation intensifies for the battle to liberate Mosul from Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL). The new deployment puts the number of American troops on the ground in Iraq at over 5,000 for the first time since […]

Coalition consensus: U.S. lacked ‘leadership and commitment’ to prevail against ISIL

Coalition consensus: U.S. lacked ‘leadership and commitment’ to prevail against ISIL

by WorldTribune Staff, September 28, 2016 America’s partners in the coalition fighting Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) have been disappointed in the Obama administration’s leadership in the effort to defeat the terror organization, a report said. Sen. Ron Johnson, Wisconsin Republican, told the Washington Free Beacon on Sept. 27 that members of the […]

Gas deal positions Israel at ‘center of the regional energy map’

Gas deal positions Israel at ‘center of the regional energy map’

by WorldTribune Staff, September 28, 2016 Partners in Israel’s largest natural gas reservoir have signed a $10 billion deal to export gas to Jordan for the next 15 years. Noble Energy Inc. and Delek Drilling-LP will supply a gross 1.6 trillion cubic feet of natural gas from the Leviathan field to Natural Electric Power Co. […]

Report: Obama orders Pentagon to downplay ‘competition’ with China

Report: Obama orders Pentagon to downplay ‘competition’ with China

by WorldTribune Staff, September 28, 2016 The White House has ordered U.S. defense officials not to speak publicly about military competition with China, a report said. The directive comes from the National Security Council (NSC) and instructs Pentagon officials to replace the phrase “great power competition” with something less likely to aggravate China in official […]

Oil prices slide as Iran refuses to freeze output levels

Oil prices slide as Iran refuses to freeze output levels

by WorldTribune Staff, September 27, 2016 The political rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia spilled into OPEC’s informal meeting in Algeria as Iran said it would not freeze oil output and Saudi said the meeting was merely “consultative”. Saudi has said it would support a production freeze only if all OPEC producers are committed to […]

ISIL’s leader tried to flee liberated Iraqi city dressed as a woman

ISIL’s leader tried to flee liberated Iraqi city dressed as a woman

by WorldTribune Staff, September 26, 2016 After liberating the city of Sharqat from Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL), Iraqi security forces captured the terror group’s Wali (governor) of the city as he tried to hide among displaced residents while disguised as a woman. Abu Omar al-Assafi was “in a woman’s dress” when he […]

Ahmadinejad don’t: Khamenei nixes former Iran president’s comeback

Ahmadinejad don’t: Khamenei nixes former Iran president’s comeback

by WorldTribune Staff, September 26, 2016 Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has instructed former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to refrain from running for the presidency in next year’s elections, state media reported on Sept. 26. “He (Ahmadinejad) came to me and I told him not to stand as I think it is not in his […]

Anti-ISIL Jordanian writer, on trial for posting offensive cartoon, shot dead outside courthouse

Anti-ISIL Jordanian writer, on trial for posting offensive cartoon, shot dead outside courthouse

by WorldTribune Staff, September 26, 2016 A Jordanian writer and long outspoken critic of Islamic terrorist organizations was shot dead on Sept. 25 in front of the courthouse where he was on trial for posting a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed deemed offensive to Islam. Nahed Hattar, 56, was preparing to enter the courthouse for […]

‘Handing out immunity deals like candy’: Ex-NSA analyst says FBI probe of Clinton emails was never serious

‘Handing out immunity deals like candy’: Ex-NSA analyst says FBI probe of Clinton emails was never serious

by WorldTribune Staff, September 25, 2016 The FBI’s investigation into Hillary Clinton’s mishandling of classified information via her private email server was a sham from the get-go, a former National Security Agency (NSA) analyst said. “From the moment the EmailGate scandal went public more than a year ago, it was obvious that the Federal Bureau […]

Syria crisis rocks UN Assembly

Syria crisis rocks UN Assembly

Special to WorldTribune.com By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — The reverberations of the Syrian conflict continue to rock the UN General Assembly and Security Council as the shock waves of a churning war, a deepening political crisis, and a widening humanitarian disaster plague both the region as well as the wider world community. Syria […]