Latest news with #USGlobalCoalition
Shafaq News
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Iraqi President urges Global Coalition to protect skies
Shafaq News – Baghdad/Madrid On Wednesday, Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid condemned recent Israeli and Iranian violations of Iraq's airspace and urged the US Global Coalition to safeguard Iraqi skies. 'Coalition forces should have intervened," Rashid told El Mundo, emphasizing that Iraq had requested air defense systems but lacked them due to "decades of dictatorship". Iraq's airspace has increasingly become a corridor for regional strikes, particularly during the 12-day war between Israel and Iran. While the Coalition's mandate is counterterrorism, Iraqi leaders argued it should also help safeguard national sovereignty during regional escalations. On domestic security, the president affirmed that weapons must be restricted to official forces, reiterating the government's stance on consolidating arms under state control, and warned that ISIS remains a regional threat. 'Their threat has declined, but the atrocities against Yazidis remain unforgettable," he said, referencing the 2014 genocide in Sinjar. Baghdad–Erbil talks are also ongoing to resolve issues related to revenue and administration, according to the President, who stressed the importance of passing a national oil and gas law to address these disputes. Ahead of November's legislative elections, Rashid encouraged participation from all political groups, including those planning to abstain. 'Democratic systems allow for boycotts, but collaboration is essential to address corruption and national challenges."
Shafaq News
15-06-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Syria's skies turned war zone: Civilians fear collateral damage
Shafaq News/ As Israeli-Iranian tensions continue to play out in the skies, Syrians on the ground are increasingly anxious. Over the past two days, parts of the country have witnessed a surge in missile and drone activity, with explosive debris falling in several areas, turning Syria's airspace into an unintentional battleground. In al-Hol, a town not far from the Iraqi border, residents described scenes of missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles streaking overhead. Dozens were spotted cutting across the sky toward the south, believed to be Iranian projectiles heading in the direction of Israel. Around 11 p.m. on Saturday, three powerful explosions echoed through the night, as high-altitude aircraft, invisible to the eye, moved above. The aftermath surfaced the following morning in al-Shalala, a village near al-Hol, where locals discovered missile fragments scattered across the ground. The remains are thought to belong to an Iranian missile intercepted mid-air by unidentified aircraft. Military responses soon followed. In Syria's northeastern al-Hasakah province, US Global Coalition forces deployed anti-aircraft fire from two of their bases — Khrab al-Jeer and al-Shaddadi. Meanwhile, civilians across the region noticed flares lighting up the sky above several US military installations, signaling heightened alert. The impact of these aerial confrontations is not confined to military calculations. In the village of al-Baghouz, which sits near Iraq's al-Qaim, residents are growing increasingly uneasy. The continuing missile exchanges between Tehran and Tel Aviv have stirred fears of collateral damage reaching Syrian soil. Fawza al-Jalabi, a woman living in the area, described nights filled with tension. 'We've seen strange illuminated objects flying through the sky,' she told our agency. 'You can hear planes, but you can't see them in the darkness.' Her concerns run deeper than just the sounds of war above. 'The Syrian people have already endured years of war,' she continued. 'We are trying to rebuild what was destroyed — the economy, infrastructure, and social fabric. Any new conflict could affect the entire region, including Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon.' That fear is not unfounded. In southern Syria, several Iranian missiles were reported to have fallen in recent days, including in Daraa province, after being allegedly intercepted by Israeli aircraft and defense systems mid-flight.
Shafaq News
29-03-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Iraq repatriates over 180 families from Syria's al-Hol camp
Shafaq News/ Over 180 Iraqi families were repatriated from Syria's al-Hol camp to Iraq's Nineveh province on Saturday, in the latest phase of Baghdad's ongoing return program. The transfer, which included 186 families of 681 individuals, marked the seventh repatriation operation since the start of 2025 and the 24th overall, according to Shukri al-Hajji, head of the camp's departure office. 'This year's goal is to return all Iraqi families willing to go back, in coordination with the Syrian Democratic Administration and the Iraqi government,' he told Shafaq News. Roughly 20 buses transported the group through the al-Yarubiyah border crossing, east of al-Hasakah. The convoy was accompanied by tight security, including surveillance and air support from US Global Coalition helicopters and fighter jets to ensure safe passage. Ali Abdullah, head of Iraq's National Committee for Implementing the Strategy to Combat Violent Extremism, said last week that al-Hol still houses approximately 16,000 Iraqis, noting that Iraq's al-Jada'a camp continues to receive returnees, and authorities are working to support their reintegration. Iraq has been working with international organizations since 2021 to return its citizens from al-Hol. Families are first brought to the al-Jada'a camp for psychological and social rehabilitation before returning to their home communities — a process that has triggered recurring opposition, particularly in Nineveh, where families of ISIS victims have expressedconcern.
