Sudan Conflict Enters ‘Beheading’ Stage

Sudanese Army Commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan amidst his forces in the eastern part of the country (Archive - SUNA)
Sudanese Army Commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan amidst his forces in the eastern part of the country (Archive - SUNA)
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Sudan Conflict Enters ‘Beheading’ Stage

Sudanese Army Commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan amidst his forces in the eastern part of the country (Archive - SUNA)
Sudanese Army Commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan amidst his forces in the eastern part of the country (Archive - SUNA)

Sudanese soldiers have shared a disturbing video showing severed heads, claiming they belong to militants from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Some parties in Sudan accused the “Muslim Brotherhood militia,” fighting alongside the army, and extremist groups like “Al-Qaeda” and “ISIS” of being responsible.

The video, widely circulated on social media Thursday night, features soldiers wielding knives, admitting to the beheadings, and threatening similar treatment for the RSF.

The shocking scenes bring to mind the modus operandi of ISIS, documenting the beheading of dozens of hostages, victims, and slaughtered soldiers in Syria.

This has raised concerns locally, regionally, and internationally about potential chaos and security issues in Sudan, possibly leading to the relocation of extremist and terrorist groups.

On its part, the Sudanese army said it is investigating the video and vowed to punish any soldiers involved.

"We follow the rules of war and won't tolerate misconduct like that of the RSF,” army spokesperson Nabil Abdullah said on Friday.

Meanwhile, the RSF condemned the beheading of three people as extremist criminal acts based on ethnicity and politics, calling on the international community to condemn the violence.

RSF spokesperson Fatih Qarshi cautioned that while the paramilitary group holds thousands of army fighters as prisoners, they refuse to resort to the same level of inhumanity displayed towards their own members.

Sudanese political groups openly accuse Islamist militias, known as “Brotherhood militias,” fighting alongside the army against the RSF, of involvement in the clashes.

Since the war erupted between the army and RSF last April, these Islamist groups have mobilized their followers to join the fight alongside the army.

Sudan’s main civilian coalition, the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC), acknowledged seeing a video showing the severed heads of two victims.

They condemned the act as shocking and terroristic, akin to the practices of the ousted regime led by Omar al-Bashir and his Islamist party, known for their history of crimes and terrorism, along with their extremist allies.

In a statement, the FFC called for the trial of all involved as war criminals, emphasizing that turning a blind eye to such crimes implicates leaders and officials.



7 Killed in Drone Strike on Hospital in Sudan's Kordofan

A Sudanese man rides his decorated bicycle as others (unseen) rally in support of the Sudanese armed forces. (Photo by Ebrahim Hamid / AFP)
A Sudanese man rides his decorated bicycle as others (unseen) rally in support of the Sudanese armed forces. (Photo by Ebrahim Hamid / AFP)
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7 Killed in Drone Strike on Hospital in Sudan's Kordofan

A Sudanese man rides his decorated bicycle as others (unseen) rally in support of the Sudanese armed forces. (Photo by Ebrahim Hamid / AFP)
A Sudanese man rides his decorated bicycle as others (unseen) rally in support of the Sudanese armed forces. (Photo by Ebrahim Hamid / AFP)

A drone strike Sunday on an army hospital in the besieged southern Sudan city of Dilling left "seven civilians dead and 12 injured", a health worker at the facility told AFP.

The victims included patients and their companions, the medic said on condition of anonymity, explaining that the army hospital "serves the residents of the city and its surroundings, in addition to military personnel".

Dilling, in the flashpoint state of South Kordofan, is controlled by the Sudanese army but is besieged by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The greater Kordofan region is currently facing the fiercest fighting in Sudan's war between the army and the RSF, as both seek to wrest control of the massive southern region.

The UN has repeatedly warned the region is in danger of witnessing a repeat of the atrocities that unfolded in North Darfur state capital El-Fasher, including mass killing, abductions and sexual violence.


Iraq's Election Result Ratified by Supreme Federal Court as Premiership Remains up for Grabs

Election workers gather parliamentary election ballots after the polls closed in Baghdad, Iraq, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban, File)
Election workers gather parliamentary election ballots after the polls closed in Baghdad, Iraq, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban, File)
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Iraq's Election Result Ratified by Supreme Federal Court as Premiership Remains up for Grabs

Election workers gather parliamentary election ballots after the polls closed in Baghdad, Iraq, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban, File)
Election workers gather parliamentary election ballots after the polls closed in Baghdad, Iraq, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban, File)

The result of last month’s parliamentary elections in Iraq was ratified by the Supreme Federal Court on Sunday, confirming that the party of caretaker prime minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani won the largest number of seats — but not enough to assure him a second term.

The court confirmed that the voting process met all constitutional and legal requirements and had no irregularities affecting its validity.

The Independent High Electoral Commission submitted the final results of the legislative elections to the Supreme Federal Court on Monday for official certification after resolving 853 complaints submitted regarding the election results, according to The AP news.

Al-Sudani's Reconstruction and Development Coalition won 46 seats in the 329-seat parliament. However, in past elections in Iraq, the bloc taking the largest number of seats has often been unable to impose its preferred candidate.

The coalition led by former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki won 29 seats, the Sadiqoun Bloc, which is led by the leader of the Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia, Qais al-Khazali, won 28 seats, and the Kurdistan Democratic Party, led by Masoud Barzani, one of the two main Kurdish parties in the country, won 27 seats.

The Taqaddum (Progress) party of ousted former Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi also won 27 seats, setting the stage for a contest over the speaker's role.

 


Hamas Confirms the Death of a Top Commander in Gaza after Israeli Strike

Destroyed buildings, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip November 18, 2025. (Reuters)
Destroyed buildings, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip November 18, 2025. (Reuters)
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Hamas Confirms the Death of a Top Commander in Gaza after Israeli Strike

Destroyed buildings, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip November 18, 2025. (Reuters)
Destroyed buildings, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip November 18, 2025. (Reuters)

Hamas on Sunday confirmed the death of a top commander in Gaza, a day after Israel said it had killed Raed Saad in a strike outside Gaza City.

The Hamas statement described Saad as the commander of its military manufacturing unit. Israel had described him as an architect of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war in Gaza, and asserted that he had been “engaged in rebuilding the terrorist organization” in a violation of the ceasefire that took effect two months ago, The AP news reported.

Israel said it killed Saad after an explosive device detonated and wounded two soldiers in the territory’s south.

Hamas also said it had named a new commander but did not give details.

Saturday's strike west of Gaza City killed four people, according to an Associated Press journalist who saw their bodies arrive at Shifa Hospital. Another three were wounded, according to Al-Awda hospital. Hamas in its initial statement described the vehicle struck as a civilian one.

Israel and Hamas have repeatedly accused each other of truce violations.

Israeli airstrikes and shootings in Gaza have killed at least 391 Palestinians since the ceasefire took hold, according to Palestinian health officials. Israel has said recent strikes are in retaliation for militant attacks against its soldiers, and that troops have fired on Palestinians who approached the “Yellow Line” between the Israeli-controlled majority of Gaza and the rest of the territory.

Israel has demanded that Palestinian militants return the remains of the final hostage, Ran Gvili, from Gaza and called it a condition of moving to the second and more complicated phase of the ceasefire. That lays out a vision for ending Hamas’ rule and seeing the rebuilding of a demilitarized Gaza under international supervision.

Israel’s two-year campaign in Gaza has killed more than 70,660 Palestinians, roughly half of them women and children, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between militants and civilians in its count. The ministry, which operates under the Hamas-run government, is staffed by medical professionals and maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by the international community.