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Iraqi Army Kills 3 Terrorists in Diyala

A Turkish soldier patrols on a road near the Turkish-Iraqi border, on October 23, 2011. (Mustafa Ozer/AFP)
A Turkish soldier patrols on a road near the Turkish-Iraqi border, on October 23, 2011. (Mustafa Ozer/AFP)
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Iraqi Army Kills 3 Terrorists in Diyala

A Turkish soldier patrols on a road near the Turkish-Iraqi border, on October 23, 2011. (Mustafa Ozer/AFP)
A Turkish soldier patrols on a road near the Turkish-Iraqi border, on October 23, 2011. (Mustafa Ozer/AFP)

Three terrorists were killed in two airstrikes launched by Iraqi forces within the Diyala Operations Sector, the Iraqi Security Media Cell (SMC) said in a statement on Sunday.

“Iraqi F-16 fighter jets carried out two airstrikes killing three terrorists and injuring another, in addition to destroying a cave in the Zarlouk area in the Hamrin mountains,” the Cell said.

The operation was conducted thanks to accurate intelligence data received from the Iraqi National Intelligence Service (INIS), in coordination with the targeting cell in the Joint Operations Command.

"The security forces, with their various formations, are determined to continue their qualitative and preemptive operations against the remaining defeated terrorist elements in the mountains and deserts," SMC stressed.

Separately, a Turkish soldier was killed and another was injured on Saturday in a military operation against Kurdish fighters in the north of Iraq, Turkey’s defense ministry reported.

It brings to seven the number of Turkish troops killed in the region since Tuesday.

The Ministry said the incident happened when an explosive device went off while Turkish soldiers were passing near it.

Turkey is conducting several operations in Iraq and Syria against the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) that Ankara considers a terrorist organization.

In mid-April, Turkey launched Operation Claw-Lock to target PKK hideouts in northern Iraq's Metina, Zap and Avasin-Basyan regions.

The operation was preceded by Operations Claw-Tiger and Claw-Eagle, which were launched in 2020 to root out terrorists who hide in northern Iraq and plot cross-border attacks in Turkey.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has recently announced that his country was about to launch a new military operation against the PKK in northern Syria aimed at creating a 30- kilometer security zone along the border.

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Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
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Italy Plans to Return Ambassador to Syria to Reflect New Diplomatic Developments, Minister Says

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks while meeting with members of the G7, on July 11, 2024, during the NATO summit in Washington. (AP)

Italy plans to send an ambassador back to Syria after a decade-long absence, the country’s foreign minister said, in a diplomatic move that could spark divisions among European Union allies.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, speaking in front of relevant parliamentary committees Thursday, announced Rome’s intention to re-establish diplomatic ties with Syria to prevent Russia from monopolizing diplomatic efforts in the Middle Eastern country.

Moscow is considered a key supporter of Syrian President Bashar Assad, who has remained in power despite widespread Western isolation and civilian casualties since the start of Syria’s civil war in March 2011.

Peaceful protests against the Assad government — part of the so-called “Arab Spring” popular uprisings that spread across some of the Middle East — were met by a brutal crackdown, and the uprising quickly spiraled into a full-blown civil war.

The conflict was further complicated by the intervention of foreign forces on all sides and a rising militancy, first by al-Qaida-linked groups and then the ISIS group until its defeat on the battlefield in 2019.

The war, which has killed nearly half a million people and displaced half the country’s pre-war population of 23 million, is now largely frozen, despite ongoing low-level fighting.

The country is effectively carved up into areas controlled by the Damascus-based government of Assad, various opposition groups and Syrian Kurdish forces.

In the early days of the conflict, many Western and Arab countries cut off relations with Syria, including Italy, which has since managed Syria-related diplomacy through its embassy in Beirut.

However, since Assad has regained control over most of the territory, neighboring Arab countries have gradually restored relations, with the most symbolically significant move coming last year when Syria was re-admitted to the Arab League.

Tajani said Thursday the EU’s policy in Syria should be adapted to the “development of the situation,” adding that Italy has received support from Austria, Croatia, Greece, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Cyprus and Slovakia.

However, the US and allied countries in Europe have largely continued to hold firm in their stance against Assad’s government, due to concerns over human rights violations.