Iraqi special forces soldiers drive in a desert near Mosul, Iraq October 25, 2016. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic
Mohamad Bazzi, Reuters: In the battle for Mosul, Syria could be the real loser
Four days after Iraqi government forces and allied Kurdish troops began advancing on the city of Mosul, Islamic State militants launched a surprising counterattack nearly 100 miles away. Dozens of fighters besieged the oil-rich city of Kirkuk before dawn on Oct. 21, setting off gun battles, suicide bombings and sniper attacks.
After two days of fighting, most of the assailants were killed, captured or had blown themselves up. Nearly 100 others were also killed, most of them members of the Kurdish security forces. As the militants went on their rampage throughout Kirkuk, they broadcast a message from the loudspeakers of a local mosque: “Islamic State has taken over.”
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Commentaries, Analysis, And Editorials -- October 27, 2016
The Risk of a Humanitarian Disaster in Mosul -- Jessica Brandt, National Interest
Mosul and Aleppo: A tale of two cities -- James Denselow, Al Jazeera
The coming shift: Hillary Clinton's plans for Israel and Iran -- Michael Wilner, Jerusalem Post
The Final Collapse of Obama's Syrian Policy -- Joseph V. Micallef, Military.com
Is Japan Trying to Contain China? -- Ted Galen Carpenter, National Interest
China Revels In Philippines’ About-Face, But Will It Last? -- Yun Sun, Breaking Defense
A look at southern Thailand's decades-old conflict -- Ate Hoekstra, DW
Taiwan-Japan Ties Deepen Amid Chinese Assertiveness -- Lauren Dickey, James Town
NATO, EU trying to improve Libya's legacy -- Teri Schultz, DW
Nato and Russia playing dangerous game with military build-up -- Luke Harding, The Guardian
The War by Other Means in Eastern Ukraine -- Stratfor
Venezuela crisis enters dangerous phase as Maduro foes go militant -- Andrew Cawthorne, Reuters
Venezuela: Maduro Fails Democracy Test, But Is He A Dictator? -- Ronal F. Rodríguez, World Crunch
Brazil's Generation of Discontent -- Catherine Osborn, Foreign Affairs
How Should Culture Affect Foreign Policy? -- Steven Cook, The Atlantic
