Iraq

Israeli politicians including Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu would be happy if the Kurds in the Middle East carved out a State of their own. The Israelis are not shy about supporting a Kurdish State although the countries where the Kurds live- Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey, strongly oppose the idea. Sputnik reports: Surprising as it may seem, Israel has long promoted cordial relations with the Kurds, particularly the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq (KRG).

Shiite militia forces in Iraq have strongly opposed the new deployment of US troops to the country. The Iranian backed militias have warned that if Washington does not withdraw its forces “immediately,” they will deal with them “as forces of occupation.” The Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia, known as the League of the Righteous, issued the warning after it emerged the US had sent an undisclosed number marines to aid Iraqi forces as they try to retake Mosul.

Submitted by Pepe Escobar via SputnikNews.com,

It’s spy thriller stuff; no one is talking. But there are indications Russia would not announce a partial withdrawal from Syria right before the Geneva negotiations ramp up unless a grand bargain with Washington had been struck.

ISIS terrorists retreating from Iraq and Syria to establish an Islamic State in Libya are going to find it difficult to break away from their coastal enclave. The barren deserts of Libya devoid of shelter and the sectarianism that was rife in the Middle East is not conducive to Jihadist causes. According to a new report, the terrorist group face major roadblocks to establishing a true back-up capital there. The Independent reports: The Combating Terrorism Center report, published on 17 March, said the terrorist group Isis suffered “setbacks” in Libya and is struggling to expand there.

Submitted by Soeren Kern via The Gatestone Institute,

• Hans-Georg Maaßen, the head of Germany's domestic intelligence agency (BfV), warned that the Islamic State was deliberately planting jihadists among the refugees flowing into Europe, and reported that the number of Salafists in Germany has now risen to 7,900. This is up from 7,000 in 2014 and 5,500 in 2013.