Annual Sleeper Cell Report 2020 – SDF and Coalition Diminish Capability of ISIS, Lower Attacks and Deaths Across the Region

RIC_Report_SleeperCells2020_GraphsDownload Politically, the AANES and SDF continue to walk a tight rope between their allies and enemies. From the US-led Coalition, the SDF remains its number one ally in the region for a sustained…

National Interest – Bashar al-Assad is struggling for influence in North and East Syria

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Original op-ed by RIC's Thomas McClure, The National Interest, 29 October 2020. The October 2019 ‘deal’ between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Bashar al-Assad’s Syrian Government was poorly-understood from the outset. Foreign…

VICE – Kurdish Women Are Working the Land to Achieve Financial Independence

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Original article by Rachel Hagan, VICE, 12 September 2020. Ahin Hassan’s family were angry when she decided to get a job. Her parents expected the 22-year-old to stay at home and focus on her domestic duties. They warned her that…

Providence – To Protect Syria’s Christians, Erdogan Must be Stopped

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Original op-ed by RIC's Thomas McClure, Providence, 26 October 2020 Extremists are slowly extinguishing of some of the world’s oldest Christian communities, while the world remains largely silent. The Syrian regime first repressed…

The National Interest – The Problem with Turkey’s Proxy Militias Isn’t Just Military

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Original article by Michael Rubin, The National Interest, 9 November 2020 National leaders are learning that relying on Turkish-backed forces comes at a serious political and diplomatic costs. by Michael Rubin Turkish-backed…

Providence – The Untold Story of Syrian Kurdish Christians

Original Article by Nadine Maenza and David Alton, Providence, 12 October 2020 “We feel forgotten and abandoned sometimes. The world does not know much about the challenges and difficulties that face us. All countries in the region do…

Globalist – Rapimenti, stupri, torture: così Erdogan combatte le partigiane curde

Original Article by Umberto De Giovannageli, Globablist, 11 October 2020 Un anno fa erano le eroine da “esibire” nei salotti mediatici o sulle copertine di riviste patinate. Per la loro bellezza, prim’ancora che per la loro determinazione…

Haaretz – The World Celebrated Kurdish Women’s Fight Against ISIS. Now It’s Silent as They’re Raped and Tortured

Original Article by Shaina Oppenheimer, Haaretz, 10 October 2020 A year has passed since Kurdish politician Hevrin Khalaf was murdered along a highway in northeastern Syria, the 34-year-old dragged by her hair, beaten and shot to death by…

Fox News – Assad’s future and the Syrian Civil War could hinge on the US presidential election

Original Article by Hollie McKay, Fox News, 02 October 2020 For almost 10 years, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has presided over a country that has been brought bitterly to its knees. More than half a million people have died…

France24 – Kurds to allow IS-linked Syria families to quit Al-Hol camp

Original Article by AFP, France24, 06 October 2020 Syria's Kurds are to allow thousands of Syrians including families of Islamic State group fighters to leave a squalid and over-populated camp they run, a top official said Monday. Remaining…

Fair Observer – How the US Can Win Back Clout in Syria

Original Article by Steven Terner, Fair Observer, 06 October 2020 The humanitarian crisis in northeastern Syria is well documented. Nonetheless, despite the devastation that has occurred and the likely peril that is soon to come, pleas from…