Iraq. Iraqi forces renewed their assault in west Mosul on Monday, 27th,
advancing on the southwestern axis of the Old City. While the defeat of
ISIS in Mosul appears to be a matter of time, the problem of Shia militias in Iraq remains one of the major security concerns. Meanwhile, Ayad al-Jumaili, arguably ISIS’ vice-commandant, has been killed in Iraqi air strikes near the Syrian border.
Syria. Syrian state TV said another group of rebels with their families are leaving the last opposition-held neighborhood
in the central city of Homs under a Russia-brokered deal with the
Damascus government. State TV said the round of evacuations from al-Waer
neighborhood is the second one so far and involves 466 people—including
129 fighters. United States, Russia, Syrian army, Syrian opposition
groups, Kurds are all gathering to launch the final assault to Raqqa;
however, political and military problem are looming. Moreover, the conflict has crucially and irreparably changed local politics in Syria, and a return to the pre-2011 status quo
is impossible. For any negotiated settlement to be sustainable, these
changes will need to be incorporated into a new, decentralized
power-sharing bargain. The U.N. envoy for Syria wrapped up a fifth round of talks between opposition leaders and the government on 1st April, pointing to “incremental” progress while acknowledging no peace deal is foreseeable.
Egypt. Six years after his ouster, Egypt’s ex-President Hosni Mubarak has been released from detention. By the end of 2017 the first batch of the Russian Ka-52
reconnaissance/attack helicopters would be delivered. As a result Egypt
will improve its combat capabilities and strengthen its relationship
with Russia.
Morocco. Morocco has a new government,
finally. The formation of a new coalition brings to an end uncertainty
which began when the Islamist Justice and Development Party, PJD, won
the most seats in parliamentary elections in October 2016 but fell short
of an outright majority.
Israel. Hamas has launched a manhunt in the Gaza Strip
following the mysterious killing of one its military commanders, Mazen
Faqha, which the group says was carried out by Israeli sniper.
Turkey. Turkey has officially ended the Euphrates Shield
military operation it launched in Syria last August. The operation
involved troops, tanks and warplanes in order to support Free Syrian
Army (FSA) rebels, push ISIL fighters away from Turkish border and stop
the advance of Kurdish militia fighters. The Prime Minister Binali
Yildirim said that “Operation Euphrates Shield has been successful and is finished. Any operation following this one will have a different name”.
Libya. Political and security situation in Libya remains very volatile. UNSMIL, the United Nations mission in Libya, has said that 20 civilians were killed and 4 others were wounded in last March due to hostilities across the country.
