NEWS BRIEFS: International News

BY JEAN-MARIE BRALLEY
Staff Writer

Three more countries join international coalition against ISIS

Belgium, Denmark and Britain are now part of the international coalition helping the United States and Iraqi governments combat the Islamic State. In all, more than 50 countries have agreed to aid in the fight against ISIS. On Friday, Russia’s foreign minister, who has not always seen eye-to-eye with the U.S. when it comes to intervention in Syria, said that Russia is willing to support Iraqi efforts against ISIS. Currently, most of the nations in this coalition will only be helping in Iraq, not in Syria; although, some Arab nations are assisting the U.S. with Syrian airstrikes. For the full story, regarding the on-going fight against ISIS, read this CNN article.

 

President of Iran calls for more than airstrikes on ISIS

Hassad Rouhani, president of Iran, said in an interview aired Friday on CNN that airstrikes against ISIS are “a ‘psychological operation,’ not a military one.” He continued, “We need a vast campaign of operations … the aerial bombardment campaign is mostly, I would say, a form of theater, rather than a serious battle against terrorism.” Iran has deployed Revolutionary Guard units to Iraq to combat ISIS militants.

When it comes to Syria, Iran differs from many other nations fighting ISIS. Most want Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, to go, but Iran is an ardent supporter. For more background on this and various other controversies regarding Iran, including issues of nuclear power, Americans being detained in Iranian prisons and the Iranian government’s Internet censorship, click here.

 

Al Queda splinter group attacks near the U.S. embassy in Yemen

Multiple Yemeni guards were injured in a rocket attack on Saturday near the U.S. embassy in Sanaa, Yemen; the group asserting responsibility is Al Qaeda of the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), “an Al Qaeda splinter group.” They said the attack was in retaliation for the deaths of two Al Qaeda fighters supposedly killed in a drone strike Friday. According to a Fox News story, “the U.S. State Department said it had no indication that the embassy was the target of the attack, and confirmed that none of the embassy staff were wounded.” You can read more on this story, here.