Armin Rosen

The Iraqi Army and its Shia militia allies are gearing up for one of the defining campaigns in the war against ISIS.

Troops are gathering outside of Ramadi, the city located 80 miles from Baghdad that ISIS took on May 17th. Ramadi is majority Sunni and could serve as an ISIS foothold for an assault on the greater Baghdad area.

A successful campaign to retake the city could send ISIS into retreat. But failure would only solidify the jihadists’ hold over a sizable population center at the doorstop of the Iraqi capital.

And the attempt to retake Ramadi looks like yet another disaster in waiting.

  BEIRUT: The U.S. State Department Friday urged its citizens to avoid all travel to Lebanon because of ongoing security concerns. In a statement, the State Department said that U.S. citizens living and working in Lebanon should understand that they accept the risks of remaining in the country and should carefully consider those risks. “In […]

  Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq stressed Saturday that the appointment of a new Internal Security Forces chief is one of his jurisdictions as Defense Minister Samir Moqbel refused to be threatened over the appointment of top-ranking security officials in state institutions. “Next week’s cabinet session will not tackle the appointments’" dilemma, Mashnouq said in comments […]

  BEIRUT: Hundreds of protestors marched in Beirut Saturday demanding greater protections for victims of domestic violence. Activists, civil society groups and media personnel rallied in front of the National Museum at 2 p.m. Saturday, marching towards the Justice Ministry. Relatives and friends of female victims of domestic abuse carried out posters that featured pictures […]

  The Internal Security Forces declared Friday that the third phase of the controversial traffic law will be implemented starting June. ISF said in its communique that the third phase will include “the implementation of the old traffic law according to the new imposed fines,” in addition to the first and second phases, until the […]

  BEIRUT: Any Lebanese inmates previously held in Palmyra Prison were moved by the Syrian authorities to another prison before the ISIS’s militants arrived and took over the Syrian city, General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim said Friday. “These claims are totally unfounded,” he said, when asked about reports that claimed the prisoners were […]

  The Lebanese army said on Friday that it has arrested scores of people suspected of entering Lebanon illegally and of belonging to terrorist organizations. The army command stated in a communique that the arrest of 47 people took place on Thursday during raids that military units carried out in the area of al-Masnaa in […]

  BEIRUT: The Lebanese Army prevents daily attempts by Islamist militants to infiltrate through Lebanon’s eastern borders and is prepared to defend the country against any attack, military chief Gen. Jean Kahwagi said Thursday. “The exceptional circumstances that the country is experiencing and the internal disputes… will not at all affect the determination of the […]

  BEIRUT: Police reopened a main Downtown Beirut road Thursday that was closed after families of servicemen being held hostage by Islamist militants erected tents in the area eight months ago to pressure the government to take action. "We were given the order to open the road, and we did it," a police commander told […]

  Prime Minister Tammam Salam has stressed that the army’s role lies in protecting Lebanese territories and the border area, which stops it from entering other countries. Sources close to Salam said the prime minister does not object to discussing the issue of the northeastern border town of Arsal during Thursday’s session. Hizbullah and the […]