Recent Development: In an effort to convince the Iraqi government to begin negotiations over the future of the Kurdish province, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) offered to suspend the results of the independence referendum held last month. Analysis: The KRG’s current proposal is the first to have an actual chance of being accepted by Baghdad. The offer comes amidst recent Iraqi attempts to probe Kurdish defensive lines near several key areas in Kurdish-held territorie

Recent Development: Over the past 24 hours, Iraqi forces backed by the Popular Mobilization Units (PMUs – a coalition of mostly Shiite militias) took over large parts of the Kirkuk Province. This includes Kirkuk city, as well as several key military installations and oil fields. Sporadic clashes were reported as pro-government forces recaptured these disputed territories, which have been under de facto Kurdish control since 2014. Iraqi forces, however, faced little resistance

Recent Development: President Trump announced on Friday that he would not certify Iran’s compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA or nuclear deal). On the same day, the US Treasury designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) under Executive Order 13224 for supporting terrorist groups – falling short of declaring the IRGC as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) - and applying sanctions on four separate entities suspected of having ties wi

Recent Development: On October 7, Turkey announced the launch of a much anticipated operation in the northwestern province of Idlib in Syria. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that “a landmark operation is underway in Idlib, and this will continue. We will never allow a terror corridor along our Syrian border.” According to the Turkish President, the operation involves Turkish-backed FSA groups, with Turkish forces providing support from within Turkey – as of now, and

A snip from the video of the alleged Russian strike against a meeting led by Abu Mohammed al-Julani, released by the Russian Ministry of Defense Recent Development: During the morning hours of October 4, Russian media outlets quoted a military spokesperson claiming that Russian airstrikes had led to the killing of 12 commanders of the al-Qaeda-linked Hayyat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and critically wounded Abu Mohammed al-Julani, the leader of the group. The Russian Ministry of Def

This analysis was part of Prime Source's Weekly Regional Assessment Recent Development: Amidst persistent speculations regarding his possible death, ISIS's "Caliph" Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi purportedly released a new speech, almost a year after his latest recording in November 2016. While the recording remained relatively vague, several references including one to the North Korean crisis as well as the Astana negotiations suggest the audio was recorded relatively recently. The re