Category: Conflicts

“Blessed are the Peacemakers” Recent Developments In late April 2018, the U.S. military officially�disbanded�the command overseeing the fight against the self-proclaimed Islamic State in Iraq, declaring an end to major combat operations against the group. More than five thousand U.S. service members remain in Iraq as part of a train, advise, and assist mission bolstered…

“Blessed are the Peacemakers” Recent Developments The Turkish military�regularly targets�Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) bases in Iraq and in 2018, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said he�would launch a formal operation�against Kurds in Iraq. The Iraqi government has issued formal complaints against Turkish incursions into its sovereign territory. In January 2019, the Turkish government�claimed�that separatist Kurdish militants…

“Blessed are the Peacemakers” Recent Developments� The conflict in eastern Ukraine has transitioned to a stalemate after it first erupted in early 2014, but shelling and skirmishes still occur�regularly, including an�escalation�in violence in the spring of 2018. Since taking office, the Donald J. Trump administration has continued to pressure Russia over its involvement eastern Ukraine.…