With coalition forces and their allies in Syria coming under fire in Deir ez-Zor and at the receiving end of threats out of Ankara, the spokesperson for the global alliance stressed that they have the right to defend themselves and will not hesitate to do so. The events of Wednesday night show that “our stance is very clear that we will defend ourselves and our partners. If there’s any thoughts of doing this again in the future, I hope that they would think twice about doing that – whoever it may be,” Col. Ryan Dillon told Rudaw TV on Thursday. Source Rudaw
Washington has made preparations to withdraw diplomats from Iraq after warning Baghdad it could shut its embassy, two Iraqi officials and two Western diplomats said, a step Iraqis fear could turn their country into a battle zone. Source Reuters
Russia and Turkey are in constant contact about the situation in Armenian-occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, the Kremlin said Monday.
Urging Azerbaijan and Armenia to stop all military activity that could further heighten tensions in the territory, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the fighting was a cause for serious concern in Moscow. Source Daily Sabah
A ballot-harvesting racket in Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Minneapolis district — where paid workers illegally gather absentee ballots from elderly Somali immigrants — appears to have been busted by undercover news organization Project Veritas. Source NYPost
