Middle East
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Jul- 2019 -18 July
Iran’s IRGC seizes foreign tanker accused of smuggling fuel in Persian Gulf
Iran's IRGC has seized a tanker carrying fuel that the Islamic Republic claims was being smuggled through the Persian Gulf
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18 July
Turkey excluded from F-35 stealth jet program after S-400 deliveries from Russia
The US confirmed Turkey is to be excluded from the F-35 stealth fighter jet program after it purchased the Russian S-400 air defense missile system
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17 July
Turkish diplomat killed in shooting in Iraqi Kurdistan capital
A Turkish diplomat was shot and killed in a restaurant in Erbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq
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17 July
UK to send second Type 23 frigate HMS Kent to Gulf
The UK Royal Navy said it will send a second Type 23 frigate, the HMS Kent, to the Persian Gulf this autumn
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12 July
UK sends Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan to Gulf
The UK Royal Navy dispatched HMS Duncan to join HMS Montrose in the Persian Gulf amid heightened tensions in the region
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12 July
Iran strikes militants in Iraqi Kurdistan
Iran's IRGC said it launched strikes against militants in Iraqi Kurdistan in response to attacks against Iranian forces this week
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12 July
Turkey takes delivery of Russian-made S-400 missile defense system parts
Turkey took delivery of components for the S-400 air defense missile system from Russia
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11 July
Islamic State Turkey province video claims new wilayah in old turf
ISIS released a propaganda video from ‘Wilayah Turkey,’ showing a small group of militants pledging bayah, or allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The eighth in the “And the best outcome is for the righteous” series, the video is the first from this new province, but ISIS already has a complex presence in Turkey. The five-minute long video released on July 10 is typical of earlier bayah videos. It features three militants sitting in front of what appears to be a handmade, large black standard commonly used by ISIS. They are joined by two more when making the pledge of allegiance while a sixth presumably operates the shaking camera. The speaker is identified as Abu Qatada at-Turki, and he reaffirms the militants’ allegiance to Baghdadi while also threatening Turkey and America. A weapons researcher known as Calibre Obscura noted that the militants appear well-armed in comparison to fighters seen in other videos in this series. A Draganov sniper rifle, a PKM machine gun, an RPG-7 rocket-propelled grenade launcher, two AKMS assault rifles, a Glock pistol, and some grenades appear throughout. Islamic State in Turkey The “And the best outcome is for the righteous” video series has included ISIS militants …
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11 July
Syria: Bomb explodes outside church in Qamishli Christian neighborhood
A car bomb detonated near a church in the Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli in northeast Syria, wounding almost a dozen people
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8 July
UAE reducing troop numbers in Yemen, moving from ‘military-first’ strategy
The UAE said that it was redeploying and reducing troops fighting the Houthis in Yemen, moving from a "military-first" strategy to a "peace-first" plan
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