Wladimir van Wilgenburg

What Happened to Foreign ISIS Families from al-Hol Camp?
27/04/2026
After a conflict erupted between the United States and Israel with Iran on February 28, Syria has largely disappeared from the international limelight, including any media attention for the thousands of foreign families...
Former Syrian Kurdish Leader Warns Iranian Kurds: “Kurdish Blood is Not Cheap”
04/04/2026
Syrian Kurds Warn Iranian Kurds not to Repeat Their Mistakes. Polat Can, a former Syrian Kurdish military official who helped forge the U.S.–Kurdish alliance during the battle of Kobani, is cautioning Iran’s Kurds...
Hotel Attack Highlights Baghdad’s Inaction on Armed Groups
17/03/2026
On Monday, March 16, 2026, a drone struck the top floors of the Royal Tulip al-Rasheed Hotel in Baghdad’s Green Zone, which houses many diplomatic missions. The hotel hosts the European Union Advisory Mission in...
Kurdish Party With Ties to Iran Hit in Latest Iran Attacks
10/03/2026
Over the past two days, heavy drone and missile strikes have hit targets in Slemani (Sulaymaniyah), the stronghold of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), an Iraqi Kurdish party with strong links to...
Iraqis Sign Up to Russian War in Ukraine Shows the Globalization of Conflicts
02/03/2026
In the past, Syrians were recruited with financial promises by Turkey and Russia for foreign wars, for instance, in Azerbaijan and Africa. Now, there are reports that an estimated 3,000 Iraqis were recruited by Russia for salaries between $2,000 and $3,000. An...
​A Change in Allies? U.S. Abandons SDF to Leave Syria
27/01/2026
Last year, U.S. Ambassador Tom Barrack, on Dec. 13, underlined that U.S. forces remain deployed in Syria solely to finish the job of defeating ISIS once and for all. After Dec. 13, a...
Kurdish-Damascus Relations Move to Escalation
15/01/2026
Heavy clashes broke out in Aleppo City on January 6 between the Kurdish Asayish and Syrian security forces after January 4 talks between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian Interim Government failed to...