The Council of Arab League (AL), held, at the level of foreign minister, called here today on the UN Security Council (UNSC) to take the necessary measures to stop the ongoing Turkish aggression on Syria, and withdraw from Syrian territories, immediately, and work to prevent Turkey from obtaining any military or information support, to help in this aggression, expressing their condemnation of the aggression on the territory on Syria, as it is a clear violation of the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and Security Council resolutions and calling for maintaining the unity and independence of Syria.
The council, on its concluding decision, considered working of its emergency meeting, headed by Iraq, the Turkish aggression a direct threat to Arab national security and international peace and security, stressing that every Syrian effort to confront such aggression and defend Syrian territory, an application of the inherent right of the principle of legitimate self-defense, in accordance with Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations.
Turkey shall stop the aggression, with an immediate and unconditional withdrawal from all Syrian territories, stressing that this aggression against Syria represents the latest episode of Turkish interventions and repeatedly unacceptable attacks, on the sovereignty of member states of the Arab League, the statement announced. Läs uttalandet

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa (Bahrain, red anm) , participated in the extraordinary session of the Arab League Council at the ministerial level regarding the Turkish aggression against Syria, which was held today at the Secretariat General of the League of Arab States’ headquarters in Cairo, Egypt. […]

Shaikh Khalid stressed that this aggression is a violation of the rules of international law and an attack on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria, which must be safeguarded, protected and have its brotherly people defended as an integral part of the Arab nation with its history, present and future, and work to meet its aspirations for security, development and prosperity, stating that the so-called buffer zone must have a clear political cover. […]

The extraordinary session of the Arab League Council at the ministerial level adopted a resolution condemning the Turkish aggression on Syrian territory as a clear violation of the principles of the United Nations Charter and the Security Council resolutions that call for the preservation of the unity and independence of Syria, resolution 2254 in particular, considering it a direct threat to the Arab national security and international peace and security and assuring that every Syrian effort to confront this aggression and defend Syrian territory is an application of the inherent right of the principle of legitimate self-defense in accordance with Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations. Läs artikel

Årets största nationella marinövning, Swenex 19, står för dörren. Mellan den 12-24 oktober övar marinen på att lösa de svåraste uppgifter man kan ställas inför, att försvara Sverige och svenska intressen mot ett angrepp från en kvalificerad motståndare. Övningen genomförs i södra Östersjön och Hanöbukten. […]

Övningen är viktig av många skäl. Främst för att den utvecklar krigsförbanden under en tid när den säkerhetspolitiska situationen i närområdet har försämrats vilket gör det än viktigare att marinen kan bidra med stabilitet och säkerhet i och kring Östersjöområdet. Övningen sänder också budskap, vilket Anders Olovsson trycker på:

–Swenex bygger förtroende och tillit internt inom marinen vilket gör oss starkare. Inom försvarsmakten bygger vi förtroende för att marinen är beredd att göra sin del av den gemensamma striden, om det skulle bli nödvändigt. Vi berättar också för svenska folket att det finns en marin som är beredd att slåss för Sverige och svenska intressen. Slutligen sänder vi budskap till vår omvärld att marinen är att räkna med. Läs pressmeddelande

Utrikesminister Ann Linde (S) vill se ett vapenembargo mot Turkiet efter landets anfall mot de kurdiskkontrollerade områdena i Syrien.

Förslaget läggs fram i riksdagen på fredagen.

-Jag kommer att föreslå riksdagen att Sverige på EU:s utrikesministermöte ska driva på för ett vapenembargo mot Turkiet, säger Ann Linde till TT.

-Vi menar att det som Turkiet nu gör är en upptrappning av situationen. Det är ett brott mot folkrätten och naturligtvis ett militärt agerande som gör att kurderna får betala ett högt pris i stället för att vi respekterar de uppoffringar som de gjort i kampen mot Daesh (IS), fortsätter hon. […]

Förra året exporterade Sverige ingen krigsmateriel för strid till Turkiet, och i år har ingen affär med sådan krigsmateriel beviljats, uppger utrikesministern.

-Övrig materiel har vi naturligtvis exporterat, sådant som inte är för strid, och det kan vara allting från skyddsplåtar, första förband, brandfiltar och andra saker. Men det har inte skett någon vapenexport för strid, säger Ann Linde. Läs artikel

Vi trenger et sterkt og sjølstendig nasjonalt forsvar. Men det er ikke det forsvarssjefen legger opp til med sin innstilling. Han satser på teknikk og utstyr for angrep og forsvar. Han vil styrke Norge som en brikke for NATO og binder Norge enda sterkere opp til USA. Rødt ønsker et breddeforsvar som bl.a. kan mobilisere folk. Vi vil ha en vernepliktshær som folk får tilhørighet til.

Et sterkt nasjonalt forsvar vil heller ikke provosere Russland så mye som forsvarsjefens innstilling vil gjøre. Å overlate Andenes flystasjon til amerikanerne, bruke amerikansk ekspertise til overvåking av havområdene og amerikanske soldater i Trøndelag og i Troms, er krigshissing. Står vi for overvåkinga av havområdene sjøl og bare bruker norske soldater i nord, så kan vi løse de fleste uoverensstemmelsene diplomatisk. Vår strategi må være å ha dialog med våre naboer. Läs artikel

Stephen M. Walt, Robert and Renée Belfer Professor of International Affairs: “Alliances are means to an end—not an end in themselves—and the tactical alliance between the United States and the Syrian Kurdish militias was based first and foremost on our mutual interest in defeating ISIS. Given America’s broader strategic interests and the need to focus on other problems, our commitment to the Kurds was on borrowed time once ISIS no longer posed any significant threat to the United States. In this sense, Trump’s desire to bring the U.S. commitment in Syria to an end was correct.

But as usual, Trump has pursued that sensible goal in the worst possible way. His impulsive decision to give Turkey a green light to attack the Kurds—a decision made with little advance planning or consultation—will raise new doubts about U.S. judgment.  Moreover, the United States still has boots on the ground in Syria, but much less diplomatic leverage now that they have left the border areas. And what diplomatic concessions did Trump gain from this sudden move? Nary a one. Once again, the self-proclaimed master of ‘the art of the deal’ has shown himself to be far more adept at the art of the ‘give-away.’ ”Läs artikel

Western nations slammed Turkey’s Syria incursion at the UN, but the Security Council failed to agree on a statement. Russia says it wants the ”illegal military presence” of other nations to be addressed in any document.

A split UN Security Council on Thursday failed to agree on Turkey’s offensive in northeast Syria, with European members urging a halt to military action. But Syria’s ally Russia urged ”restraint” and ”direct dialogue” between the two countries. Russian officials said Moscow was not prepared to sign off on the statement presented by the Europeans. […]

Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said any Security Council statement would have to take into account other aspects of the Syrian crisis. He said it should demand an immediate termination of ”the illegal military presence” in the country.

The five European countries later urged Turkey to ”cease the unilateral military action.” Meanwhile, the US warned Turkey of ”consequences” as Ankara’s troops push on their assault on Kurdish-controlled areas in Syria on Thursday. Läs artikel

[…] Tormod Heier sier den nåværende utviklingen i regionen kan få følger for norske styrker i det internasjonale bidraget i kampen mot IS – «Operation Inherent Resolve».

– Norske styrker er i Irak for å trene sikkerhetsstyrker i Anbar-provinsen (vest i Irak) – som ikke ligger langt unna de tidligere kjerneområdene til IS. Sikkerhetsstyrkene kan bli engasjert for å demme opp for en ny ekspansjon fra IS, sier Heier. Professor ved Forsvarets høgskole, oberstløytnant Tormod Heier .

– Utviklingen blir på mange måter å rykke et steg tilbake i kampen mot IS.

Heier sier at norske mentorer må følge de irakiske sikkerhetsstyrkene – om nødvendig nærmere eventuelle IS-baser.

– Kan det bli aktuelt å sende flere norske styrker hvis sikkerhetssituasjonen forverrer seg?

– Norske myndigheter har en tradisjon for å imøtekomme amerikanske henvendelser. Det vil i så fall bli sett i lys av «samtidighetsproblematikken» på hjemmebane i nord, sier Heier som tidligere har pekt på at internasjonale operasjoner over tid har svekket beredskapen i Norge. Läs artikel

​Donald Trump truer med å «utslette» Tyrkias økonomi, etter at landet har truet med å invadere Syria.
– Det er så en ikke tror det en leser, sier USA-ekspert Hilmar Mjelde tilDagbladet. Natt til mandag kom de første meldingene om at Tyrkia i nær framtid kan komme til å invadere det nordlige Syria. Nyheten har skapt stor usikkerhet for USAs allierte kurdiske krigere, som føler seg sveket av Donald Trump. Presidenten vil nå trekke ut de om lag 1000 gjenværende amerikanske soldatene i området. Mandag kveld uttaler Pentagon at USA ikke støtter en tyrkisk militæroperasjon i Nord-Syria. Samtidig truer president Donald Trump med å «utslette» Tyrkias økonomi dersom de gjør noe overilt. Läs artikel

A prominent jurist investigating the mysterious 1961 plane crash that killed the United Nations secretary general, Dag Hammarskjold, in southern Africa has concluded that the aircraft may have been attacked, and that four nations — Britain, Russia, South Africa and the United States — may be withholding information that could solve the puzzle.

The jurist, Mohamed Chande Othman, a former chief justice of Tanzania, issued his conclusions in a 95-page report posted Monday on the website of the United Nations, which retained him nearly three years ago to help sift through new evidence and a range of sinister theories that have proliferated in the decades since the crash. […]

In his final report, Mr. Othman wrote that the attack hypothesis “remained plausible,” and that the burden of proof he had assigned to member states had “yet to be fully discharged.”

Last year Mr. Othman asked 14 countries to each appoint an independent official to review intelligence, security and defense archives for information related to the disaster. He wrote in the new report that his interactions with those countries and their appointees had since been “largely successful.”

But Mr. Othman also emphasized that certain countries — notably the United States, South Africa, Britain and Russia — “may yet have work to complete to ensure that comprehensive searches are conducted with a sufficient degree of transparency.” Läs artikel