Al-Qaeda Declares War on China, Too

Published on Nov 2, 2014 by Luke Hunt

Al-Qaeda central appears to have joined the Islamic State in calling for jihad against China over its alleged occupation of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.Read more from Zachary Keck in The Diplomat..

The forgotten children of Turkey’s Syrian refugee crisis

Published on Oct 12, 2014 by Luke Hunt

Towards sunset on the busy north-west corner of Taksim Square, Nisreem, 7, and her raggedy gang of Dom Gypsy street kids grow excited as they prepare to spend the next six hours tapping on car windows and begging passersby to appreciate that they are Syrian war refugees.Read more from Dan Boylan in The National..

Kidnap Victim Backs Australia's News Blackouts

Published on Oct 12, 2014 by Luke Hunt

One of Australia’s longest held kidnap victims has backed the imposition of news blackouts in kidnappings despite growing calls in Britain and the United States for them to be reviewed.Warren Rodwell, an adventurer and teacher held for 472 days in the southern Philippines, says news blackouts should be routinely imposed for one to three months, including for captives of the Islamic State, which has released videos of the beheadings of its hostages.Read more from Lindsay Murdoch in The Age..

ASEAN Finds Its Voice on Islamic State

Published on Oct 5, 2014 by Luke Hunt

In a refreshing departure from its usual say nothing approach to all things diplomatic, ASEAN has finally broken its silence over the self-anointed Islamic State (IS), and issued its first joint statement on the crisis, warning of the threat the terrorist outfit poses to global security.Read more from Luke Hunt in The Diplomat..

Turkey Vows to Fight ISIL, Guns for Assad’s exit

Published on Oct 5, 2014 by Luke Hunt

Turkey will fight against ISIL and other terrorist groups in the region but will stick to its aim of seeing Syrian dictator Bashar Al Assad removed from power, Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan.Read more from Dan Boylan at The National. .