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Fighters from the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces have broken into Hajin, an eastern holdout of ISIS on the Iraqi border, a commander told Agence France Presse... "Heavy clashes are ongoing inside the town of Hajin, after our forces advanced inside and started to control some of its neighborhoods," Redur Khalil told AFP... In almost three months of battle, more than 820 extremists and more than 480 US-backed fighters have been killed.

As part of its exclusive series on Libya during the rule of late leader Moammar al-Gaddafi, Asharq Al-Awsat examines the regime’s ties with local and foreign powers, including its attempts to finance western presidential campaigns, particularly in France, the United States and Ukraine. Witnesses from the former regime said that Tripoli had spent some 50 million euros in 2007 to fund the campaign of French presidential candidate Nicolas Sarkozy. Lebanese businessman Ziad Takeieddine, who was present at Sarkozy’s meetings with Gaddafi revealed that the “figures were much higher than that.” Tripoli also pumped 5 million dollars in the presidential campaign...

Asharq Al-Awsat says Moscow has pulled military experts from Assad's war room in Damascus, evacuated non-essential personnel and stopped declaring there is no alternative to Assad. Russia is pulling away from its relationship with embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad and withdrawing key personnel from Damascus, the London-based Arabic newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reported Sunday, citing senior Gulf and Western officials. "The Kremlin has begun to turn away from the regime," the newspaper said. The report also quoted Syrian opposition sources as saying that Hezbollah and Iranian military experts have left Assad’s war room in Damascus, along with Russian experts.

Russia is gradually turning its back on Syrian President Bashar Assad, evacuating some 100 expert advisers and their families from Syria and refusing to repair regime fighter jets, an Arab daily reported on Sunday. “Senior sources in the Gulf” told pro-opposition London-based daily a-Sharq al-Awsat that the change in Russia’s position toward the Assad regime stems from diplomatic pressure exerted by Arab Gulf states. It also comes as part of Moscow’s efforts to shake international sanctions imposed on it following a military confrontation with Ukraine, the sources said. Meanwhile, Syrian opposition sources told the newspaper that 100 of Russia’s top...

How quickly things can change. How remarkably the Democratic candidates reflect the new reality. How significantly the French grow close and want to help. Here are excerpts of four reports published today. Get the full flavor of these reports by going to the links and reading them through. A Quiet Triumph May be Brewing By Ray Robison, September 28, 2007 , The American Thinker "There are signs that the global Islamic jihad movement is splitting apart, in what would be a tremendous achievement for American strategy. The center of the action is in Pakistan and Afghanistan, the very territory which...

TEHRAN, April 26 (MNA) — Former U.S. President Bill Clinton’s wife believes that the policies adopted by the U.S. President George W. Bush threaten peace and security in the Middle East, a daily reported on Monday. Hillary Clinton, the New York Democrat senator, told the London-based Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat said that the Bush Administration had not openly and clearly told the U.S. people about the human and financial tolls of the war on Iraq. The democrat Senator stressed that the U.S. is trapped in the quagmire of Iraq. It can not free itself from the country. Referring to the...

Last Tuesday, we pointed out comments made by Sen. Hillary Clinton to an Arab newspaper, blasting the Bush administration. She said of the Bush administration: "Their stubbornness and arrogance is breathtaking. And, as a result, we continue to go down a path that I think is fraught with horrible dangers, especially for the young men and women serving in Iraq, but also for Iraqis, for the stability of the region." Her complaints were published by Arab newspapers and repeated across the Middle East. I reminded the senator that she and other public figures have to be extremely careful about what...

MSNBC TRANSCRIPT Scarborough Country April 28, 2004 JOE SCARBOROUGH: Today, the senator‘s office tried to strong-arm us into retracting that story. . . . Last night, we showed you comments made by Hillary Clinton that criticized George Bush and America‘s foreign policy in the Middle East. Her complaints run by Arab newspapers and repeated across the Middle East. She said this—quote— “Their stubbornness and arrogance is breathtaking. And, as a result, we continue to go down a path that I think is fraught with horrible dangers, especially for the young men and women serving in Iraq, but also for Iraqis,...

U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton's office is denying that she blasted President Bush in an interview with an Arab reporter on Monday. Sen. Clinton's office said Wednesday that she never spoke to the London-based newspaper Asharq al-Awsat. The paper offered quotes and paraphrases of her comments, which were immediately picked up by news sources throughout the Muslim world, on dozens of English language Middle Eastern Web sites and even by the usually reliable wire service Agence France-Presse. NewsMax.com's report on Tuesday recapitulated those foreign news accounts of Sen. Clinton's alleged comments. The story on NewsMax and several other news outlets here...

BEIRUT (AFP) - Former US first lady Hillary Clinton said the "stubborn" policies of President George W. Bush's administration were endangering stability in the Middle East, a daily reported Monday. The New York Democrat senator told the London-based Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat that the Bush administration had not been "frank" with the American people concerning the human and financial costs in Iraq.Clinton said the Bush administration did not have a plan for Iraq and did not have a full understanding of the situation there. She said the United States was in trouble because it could not abandon Iraq, nor provide...

Tuesday, April 27, 2004 10:53 a.m. EDT Hillary Blasts Bush in Arab Press In remarks being reported throughout the Arab world Tuesday morning, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton blasted the Bush administration as a threat to peace in the Middle East, going so far as to accuse President Bush of endangering the lives of U.S. troops. Sen. Clinton delivered the unprecedented attack in an interview with the London-based Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat on Monday, with newspapers from Tehran to Islamabad picking up her harsh words almost immediately. Typical was the coverage by Tehran's news agency Mehr, which quoted Clinton as...

In remarks being reported throughout the Arab world Tuesday morning, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton blasted the Bush administration as a threat to peace in the Middle East, going so far as to accuse the President Bush of endangering the lives of U.S. troops. Sen. Clinton delivered the unprecedented attack in an interview with the London-based Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat on Monday, with newspapers from Tehran to Islamabad picking up her harsh words almost immediately. Typical was the coverage by Tehran's news agency Mehr, which quoted Clinton as saying that "the U.S. is trapped in the quagmire of Iraq." "Referring...

JEDDAH, 22 November 2003 — US President George W. Bush has said he has confidence in Saudi Arabia’s efforts to fight terrorism and implement reforms. In an exclusive interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, a sister publication of Arab News, Bush said Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, “is an honest man... He has told me that we are joined in fighting off the terrorist organizations which threatened the Kingdom and...the United States, and he’s delivering. He has also told me that he’s going to work on reform, and I believe him.”Asharq Al-Awsat is the only newspaper...

Against Suicide Bombings 26 April 2002 Writing in the London-based, Saudi-backed newspaper, Asharq al-Awsat, Amir Taheri makes a strong case against the phenomenon of Islamic suicide bombings. The author testifies himself to the rarity of the condemnation of such bombings in the Moslem world when he identifies three current Islamic approaches to the phenomenon, none of which is an absolutely negative one. The three approaches mentioned by the columnist include: 1) Absolute support, “because we regard Israel as evil, we not only have a right but also a duty to fight it, if necessary, in ways that are otherwise...