Drones Turn the Tide: Ukraine Foils Russia’s Massive Offensive
Ukrainian forces have successfully disrupted a large-scale Russian offensive that had been planned for late last year and intended to continue this spring,
Photo by EPA/BGNES
The three perpetrators of the deadly terror attack on Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport were identified as a Russian national from Dagestan, a citizen of Uzbekistan and a citizen of Kyrgyzstan, Anadolu Agency reported on Thursday.
The Turkish news agency attributed the information to a prosecution source who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Turkey’s Yeni Safak newspaper reported earlier that the bombers were from Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Dagestan, in the North Caucasus, without naming its sources, according to Reuters.
Dagestan, a predominantly Muslim region along Russia's southern border, has turned into the epicenter of Moscow's fight against radical extremism. More than 5,000 citizens from Russia and Central Asia had travelled to Syria and Iraq to fight for Islamic State and other radical groups, Russia’s Federal Security Service said last year.
Yeni Safak has also said the organizer of the attack was suspected to be a man called Akhmed Chatayev, of Chechen origin. Chatayev is identified on a United Nations sanctions list as a leader in ISIS responsible for training Russian-speaking militants, and as wanted by Russian authorities, Reuters said.
Russia's National Anti-Terrorist Committee said in January that a faction of the Islamic State group led by Chatayev was plotting terror attacks in Russia and Europe.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack but Turkish authorities believe the Islamic State group was behind the shooting and triple suicide bombing at the airport on Tuesday night that claimed the lives of 44 people and left around 230 wounded.
The government of Cyprus has launched an international communications campaign to protect the country’s tourism sector amid rising tensions in the Middle East
Iran has issued a warning to Romania, stating that it will take political and legal action if the country permits the United States to operate military bases on its territory for operations targeting Iran
The first three US aerial refueling aircraft have arrived in Romania as part of a temporary deployment requested by Washington amid the ongoing Middle East conflict
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic claimed that Croatia was the foreign state most actively involved in what he described as an attempted “color revolution” in Serbia
Earlier this month, Croatia welcomed its first group of conscripts at the Eugen Kvaternik military training center near Slunj, marking the return of compulsory military service, which had been suspended since 2007
Turkish air defenses shot down a third missile targeting Incirlik Air Base, near Adana, reportedly fired from Iran, according to Cumhuriyet
Aniventure Comic Con Returns to Bulgaria with Star Guest Christopher Judge!
Global Fuel Shock: Oil Jumps Over 40% Since Iran War Began