Category: Turkey

Report: Kurdish Fighters Have Been Entering Iran From Iraq and Clashing With the IRGC

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Report: Kurdish Fighters Have Been Entering Iran From Iraq and Clashing With the IRGC

By Dave DeCamp | The Libertarian Institute | January 14, 2026

Turkish intelligence has warned Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that Kurdish fighters have been entering Iran from Iraq amid protests inside Iran, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

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The US has a significant presence in Iraqi Kurdistan, including a military base and an $800 million consulate compound that it opened in December. The Israeli Mossad is also known for having a presence in the area, and Iran claimed that it attacked a Mossad base in Iraqi Kurdistan in 2024.

Previously:

Trump Has Strong Options for Iran /Alastair Crooke & Lt Col Daniel Davis

These are the same Iraqi Kurds for whom the U.S. established the post‑1991 autonomous zone. Erbil Governorate sits on the Iran‑facing side of Iraqi Kurdistan. The U.S. operates Harir Air Base there (active since 2003) and maintains the largest consulate compound in the world. This is a forward U.S. position on Iran’s border. The U.S./Coalition also has units in Sulaymaniyah Governorate, which likewise borders Iran.

Trump Claims Venezuelan Airspace Is Closed in Latest Illegal, ‘Dangerous Escalation’

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Policy experts and advocates on Saturday denounced President Donald Trump’s claim that he had ordered the airspace above and around Venezuela “to be closed in its entirety”—an authority the US president does not have but that one analyst said signaled a “scorched earth” policy in the South American country and that others warned could portend imminent airstrikes.

Trump Claims Venezuelan Airspace Is Closed in Latest Illegal, ‘Dangerous Escalation’

Hopefully, when I wake up from my catnap, Venezuela is still there—and not renamed ‘Trump Tower South.’ /s

Five native Thai cat breeds protected as national identity

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)
Thailand’s native cats recognised as national symbols

Leave it to Singapore’s media to demonize Thai cats under the guise of “concern” for strays. And when it comes to soft power, it seems they’re unaware of cultural icons like Hello Kitty, Japan’s Cat Island, or the beloved felines of Istanbul.

Related:

Five native Thai cat breeds protected as national identity

SPICES, SILK, JEWELS AND CATS: On Wichienmaat, Siamese, Thai, Suphalak and Khao Manee cats

US is sending about 200 troops to Israel to help support and monitor the Gaza ceasefire deal

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States is sending about 200 troops to Israel to help support and monitor the ceasefire deal in Gaza as part of a team that includes partner nations, nongovernmental organizations and private-sector players, U.S. officials said Thursday.

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Members of the armed forces of Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates are expected to be embedded with the team of 200 U.S. troops, according to one of the officials. The American service members will integrate the multinational force and coordinate with Israeli defense forces, the official said.

US is sending about 200 troops to Israel to help support and monitor the Gaza ceasefire deal

Is Turkey on the Chopping Block?

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)1 Comment

Penny’s post, “Turkey will not receive F-35s unless they eliminate the S-400s,” reminded me of this video that recently appeared in my YouTube feed. The video is from the World Liberty Congress, an organization that advocates for regime change. Turkish opposition figure Oğuzhan Albayrak talks about the failed 2016 coup attempt, the Saturday Mothers, and draws comparisons between Turkey and Iran and China, both of which are in the sights of the U.S. Empire. In his article on the WLC website, he also mentions Ekrem İmamoğlu, another opposition figure with connections to European and U.S. front organizations.

Sources are provided below my unfinished article on Turkey’s significance in The Grand Chessboard.

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