Britain Authorizes Surveillance Missions Over Syria

As fresh clashes broke out in the town of Kobani (Ayn al-Arab) Monday, Britain announced it was authorizing spy planes and armed drones to conduct surveillance missions over Syria. British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon said the aircraft would fly over Syria to "gather intelligence as part of our efforts to protect our national security." He noted, however, that the aircraft would not fire weapons and that armed operations in Syria would require "further permission." The British parliament approved conducting airstrikes in Iraq in September. Islamic State militants launched several attacks against Kurdish forces in northern Iraq Monday, including a truck bombing near the Mosul Dam and clashes close to the town of Qarah Tapah. Additionally, leaders from the Yazidi minority reported Islamic State militants have seized two villages in an advance on Mount Sinjar. An assault by the militant group in August forced an estimated 40,000 Yazidis to flee the area. Meanwhile, as attention has focused on Islamic State advances in Iraq and Syria, opposition activists and monitoring groups, including the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, claim the Syrian government has increased its use of chemical weapons, particularly since August.

Headlines

• As the Nov. 24 deadline for a nuclear deal approaches, Iran said it is offering compromises accepting the lifting of just the latest sanctions, while Western officials said Tehran is offering no viable concessions.
• A number of Israelis moved into two buildings in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan early Monday expanding a settlement project despite recent criticism.
• A suicide bombing and gun fights between Ansar al-Shari militants and Houthi fighters have killed at least 33 people in central Yemen and al Qaeda linked militants have seized the town of al-Odayn.
• Libya’s elected parliament, operating from the eastern city of Tobruk, has formally allied with former general Khalifa Heftar.

Arguments and Analysis

‘Tunisia’s Elections a Test of Commitment‘ (Duncan Pickard, Atlantic Council)

"During the drafting of the Tunisian constitution, adopted in January 2014, it was axiomatic to say that passing a text was a serious challenge, but that implementation would be even more daunting. The constitution’s first serious test will come after October 26, when Tunisian authorities will hold the first legislative elections under the new constitution. Candidates will run for 217 seats in the Assembly of the Representatives of the People, as the parliament will be called. The elections-and the governing coalition formed afterward-marks an important first step in securing democracy in Tunisia, perhaps the only country left standing in the wake of Arab Spring."

‘How Important Is the Caliphate and Abu Bakr to ISIS?‘ (Ronald Tiersky and Michael Chioke, The Huffington Post)

"What would happen to ISIS as a political, military and terrorist operation if Abu Bakr were eliminated? What would happen to the dream of a resurrected Caliphate that would organize all Islam?

There are two views. The first one, the Obama administration’s, is that the war against ISIS will in any case be a long campaign. The goal (‘to degrade and ultimately destroy ISIS’) will take years to achieve.

There is another hypothesis: ISIS fighting morale would collapse if the Caliph disappeared and the Caliphate lost its plausibility. Another Caliph might be named but it would most likely repeat the bin Laden/Zawahiri succession. The religious passion that animates the soul of many ISIS fighters would lose its focus and thus its implacability. Abu Bakr — we know he’s a shrewd, capable strategist — has either made contingency plans for succession or he has not. In this regard he’s in the position of any star CEO who has built a company and a brand."

— Mary Casey