ASO MEDIA

19/09/2023

Frame Media Company

12/08/2023

Frame Media
We're an independent media company with a global presence, looking to shed light on stories that others won't report on.

21/05/2020

Potential Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi successor arrested in Iraq, Iraqi intelligence says

The Iraqi National Intelligence Service (NIS) on Wednesday announced the arrest of Abdul Nasser Qardash, reportedly set to be Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s successor, the killed caliph of the so-called Islamic State in 2019.

The NIS managed to arrest Qardash who is a “potential candidate for [ISIS] caliph,” the state-owned al-Iraqiya News Agency reported on Wednesday, without elaborating the time and location of the arrest.

Qardash, whose real name is Taha Abdul Rahim Abdullah Bakr Al-Ghassani, is from Iraq’s Tal afar city, a mixed Sunni-Shi’a Turkmen town, according to the Security Media Cell. He joined al-Qaida in Iraq’s Nineveh province in 2007, in which he closely worked with Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the cell revealed.

The Iraqi Security Media Cell released a statement that said Qardash was arrested “in coordination with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).”

“Qardash was arrested by the SDF following the fierce Battle of Baghouz in 2019, according to informed sources,” the statement added, noting that “he played an effective role in the Baghouz battle.”

Hassan Hassan, the director of Non-State Actors Program at the Center for Global Policy (CGP), confirmed that the arrest occurred a year ago by the “Syrians and Americans” as he described the news as “old.” Hassan claimed in another tweet that Americans handed him over to Iraqi authorities.
Following the murder of former leader Baghdadi in Syria’s Idlib, the terror group designated Abu Ibrahim al-Qurashi as his successor, whose real name is Ameer Muhammed Saeed Al-Salbi Al-Mawla.

Qaradash was assigned with several tasks and leadership roles by Baghdadi in both Syria and Iraq, according to his profile released by the security media cell. Following the split of Jabhat al-Nusra from al-Qaida, he became the Eastern governor in Syria whose span of control included Hasakah, Deir al-Zor, and Raqqa, it added.

The news of Qardash’s arrest comes as the terror group has intensified its terrorist attacks, targeting security forces and crop fields that have been set on fire across the country during harvest season.

08/01/2020

The Pentagon confirmed that more than a dozen ballistic missiles had been fired at a number of US military bases in Iraq, including the al-Assad airbase which hosts both Iraqi and US soldiers.

Iran threatens to attack United Arab Emirates and Israel.
A video from Iran’s Fars News reportedly shows missiles being launched and fired at the al-Asad air base in Iraq.

07/01/2020

YPJ- Kurdish Women's Protection Units

07/01/2020

This video is dedicated to victims of violence and terrorism

Islamic State in 2012, Kurds, Syrians and international volunteers have fought bravely and selflessly in defence of the people of Rojava. United they defeate...

29/12/2019

AHRO sources reported that Iranian authorities have arrested about 1,000 children between the ages of nine and 17 in the southwestern province of Khuzestan following the November anti-government protests in Iran. The majority of these children were arrested for either being outdoors late at night during the protests or participating in peaceful gatherings in protest of the arrest of their parents or other family members. AHRO’s sources added that the arrestees have been tortured for forced confessions and that the poor state of food and hygiene have left detention centers in dire straits.

27/12/2019

Christians in Syrian Kurdistan's (Rojava) Qamishlo took part in Christmas celebrations on Wednesday.

22/12/2019

Spokesman for the fourth congress of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, Yassin Rauf, announced that elections for the General Leadership Council of the Patriotic Union will be held on Monday, 23/12/2019.

"The internal system of the Patriotic Union was ratified by the majority of votes during the congress, which the General Leadership Council could amend the internal system." Rauf said during a press conference.

He added that the Supreme Political Council of the Patriotic Union has been ratified, and it consists of Kosrat Rasul Ali, Hero Ibrahim Ahmed, Mulla Bakhtiyar, Omar Fattah, Qadir Hama Jan, Imad Ahmed, Arslan Bayes, Sheikh Jaafar Sheikh Mustafa and Dler Saed Majeed.

Rauf also said that tomorrow at nine in the morning, a vote will be taken on the General Leadership Council of the Patriotic Union.

He also pointed out that the congress work is going on with high transparency and more than 400 people have nominated themselves for the General Leadership Council of the Patriotic Union.

The 4th Congress approves the internal system and conditions for candidacy

The 4th Congress of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan approved during its second day the internal system of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.

The 4th Congress approved the internal system of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the conditions for candidacy for membership in the General Leadership Council during its second day.

The 4th Congress elects members of PUK's Leadership Council

Mala Yassin Raouf confirmed that the 4th Congress of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan will elect the members of the General Leadership Council of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan on the second day of its work, said Mala Yassin, spokesman for the 4th Congress of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, during a televised statement.

"During the second day, the General congress of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan will elect the members of the General Leadership Council of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, who are number 121."

"The election process will be transparent and fair and will be supervised by a judicial committee, and members of the leadership council will be elected from among more than 400 candidates from all centers of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan," Mala Yassin added.

Pointing out that there is possibility that the work of the 4th Congress will end after election of members of the General Leadership Council on Sunday.

PUK 4th Congress's work begins in its second day

The works of the second day of the PUK 4th Congress began afew minutes ago in Sulaymaniyah city of the Kurdistan Region.

The members of the congress are scheduled to elect members of the leadership council of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan during the second day of the 4th Congress.

First day of the 4th Congress is over

The first day of the fourth congress of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, which started on Saturday, ended in the city of Sulaymaniyah, which is scheduled to last for several days.

Election of 3 members of Leadership Council

On Saturday, The fourth congress of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan elected Dr. Barham Salih, Qubad Talabani, and Rewaz Faeq as members of the leadership council of the Patriotic Union by a majority of votes.

Election of 4th Congress's Supreme Political Council members

Members of the fourth congress elected Kosrat Rasul, Deputy Secretary General of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, as the president of the Congress's Supreme Political Council, the council includes 8 members from the former Political Bureau.

The 4th Congress elects the supervision committee

The members of the 4th Congress of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, on Saturday, elected a committee consisting of 5 people to supervise the work of the Congress.

The committee includes comrades Qadir Hama Jean, Arsalan Bayz, Dler Sayed Majeed, Yassin Rauf and Payman Mohammed, who will be to overseeing the work of the 4th Congress.

Around 1,000 members participate in the 4th Congress of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, where 121 members are to be elected to the lead the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.

11/12/2019

Prime Minister Masrour Barzani led a Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Council of Ministers meeting on Wednesday, where lawmakers discussed a pension reform bill as well as other topics.

06/12/2019

Iran's violations of the nuclear deal (JCPOA) are piling up and it's time ⏰for the international community to wake up.

The brutal regime in Tehran must be blocked from ever achieving military nuclear capabilities.

05/12/2019

This is the story of Israel

05/12/2019

The Times of Kurdistan/ Deputy Prime Minister of Kurdistan , Qubad Talabani said on Wednesday that nearly one million displaced people from Nineveh province are in the region.

Talabani said in a speech during the opening of the International Forum for Investment and Reconstruction in Nineveh held in the capital Erbil that Kurdistan region received nearly one million displaced people from Nineveh province and are still present in the region.

"Kurdistan can become an important gateway to the reconstruction of Nineveh," he said, adding that "the federal government should pay more attention to Nineveh."

Talabani said that the displacement raised the rate of population in Kurdistan region to 30% and this impact the economic resources of the region.

26/11/2019

Kurdish Jew families are arriving Israel - 1951

24/11/2019

The Times of Kurdistan – US Vice President Mike Pence landed in Erbil on Saturday, where he met with senior officials of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), including President Nechirvan Barzani, Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, and Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, before visiting with US troops in the Kurdistan Region.

Pence’s trip there followed his unannounced arrival earlier on Saturday at Al-Asad air base in western Iraq. Because of the protracted unrest in Baghdad, Pence was unable to visit the city for security reasons, while Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi was unwilling to travel to Al-Asad to meet Pence, so the two leaders spoke by phone.

The primary purpose of the Vice-President’s visit was to demonstrate that the US was still fully engaged in combatting the so-called Islamic State, even after President Donald Trump’s order last month, withdrawing most US forces from northeast Syria.

“A senior US official said Pence’s visit was meant both to reassure Iraqi Kurds who remain allied with the US in the fight against [the Islamic State], as well as Americans who have long supported the Kurdish cause,” the Associated Press reported.

Indeed, as Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R, Tennessee) affirmed earlier this week, “support for the Kurds is a bipartisan issue.”

This visit marked Pence’s first trip as Vice-President to the Kurdistan Region and Iraq as a whole. In his meeting with the senior Kurdish officials, Pence recalled that he had visited Erbil once before, as a congressman. That trip was in March 2008, when Pence was part of a Congressional fact-finding mission during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

In the Trump administration, Pence has assumed a prominent role concerning the fight against the Islamic State, including formulating the US position on protecting religious minorities in northern Iraq. US officials have repeatedly expressed their appreciation of the spirit of tolerance in the Kurdistan Region.

Before his closed-door meeting with the Kurdish leadership began, Pence cited “the enduring bond that exists between the Kurdish people and the people of the United States of America.”

Addressing the KRG president, Pence also affirmed “our enduring commitment to support your leadership here in the Kurdish region of Iraq, and to remain resolved with you in ensuring” that neither the Islamic State nor any other terrorist group, can “gain a foothold in this region again.”

Pence expressed his “gratitude and deepest respect” for the Peshmerga, who have lost their lives fighting the Islamic State, describing their “extraordinary sacrifices” as a victory, not just for the Middle East, but “for the wider world.”

“I look forward to discussing ways that we can strengthen the relationship between the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and the United States of America,” he said, indicating one major topic of their meeting.

Speaking to journalists in Erbil afterward, Pence explained that he had spoken with Abdul Mahdi about the unrest in Iraq, and “he assured me they were working to avoid violence” and “the kind of repression” ongoing now in Iran.
“I also encouraged him to listen to those who are protesting and their calls for reform,” Pence continued, adding, “It was something that President Barzani and I also spoke about.”

Pence articulated the support that he had heard from the KRG leadership for Trump’s decision to maintain a US force in Syria “to secure the oil fields,” so “they don’t fall into the hands of ISIS, Iran, or the Syrian regime,” but so “those oil resources are available for the Kurdish people in Syria.”

22/11/2019

Prime Minister of Kurdistan Region warns instability in Middle East must be addressed.

The Prime Minister of Kurdistan Region outlined the Kurdistan Region's vulnerability to ongoing instability in the Middle East and Iraq, which continues to threaten reconstruction and progress in the region, on the second day of the Middle East Peace and Security Forum at the American University of Kurdistan.

Prime Minister Barzani, who was a keynote speaker on Wednesday, opened the discussion on the panel with an update on the current humanitarian crisis in the region.

“Security and the rise of terrorism, ethnic cleansings, economic collapses, and political differences led to the flow of refugees and displacement of people from one area to another,” he explained. “Many of these people came to the Kurdistan Region, which, by itself, says a lot: That Kurdistan is a much safer place, respects and protects people who are fleeing the threat of terror” and conflict, argued Barzani.

The Kurdistan Region currently hosts up to 1.5 million refugees and IDPs, with an additional 16,000 Syrian refugees settling in camps in the Kurdistan Region since the start of Turkey's operation in northeastern Syria.

“This is a huge responsibility for the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), as well as an enormous load on its resources as we have been taking care of these people for many years. We were hoping the federal government of Iraq and international community would come to the assistance of the KRG to help, but unfortunately, the level of assistance we have seen so far has not been to the point where it can lighten the burden on the KRG itself.”

Prime Minister Barzani noted it costs the KRG “roughly1.5 billion dollars annually to maintain support to refugees and IDPs, and this will continue unless there are solutions to help these people return to their original homes.” Many have expressed the lack of security, safe shelter, and access to essential services, schools and sources of income as factors preventing their return.

“We are calling on the international community to help us, first to take care of IDPs and refugees, but also to assist them in returning to their areas of origin,” by addressing their concerns and meeting their needs through additional support.

Barzani warned that the threat of the Islamic State in the region remained, as the terrorist group persists in vulnerable and disputed areas. “ISIS, to us, is not just a caliphate or a number of people carrying guns and threatening people. It is an ideology,” he argued.

Despite losing its territorial control, the Islamic State's ideology still exists and thousands of its members and sympathizers still live in Iraq, Syria and the region, Barzani pointed out.

“To defeat ISIS, military operations are not enough. You have to look at the root causes that led to the rise of extremism and terrorism, which is poverty, failure to find a political consensus, lack of economic opportunities and prosperity, and injustice. To eradicate terrorism, first, you have to address those issues,” Barzani affirmed.

In regards to the recent nationwide protests in central and southern Iraq, Barzani reiterated his support to the people and their legitimate demands. “The people deserve proper governance, equal opportunities, and all the services a regular citizen should have.”

He cautioned, however, that “there is a difference between what the Iraqi people want and the agendas of the political parties.”

“There is a united view that something is wrong, but they all disagree on what the solution should be,” said Barzani, adding that Iraq still has not reached a consensus as to what could and should be a response to the current crisis facing the government and Iraq.

“We sympathize and feel for the people, and the government should take immediate actions to satisfy the needs of the people as it is not enough to just talk about these issues,” he stated. The current government, notably Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul Madhi, are “not the only administration responsible for what is happening in Iraq,” Barzani noted, “as these problems are a culmination the last fifteen years” of mismanagement and failure to fully implement the constitution of Iraq.

21/11/2019

Iranian Kurdistan, November 2019—During protests that erupted after the Iranian regime declared a 50-300% increase on the prices of gasoline, demonstrators in Javanrud, Kurdistan region of Iran, clashed with security forces dispatched to quell protests.

19/11/2019

Demonstrations in the Kurdish city of Mariwan continued today. Reports maintain that the number of martyred and injured civilians is rising dramatically.

17/11/2019

Petrol Protests Death Tall: 21 Kurds Killed 147 Injured

A total of 21 Kurdish protesters in Iranian Kurdistan have been killed since the breakout of the massive protests against government’s petrol price increase.
According to the reports received by The Times of Kurdistan, at least 147 Kurdish protesters were injured in clashes with security forces.
The casualty figures are as follows:
Javanrood: 8 killed, 52 injured
Kermanshah: 5 killed, 20 injured
Sanandaj: 1 killed, 25 injured
Marivan: 6 killed, 50 injured

Iranian Ministry of communication said access to internet was limited as part of government’s policy to bring the growing protests under control.

Monitoring groups, which are mostly based outside Iran, believe that the casualty figures could be higher than the above records, but there is very limited communication line for the protesters or activists to share reports.

16/11/2019

More than ten Kurdish civilians have been killed and injured in clashes with Iran’s Islamic revolutionary guard corps during peaceful demonstrations in different Kurdish cities.

16/11/2019

Dr. Abdul Rahman Ghassemlou was born on 22 December 1930 in the Kurdistan region of Iran

Dr. Ghassemlou’s involvement in politics started early in life, and at the age of 15 he co-founded the Democratic Youth Union of Iranian Kurdistan. Due to political and national oppression in Kurdistan, his political activities mostly took a clandestine form.

Besides being an acknowledged scholar and one of the greatest leaders of the Kurds, Dr. Ghassemlou’s excellent diplomatic skills earned him an international reputation, especially in Europe.

Dr. Ghassemlou was elected Secretary General of the PDKI in 1973, and re-elected to lead the party by the PDKI Congresses until his death in 1989. After several decades of political activity, and as the leader of the Kurdish people in Iranian Kurdistan, Dr. Ghassemlou was assassinated in Vienna by the agents of the Islamic Republic of Iran on July 13, 1989. Dr. Ghassemlou was in Austria to negotiate with Iranian representatives on Kurdish rights and self-government for Iranian Kurdistan.

13/11/2019

Turkish state bombs people in highlands in South Kurdistan

The Turkish state continues its genocidal attacks as part of its all-out war against the Kurdish people and their lands in various parts of Kurdistan.
The Turkish state is now bombing people in the highlands in Bradost region of Medya Defense Zones that it started to invade in late 2017.

According to reports from the ground, the Turkish army has launched an aggression on 12 tents set up by people living on highlands in Bradost region in southern Kurdistan, northern Iraq.

Local sources report ongoing activity by UAVs and reconnaissance aircraft over the area following the attacks with artillery, howitzer and mortar fire.

Reports say that Turkish forces have threatened the people to leave the area till 5 pm this evening, threatening to hit them with air strikes in the event that they do not leave.

12/11/2019

Israelis battle fires, scramble for shelter as rockets rain down around the country

11/11/2019

Amnesty International on Saturday called on the Iraqi government to “rein in security forces” after reports of more deaths amid ongoing nationwide protests in Baghdad and other provinces.

Iraqi media quoted medical sources on Sunday who said seven people were killed and nearly 100 injured when demonstrators tried to reach the fortified Green Zone in the capital of Baghdad.

According to Iraq’s High Commission for Human Rights, since they began in early October, widespread protests in Iraq have resulted in the deaths of at least 300, while some 12,000 have been injured.

Heba Morayef, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Director, called on Iraqi authorities to “immediately order an end” to the use of “excessive force” against demonstrators.

“There have now been at least 264 protestor deaths across the country in little over a month,” Morayef added. “This is turning into nothing short of a bloodbath—all government promises of reforms or investigations ring hollow while security forces continue to shoot and kill protestors.”

The Amnesty director urged the Iraqi government to protect its citizens, who are exercising their right “to gather and express their views.”

“This bloodbath must stop now, and those responsible for it must be brought to justice.”

The protests over the past month reflect widespread dissatisfaction with the economy, including high levels of unemployment, the dismal state of public services, and widespread government corruption.

Demonstrators are calling for radical change in Iraq’s political system, which they say fails to address their needs, but, rather, serves the interests of a small governing elite.

07/11/2019

The Times of Kurdistan - Telling Kurdistan's story

05/11/2019

40 Years Since Iranian Students Stormed US Embassy
In 1979, Iranian students stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, taking dozens of Americans captive. Forty years later, Iran has increased the arrest of foreign nationals without proof of wrongdoing, creating a new kind of hostage crisis.

04/11/2019

Farhad Abdi Shahin ,known as Mazloom Abdi was born at 1967 in Afrin, Aleppo. He joined the PKK IN 1990 at the age of 23 and fled to Abdullah Ocalan in Syria and did considerable work for him . Ocalan mentions him as his spiritual son.

31/10/2019

The Pentagon released footage, Wednesday, October 30, of the U.S. Special Forces operation, that led to the death of Islamic State group chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Among the images released by the Defense Department was grainy black-and-white footage of U.S. troops approaching on foot the high-walled compound in northwestern Syria where Baghdadi was holed up.
The Pentagon also released video of airstrikes on a group of unknown fighters on the ground who opened fire on the helicopters that ferried U.S. forces in for the assault on Baghdadi's compound in Syria's Idlib province.
Before and after pictures of the isolated compound were also released.
The compound was razed by U.S. munitions after the raid, leaving it looking like "a parking lot with large potholes," said Marine Corps General Kenneth McKenzie, commander of US Central Command.

28/10/2019

Text & voice: Hamid Sharifi

27/10/2019

President Trump Says Islamic State leader dead after U.S. special forces operation in Syria.
The head of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and US ally against the IS group, Mazloum Abdi, said the operation was the result of "joint intelligence work" with the United States military.

25/10/2019

Exclusive evidence of white phosphorus use in northern Syria
UN investigates alleged use of white phosphorus in Syria.

24/10/2019

The Iranian Regime is using proxies in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iraq to destabilize the Middle East, one attack at a time.
Iran heavily relies on its largest proxy, Lebanon-based terrorist organization Hezbollah, to spread violence and war in the region. In the past three decades, Hezbollah has killed and injured thousands of Israelis in rocket attacks, su***de bombings and kidnappings.

21/10/2019

YPJ- Women's Protection Units
The YPJ have been instrumental in the battle to take back control of Kobani from ISIS.
Thanks to their role in liberating Kobani in Syria, the YPJ have captured the attention of both socialist and non-socialist feminists around the world. Additionally, thanks to the YPJ, millions of people around the world have been introduced to the plight of the Kurds in Syria and beyond.
The YPJ also played a big role in rescuing and providing security to the Yazidi community who were trapped on Mount Sinjar in Iraq in 2014. This rescue helped save thousands of Yazidis who had taken refuge on Mount Sinjar and fought thirst and hunger for months, including a large population of women and children.