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The Al-Hol Exodus: A Catalyst for the Next Generation of ISIS?
The sprawling Al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria, once dubbed a “ticking time bomb” by international observers, has finally begun to fracture. In a series of rapid geopolitical shifts in early 2026, the withdrawal of Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the subsequent takeover by Syrian government forces have triggered a chaotic exodus. With over 10,000…
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Syria at a Crossroads: U.S. Policy Challenges Post-Assad
Via US House Committee on Foreign Affairs
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Rojava condemns renewed attacks by ISIS-linked militants, ‘massacre’ of Kurdish family
Via Rudaw ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Northeast Syria (Rojava) is facing ongoing attacks by armed factions that are “ideologically and organizationally” linked to the Islamic State (ISIS), the enclave’s Kurdish-led administration warned on Monday, condemning a “horrific massacre” committed against a Kurdish family earlier that day and censuring the international community’s silence regarding repeated violations…
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How US Regime Change in Venezuela could mean Syria next
The recent capture of Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces marks a historic shift in American foreign policy, signaling a transition from “maximum pressure” through sanctions to direct, kinetic intervention. On January 3, 2026, a large-scale U.S. military strike and raid in Caracas resulted in the apprehension of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who were…
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Syria post Israel-Iran Conflict
The June Conflict Between Israel and Iran: Consequences for Syria and Future Implications The June 2025 escalation between Israel and Iran marked one of the most intense confrontations between the two regional adversaries in recent years. While the direct clash remained largely between Israeli and Iranian forces, Syria once again found itself entangled in the…
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Israel strikes sites in Iran
What happened on June 12–13, 2025 Syria’s Role & Its Relationship with Israel & Iran Summary The June 12–13 strikes mark a dramatic escalation in the shadow war, combining covert (Mossad drones, covert targeting) and overt airstrikes to inflict serious damage on Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure—and eliminate key leadership. Iran retaliated in kind, largely…
Acero Advocate
Middle-East Outreach with Nadia Cavner
Ten years ago, the self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) launched a campaign of mass atrocities to achieve the religious and ethnic cleansing of Yazidis, Assyrian-Chaldean-Syriac Christians, Shi’a and Sunni Muslim Turkmens, Shabaks, and other religious minorities in Iraq and Syria. In 2016, the U.S. State Department determined ISIS’s atrocities against Yazidis, Christians, and Shi’a Muslims constituted crimes against humanity and genocide. In 2019, an international coalition defeated ISIS’s last territorial hold in Iraq and Syria. However, ten years on, survivors face multiple threats to their religious freedom, security, and existence within their homelands.
Jamileh Naso, President, Canadian Yazidi Association; Nadia Cavner, Philanthropist and Advocate for Assyrians; and Dr. Ali Akram Albayati, Co-Founder, Turkmen Rescue Foundation join USCIRF Senior Policy Analyst Susan Bishai to discuss religious minorities’ ongoing struggles to rebuild in the region.
The Assyrian Church of the East Relief Organization (ACERO)
ACERO is the international aid agency of the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East. They serve as a lifeline for Assyrians facing hardship throughout the Middle East and beyond, and they are passionately supported by church members and allies across the world. Nadia’s fierce and unrelenting support of ACERO and their much-needed work continues to make an impact in the lives of thousands of people every year.
For centuries, Assyrians have called this region home. However, ongoing conflicts and persecution have forced many to flee their homes, live as refugees, or face desperate poverty. ACERO steps in to provide essential aid, ensuring families have access to food, water, shelter, medical care, and education.
Nadia Cavner
Advocate & Activist