West Asia, post-IS – The Hindu (Oct 20, 2017)

West Asia, post-IS – The Hindu (Oct 20, 2017)

The capture of Raqqa, the Islamic State’s de facto capital in Syria, by U.S.-backed Kurdish and Arab troops this week is a crushing blow to the group. For further reading, visit “The Hindu”.

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Courtesy: The Hindu

Word List-2 (To Improve English Vocabulary)

1. wrest (verb) – wrench, snatch, take control of (power).
2. de facto (adjective) – actual/real, existing, effective.
3. Caliphate (noun) – (Arabic: khilāfa) is an area containing an Islamic steward known as a caliph (Arabic: khalīfah), chief Muslim ruler-a person considered a religious successor to the Islamic prophet, Muhammad (Courtesy: Wikipedia).
4. crumble (verb) – disintegrate, fall down/fall apart, collapse.
5. propaganda (noun) – information, promotion, publicity.
6. beheading (noun) – the act of cutting off a person’s head (as a form of execution).
7. shambles (noun) – chaos, mess, disorder/disorganization.
8. on the run (phrase) – running away, fleeing, in flight/fugitive.
9. insurgent (adjective) – rebellious, revolutionary, rioting/subversive.
10. proto-state (noun) – quasi-state; a political entity which does not represent a fully institutionalized or autonomous sovereign state (Courtesy: Wikipedia).
11. predecessor (noun) – forerunner, precursor, antecedent.
12. retreat (verb) – withdraw, retire, pull back/pull out.
13. lone wolf (noun) –  a person who likes to do to things on his/her own.
14. chaotic (adjective) – messy, confused, in disorder/disorganized.
15. stakeholder (noun) – a person with an interest in something.
16. usher in (phrasal verb) – start/begin, initiate; herald/signal.

Note:   

1. Click each one of the words above for their definition, more synonyms, pronunciation, example sentences, phrases, derivatives, origin and etc from http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/.

2. Definitions (elementary level) & Synonyms provided for the words above are my personal work and not that of Oxford University Press. Tentative definitions/meanings are provided for study purpose only and they may vary in different context. Use it with the corresponding article published on the source (website) via the link provided. 

3. This word list is for personal use only. Reproduction in any format and/or Commercial use of it is/are strictly prohibited.