Middle East Public date: 24.08.2017 23:12:18

Publisher: Sputnik News

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21 Jul 2016

Syrian Bloodbath: Was French Strike Killing Civilians Revenge for Nice?

On Wednesday, the Syrian government demanded that the UN take immediate action against France and the United States, after the US-led anti-Daesh coalition in Syria killed at least 140 civilians, following reports of between 20-65 dead from a US airstrike in Manbij on Monday, and at least 120 dead in the village of Toukhan Al-Kubra, near the Turkish-Syrian border, following a French airstrike on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, the Syrian government demanded that the UN take immediate action against France and the United States,...

Publisher: Alaraby

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24 Jun 2016

Aleppo is ‘the greatest battle’ in Syria, says Nasrallah

The offensive against the Islamic State group in Aleppo is the "greatest battle" in Syria, Hizballah chief Hassan Nasrallah said on Friday. He vowed to dispatch more fighters in the ancient city to boost support for Russian-backed Syrian regime forces on the ground. Hizballah will "increase our presence in Aleppo... because the real, strategic, greatest battle is in Aleppo and the surrounding area," he said in remarks broadcast on al-Manar television to mark a commemoration event for Mustafa Badreddine, a commander killed in an explosion in Syria in May.
The offensive against the Islamic State group in Aleppo is the "greatest battle" in Syria, Hizballah chief Hassan...

Publisher: NYTimes

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23 May 2016

Suicide Attacks Hit 2 Syrian Cities in Assad Stronghold, Killing Scores

Two teams of suicide attackers launched coordinated assaults on Monday deep inside Syrian government territory, killing scores of people in a relatively secure region where support for President Bashar al-Assad runs high. The attacks appeared to reflect the changing tactics of the Islamic State as its military fortunes have dimmed. Having lost significant territory from their self-declared caliphate in Syria and Iraq, they have turned their focus to external expansion while stepping up suicide bombings against civilian targets in places like Baghdad.
Two teams of suicide attackers launched coordinated assaults on Monday deep inside Syrian government territory, killing...

Publisher: Alaraby

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3 May 2016

Russia makes Aleppo ceasefire ultimatum to Syrian rebels

A ceasefire in battered Aleppo, northern Syria, will be announced on Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said. But moderate rebel groups will have to leave areas where the Islamic State group and al-Nusra Front - Syria's al-Qaeda affiliate - operate. This would hint that regime and Russian bombing of Aleppo would continue under the pretence of targeting "terrorist groups".
A ceasefire in battered Aleppo, northern Syria, will be announced on Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has...

Publisher: Aljazeera

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3 May 2016

Syria’s civil war: Aleppo bleeds amid truce efforts

At least three people have been killed in a rebel rocket attack on a hospital in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo. The attack was part of a shelling that left at least 19 people dead in government-controlled areas of the city on Tuesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the UK-based monitoring group, said. Rebels and forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have been battling each other with rockets and bombs across Aleppo and its outskirts for days now.
At least three people have been killed in a rebel rocket attack on a hospital in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo. The...
3 May 2016

Syrian Coalition: Russia wants Syrians to choose between accepting Assad’s terms or annihilation

The vice-president of the opposition Syrian National Coalition Muwaffaq Nyrabia said that Russia s policies in Syria are designed to put Syrians in front of two hard choices: either to accept Syrian dictator Bashar Assad s terms in the Geneva negotiations or the bombing and destruction of whole cities and vital civilian facilities will continue. Nyrabia pointed out that the aftermath of the deadly airstrikes by the Assad regime and Russian forces on Aleppo over the past ten days indicates systematic and deliberate attacks against residents of the city. He added that this brutal onslaught on Aleppo is clearly aimed at thwarting the political process.
The vice-president of the opposition Syrian National Coalition Muwaffaq Nyrabia said that Russia s policies in Syria are...

Publisher: Aljazeera

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21 Apr 2016

UN evacuates from four besieged towns

The United Nations has started evacuating hundreds of people from besieged Syrian towns in a rare sign of humanitarian progress as tens of thousands of civilians fled fresh fighting. People were evacuated from the rebel-held towns of Zabadani and Madaya near Damascus, and the government-held towns of Fuaa and Kafraya in northwest Idlib province. On the outskirts of Madaya, where dozens of residents starved to death last year, seven large white buses were used to take the people out.
The United Nations has started evacuating hundreds of people from besieged Syrian towns in a rare sign of humanitarian...

Publisher: BBC

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27 Feb 2016

Syria conflict: Temporary truce comes into effect

The "cessation of hostilities" began at midnight (22:00 GMT Friday) with early reports suggesting that guns had fallen silent over major battlefields. UN special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said fighting had "calmed down" but one breach was being investigated. In the run-up to the deadline US President Barack Obama warned the Syrian government and its ally Russia "the world will be watching". One of the key aims of the cessation - brokered by the US and Russia - is to allow desperately needed aid to reach people trapped in besieged areas.
The "cessation of hostilities" began at midnight (22:00 GMT Friday) with early reports suggesting that guns had fallen...

Publisher: Alaraby

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20 Feb 2016

Russia warns Assad to stay in line over ceasefire

Russia s envoy to the UN has warned Bashar al Assad not to step out of line with his most senior ally after comments by Syrian president seemed to snub efforts to cease violent hostilities. "I heard President Assad's remarks on television... Of course they do not chime with the diplomatic efforts that Russia is undertaking , Vitaly Churkin told Russia s Kommersant newspaper. "Russia has invested very seriously in this crisis, politically, diplomatically and now also militarily.. Therefore we would like Assad also to respond to this."
Russia s envoy to the UN has warned Bashar al Assad not to step out of line with his most senior ally after comments by...

Publisher: Alaraby

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19 Feb 2016

Assad ‘gives amnesty’ to military deserters

President Bashar al-Assad has issued a legislative decree granting a general amnesty for military deserters and those whose "crimes" under the Military Service Law were committed before February 17. The Syrian president's directive, "does not include fugitives from justice unless they turn themselves in within 30 days for those inside the country and 60 for those outside the country". However, the decree is unlikely to be taken seriously by deserters.
President Bashar al-Assad has issued a legislative decree granting a general amnesty for military deserters and those...

Publisher: Boston Globe

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19 Feb 2016

The media are misleading the public on Syria

Americans are being told that the virtuous course in Syria is to fight the Assad regime and its Russian and Iranian partners. We are supposed to hope that a righteous coalition of Americans, Turks, Saudis, Kurds, and the "moderate opposition" will win. This is convoluted nonsense, but Americans cannot be blamed for believing it. We have almost no real information about the combatants, their goals, or their tactics. Much blame for this lies with our media.
Americans are being told that the virtuous course in Syria is to fight the Assad regime and its Russian and Iranian...

Publisher: Spiegel

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18 Feb 2016

The War of Western Failures: Hopes for Syria Fall with Aleppo

Aleppo has been a horrific place for some time now and few thought that it could get much worse. But things can always get worse -- that's the lesson currently being learned by those who have stayed behind in an effort to outlast this brutal conflict. People who have become used to dead bodies in the streets, hunger and living a life that can end at any moment.
Aleppo has been a horrific place for some time now and few thought that it could get much worse. But things can always...

Publisher: Alaraby

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16 Feb 2016

Assad preparing to handover Syria’s energy sector to Russia

The regime of Bashar al-Assad is reportedly seeking to rehabilitate and operate oil fields and power plants in areas controlled currently by the rebels and the Islamic State group respectively -- areas that the regime forces began recapturing in northern and Western Syria backed by Russian airstrikes. Measures are already in place by the Syrian regime to hand over the Syrian energy sector to Russian companies, led by a law on partnership between the private sector and foreign companies issued in early 2016.
The regime of Bashar al-Assad is reportedly seeking to rehabilitate and operate oil fields and power plants in areas...

Publisher: The Guardian

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9 Feb 2016

Arab states’ military support needed to avoid defeat, says Syrian opposition

Opposition fighters in Aleppo's besieged east have said they are counting on the military support of Arab states, which announced they will send ground forces to Syria to save them from defeat at the hands of Russian bombers and pro-Assad militias. Hezbollah and Shia militias from Iraq and Afghanistan, all directed by senior officers of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, are leading the ground battle on the regime side, while Russian jets continue a week-long blitz from above.
Opposition fighters in Aleppo's besieged east have said they are counting on the military support of Arab states, which...

Publisher: Aljazeera

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4 Feb 2016

Syrian army encircles Aleppo as ceasefire talks fade

A Syrian military offensive backed by heavy Russian air strikes threatened to cut critical rebel supply lines into the northern city of Aleppo, as peace talks in Switzerland appeared to be in jeopardy on Wednesday.Rebels described the assault as the most intense yet. One commander said opposition-held areas of Syria's largest city were at risk of being encircled entirely by the government and allied militia, appealing to foreign states that back the rebels to send more weapons.
A Syrian military offensive backed by heavy Russian air strikes threatened to cut critical rebel supply lines into the...

Publisher: NYTimes

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30 Jan 2016

Syria Peace Talks Begin, With Only One Side at the Table

For the third time in four years, world powers and the United Nations have persuaded some of the warring parties in Syria to come to Switzerland, sit around well-appointed rooms with views of the Alps, and figure out a way to stop the killings. And for the third time in as many years, those parties cannot even agree on what to talk about, let alone work toward a political solution to the five-year war.
For the third time in four years, world powers and the United Nations have persuaded some of the warring parties in...
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Publisher: NYTimes

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19 Dec 2015

After Years of War in Syria, U.N. Passes Resolution on Talks

For the first time since the nearly five-year-old Syrian civil war began, world powers agreed on Friday at the United Nations Security Council to embrace a plan for a cease-fire and a peace process that holds the distant prospect of ending the conflict. The resolution makes no mention of whether Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad, would be able to run in new elections, which it says must be held within 18 months of the beginning of political talks.
For the first time since the nearly five-year-old Syrian civil war began, world powers agreed on Friday at the United...

Publisher: Middle East Eye

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11 Dec 2015

Syrian rebels end talks with demand for Assad to step down

Syrian rebel factions have demanded that President Bashar al-Assad have no part in any transitional government, issuing a joint statement on Thursday after two days of crucial talks in Riyadh. "Participants have insisted that Bashar al-Assad and his aides quit power with the start of the transition period," said the statement, referring to a plan set out in Vienna last month to have a "credible, inclusive and nonsectarian" transitional government in place in the country by June 2016.
Syrian rebel factions have demanded that President Bashar al-Assad have no part in any transitional government, issuing...

Publisher: News.com.au

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3 Dec 2015

Is the fight over a gas pipeline fuelling the world’s bloodiest conflict?

THE Syrian war often seems like a big confusing mess but one factor that is not often mentioned could be the key to unlocking the conflict. Some experts have pointed out that many of the key players have one thing in common: a billion-dollar gas pipeline. Factor in this detail and suddenly the war begins to make more sense, here s how it works:
THE Syrian war often seems like a big confusing mess but one factor that is not often mentioned could be the key to...

Publisher: The Anti Media

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29 Nov 2015

1 Journalist Dead, 3 More Arrested After Exposing Turkey Arming Syrian Extremists

Just over a week after Cumhuriyet Editor-in-Chief, Can D ndar, represented the Turkish daily news outlet in receiving a press freedom award, he and another top editor were arrested and jailed on charges of espionage. In question was a controversial article exposing arms shipments from Turkish intelligence to Syrian extremist rebels.
Just over a week after Cumhuriyet Editor-in-Chief, Can D ndar, represented the Turkish daily news outlet in receiving a...
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Publisher: BBC

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28 Nov 2015

Turkey-Russia jet downing: Moscow beefs up defences in Syria

Russia has strengthened its anti-aircraft defences in Syria by moving a cruiser towards the coast and deploying new missiles at its main base. The Moskva cruiser's long-range air defence system will provide cover for Russian aircraft, as will the S-400 missiles which arrived on Thursday. The row over Turkey's downing of a Russian combat jet on Tuesday rages on.
Russia has strengthened its anti-aircraft defences in Syria by moving a cruiser towards the coast and deploying new...
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Publisher: BBC

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27 Nov 2015

Turkey’s downing of Russian warplane – what we know

Both Russia and Turkey say the Russian Su-24, an all-weather attack aircraft, was shot down by Turkish F-16s in the Turkey-Syria border area on 24 November. President Putin said the plane, which had two crew members, was flying at an altitude of 6,000m (19,685ft) when it was hit by an air-to-air missile. The planes were warned 10 times over the space of five minutes via an "emergency" channel and asked to change direction
Both Russia and Turkey say the Russian Su-24, an all-weather attack aircraft, was shot down by Turkish F-16s in the...

Publisher: NYTimes

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3 Nov 2015

New U.S.-Backed Alliance to Counter ISIS in Syria Falters

Weeks after the Obama administration canceled a failed Pentagon program to train and arm Syrian rebels to combat the Islamic State, American officials announced a new effort to equip ground forces in Syria to fight the jihadists. But 10 days of interviews and front-line visits across northern Syria with many of the forces in the alliance, called the Syrian Democratic Forces, made clear that so far it exists in name only, and that the political and logistical challenges it faces are daunting.
Weeks after the Obama administration canceled a failed Pentagon program to train and arm Syrian rebels to combat the...
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Publisher: NYTimes

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12 Oct 2015

U.S.-Made Weaponry Is Turning Syrian Conflict Into Proxy War With Russia

Insurgent commanders say that since Russia began air attacks in support of the Syrian government, they are receiving for the first time bountiful supplies of powerful American-made antitank missiles. With the enhanced insurgent firepower and with Russia steadily raising the number of airstrikes against the government s opponents, the Syrian conflict is edging closer to an all-out proxy war between the United States and Russia.
Insurgent commanders say that since Russia began air attacks in support of the Syrian government, they are receiving for...

Publisher: Washington Post

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1 Oct 2015

Russia defends Syrian airstrikes as claims mount of blows to U.S.-backed rebels

Russian officials vehemently defended the country s airstrikes in Syria on Thursday as blows to Islamic State militants even as evidence mounted suggesting that U.S.-backed rebels and others were facing the brunt of Moscow s attacks. And while Russian officials and diplomats rallied behind President Vladi mir Putin, the Kremlin s stance appeared further clouded by acknowledgments that the missions have already extended beyond solely the Islamic State.
Russian officials vehemently defended the country s airstrikes in Syria on Thursday as blows to Islamic State militants...

Publisher: NYTimes

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30 Sep 2015

Russia Launches Airstrikes in Syria, Adding a New Wrinkle

President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia ordered a round of airstrikes in Syria on Wednesday, adding an unpredictable and potentially destabilizing element to a complex sectarian war that has drawn in the United States and regional powers while creating millions of refugees. While Moscow s stated purpose in Syria is to fight Islamic State militants, Russian warplanes and helicopter gunships dropped bombs north of the central city of Homs, in an area held by rebel groups opposed to Syria s president, Bashar al-Assad, a Russian ally.
President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia ordered a round of airstrikes in Syria on Wednesday, adding an unpredictable and...

Publisher: NYTimes

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26 Sep 2015

Thousands Enter Syria to Join ISIS Despite Global Efforts

Nearly 30,000 foreign recruits have now poured into Syria, many to join the Islamic State, a doubling of volunteers in just the past 12 months and stark evidence that an international effort to tighten borders, share intelligence and enforce antiterrorism laws is not diminishing the ranks of new militant fighters. Among those who have entered or tried to enter the conflict in Iraq or Syria are more than 250 Americans, up from about 100 a year ago, according to intelligence and law enforcement officials.
Nearly 30,000 foreign recruits have now poured into Syria, many to join the Islamic State, a doubling of volunteers in...
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Publisher: Aljazeera

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21 Sep 2015

Assad forces kill dozens of civilians in Syria’s Aleppo

Heavy bombardment by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have killed at least 32 civilians in the northern city of Aleppo, sources told Al Jazeera. Rami Abdelrahman, head of the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said that the attack on Monday targeted the al-Shaar neighbourhood in Aleppo city's east, which is controlled by the opposition. Abdelrahman said 18 civilians were killed, but other sources told Al Jazeera that the fatalities were as high as 32.
Heavy bombardment by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have killed at least 32 civilians in the northern...

Publisher: Aljazeera

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20 Sep 2015

New batch of US-trained fighters enter Syria to fight ISIL: report

A group of 75 fighters, recently trained by U.S. and coalition forces in Turkey, have entered northern Syria to join the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a monitoring group reported on Sunday. The fighters entered Syria in a convoy of a dozen cars with light weapons and ammunition, under air cover from the coalition that has been carrying out strikes against ISIL in Syria and Iraq, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British human rights group, said on Sunday.
A group of 75 fighters, recently trained by U.S. and coalition forces in Turkey, have entered northern Syria to join the...

Publisher: NYTimes

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15 Sep 2015

For Those Who Remain in Syria, Daily Life Is a Nightmare

Every morning, at the dawn call to prayer, women and children move silently from the Damascus suburb of Douma to the surrounding farm fields, seeking safety from the day s bombardments by the Syrian government. As crowds of Syrians transfix the world with their flight to Europe, this kind of life is one of the many nightmares they are fleeing. They leave behind increasingly empty neighborhoods from the Damascus suburbs to the northern city of Aleppo - that testify to the scale of their exodus.
Every morning, at the dawn call to prayer, women and children move silently from the Damascus suburb of Douma to the...

Publisher: The Guardian

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15 Sep 2015

West ‘ignored Russian offer in 2012 to have Syria’s Assad step aside’

Russia proposed more than three years ago that Syria s president, Bashar al-Assad, could step down as part of a peace deal, according to a senior negotiator involved in back-channel discussions at the time. Former Finnish president and Nobel peace prize laureate Martti Ahtisaari said western powers failed to seize on the proposal.
Russia proposed more than three years ago that Syria s president, Bashar al-Assad, could step down as part of a peace...

Publisher: NYTimes

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14 Sep 2015

Russian Flights Over Iraq and Iran Escalate Tension With U.S.

Russia is using an air corridor over Iraq and Iran to fly military equipment and personnel to a new air hub in Syria, openly defying American efforts to block the shipments and significantly increasing tensions with Washington. The Obama administration initially hoped it had hampered the Russian effort to move military equipment and personnel into Syria when Bulgaria, a NATO member, announced it would close its airspace to the flights. But Russia quickly began channeling its flights over Iraq and Iran, which Russia s foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, said on Sunday would continue despite American objections.
Russia is using an air corridor over Iraq and Iran to fly military equipment and personnel to a new air hub in Syria,...

Publisher: The Guardian

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10 Sep 2015

Syria rejects British proposal for Assad to lead transitional government

Syria has rejected Britain s proposal that Bashar al-Assad could lead a transitional government for up to six months before stepping down, as part of a political solution to the country' s crisis and to end the wave of refugees heading to Europe to escape the war. "What gives the British foreign secretary the right to decide for Syrians how long their president should stay in power?" Omran al-Zoubi, the Syrian information minister, told the Guardian in an exclusive interview in his Damascus office.
Syria has rejected Britain s proposal that Bashar al-Assad could lead a transitional government for up to six months...

Publisher: Aljazeera

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9 Sep 2015

Syria loses last Idlib army base to Nusra Front, other groups

After a two-year siege, Al-Qaeda's affiliate in Syria and other insurgents on Wednesday captured the one remaining Syrian army air base in Idlib province, a development that activists said effectively expelled the last of President Bashar al-Assad's military from the northwestern province. It was the latest in a series of setbacks for Assad in Syria's bitter civil war, now in its fifth year.
After a two-year siege, Al-Qaeda's affiliate in Syria and other insurgents on Wednesday captured the one remaining...

Publisher: Aljazeera

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9 Sep 2015

White House, NATO warn over reports of Russian forces joining Syria fight

The White House and NATO raised concerns Wednesday over reports that Russia may have deployed military personnel and aircraft to Syria, with Washington saying it is "closely monitoring" the situation. They have started in small numbers, but the bigger force did not yet take part, one of the sources said. "There are numbers of Russians taking part in Syria, but they did not yet join the fight against terrorism strongly." Another source said, "They are taking part in military operations. It is more than an advisory role."
The White House and NATO raised concerns Wednesday over reports that Russia may have deployed military personnel and...
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Publisher: NYTimes

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6 Sep 2015

U.S. Revamping Rebel Force Fighting ISIS in Syria

In an acknowledgment of severe shortcomings in its effort to create a force of moderate rebels to battle the Islamic State in Syria, the Pentagon is drawing up plans to significantly revamp the program by dropping larger numbers of fighters into safer zones as well as providing better intelligence and improving their combat skills.
In an acknowledgment of severe shortcomings in its effort to create a force of moderate rebels to battle the Islamic...

Publisher: upworthy

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3 Sep 2015

Trying to follow what is going on in Syria and why

This is an illustration on how the syria conflict began. In a series of pictures the story teller tells us that the events in Daraa happened due to climate change and corruption. People lost their farms, moved to cities and unrest started!
This is an illustration on how the syria conflict began. In a series of pictures the story teller tells us that the...

Publisher: The Guardian

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26 Aug 2015

Assad ‘confident’ of Russian support for Syria regime

The Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, has expressed "strong confidence" that Russia will continue supporting his embattled regime. "We have strong confidence in the Russians, as they have proven throughout this crisis, for four years, that they are sincere and transparent in their relationship with us," Assad said in an interview with Hezbollah's al-Manar television network. He also described as "legitimate" the presence in Syria of fighters from Hezbollah backing his forces.
The Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, has expressed "strong confidence" that Russia will continue supporting his...

Publisher: Aljazeera

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25 Aug 2015

US, Turkey are still seeking full alignment on Syria

The diplomatic saga to get Turkey on board with the U.S.-led campaign against Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) appears to be inching toward a tacit understanding, with both sides saying they are prepared for joint airstrikes against the group's home base in Syria. But mixed messages this week about the extent of their cooperation show just how far apart the two allies are from a strategic, big-picture alignment on the Syrian crisis - underlining doubts about their mission's very coherence.
The diplomatic saga to get Turkey on board with the U.S.-led campaign against Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant...

Publisher: The Guardian

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12 Aug 2015

Syrian opposition accuses Assad of napalm attack near Damascus

The Syrian opposition has accused the government of President Bashar al-Assad of using napalm on a town near Damascus, the latest escalation in a conflict that has seen the use of chemical weapons and indiscriminate aerial bombing campaigns. If true, the attack would be the second serious allegation of napalm use in the Syrian war. In 2012, a BBC crew in Aleppo province witnessed what they described as a napalm-like attack on a school.
The Syrian opposition has accused the government of President Bashar al-Assad of using napalm on a town near Damascus,...

Publisher: Aljazeera

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12 Aug 2015

Turkey, Iran help broker rare truce in Syria

Syria's warring parties declared a 48-hour cease-fire in a frontline area on Wednesday after a month of unprecedented mediation from Turkey and Iran, signaling a new approach by some regional powers backing opposing sides in the conflict. The cease-fire halted fighting between anti-government rebels on one side and the Syrian army and its Lebanese Hezbollah allies on the other in the rebel-held town of Zabadani, as well as two government-held Shia villages in Idlib province.
Syria's warring parties declared a 48-hour cease-fire in a frontline area on Wednesday after a month of unprecedented...

Publisher: Aljazeera

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1 Aug 2015

‘This is not Islam’ Refugees describe life under ISIL in Raqqa, Syria

In the Syrian capital of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant s self-declared caliphate, Raqqa, the group s extreme interpretation of Sharia law is enforced through extraordinary punishments, including death. The list of potential violations is long and reminders of the consequences of crossing the groups are on constant display, with executed and beheaded men displayed in public squares and roundabouts, their crimes often detailed in notices pinned to their corpses.
In the Syrian capital of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant s self-declared caliphate, Raqqa, the group s extreme...
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Publisher: BBC

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27 Jul 2015

Syrian Kurds accuse Turkey of attacking their forces

The Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) say Turkish tanks shelled their fighters near Kobane in northern Syria. Turkey said it was investigating the claim but insisted that its forces were not targeting Syrian Kurds. Turkey, which had previously not been involved in fighting in Syria, launched raids on Islamic State fighters there as well as Kurdish PKK militants in Iraq, following attacks in Turkey.
The Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) say Turkish tanks shelled their fighters near Kobane in northern Syria....

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26 Jul 2015

Syria’s embattled president admits military shortage

In his first public address in a year, embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad vowed Sunday to win his country's long-running civil war while acknowledging his troops had lost territory because of a shortage of manpower. Assad's speech, while confident, came in the fifth year of a conflict pitting his forces against rebels and hardline groups, including the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Turkey, which has long backed the rebels, has begun striking ISIL and Kurdish fighters battling the group, adding a new layer of complexity to a brutal war with no end in sight.
In his first public address in a year, embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad vowed Sunday to win his country's...

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19 Jun 2015

Putin reiterates support for Syria’s Assad

President Vladimir Putin has reaffirmed Russia's support for Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad and said he opposed any use of external force to try to end the Syrian civil war. Putin showed no sign of wavering in his policy of trying to shield Assad from the West's pressure in a four-and-half-year-old conflict that has killed more than 200,000 people and displaced millions.
President Vladimir Putin has reaffirmed Russia's support for Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad and said he opposed any use...

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11 Jun 2015

String of losses in Syria leaves Assad regime increasingly precarious

The regime of the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, is under mounting pressure on several fronts in the war, losing swaths of territory to opposition fighters as well as Islamic State, with strategic resources under its control coming under attack. Assad s defeats in Idlib, eastern Homs and Deraa in the south, combined with renewed pressure in Aleppo and Deir el-Zour to the east and the possible loss of gas fields to Isis, have left the regime in a precarious position with little choice but to concentrate its forces in its western strongholds, ceding much of the country to the opposition and Isis.
The regime of the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, is under mounting pressure on several fronts in the war, losing...

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8 Jun 2015

Syria air strikes ‘kill scores’ in Idlib area

At least 49 civilians, including six children, have been killed in air strikes carried out by government forces on a town in Syria's northwest Idlib province. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said the raid hit a square in the town of Janudiyah on Monday, in the west of the province, which is now almost completely controlled by opposition forces. "It's a public square, and a lot of people gather there because there are shops," Rami Abdel Rahman, the director of the Observatory, said.
At least 49 civilians, including six children, have been killed in air strikes carried out by government forces on a...

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2 Jun 2015

New Battles Rage Near Aleppo Between Syrian Insurgents and ISIS

Syrian opposition and insurgent leaders expressed increasing frustration that the American-led coalition formed to fight the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, had not come to their aid with airstrikes, even as government warplanes effectively acted, in the words of Khaled Khoja, the president of the main Syrian exile opposition coalition, as "an air force for ISIS."
Syrian opposition and insurgent leaders expressed increasing frustration that the American-led coalition formed to fight...

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30 May 2015

Assad’s Army May Be Losing Its Biggest Backers, Russia And Iran

Members of the Syrian opposition said Sunday as many as 100 Russian advisers have left the country, sending a worrying signal to President Bashar Assad: One of his top financial and military backers in the 4-year-old civil war may be backing out, leaving the teetering Syrian Army to fight almost entirely on its own. Regime forces are facing the Islamic State group and the increasingly powerful umbrella group known as Jaysh al-Fatah, which scored a major victory last week when it took over the northern province of Idlib, routing Assad s soldiers.
Members of the Syrian opposition said Sunday as many as 100 Russian advisers have left the country, sending a worrying...

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20 May 2015

ISIL said to be in full control of Syria’s Palmyra

Fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) have taken full control of Syria's ancient town of Palmyra, according to activists and a monitoring group. The Syrian army has collapsed and ISIL has taken over the city of Palmyra, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported. The monitor reported earlier on Wednesday that ISIL had advanced into the ancient city of Palmyra.
Fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) have taken full control of Syria's ancient town of...
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18 May 2015

Hundreds killed in Syria fighting over Palmyra

Nearly 300 people have been killed after several days of fighting between the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group and the Syrian government in the historic town of Palmyra, activists said. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Sunday the dead included 123 Syrian government soldiers and allied militiamen, 115 ISIL fighters, and 57 civilians. Reports of the deaths came as the Syrian government claimed it had repelled ISIL fighters from the ancient city, where the armed group had seized the northern part of the modern settlement, Tadmur.
Nearly 300 people have been killed after several days of fighting between the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant...

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17 May 2015

Doubt cast on role of Isis leader killed by special forces in Syria

US special forces entered Syria on Friday night and killed a mid-ranking leader of the Islamic State, in only the second raid of its kind since operations against the terror group began more than a year ago. The Pentagon said the raid killed Abu Sayyaf, who it said was an instrumental figure in black market oil smuggling. Iraqi officials, meanwhile, said the man s real name was Nabil Saddiq Abu Saleh al-Jabouri. US troops also captured the man's wife and flew her to a base in Iraq, the first time they have seized a prisoner since the start of the campaign.
US special forces entered Syria on Friday night and killed a mid-ranking leader of the Islamic State, in only the second...

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7 May 2015

Hezbollah: We will collapse if Assad loses Syria

Sounding an uncharacteristic note of pessimism, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said that if the regime of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad falls, then Hezbollah will fall too, according to a report today in the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar. Hezbollah, the formidable Shiite militia controlling much of Lebanon, has sent thousands of its fighters into Syria in support of the Assad regime since the outbreak of the civil war there four years ago.
Sounding an uncharacteristic note of pessimism, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said that if the regime of Syrian...

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7 May 2015

Syria Is Using Chemical Weapons Again, Rescue Workers Say

Eyes watering, struggling to breathe, Abd al-Mouin, 22, dragged his nephews from a house reeking of noxious fumes, then briefly blacked out. Even fresh air, he recalled, was burning my lungs. The chaos unfolded in the Syrian town of Sarmeen one night this spring, as walkie-talkies warned of helicopters flying from a nearby army base, a signal for residents to take cover. Soon, residents said, there were sounds of aircraft, a smell of bleach and gasping victims streaming to a clinic.
Eyes watering, struggling to breathe, Abd al-Mouin, 22, dragged his nephews from a house reeking of noxious fumes, then...

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10 Apr 2015

Palestinians to join fight against ISIL in Yarmouk

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for action to prevent a massacre of Palestinian refugees in Syria's Yarmouk camp, just after all Palestinian factions agreed with the Syrian government to use military force to expel Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) fighters from the embattled Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus. "What is unfolding in Yarmouk is unacceptable," Ban told reporters at UN headquarters on Thursday. "We simply cannot stand by and watch a massacre unfold."
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for action to prevent a massacre of Palestinian refugees in Syria's Yarmouk...

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6 Apr 2015

Fresh clashes erupt in Syria’s Yarmouk

Activists say the Yarmouk district in southern Damascus is experiencing continued bombardment and fighting between armed groups, a situation a UN official has described as "beyond inhumane". Both Al-Dimashqi and the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the Syrian conflict through a network of local activists, said Syrian government's air force has dropped several barrel bombs on the camp since Sunday.
Activists say the Yarmouk district in southern Damascus is experiencing continued bombardment and fighting between armed...

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31 Mar 2015

Assad: Russia signed arms deals during Syria conflict

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said that Russia has been supplying weapons to Damascus under contracts signed since the conflict in the country began in 2011, as well as under earlier deals. Assad's comments, made in an interview published by Russian government newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta on Monday, appeared to contradict Moscow's claim that any arms supplies to the Syrian government were agreed before the conflict began.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said that Russia has been supplying weapons to Damascus under contracts signed...

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30 Mar 2015

Fall of Idlib: Turning point for rebels in Syria?

It was not that long ago that forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad were making rapid gains across Syria. But the capture of Idlib by a rebel coalition, including the al-Qaeda linked Nusra Front, marks a major defeat for the Syrian government. The fall of the city may be an indication that Assad's forces are struggling to keep the momentum they gained on the battlefield last year.
It was not that long ago that forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad were making rapid gains across Syria. But the...

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16 Mar 2015

Kerry says US willing to negotiate with Syria’s Assad

The United States will have to negotiate with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for a political transition in Syria and explore ways to pressure him into agreeing to talks, US Secretary of State John Kerry has said.  "We have to negotiate in the end," Kerry said. "We've always been willing to negotiate in the context of the Geneva I process," he added, referring to a 2012 conference which called for a negotiated transition to end the conflict.
The United States will have to negotiate with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for a political transition in Syria and...

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5 Mar 2015

Assad Interview with Portuguese State TV – “We Don’t Have A Failed State”

President Bashar al-Assad gave an interview to Portuguese State Television, RTP. He starts by commenting on the number of vicitims and says the 220,000 mentioned by west is exaggerated but dosen't give a number and calls the rebels terrorist He also tries to define who the opposition is and who he will talk to for resolution.
President Bashar al-Assad gave an interview to Portuguese State Television, RTP. He starts by commenting on the number...

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5 Mar 2015

‘Barrel bombs kill 10’ in Syria’s Aleppo

Syrian activists say government helicopter gunships have dropped bombs on the Syrian city of Aleppo, killing at least 10 people and wounding many others. An Aleppo-based activist who goes by the name Abu Raed told the Associated Press news agency that a barrel bomb struck a shop that sells gasoline and diesel, causing a fire that burned bystanders on Thursday.
Syrian activists say government helicopter gunships have dropped bombs on the Syrian city of Aleppo, killing at least 10...

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2 Mar 2015

Syrian fighter group that got U.S. missiles dissolves after major defeat

The first Syrian rebel group to be given U.S. weapons collapsed Sunday after losing control of its headquarters to Syria s main al-Qaeda affiliate, further complicating American-led efforts to counter the rise of extremism in Syria. The rout of Harakat Hazm, whose name means Steadfastness Movement, culminated months of clashes with the al-Qaeda linked Jabhat al-Nusra in which the moderate group had been pushed first from its main headquarters in the northern Syrian province of Idlib and then was routed Sunday from its new base in the province of Aleppo
The first Syrian rebel group to be given U.S. weapons collapsed Sunday after losing control of its headquarters to Syria...
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2 Mar 2015

Rebels in Syria’s Aleppo reject UN truce plan

A group of Syrian opposition forces have rejected UN envoy Staffan de Mistura's proposal of a temporary ceasefire in the northern city of Aleppo. After two days of meetings in Turkey, Aleppo's Revolutionary Council also said on Sunday that they refused to meet the envoy unless he proposes a comprehensive solution to the Syrian crisis including President Bashar al-Assad and his regime out of office.
A group of Syrian opposition forces have rejected UN envoy Staffan de Mistura's proposal of a temporary ceasefire in the...

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19 Feb 2015

US and Turkey agree to train and equip Syrian rebels

The United States and Turkey have signed an agreement to train and equip moderate Syrian opposition fighters, a Turkish foreign ministry official has said. The US military said it was planning to send more than 400 troops, including special operations forces, to train moderate rebels at sites outside Syria as part of the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant group (ISIL).
The United States and Turkey have signed an agreement to train and equip moderate Syrian opposition fighters, a Turkish...
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18 Feb 2015

UN: Syrian government willing to suspend Aleppo strikes

The government of President Bashar al-Assad has expressed a willingness to suspend its aerial bombardment and artillery shelling of the northern city of Aleppo to allow for a local ceasefire to be tested, the UN special envoy to Syria has said.
The government of President Bashar al-Assad has expressed a willingness to suspend its aerial bombardment and artillery...

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13 Feb 2015

U.N. Envoy Says Assad Is Crucial to Defusing Conflict in Syria

Appearing to address one of the core issues that have derailed peace talks in Syria, the United Nations special envoy for the country on Friday described President Bashar al-Assad as a crucial part of the solution to ending the war there, news agencies reported. The envoy, Staffan de Mistura, met in Damascus, the Syrian capital, this week with Mr. Assad, who has resisted calls to step down during nearly four years of conflict. Mr. Assad has insisted that he remain in power in a postwar Syria, at least through the seven-year presidential term he claimed in disputed elections last year.
Appearing to address one of the core issues that have derailed peace talks in Syria, the United Nations special envoy...

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5 Feb 2015

Syria air raids rebel held areas kill dozens

The Syrian government has launched dozens of air strikes on several rebel-held areas around Damascus, killing at least 76 people after the fighters shelled the capital in a rare move, activists say. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the UK-based monitoring group, said on Thursday that at least six children were among those killed in the bombings on the suburbs of Damascus.
The Syrian government has launched dozens of air strikes on several rebel-held areas around Damascus, killing at least...

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23 Jan 2015

Syrian Airstrike Hits Damascus Suburb, Killing Dozens

A Syrian government airstrike on Friday hit a market square in an insurgent-held suburb of Damascus, the capital, killing several dozen people, antigovernment activists in the area said, while five Lebanese soldiers were killed in clashes with militants who crisscross the Syrian border, in one of the worst recent cases of spillover violence.
A Syrian government airstrike on Friday hit a market square in an insurgent-held suburb of Damascus, the capital,...

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20 Jan 2015

U.S. Signals Shift on How to End Syrian Civil War

American support for a pair of diplomatic initiatives in Syria underscores the shifting views of how to end the civil war there and the West s quiet retreat from its demand that the country s president, Bashar al-Assad, step down immediately. The Obama administration maintains that a lasting political solution requires Mr. Assad s exit. But facing military stalemate, well-armed jihadists and the world s worst humanitarian crisis, the United States is going along with international diplomatic efforts that could lead to more gradual change in Syria.
American support for a pair of diplomatic initiatives in Syria underscores the shifting views of how to end the civil...

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15 Jan 2015

ISIS Gaining Ground in Syria, Despite U.S. Strikes

ISIS continues to gain substantial ground in Syria, despite nearly 800 airstrikes in the American-led campaign to break its grip there. At least one-third of the country's territory is now under ISIS influence, with recent gains in rural areas that can serve as a conduit to major cities that the so-called Islamic State hopes to eventually claim as part of its caliphate. Moustafa, the CDS political adviser, blamed ISIS territorial gains on a lack of "strategic coordination between coalition strikes and moderate forces inside Syria, meaning that the Free Syrian Army and aligned groups cannot use the strikes to retake territory." Further, Moustafa told The Daily Beast, coalition strikes have given other extremist groups sympathy for ISIS.
ISIS continues to gain substantial ground in Syria, despite nearly 800 airstrikes in the American-led campaign to break...
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8 Jan 2015

Assad Regime Used Chemical Weapons on Towns and Villages – International Inspectors

International inspectors have confirmed that President Assad s forces used chemical weapons on towns and villages in northwest and central Syria in spring 2014. In a 117-page report, obtained by Al Jazeera and the Associated Press, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons confirmed that chlorine gas was used in the attacks in Idlib and Hama Provinces.
International inspectors have confirmed that President Assad s forces used chemical weapons on towns and villages in...

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7 Jan 2015

Report reaffirms Syria chemical weapons use

The 117-page report offers the most detailed findings to date regarding the use of chemical weapons in Syria, but does not say which side used them. It focuses on three Syrian villages, two in Idlib and one in Hama, where it says there is a "high degree of certainty" chlorine gas was used against the Syrian people.
The 117-page report offers the most detailed findings to date regarding the use of chemical weapons in Syria, but does...

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4 Jan 2015

With 80,000 Civilians Killed, It is Time for a No-Fly Zone

For the entire conflict, the Violations Documentation Center in Syria has recorded 78,867 civilians killed to date, greater than the recorded number of British civilians killed in the Second World War. The VDC is unable to record all violent deaths. By comparing their numbers to the UN s most recent minimum count, it appears the true figure of civilians violently killed in Syria since March 2011 may well be over 137,000. All violent deaths, civilian and military, are now well over 200,000.
For the entire conflict, the Violations Documentation Center in Syria has recorded 78,867 civilians killed to date,...

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4 Jan 2015

With 80,000 Civilians Killed, It is Time for a No-Fly Zone

For the entire conflict, the Violations Documentation Center in Syria has recorded 78,867 civilians killed to date, greater than the recorded number of British civilians killed in the Second World War. The VDC is unable to record all violent deaths. By comparing their numbers to the UN s most recent minimum count, it appears the true figure of civilians violently killed in Syria since March 2011 may well be over 137,000. All violent deaths, civilian and military, are now well over 200,000.
For the entire conflict, the Violations Documentation Center in Syria has recorded 78,867 civilians killed to date,...

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4 Jan 2015

Protests from Homs to Aleppo

Video from Friday points to protests in Syria from Homs to Aleppo, demanding a lifting to regime sieges and expressing support for insurgents. In the al-Waer section of Homs, the last part of the city with insurgents, residents demanded that the months-long siege be removed: The Syrian military has cut off supplies and food to the district, with at least 90,000 people, and carried out a sustained bombardment. Insurgents evacuated other parts of Homs, Syria s 3rd-largest city, last spring.
Video from Friday points to protests in Syria from Homs to Aleppo, demanding a lifting to regime sieges and expressing...

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29 Dec 2014

ISIL ‘killed foreign fighters in its ranks’

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has killed 120 of its own members, most of them foreign fighters trying to return home, during the past six months, a Syrian monitoring group has said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Sunday that the group also killed 1,175 civilians, including eight women and four children, in the same period.
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has killed 120 of its own members, most of them foreign fighters trying...

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28 Dec 2014

Syria ‘ready’ for peace talks with opposition

Syria is ready to meet the country's opposition in Moscow in an effort to find a way out of the nearly four-year civil war, a government official has said. "Syria is ready to participate in a preliminary and consultative meeting in Moscow to respond to the aspirations of Syrians who are trying to find a solution to the crisis," the Foreign Ministry official said on Saturday, quoted by SANA state news agency.
Syria is ready to meet the country's opposition in Moscow in an effort to find a way out of the nearly four-year civil...

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27 Dec 2014

Assad orders Christmas Day strike on Islamic State territory

Forces loyal to embattled Syrian president Bashar Assad have engaged in a bombardment of territory under the control of Islamic State militants over the last 48 hours, killing roughly 40 people, according to local reports.
Forces loyal to embattled Syrian president Bashar Assad have engaged in a bombardment of territory under the control of...

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15 Dec 2014

2 Military Bases in Syria Fall to Rebels

Two important Syrian military bases in Idlib Province, under rebel siege for two years, fell on Monday to insurgents led by the Nusra Front, the Islamist militant group aligned with Al Qaeda, fighters and activist groups monitoring the conflict reported. The Nusra fighters appeared to have achieved the victory partly by using American TOW antitank missiles they had captured from more moderate antigovernment fighters backed by the United States, another sign that those fighters are struggling to regain the initiative from extremist groups.
Two important Syrian military bases in Idlib Province, under rebel siege for two years, fell on Monday to insurgents led...
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20 Nov 2014

More Than a Battle, Kobani Is a Publicity War

The town is virtually deserted of all but fighters, with Kurds holding one side of town under American air cover, and militants the other. The United States and its allies have poured more bombs into Kobani than anywhere else in the fight against the group. And the militants leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, reportedly sent one of his top commanders, known as the group s minister of war, to Kobani, where more Islamic State fighters have died than on any other battlefield.
The town is virtually deserted of all but fighters, with Kurds holding one side of town under American air cover, and...

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3 Nov 2014

Isis fighters capture second Syrian gas field in a week

Islamic State (Isis) fighters in Syria claim they have taken control of a gas field in the central province of Homs, the second it has seized in a week after battles with government forces. The hardline Sunni Islamist group posted 18 photos on social media showing the Islamic State flag raised in the Jahar gas field as well as captured vehicles and weaponry, according to the Site jihadi website monitoring service.
Islamic State (Isis) fighters in Syria claim they have taken control of a gas field in the central province of Homs, the...
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30 Oct 2014

Scores killed in Syria barrel bomb ‘massacre’

At least 60 people have been killed and dozens injured, activists say, after a Syrian government helicopter dropped two barrel bombs on a camp for people displaced by fighting in the country's north, charring some bodies beyond recognition. The bombs were dropped on a camp near al-Habeet in the northern province of Idlib on Wednesday, mostly killing women and children at the camp, an activist told Al Jazeera.
At least 60 people have been killed and dozens injured, activists say, after a Syrian government helicopter dropped two...

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29 Oct 2014

Iraqi Peshmerga set to join Kobane battle

About 80 Iraqi Peshmerga fighters have arrived in Turkey enroute to the besieged Syrian town of Kobane to help fellow Kurds in their battle against the ISIL. They flew into the airport at Urfa and are bound for Suruc on the border with Syria. Another convoy of 70 fighters is waiting on the Iraq-Turkey border, waiting for permits to enter Turkey for their onward journey to Kobane.
About 80 Iraqi Peshmerga fighters have arrived in Turkey enroute to the besieged Syrian town of Kobane to help fellow...
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25 Oct 2014

Kurdish fighters regain ground in Kobane

Kurdish fighters have retaken a hill near Kobane from ISIL fighters that could prove essential if further supply airdrops are made by the US and its allies. The hill to the west of the town was retaken overnight on Thursday with the help of an air attack, said Al Jazeera's Bernard Smith, reporting from the Turkey-Syria border. Smith said the hill had been lost to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group on October 22, but was retaken in clashes overnight.
Kurdish fighters have retaken a hill near Kobane from ISIL fighters that could prove essential if further supply...
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25 Oct 2014

Kurds fear Isis use of chemical weapon in Kobani

Kurds battling Islamic State militants for control of Kobani fear the extremist group may have used an unidentified chemical weapon, according to officials and one of the few doctors still working in the besieged Syrian town. Patients with blisters, burning eyes and breathing difficulties turned up at a clinic after a blast was heard on Tuesday evening, Dr Walat Omar said. He described the symptoms as abnormal and said he could not identify their cause, but suspected a chemical weapon.
Kurds battling Islamic State militants for control of Kobani fear the extremist group may have used an unidentified...

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21 Oct 2014

Syria tribal revolt against Islamic State ignored, fueling resentment

The cost of turning against the Islamic State was made brutally apparent in the streets of a dusty backwater town in eastern Syria in early August. Over a three-day period, vengeful fighters shelled, beheaded, crucified and shot hundreds of members of the Shaitat tribe after they dared to rise up against the extremists. By the time the killing stopped, 700 people were dead, activists and survivors say, making this the bloodiest single atrocity committed by the Islamic State in Syria since it declared its existence 18 months ago.
The cost of turning against the Islamic State was made brutally apparent in the streets of a dusty backwater town in...
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20 Oct 2014

Islamic State takes heavy losses in battle for Syria’s Kobane

The Islamic State group was taking heavy losses in the Syrian battleground of Kobane on Sunday as Iraqi forces fought the jihadists buoyed by US backing for top government security appointments. US secretary of state John Kerry said the appointment of defence and interior ministers after weeks of delay was a "very positive step forward" in the fightback against IS in Iraq, which Washington has made its priority.
The Islamic State group was taking heavy losses in the Syrian battleground of Kobane on Sunday as Iraqi forces fought...
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