Russia launched a second day of air strikes against Syrian&nbsp;militants from an Iranian air base, rejecting US suggestions. 
 
State Department spokesman Mark Toner on Tuesday called the&nbsp;Iranian deployment &quot;unfortunate,&quot; saying the United States was 
looking into whether the move violated UN Security Council&nbsp;resolution 2231, which prohibits the supply, sale and transfer of 
combat aircraft to Iran. 
 
Russia bristled at those comments on Wednesday after announcing&nbsp;that Russian SU-34 fighter bombers flying from Iran&#39;s Hamadan air&nbsp;base had for a second day struck Islamic State targets in Syria&#39;s&nbsp;Deir al-Zor province, destroying two command posts and killing&nbsp;more than 150 militants. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s not our practice to give advice to the leadership of the&nbsp;US State Department,&quot; Major-General Igor Konashenkov said in a&nbsp;statement. 
 
&quot;But it&#39;s hard to refrain from recommending individual State&nbsp;Department representatives check their own logic and knowledge of&nbsp;basic documents covering international law.&quot; 
 
Moscow first used Iran as a base from which to launch air strikes&nbsp;in Syria on Tuesday, deepening its involvement in the five-year-old Syrian civil war and angering the United States. 
 
Russia&#39;s use of the Iranian air base comes amid intense fighting&nbsp;for the Syrian city of Aleppo, where rebels are battling Syrian&nbsp;government forces backed by the Russian military, and as Moscow&nbsp;and Washington are working towards a deal on Syria that could see&nbsp;them cooperate more closely. 
 
Russia backs Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, while the United&nbsp;States believes the Syrian leader must step down and is supporting&nbsp;rebel groups that are fighting to unseat him. 
 
On Wednesday the State Department reiterated its concern, saying&nbsp;Russia&#39;s use of the Iranian base &quot;doesn&#39;t help&quot; reach a cessation&nbsp;of hostilities in Syria and that U.S. lawyers were still assessing&nbsp;whether it violated the UN resolution. 
 
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier any US&nbsp;dismay over Moscow&#39;s military co-operation with Iran should not&nbsp;distract from efforts to realise the U.S.-Russia deal on&nbsp;coordinating action in Syria and securing a ceasefire. 
 
Lavrov said there were no grounds to suggest Russia&#39;s actions had&nbsp;violated the UN resolution, saying Moscow was not supplying Iran&nbsp;with military aircraft for its own internal use, something the&nbsp;document prohibits. 
 
&quot;These aircraft are being used by Russia&#39;s air force with Iran&#39;s&nbsp;agreement as a part of an anti-terrorist operation at the request&nbsp;of Syria&#39;s leadership,&quot; Lavrov told a Moscow news conference,&nbsp;after holding talks with Murray McCully, New Zealand&#39;s foreign&nbsp;minister. 
 
(Reuters)

The US is looking into whether the move violates UN resolution prohibiting supply, sale and transfer of combat aircraft to Iran

Russia launched a second day of air strikes against Syrian militants from an Iranian air base, rejecting US suggestions. State Department spokesman Mark Toner on Tuesday called the Iranian deployment "unfortunate," saying the United States was looking into whether the move violated UN Security Council resolution 2231, which prohibits the supply, sale and transfer of combat aircraft to Iran. Russia bristled at those comments on Wednesday after announcing that Russian SU-34 fighter bombers flying from Iran's Hamadan air base had for a second day struck Islamic State targets in Syria's Deir al-Zor province, destroying two command posts and killing more than 150 militants. "It's not our practice to give advice to the leadership of the US State Department," Major-General Igor Konashenkov said in a statement. "But it's hard to refrain from recommending individual State Department representatives check their own logic and knowledge of basic documents covering international law." Moscow first used Iran as a base from which to launch air strikes in Syria on Tuesday, deepening its involvement in the five-year-old Syrian civil war and angering the United States. Russia's use of the Iranian air base comes amid intense fighting for the Syrian city of Aleppo, where rebels are battling Syrian government forces backed by the Russian military, and as Moscow and Washington are working towards a deal on Syria that could see them cooperate more closely. Russia backs Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, while the United States believes the Syrian leader must step down and is supporting rebel groups that are fighting to unseat him. On Wednesday the State Department reiterated its concern, saying Russia's use of the Iranian base "doesn't help" reach a cessation of hostilities in Syria and that U.S. lawyers were still assessing whether it violated the UN resolution. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier any US dismay over Moscow's military co-operation with Iran should not distract from efforts to realise the U.S.-Russia deal on coordinating action in Syria and securing a ceasefire. Lavrov said there were no grounds to suggest Russia's actions had violated the UN resolution, saying Moscow was not supplying Iran with military aircraft for its own internal use, something the document prohibits. "These aircraft are being used by Russia's air force with Iran's agreement as a part of an anti-terrorist operation at the request of Syria's leadership," Lavrov told a Moscow news conference, after holding talks with Murray McCully, New Zealand's foreign minister. (Reuters)

Russia ignores US suggestions, launches air strikes against Syrian militants from Iranian base

Syrian and Russian warplanes have repeatedly used incendiary weapons in &quot;disgraceful&quot; attacks on civilians in northern Syria, Human Rights Watch charged Tuesday. 
 
The rights group said it had documented the use of incendiary weapons at least 18 times since June that had resulted in more than a dozen injuries.&nbsp;There was &quot;compelling evidence&quot; that Russia was supporting Syrian government planes in those attacks, the New York-based watchdog said. 
 
&quot;The Syrian government and Russia should immediately stop attacking civilian areas with incendiary weapons,&quot; said HRW arms director Steve Goose.&nbsp;&quot;The disgraceful incendiary weapon attacks in Syria show an abject failure to adhere to international law restricting incendiary weapons,&quot; he said. 
 
When dropped from aircraft, incendiary weapons leave distinctive trails of explosives in the sky and trigger small, intense fires upon contact.&nbsp;They were used widely during the Vietnam war and are banned by the UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. 
 
HRW documented attacks with such weapons since early June, including two cases on August 7 that hit opposition-controlled parts of the cities of Aleppo and Idlib. 
 
&quot;I could clearly see the flames bursting,&quot; said Idlib resident Mohammad Taj Al-Din Othman, who supplied HRW with photos of the attack.&nbsp;&quot;Within 10 minutes, there were more strikes. The fire was unbelievable, it turned night into day.&quot; 
 
A civil defence volunteer told HRW: &quot;The fire took over everything, houses, cars, oil tanks, and even grass.&quot;&nbsp;The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said it too had documented the use of thermite, a type of incendiary substance, by Russian planes in Idlib, Aleppo and Deir Ezzor provinces, and Raqqa. 
 
And earlier this month, activists in Daraya, a besieged rebel-held town near Damascus, accused the regime of using banned chemical agent napalm against residents there.&nbsp;All sides of Syria&#39;s complex war have exchanged accusations of attacks against civilians and use of unconventional weapons, including chlorine and mustard gas. 
 
HRW said the use of incendiary weapons in Syria had &quot;increased significantly&quot; since Russia began its air war in support of Damascus on September 30, 2015.&nbsp;In a letter to HRW in November, Russia acknowledged that &quot;improper use&quot; of incendiary weapons had resulted in &quot;significant humanitarian damage&quot; in Syria. 
 
Since 2012, HRW has documented the use of four different incendiary weapons in Syria, all manufactured by the former Soviet Union.&nbsp;More than 290,000 people have been killed and millions forced to flee their homes since Syria&#39;s conflict erupted in March 2011. 
 
(AFP)

These were used widely during the Vietnam war, but are banned by the UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons

Syrian and Russian warplanes have repeatedly used incendiary weapons in "disgraceful" attacks on civilians in northern Syria, Human Rights Watch charged Tuesday. The rights group said it had documented the use of incendiary weapons at least 18 times since June that had resulted in more than a dozen injuries. There was "compelling evidence" that Russia was supporting Syrian government planes in those attacks, the New York-based watchdog said. "The Syrian government and Russia should immediately stop attacking civilian areas with incendiary weapons," said HRW arms director Steve Goose. "The disgraceful incendiary weapon attacks in Syria show an abject failure to adhere to international law restricting incendiary weapons," he said. When dropped from aircraft, incendiary weapons leave distinctive trails of explosives in the sky and trigger small, intense fires upon contact. They were used widely during the Vietnam war and are banned by the UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. HRW documented attacks with such weapons since early June, including two cases on August 7 that hit opposition-controlled parts of the cities of Aleppo and Idlib. "I could clearly see the flames bursting," said Idlib resident Mohammad Taj Al-Din Othman, who supplied HRW with photos of the attack. "Within 10 minutes, there were more strikes. The fire was unbelievable, it turned night into day." A civil defence volunteer told HRW: "The fire took over everything, houses, cars, oil tanks, and even grass." The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said it too had documented the use of thermite, a type of incendiary substance, by Russian planes in Idlib, Aleppo and Deir Ezzor provinces, and Raqqa. And earlier this month, activists in Daraya, a besieged rebel-held town near Damascus, accused the regime of using banned chemical agent napalm against residents there. All sides of Syria's complex war have exchanged accusations of attacks against civilians and use of unconventional weapons, including chlorine and mustard gas. HRW said the use of incendiary weapons in Syria had "increased significantly" since Russia began its air war in support of Damascus on September 30, 2015. In a letter to HRW in November, Russia acknowledged that "improper use" of incendiary weapons had resulted in "significant humanitarian damage" in Syria. Since 2012, HRW has documented the use of four different incendiary weapons in Syria, all manufactured by the former Soviet Union. More than 290,000 people have been killed and millions forced to flee their homes since Syria's conflict erupted in March 2011. (AFP)

Syrian, Russian warplanes repeatedly using incendiary weapons: Human Rights Watch

Russian warplanes on Tuesday flew a bombing run from an Iranian airstrip against jihadist groups in war-torn Syria, the defence ministry said. This is the first time Moscow has reported using an Iranian air base. 
 
The raids mark the first time that Russia has publicly stated that it has used a base in a Middle East country other than Syria since the Kremlin launched its bombing campaign in support of long-time ally Bashar al-Assad last September. 
 
&quot;On August 16 Tu-22M3 long-range bombers and Su-34 frontline bombers, flying with a full bomb load from the Hamedan air base (Islamic Republic of Iran), conducted a group air strike against targets of the Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist groups in the provinces of Aleppo, Deir Ezzor and Idlib,&quot; the ministry said in a statement. 
 
The strikes resulted in the destruction of &quot;five large warehouses with weapons, ammunition and fuel&quot; and jihadist training camps near Aleppo, Deir Ezzor, the village of Saraqeb in the Idlib region and Al-Bab, an IS-held town in Aleppo province, the statement said. 
 
The bombing also targeted three command centres near the village of Jafra and Deir Ezzor, killing &quot;a large number of fighters&quot;, Moscow added.&nbsp;Conducting its bombing raids from Iran will dramatically cut the time it takes Moscow&#39;s long-range bombers to reach Syria. They had recently been flying from a base in southern Russia. 
 
 
US cooperation? 
 
Moscow has used warplanes stationed at its Hmeimim airbase outside the Syrian coastal city of Latakia, as well as warships stationed in the Caspian Sea and a submarine in the Mediterranean Sea to launch cruise missile attacks on Syrian territory.&nbsp;A Russian senator last week said the country was mulling plans to expand its airbase in Syria into a permanent military facility. 
 
An unnamed military source also told Interfax news agency Monday that the Russian army had sent requests to Iran and Iraq to fire cruise missiles across their airspace.&nbsp;Iran and Russia are the two firmest backers of the Assad regime, and have opposed international calls for the Syrian leader to step down in a bid to resolve a civil war that has killed more than 290,000 people since it erupted in March 2011. 
 
Iran is Assad&#39;s main regional ally and has provided steady military, financial, and political support to the regime.&nbsp;Russian deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov was in Tehran on Monday, where he discussed the &quot;high mutual interest&quot; of deeper cooperation between Russia and Iran in the Middle East, the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement. 
 
Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu claimed separately in comments aired on Monday that Russia and the United States are also close to joining forces around Syria&#39;s ravaged second city of Aleppo, where Russian planes and regime forces are battling rebels for control. 
 
But in Washington, State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau refused to confirm any collaboration.&nbsp;A senior Russian diplomat in Geneva, Alexei Borodavkin, told Interfax Monday that the Russian and American militaries were in the process of &quot;agreeing some concrete practical issues&quot; regarding humanitarian aid deliveries to the city. 
 
Fighting for Aleppo has intensified after regime troops seized control of the last supply route into rebel-held areas in mid-July.&nbsp;The increased fighting has raised concerns for the estimated 1.5 million civilians still in Aleppo, including some 250,000 in rebel-held areas. 
 
(AFP)

This is the first time Moscow has ever publicly admitted it has used an air base in a Middle Eastern country other than Syria

Russian warplanes on Tuesday flew a bombing run from an Iranian airstrip against jihadist groups in war-torn Syria, the defence ministry said. This is the first time Moscow has reported using an Iranian air base. The raids mark the first time that Russia has publicly stated that it has used a base in a Middle East country other than Syria since the Kremlin launched its bombing campaign in support of long-time ally Bashar al-Assad last September. "On August 16 Tu-22M3 long-range bombers and Su-34 frontline bombers, flying with a full bomb load from the Hamedan air base (Islamic Republic of Iran), conducted a group air strike against targets of the Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist groups in the provinces of Aleppo, Deir Ezzor and Idlib," the ministry said in a statement. The strikes resulted in the destruction of "five large warehouses with weapons, ammunition and fuel" and jihadist training camps near Aleppo, Deir Ezzor, the village of Saraqeb in the Idlib region and Al-Bab, an IS-held town in Aleppo province, the statement said. The bombing also targeted three command centres near the village of Jafra and Deir Ezzor, killing "a large number of fighters", Moscow added. Conducting its bombing raids from Iran will dramatically cut the time it takes Moscow's long-range bombers to reach Syria. They had recently been flying from a base in southern Russia. US cooperation? Moscow has used warplanes stationed at its Hmeimim airbase outside the Syrian coastal city of Latakia, as well as warships stationed in the Caspian Sea and a submarine in the Mediterranean Sea to launch cruise missile attacks on Syrian territory. A Russian senator last week said the country was mulling plans to expand its airbase in Syria into a permanent military facility. An unnamed military source also told Interfax news agency Monday that the Russian army had sent requests to Iran and Iraq to fire cruise missiles across their airspace. Iran and Russia are the two firmest backers of the Assad regime, and have opposed international calls for the Syrian leader to step down in a bid to resolve a civil war that has killed more than 290,000 people since it erupted in March 2011. Iran is Assad's main regional ally and has provided steady military, financial, and political support to the regime. Russian deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov was in Tehran on Monday, where he discussed the "high mutual interest" of deeper cooperation between Russia and Iran in the Middle East, the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement. Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu claimed separately in comments aired on Monday that Russia and the United States are also close to joining forces around Syria's ravaged second city of Aleppo, where Russian planes and regime forces are battling rebels for control. But in Washington, State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau refused to confirm any collaboration. A senior Russian diplomat in Geneva, Alexei Borodavkin, told Interfax Monday that the Russian and American militaries were in the process of "agreeing some concrete practical issues" regarding humanitarian aid deliveries to the city. Fighting for Aleppo has intensified after regime troops seized control of the last supply route into rebel-held areas in mid-July. The increased fighting has raised concerns for the estimated 1.5 million civilians still in Aleppo, including some 250,000 in rebel-held areas. (AFP)

Russia uses Iran's airstrip to bomb jihadists in Syria

Thousands of displaced residents streamed back into the northern Syrian town of Manbij on Saturday &nbsp;after US-backed fighters ousted the last Islamic State militants from their former stronghold, residents and US allies said.

The US-backed Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) announced on Friday that they had seized full control of the city near the Turkish border after the departure of the last of the militants, who had been using civilians as human shields.

SDF forces were seen dancing out of jubilation after they drove IS militant out of the city. They have been searching for mines, which had been planted in the residential areas and injured many civilians, and the possibility of sleeper cells.

The remaining militants fled to Jarabulus, which is under the control of IS and it is located on the Turkish borders, taking with them around 2,000 civilians by force to avoid the strikes of the international coalition.

However, after the IS members arrived in Jarabulus, a number of civilians managed to return to Manbij.

Smiling civilians in Manbij on Friday and Saturday were making victory gestures and carrying out small acts of defiance, unthinkable under the rigours of Islamic State rule.

One woman trampled on her abaya, the Arab gown, while a girl described life under Islamic State.

&quot;Two of my cousins, one was killed and the other one, thank God, returned but he lost his eye. My brother Zaid died; my brother Zaid passed away. They dressed my aunt in black and everyone got bored of the black including the abaya, gloves and socks, everything and I cannot understand anything and they took her covered into the prison. May God hold them to account. Bread and water are in turn,&quot; Hasnah Abdullah said.

Other civilians could be seen clearly in a state of distress.

The town bustled trucks bringing in supplies and civilian could be seen carrying foodstuffs.

The Manbij operation in which US special forces have played a significant role on the ground marks the most ambitious advance by a group allied to Washington in Syria since the United States launched its military campaign against Islamic State two years ago.

Manbij&#39;s loss to the militants is a big blow as it is of strategic importance, serving as a conduit for transit of foreign jihadists and provisions coming from the Turkish border. 
 
(Reuters)

As displaced people returned to their homes, they were seen carrying out acts of defiance once unthinkable under IS's oppressive rule

Thousands of displaced residents streamed back into the northern Syrian town of Manbij on Saturday after US-backed fighters ousted the last Islamic State militants from their former stronghold, residents and US allies said. The US-backed Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) announced on Friday that they had seized full control of the city near the Turkish border after the departure of the last of the militants, who had been using civilians as human shields. SDF forces were seen dancing out of jubilation after they drove IS militant out of the city. They have been searching for mines, which had been planted in the residential areas and injured many civilians, and the possibility of sleeper cells. The remaining militants fled to Jarabulus, which is under the control of IS and it is located on the Turkish borders, taking with them around 2,000 civilians by force to avoid the strikes of the international coalition. However, after the IS members arrived in Jarabulus, a number of civilians managed to return to Manbij. Smiling civilians in Manbij on Friday and Saturday were making victory gestures and carrying out small acts of defiance, unthinkable under the rigours of Islamic State rule. One woman trampled on her abaya, the Arab gown, while a girl described life under Islamic State. "Two of my cousins, one was killed and the other one, thank God, returned but he lost his eye. My brother Zaid died; my brother Zaid passed away. They dressed my aunt in black and everyone got bored of the black including the abaya, gloves and socks, everything and I cannot understand anything and they took her covered into the prison. May God hold them to account. Bread and water are in turn," Hasnah Abdullah said. Other civilians could be seen clearly in a state of distress. The town bustled trucks bringing in supplies and civilian could be seen carrying foodstuffs. The Manbij operation in which US special forces have played a significant role on the ground marks the most ambitious advance by a group allied to Washington in Syria since the United States launched its military campaign against Islamic State two years ago. Manbij's loss to the militants is a big blow as it is of strategic importance, serving as a conduit for transit of foreign jihadists and provisions coming from the Turkish border. (Reuters)

Hope rebounds in Manbij after IS routed out of Syria town

Iraqi forces raised Friday the national flag over the government compound in Fallujah nearly four weeks into an offensive to rout the jihadists from their main Iraq bastion.

The following is a timeline of events from the breakthrough by IS fighters in 2014 to the latest government counter-attack.

2014: Jihadist&nbsp;breakthrough 
 
On January 4, Iraq loses its first key town since the US-led invasion of 2003. Fighters of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and their allies capturing Fallujah and parts of Ramadi, west of Baghdad.

The vast Anbar province that surrounds the two&nbsp;towns&nbsp;is predominantly Sunni Muslim and fiercely resisted US troops when they occupied Iraq.

On June 9, the jihadists capture Mosul, the second largest Iraqi city in the north and declare an Islamic caliphate on June 29, calling itself the Islamic State group.

The jihadists also control Tikrit, home town of executed dictator Saddam Hussein north of Baghdad, and large parts of the country up to Iraqi Kurdistan. IS drives out tens of thousands of Iraqi Christians and Yazidis, a Kurdish-speaking non-Muslim minority that lives around Sinjar near the border with Syria.

On August 8, the United States launches air strikes against IS and a month later has created a coalition to target the group in Iraq and Syria.

2015: Counter-offensives 
 
On March 31, Iraqi troops and Shiite militias backed by neighbouring Iran recapture Tikrit.

By May 17, however, IS completely controls Anbar provincial capital Ramadi which stretches west to Syria where IS has declared a de-facto capital in Raqa. 
 
Later in the year, Iraqi forces and coalition air strikes begin driving IS back, and by mid-October they have recaptured Baiji and its strategic refinery north of Baghdad.

Kurdish forces backed by air strikes recapture Sinjar on November 13, severing an IS supply route between Iraq and Syria. Coalition strikes intensify after November 13, when attacks claimed by IS kill 130 people in France.

On December 27, Iraqi forces say they have&nbsp;liberated&nbsp;Ramadi, their biggest victory against IS to date. But the city is not totally cleared until February 9, 2016.

2016: Fallujah and Mosul 
 
The government focuses on recapturing Fallujah and Mosul, IS&#39;s last strongholds in Iraq.

In April, Washington says it will send attack helicopters and another 200 soldiers to train and assist Iraqi troops, bringing the total number of US military personnel in Iraq to more than 4,000.

On March 24, the army and allied militia begin an offensive in the northern Nineveh province around Mosul, making slow progress. On May 29, Kurdish peshmerga fighters backed by the international coalition recapture several villages east of Mosul.

To the south, coalition-backed Iraqi troops begin to squeeze Fallujah in March and capture Heet and Rutba,&nbsp;towns&nbsp;which control supply routes between Iraq and Syria. 
 
On May 22-23, they begin an offensive to retake Fallujah, where an estimated 50,000 people still live.

IS strikes back with suicide attacks in Baghdad and elsewhere, but is now estimated to control just 14 percent of Iraq, down from a peak of 40 percent in 2014.

On May 30, elite troops begin a three-pronged dawn assault on Fallujah city.

On June 17, they raise the Iraqi flag above the main government compound. Operation commander Lieutenant General Abdulwahab al-Saadi says 70 percent of the city has been&nbsp;liberated.

The loss of Fallujah -- which lies just 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of Baghdad -- would leave Mosul as the only major Iraqi city under IS control. 
 
(AFP)

A timeline of events from the breakthrough by IS fighters in 2014 to the latest government counter-attack

Iraqi forces raised Friday the national flag over the government compound in Fallujah nearly four weeks into an offensive to rout the jihadists from their main Iraq bastion. The following is a timeline of events from the breakthrough by IS fighters in 2014 to the latest government counter-attack. 2014: Jihadist breakthrough On January 4, Iraq loses its first key town since the US-led invasion of 2003. Fighters of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and their allies capturing Fallujah and parts of Ramadi, west of Baghdad. The vast Anbar province that surrounds the two towns is predominantly Sunni Muslim and fiercely resisted US troops when they occupied Iraq. On June 9, the jihadists capture Mosul, the second largest Iraqi city in the north and declare an Islamic caliphate on June 29, calling itself the Islamic State group. The jihadists also control Tikrit, home town of executed dictator Saddam Hussein north of Baghdad, and large parts of the country up to Iraqi Kurdistan. IS drives out tens of thousands of Iraqi Christians and Yazidis, a Kurdish-speaking non-Muslim minority that lives around Sinjar near the border with Syria. On August 8, the United States launches air strikes against IS and a month later has created a coalition to target the group in Iraq and Syria. 2015: Counter-offensives On March 31, Iraqi troops and Shiite militias backed by neighbouring Iran recapture Tikrit. By May 17, however, IS completely controls Anbar provincial capital Ramadi which stretches west to Syria where IS has declared a de-facto capital in Raqa. Later in the year, Iraqi forces and coalition air strikes begin driving IS back, and by mid-October they have recaptured Baiji and its strategic refinery north of Baghdad. Kurdish forces backed by air strikes recapture Sinjar on November 13, severing an IS supply route between Iraq and Syria. Coalition strikes intensify after November 13, when attacks claimed by IS kill 130 people in France. On December 27, Iraqi forces say they have liberated Ramadi, their biggest victory against IS to date. But the city is not totally cleared until February 9, 2016. 2016: Fallujah and Mosul The government focuses on recapturing Fallujah and Mosul, IS's last strongholds in Iraq. In April, Washington says it will send attack helicopters and another 200 soldiers to train and assist Iraqi troops, bringing the total number of US military personnel in Iraq to more than 4,000. On March 24, the army and allied militia begin an offensive in the northern Nineveh province around Mosul, making slow progress. On May 29, Kurdish peshmerga fighters backed by the international coalition recapture several villages east of Mosul. To the south, coalition-backed Iraqi troops begin to squeeze Fallujah in March and capture Heet and Rutba, towns which control supply routes between Iraq and Syria. On May 22-23, they begin an offensive to retake Fallujah, where an estimated 50,000 people still live. IS strikes back with suicide attacks in Baghdad and elsewhere, but is now estimated to control just 14 percent of Iraq, down from a peak of 40 percent in 2014. On May 30, elite troops begin a three-pronged dawn assault on Fallujah city. On June 17, they raise the Iraqi flag above the main government compound. Operation commander Lieutenant General Abdulwahab al-Saadi says 70 percent of the city has been liberated. The loss of Fallujah -- which lies just 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of Baghdad -- would leave Mosul as the only major Iraqi city under IS control. (AFP)

Iraq: From IS gains to battle for Fallujah

Islamic State group fighters seized around 2,000 civilians to use as &quot;human shields&quot; on Friday as they fled their stronghold of Manbij in northern Syria, US-backed forces and a monitor said. 
 
The Arab-Kurdish alliance known as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) expelled most of the IS fighters from the town last week, but a small number remained. 
 
&quot;While withdrawing from a district of Manbij, Daesh (IS) jihadists abducted around 2,000 civilians from Al-Sirb neighbourhood,&quot; said Sherfan Darwish, spokesman for the Manbij Military Council, a key component of the SDF. 
 
&quot;They used these civilians as human shields as they withdrew to Jarabulus, thus preventing us from targeting them,&quot; he added.&nbsp;Al-Sirb is a district in northern Manbij on the way to the IS-held border town of Jarabulus in Aleppo province near the border with Turkey. 
 
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on sources on the ground to cover the conflict, also reported that IS had abducted around 2,000 civilians as they fled Manbij.&nbsp;It said the civilians were placed in hundreds of cars that then headed for Jarabulus. 
 
Darwish said the civilians who were taken were residents of Al-Sirb and other districts, including a central neighbourhood known as the &quot;security quarter&quot; in the centre of Manbij. 
 
It was not immediately clear how many jihadists fled from the town, but reports last week after the SDF forces took Manbij said that dozens of IS fighters were holed up in the &quot;security quarter&quot;.&nbsp;Darwish said that around 2,500 other civilians &quot;held captive by the jihadists were saved&quot; by the SDF. 
 
The US-backed forces were meanwhile combing Al-Sirb on Friday for jihadists who could still be in the neighbourhood, he added.&nbsp;With air support from the US-led coalition, the SDF began its assault on Manbij on May 31, surging into the town itself three weeks later. 
 
But their offensive was slowed by a massive jihadist fightback using suicide attackers and car bombs, before a major push last week saw the SDF seize 90 per cent of the town. 
 
Tens of thousands of people lived in Manbij before the assault started in May.&nbsp;The United Nations has said that more than 78,000 people have been displaced since then. 
 
Manbij had served as a key transit point along IS&#39;s supply route from the Turkish border to Raqa, the de facto capital of its self-styled Islamic &quot;caliphate&quot;.&nbsp;The Britain-based Observatory says that the battle for Manbij has claimed the lives of at 437 civilians, including 105 children, and killed 299 SDF fighters and 1,019 jihadists. 
 
(AFP)

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the civilians were placed in hundreds of cars that then headed for Jarabulus

Islamic State group fighters seized around 2,000 civilians to use as "human shields" on Friday as they fled their stronghold of Manbij in northern Syria, US-backed forces and a monitor said. The Arab-Kurdish alliance known as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) expelled most of the IS fighters from the town last week, but a small number remained. "While withdrawing from a district of Manbij, Daesh (IS) jihadists abducted around 2,000 civilians from Al-Sirb neighbourhood," said Sherfan Darwish, spokesman for the Manbij Military Council, a key component of the SDF. "They used these civilians as human shields as they withdrew to Jarabulus, thus preventing us from targeting them," he added. Al-Sirb is a district in northern Manbij on the way to the IS-held border town of Jarabulus in Aleppo province near the border with Turkey. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on sources on the ground to cover the conflict, also reported that IS had abducted around 2,000 civilians as they fled Manbij. It said the civilians were placed in hundreds of cars that then headed for Jarabulus. Darwish said the civilians who were taken were residents of Al-Sirb and other districts, including a central neighbourhood known as the "security quarter" in the centre of Manbij. It was not immediately clear how many jihadists fled from the town, but reports last week after the SDF forces took Manbij said that dozens of IS fighters were holed up in the "security quarter". Darwish said that around 2,500 other civilians "held captive by the jihadists were saved" by the SDF. The US-backed forces were meanwhile combing Al-Sirb on Friday for jihadists who could still be in the neighbourhood, he added. With air support from the US-led coalition, the SDF began its assault on Manbij on May 31, surging into the town itself three weeks later. But their offensive was slowed by a massive jihadist fightback using suicide attackers and car bombs, before a major push last week saw the SDF seize 90 per cent of the town. Tens of thousands of people lived in Manbij before the assault started in May. The United Nations has said that more than 78,000 people have been displaced since then. Manbij had served as a key transit point along IS's supply route from the Turkish border to Raqa, the de facto capital of its self-styled Islamic "caliphate". The Britain-based Observatory says that the battle for Manbij has claimed the lives of at 437 civilians, including 105 children, and killed 299 SDF fighters and 1,019 jihadists. (AFP)

Islamic State abducts around 2,000 civilians to use as 'human shields'

Syrian doctors in opposition districts of Aleppo have accused the United States of inaction in the face of repeated atrocities in the devastated city. 
 
In a heart-wrenching letter addressed to US President Barack Obama, 15 of the 35 doctors in eastern neighbourhoods of Syria&#39;s second city warned the situation would be desperate for civilians if regime forces re-impose a siege. 
 
On Saturday, rebels and allied jihadists broke a three-week government encirclement that had left residents of eastern Aleppo reeling from skyrocketing prices and food shortages. 
 
But the pediatricians, surgeons, and other physicians who signed the letter said the situation remained dire. 
 
&quot;Unless a permanent lifeline to Aleppo is opened it will be only a matter of time until we are again surrounded by regime troops, hunger takes hold and hospitals&#39; supplies run completely dry.&quot; 
 
The letter lambasts the US, saying it had seen &quot;no effort on behalf of the United States to lift the siege or even use its influence to push the parties to protect civilians.&quot; 
 
&quot;We do not need tears or sympathy or even prayers, we need your action. Prove that you are the friend of Syrians.&quot; 
 
The World Health Organization said Syria was the most dangerous place for health care workers to operate last year, with 135 attacks on health facilities and workers in 2015. 
 
An estimated 250,000 people still live in the rebel-held eastern parts, with around 1.2 million in the government-controlled west. 
 
Rebels and regime forces are amassing fighters around Aleppo ahead of what is likely to be a protracted battle for the northern city, whose hospitals and other civilian infrastructure have been ravaged by violence since mid-2012. 
 
In late July, four makeshift hospitals and a blood bank in Aleppo city were hit by air raids in a single day. 
 
Many of the signatories to the letter worked at those hospitals, where medicine is scarce and sandbags line the entrances. 
&quot;What pains us most, as doctors, is choosing who will live and who will die,&quot; the doctors wrote. 
 
&quot;Young children are sometimes brought into our emergency rooms so badly injured that we have to prioritise those with better chances, or simply don&#39;t have the equipment to help them.&quot; 
 
The doctors lamented that for five years, they had &quot;borne witness as countless patients, friends and colleagues suffered violent, tormented deaths.&quot; 
 
One attack two weeks ago left four newborn babies dead after the force of the blast cut off the oxygen supply to their incubator. 
&quot;Gasping for air, their lives ended before they had really begun. &quot; 
 
(AFP)

In the letter 15 doctors from Aleppo have warned the situation would be desperate for civilians if regime forces re-impose a siege

Syrian doctors in opposition districts of Aleppo have accused the United States of inaction in the face of repeated atrocities in the devastated city. In a heart-wrenching letter addressed to US President Barack Obama, 15 of the 35 doctors in eastern neighbourhoods of Syria's second city warned the situation would be desperate for civilians if regime forces re-impose a siege. On Saturday, rebels and allied jihadists broke a three-week government encirclement that had left residents of eastern Aleppo reeling from skyrocketing prices and food shortages. But the pediatricians, surgeons, and other physicians who signed the letter said the situation remained dire. "Unless a permanent lifeline to Aleppo is opened it will be only a matter of time until we are again surrounded by regime troops, hunger takes hold and hospitals' supplies run completely dry." The letter lambasts the US, saying it had seen "no effort on behalf of the United States to lift the siege or even use its influence to push the parties to protect civilians." "We do not need tears or sympathy or even prayers, we need your action. Prove that you are the friend of Syrians." The World Health Organization said Syria was the most dangerous place for health care workers to operate last year, with 135 attacks on health facilities and workers in 2015. An estimated 250,000 people still live in the rebel-held eastern parts, with around 1.2 million in the government-controlled west. Rebels and regime forces are amassing fighters around Aleppo ahead of what is likely to be a protracted battle for the northern city, whose hospitals and other civilian infrastructure have been ravaged by violence since mid-2012. In late July, four makeshift hospitals and a blood bank in Aleppo city were hit by air raids in a single day. Many of the signatories to the letter worked at those hospitals, where medicine is scarce and sandbags line the entrances. "What pains us most, as doctors, is choosing who will live and who will die," the doctors wrote. "Young children are sometimes brought into our emergency rooms so badly injured that we have to prioritise those with better chances, or simply don't have the equipment to help them." The doctors lamented that for five years, they had "borne witness as countless patients, friends and colleagues suffered violent, tormented deaths." One attack two weeks ago left four newborn babies dead after the force of the blast cut off the oxygen supply to their incubator. "Gasping for air, their lives ended before they had really begun. " (AFP)

Syrian doctors write to Obama over Aleppo siege

<div>Russia said on Wednesday there would be daily three-hour&nbsp;ceasefires in Syria&#39;s Aleppo starting Thursday to allow humanitarian&nbsp;convoys to enter the city safely, a proposal which the United Nations&nbsp;said it would consider. 
 
Aleppo is split into rebel and government controlled areas. The&nbsp;rebel-held east, where about 250,000 people are thought to be&nbsp;living, came under siege in early July after government forces cut the,&nbsp;Castello Road, the main supply route into the district. 
 
Last Friday rebels staged a major assault southwest of Aleppo to&nbsp;break this siege. Rebel fighters did manage to pierce the ring of&nbsp;government-controlled territory, but a safe corridor for civilians and&nbsp;aid has not yet been established as fierce fighting continues.&nbsp;Speaking at a televised briefing, Lieutenant-General Sergei Rudskoi,&nbsp;a senior Russian Defence Ministry official, said that the pause in&nbsp;fighting would run from 10 am to 1 pm local time. 
 
Rudskoi said the question of joint control over delivery of&nbsp;humanitarian aid via Castello Road was being discussed with the 
United Nations and the United States. 
 
He said &quot;all military action, air and artillery strikes&quot; would be halted&nbsp;for the three-hour periods. 
 
&quot;This is to ensure that all interested organisations have the&nbsp;opportunity to deliver their humanitarian assistance to the&nbsp;residents of Aleppo,&quot; Rudskoi said. 
 
He added that Russia, an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad&nbsp;against rebels in Syria&#39;s five-year-old civil war, would work with 
Damascus to ensure safe delivery of the aid.&nbsp;A spokesman for a major rebel group fighting inside Aleppo told&nbsp;Reuters it was sceptical of the Russian plan. 
 
&quot;Is this publicity that Russia is a neutral party? What is three hours?&nbsp;In those three hours they will just be bombing (rebel-held) Idlib!&quot;, 
said Abd al-Salaam Abd al-Razzaq, military spokesman for the Nour&nbsp;al Din al-Zinki insurgent group. 
 
Air strikes killed at least 19 people and wounded dozens in rebel-held Idlib province, southwest of Aleppo, on Wednesday. One Idlib 
town, Saraqeb, has received daily heavy air strikes since a Russian&nbsp;helicopter was shot down nearby 10 days ago. 
 
QUARTER OF A MILLION PEOPLE TRAPPED 
 
At least four people died and many suffered breathing difficulties&nbsp;when a gas, believed to be chlorine, was dropped alongside barrel&nbsp;bombs on a neighbourhood of the Syrian city of Aleppo on&nbsp;Wednesday, a hospital and a civil defence group told Reuters.&nbsp;Food supplies, infrastructure and medical services are immensely&nbsp;strained for the roughly 250,000 people believed to be trapped&nbsp;inside eastern Aleppo. 
 
United Nations aid chief Stephen O&#39;Brien said on Wednesday he was&nbsp;willing to consider the Russian plan, but that a 48-hour pause in&nbsp;fighting was needed to meet all the humanitarian needs in the Syrian&nbsp;city, Syria&#39;s most populous before the war.&nbsp;&quot;At all times I will look at any kind of suggestion which enables&nbsp;humanitarian aid to be delivered,&quot; he told reporters. 
 
&quot;When we&#39;re offered three hours then you have to ask what could be&nbsp;achieved in that three hours - is it to meet the need, or would it only&nbsp;just meet a very small part of the need?&nbsp;&quot;Clearly, from our point of view, we&rsquo;re simply there to meet the need,&nbsp;all the need...,&quot; O&#39;Brien said. &quot;To meet that capacity of need you need&nbsp;two (road) lanes and you need to have about 48 hours to get&nbsp;sufficient trucks in.&quot; 
 
He said last month that any Aleppo humanitarian pause needed to&nbsp;be 48 hours because the Castello Road was so damaged that only&nbsp;smaller trucks could be used, taking longer to deliver the assistance&nbsp;needed. 
 
In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau&nbsp;said the United States would welcome any pause in fighting in Syria&nbsp;to facilitate delivery of vital humanitarian aid, but a truce must be&nbsp;observed by all parties. 
 
Rudskoi said that a point for collecting the aid and forming convoys&nbsp;has been established near Handarat, on the northern outskirts of&nbsp;Aleppo. 
 
Two weeks ago Russia and the Syrian government declared a joint&nbsp;humanitarian operation for the besieged area, showering it with&nbsp;leaflets telling fighters to surrender and civilians to leave through a&nbsp;number of &quot;humanitarian corridors&quot; it had set up. 
 
Russian and Syrian warplanes have bombarded eastern Aleppo and&nbsp;other rebel-held areas of Syria daily for months and the United&nbsp;States suggested the humanitarian corridors plan may have been an&nbsp;attempt to depopulate the city so that the Syrian army could seize it. 
 
&quot;All seven humanitarian corridors, established for the exit of&nbsp;peaceful residents and militants who wanted to lay down their arms,&nbsp;are open and work around the clock,&quot; Rudskoi said. &quot;An additional&nbsp;humanitarian corridor for militants with weapons continues to&nbsp;operate near the Castello Road.&quot; 
 
He said that a &quot;number&quot; of armed groups, with weapons, had already&nbsp;left the eastern part of Aleppo through that corridor.&nbsp;Rudskoi said&nbsp;the situation in the southwest of Aleppo remains&nbsp;difficult, with about 7,000 Jabhat Fatah al-Sham militants massing&nbsp;there for the last week and still being joined by new combatants. He&nbsp;said the militants had tanks, artillery and combat vehicles with&nbsp;weapons mounted on them. 
 
(Reuters)</div>

Officials said that the pause in fighting would run from 10 am to 1 pm local time

Russia said on Wednesday there would be daily three-hour ceasefires in Syria's Aleppo starting Thursday to allow humanitarian convoys to enter the city safely, a proposal which the United Nations said it would consider. Aleppo is split into rebel and government controlled areas. The rebel-held east, where about 250,000 people are thought to be living, came under siege in early July after government forces cut the, Castello Road, the main supply route into the district. Last Friday rebels staged a major assault southwest of Aleppo to break this siege. Rebel fighters did manage to pierce the ring of government-controlled territory, but a safe corridor for civilians and aid has not yet been established as fierce fighting continues. Speaking at a televised briefing, Lieutenant-General Sergei Rudskoi, a senior Russian Defence Ministry official, said that the pause in fighting would run from 10 am to 1 pm local time. Rudskoi said the question of joint control over delivery of humanitarian aid via Castello Road was being discussed with the United Nations and the United States. He said "all military action, air and artillery strikes" would be halted for the three-hour periods. "This is to ensure that all interested organisations have the opportunity to deliver their humanitarian assistance to the residents of Aleppo," Rudskoi said. He added that Russia, an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad against rebels in Syria's five-year-old civil war, would work with Damascus to ensure safe delivery of the aid. A spokesman for a major rebel group fighting inside Aleppo told Reuters it was sceptical of the Russian plan. "Is this publicity that Russia is a neutral party? What is three hours? In those three hours they will just be bombing (rebel-held) Idlib!", said Abd al-Salaam Abd al-Razzaq, military spokesman for the Nour al Din al-Zinki insurgent group. Air strikes killed at least 19 people and wounded dozens in rebel-held Idlib province, southwest of Aleppo, on Wednesday. One Idlib town, Saraqeb, has received daily heavy air strikes since a Russian helicopter was shot down nearby 10 days ago. QUARTER OF A MILLION PEOPLE TRAPPED At least four people died and many suffered breathing difficulties when a gas, believed to be chlorine, was dropped alongside barrel bombs on a neighbourhood of the Syrian city of Aleppo on Wednesday, a hospital and a civil defence group told Reuters. Food supplies, infrastructure and medical services are immensely strained for the roughly 250,000 people believed to be trapped inside eastern Aleppo. United Nations aid chief Stephen O'Brien said on Wednesday he was willing to consider the Russian plan, but that a 48-hour pause in fighting was needed to meet all the humanitarian needs in the Syrian city, Syria's most populous before the war. "At all times I will look at any kind of suggestion which enables humanitarian aid to be delivered," he told reporters. "When we're offered three hours then you have to ask what could be achieved in that three hours - is it to meet the need, or would it only just meet a very small part of the need? "Clearly, from our point of view, we’re simply there to meet the need, all the need...," O'Brien said. "To meet that capacity of need you need two (road) lanes and you need to have about 48 hours to get sufficient trucks in." He said last month that any Aleppo humanitarian pause needed to be 48 hours because the Castello Road was so damaged that only smaller trucks could be used, taking longer to deliver the assistance needed. In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau said the United States would welcome any pause in fighting in Syria to facilitate delivery of vital humanitarian aid, but a truce must be observed by all parties. Rudskoi said that a point for collecting the aid and forming convoys has been established near Handarat, on the northern outskirts of Aleppo. Two weeks ago Russia and the Syrian government declared a joint humanitarian operation for the besieged area, showering it with leaflets telling fighters to surrender and civilians to leave through a number of "humanitarian corridors" it had set up. Russian and Syrian warplanes have bombarded eastern Aleppo and other rebel-held areas of Syria daily for months and the United States suggested the humanitarian corridors plan may have been an attempt to depopulate the city so that the Syrian army could seize it. "All seven humanitarian corridors, established for the exit of peaceful residents and militants who wanted to lay down their arms, are open and work around the clock," Rudskoi said. "An additional humanitarian corridor for militants with weapons continues to operate near the Castello Road." He said that a "number" of armed groups, with weapons, had already left the eastern part of Aleppo through that corridor. Rudskoi said the situation in the southwest of Aleppo remains difficult, with about 7,000 Jabhat Fatah al-Sham militants massing there for the last week and still being joined by new combatants. He said the militants had tanks, artillery and combat vehicles with weapons mounted on them. (Reuters)

Russia announces daily ceasefire in Syria?s Aleppo to facilitate aid

Sporadic clashes hit the southern edges of the Syrian capital, Aleppo today morning, a monitoring group said, hours after rebels said they had broken a three-week government siege of the Syrian city. 
 
An alliance of rebels, Islamists, and jihadists late yesterday said they had opened a new route into Aleppo&#39;s eastern neighbourhoods, home to some 250,000 people.&nbsp;But the road, which passes through southern edges of the city, remains too dangerous for civilians to use, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said today. 
 
&quot;There are intermittent clashes and air strikes, but to a lesser degree,&quot; said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman.&nbsp;&quot;Not a single civilian has left the eastern districts because the road is too dangerous and not secured.&quot; 
 
On Saturday, anti-regime groups overran a series of buildings in a military academy on the southwestern edges of Aleppo.&nbsp;They then pushed northeast into the district of Ramussa, linking up with rebel groups that had fought south from inside the city. 
 
Rebels posted footage of their fighters embracing and celebrating the end of the government encirclement of Aleppo, in place since July 17. 
 
An AFP journalist in the eastern districts said a single truck of vegetables entered the neighbourhoods late Saturday to be sold in the markets the following day. 
 
Syrian state media, however, denied that the siege had been broken and said the fight was ongoing. 
 
&quot;The terrorist groups are suffering huge losses and were not able to break the encirclement of the eastern neighbourhoods of Aleppo,&quot; state news agency SANA said late yesterday, quoting a military source. 
 
&quot;The Syrian army in coordination with allied forces are continuing their fight south of Aleppo,&quot; it said. 
 
The agency said 10 civilians were killed on Saturday in rebel shelling on two government-held districts. 
 
The Britain-based Observatory said at least 130 civilians have been killed since the opposition alliance launched its offensive on southern Aleppo on July 31. 
 
The monitor said more than 700 fighters from both sides had been killed in the onslaught, most of them rebels because of the regime&#39;s &quot;aerial superiority.&quot; 
 
(AFP) 
&nbsp;

The rebels said they had opened a new route into Aleppo but rights observers warned it is still too dangerous for use by civilians

Sporadic clashes hit the southern edges of the Syrian capital, Aleppo today morning, a monitoring group said, hours after rebels said they had broken a three-week government siege of the Syrian city. An alliance of rebels, Islamists, and jihadists late yesterday said they had opened a new route into Aleppo's eastern neighbourhoods, home to some 250,000 people. But the road, which passes through southern edges of the city, remains too dangerous for civilians to use, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said today. "There are intermittent clashes and air strikes, but to a lesser degree," said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman. "Not a single civilian has left the eastern districts because the road is too dangerous and not secured." On Saturday, anti-regime groups overran a series of buildings in a military academy on the southwestern edges of Aleppo. They then pushed northeast into the district of Ramussa, linking up with rebel groups that had fought south from inside the city. Rebels posted footage of their fighters embracing and celebrating the end of the government encirclement of Aleppo, in place since July 17. An AFP journalist in the eastern districts said a single truck of vegetables entered the neighbourhoods late Saturday to be sold in the markets the following day. Syrian state media, however, denied that the siege had been broken and said the fight was ongoing. "The terrorist groups are suffering huge losses and were not able to break the encirclement of the eastern neighbourhoods of Aleppo," state news agency SANA said late yesterday, quoting a military source. "The Syrian army in coordination with allied forces are continuing their fight south of Aleppo," it said. The agency said 10 civilians were killed on Saturday in rebel shelling on two government-held districts. The Britain-based Observatory said at least 130 civilians have been killed since the opposition alliance launched its offensive on southern Aleppo on July 31. The monitor said more than 700 fighters from both sides had been killed in the onslaught, most of them rebels because of the regime's "aerial superiority." (AFP)

Clashes erupt in Syrian capital after rebels claim end of government siege

Husseini Jihadists and their rebel allies pressed an offensive yesterday with a massive attack aimed at seizing a military academy south of Aleppo, and breaking a three-week-old siege of insurgent neighbourhoods. 
 
Their assault focusing on the artillery and armaments schools of the academy has sparked contradictory reports about the situation on the ground. 
 
&quot;The rebels have seized parts of these schools, but the army has begun a counter-offensive backed by air cover to chase them out,&quot; said Syrian Observatory for Human Rights chief Rami Abdel Rahman. &quot;If the rebels can take control of these schools, they will cut the supply route into regime-held districts of western Aleppo and they must seize the adjoining area of Ramussa to lift the siege on the rebel districts,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;This is a battle of life and death for the regime and for Russia,&quot; its key ally, Abdel Rahman added. 
 
State television in Syria said government forces had repulsed the assault, killing &quot;hundreds&quot; of attackers. Once Syria&#39;s economic powerhouse, Aleppo has been ravaged by the war that began in March 2011 with anti-government protests 
 
The government siege of opposition-held districts began on July 17 and has raised fears of a humanitarian crisis. The Observatory said at least 13 people, including nine children, were killed in air strikes on the rebel-held east of the city on yesterday. The Britain-based group said it was unclear if the raids on the Marjeh district were carried out by Syrian or Russian aircraft. 
 
Moscow, meanwhile, hit back at US criticism over Syria, accusing Washington of lacking trust in Russia and not behaving as a true partner. Russia and the United States support opposing sides in Syria&#39;s civil war, which has left 280,000 people dead and forced half the population to flee their homes. 
 
&#39;Wholly logical&#39; policy 
 
But the two world powers have agreed &quot;concrete steps&quot; to revive a tattered ceasefire and tackle jihadist groups in Syria, although details have not been made public. 
 
On Thursday, US President Barack Obama said Russia risked casting itself as an &quot;irresponsible actor&quot; on the world stage particularly due to its actions in Aleppo in recent weeks. 
 
&quot;The United States sometimes don&#39;t behave as partners when dealing with us on Syrian issues and are not always ready to negotiate on equal grounds,&quot; deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov told TASS news agency. He said he thought Moscow&#39;s policy on Syria was &quot;wholly logical&quot; and set goals that are mostly &quot;shared by most members of the international community&quot;. 
 
In an audio message released yesterday, Abu Mohamed al-Jolani, the head of Al-Qaeda&#39;s former affiliate in Syria, pledged that the rebel offensive which started on Sunday would soon succeed. God had granted fighters &quot;a glorious victory in the battle to break the siege of Aleppo&quot;, he said. 
 
&quot;This battle, the outcome of which will go beyond simply opening the road for the besieged, will change the balance of the conflict setting the scene for a new stage of the battle.&quot; 
 
After some initial rebel advances, government forces backed by Iranian and Hezbollah fighters, as well as Russian air-strikes, have pushed back opposition fighters who include jihadists from Jolani&#39;s faction, now known as the Fateh al-Sham Front. 
 
Ravaged by war 
 
According to the Observatory, at least 115 civilians, including 35 children, have been killed in the city since the rebel assault began on Sunday. The deaths include 65 people, among them 22 children, killed in rebel fire on government neighbourhoods, the Observatory said. 
 
Another 42 people, including 11 children, have been killed in strikes on eastern Aleppo, it said. It reported five more deaths in rebel fire on the Kurdish-majority Sheikh Maqsud district of the city. 
 
Elsewhere in Aleppo province, the monitor said an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters was advancing inside the Islamic State group bastion of Manbij. Abdul Rahman said the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) now held 70 per cent of the town. 
 
&quot;The Islamic State has entered its final phase in the town of Manbij,&quot; he told AFP, adding however that IS was using a number of civilians there as human shields. &quot;The progress the SDF has made in the last week is more than it was able to achieve in previous weeks put together,&quot; Abdul Rahman said. 
 
The SDF began its assault on Manbij in late May and entered the town proper on June 23, with support from the US-led coalition against IS. Manbij sits on the route between the Turkish border and the eastern city of Raqa, the jihadists&#39; de facto capital in Syria. 
 
(AFP)

But government forces have launched a counter-attack on the assault, giving rise to contradictory reports on the ground

Husseini Jihadists and their rebel allies pressed an offensive yesterday with a massive attack aimed at seizing a military academy south of Aleppo, and breaking a three-week-old siege of insurgent neighbourhoods. Their assault focusing on the artillery and armaments schools of the academy has sparked contradictory reports about the situation on the ground. "The rebels have seized parts of these schools, but the army has begun a counter-offensive backed by air cover to chase them out," said Syrian Observatory for Human Rights chief Rami Abdel Rahman. "If the rebels can take control of these schools, they will cut the supply route into regime-held districts of western Aleppo and they must seize the adjoining area of Ramussa to lift the siege on the rebel districts," he said. "This is a battle of life and death for the regime and for Russia," its key ally, Abdel Rahman added. State television in Syria said government forces had repulsed the assault, killing "hundreds" of attackers. Once Syria's economic powerhouse, Aleppo has been ravaged by the war that began in March 2011 with anti-government protests The government siege of opposition-held districts began on July 17 and has raised fears of a humanitarian crisis. The Observatory said at least 13 people, including nine children, were killed in air strikes on the rebel-held east of the city on yesterday. The Britain-based group said it was unclear if the raids on the Marjeh district were carried out by Syrian or Russian aircraft. Moscow, meanwhile, hit back at US criticism over Syria, accusing Washington of lacking trust in Russia and not behaving as a true partner. Russia and the United States support opposing sides in Syria's civil war, which has left 280,000 people dead and forced half the population to flee their homes. 'Wholly logical' policy But the two world powers have agreed "concrete steps" to revive a tattered ceasefire and tackle jihadist groups in Syria, although details have not been made public. On Thursday, US President Barack Obama said Russia risked casting itself as an "irresponsible actor" on the world stage particularly due to its actions in Aleppo in recent weeks. "The United States sometimes don't behave as partners when dealing with us on Syrian issues and are not always ready to negotiate on equal grounds," deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov told TASS news agency. He said he thought Moscow's policy on Syria was "wholly logical" and set goals that are mostly "shared by most members of the international community". In an audio message released yesterday, Abu Mohamed al-Jolani, the head of Al-Qaeda's former affiliate in Syria, pledged that the rebel offensive which started on Sunday would soon succeed. God had granted fighters "a glorious victory in the battle to break the siege of Aleppo", he said. "This battle, the outcome of which will go beyond simply opening the road for the besieged, will change the balance of the conflict setting the scene for a new stage of the battle." After some initial rebel advances, government forces backed by Iranian and Hezbollah fighters, as well as Russian air-strikes, have pushed back opposition fighters who include jihadists from Jolani's faction, now known as the Fateh al-Sham Front. Ravaged by war According to the Observatory, at least 115 civilians, including 35 children, have been killed in the city since the rebel assault began on Sunday. The deaths include 65 people, among them 22 children, killed in rebel fire on government neighbourhoods, the Observatory said. Another 42 people, including 11 children, have been killed in strikes on eastern Aleppo, it said. It reported five more deaths in rebel fire on the Kurdish-majority Sheikh Maqsud district of the city. Elsewhere in Aleppo province, the monitor said an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters was advancing inside the Islamic State group bastion of Manbij. Abdul Rahman said the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) now held 70 per cent of the town. "The Islamic State has entered its final phase in the town of Manbij," he told AFP, adding however that IS was using a number of civilians there as human shields. "The progress the SDF has made in the last week is more than it was able to achieve in previous weeks put together," Abdul Rahman said. The SDF began its assault on Manbij in late May and entered the town proper on June 23, with support from the US-led coalition against IS. Manbij sits on the route between the Turkish border and the eastern city of Raqa, the jihadists' de facto capital in Syria. (AFP)

Syria jihadists, rebels attack to break Aleppo siege

The body of a gay Syrian refugee was found mutilated and beheaded two days after he disappeared in central Istanbul, a local rights group has said. 
 
Muhammed Wisam Sankari went missing on July 23 after leaving his home in the conservative Fatih district, Turkish gay rights group Kaos Gay and Lesbian Cultural Research and Solidarity Association (Kaos GL) reported yesterday. His killing has not been widely reported in Turkish media, other than in a handful of leftist publications citing Kaos GL. 
 
There has so far been no official confirmation he was killed for being gay. 
 
On July 25 his body was found mutilated and decapitated, the association said. He arrived in Istanbul a year ago after fleeing Syria&#39;s civil war but wanted to leave Turkey because he feared for his life. He was threatened by male gangs carrying knives who said they wanted to rape him, friends told Kaos GL. 
 
His body was so mutilated, he was only recognisable from his clothes, one of his friends who went to identify the body, told the rights organisation. &quot;They cut Wisam violently. It was so violent, two knives had broken inside of him. They beheaded him. His upper body was beyond recognition, his internal organs were out. We recognised our friend from his trousers.&quot; 
 
The Syrian had also been kidnapped and raped five months before his death, one of his housemates told the rights organisation. 
 
&quot;They took him by car to a forest where they beat and raped him,&quot; the refugee&#39;s housemate, Rayan, said. He added that they previously had to leave a house because they were gay, Kaos GL said. 
 
There have been no arrests, the group reported. 
 
Homosexuality has been legal in Turkey since 1923 and was also legalised in the Ottoman Empire from the mid-nineteenth century. But gays in Turkey regularly complain of harassment and abuse in a largely conservative Muslim society where open displays of same-sex love are strongly frowned upon. 
 
The authorities in Istanbul in June banned the annual gay pride march for the second year in a row, citing security and public order fears. 
 
(AFP)

Muhammed Sankari was kidnapped and raped five months before his death. It is not officially confirmed if he was killed for being gay

The body of a gay Syrian refugee was found mutilated and beheaded two days after he disappeared in central Istanbul, a local rights group has said. Muhammed Wisam Sankari went missing on July 23 after leaving his home in the conservative Fatih district, Turkish gay rights group Kaos Gay and Lesbian Cultural Research and Solidarity Association (Kaos GL) reported yesterday. His killing has not been widely reported in Turkish media, other than in a handful of leftist publications citing Kaos GL. There has so far been no official confirmation he was killed for being gay. On July 25 his body was found mutilated and decapitated, the association said. He arrived in Istanbul a year ago after fleeing Syria's civil war but wanted to leave Turkey because he feared for his life. He was threatened by male gangs carrying knives who said they wanted to rape him, friends told Kaos GL. His body was so mutilated, he was only recognisable from his clothes, one of his friends who went to identify the body, told the rights organisation. "They cut Wisam violently. It was so violent, two knives had broken inside of him. They beheaded him. His upper body was beyond recognition, his internal organs were out. We recognised our friend from his trousers." The Syrian had also been kidnapped and raped five months before his death, one of his housemates told the rights organisation. "They took him by car to a forest where they beat and raped him," the refugee's housemate, Rayan, said. He added that they previously had to leave a house because they were gay, Kaos GL said. There have been no arrests, the group reported. Homosexuality has been legal in Turkey since 1923 and was also legalised in the Ottoman Empire from the mid-nineteenth century. But gays in Turkey regularly complain of harassment and abuse in a largely conservative Muslim society where open displays of same-sex love are strongly frowned upon. The authorities in Istanbul in June banned the annual gay pride march for the second year in a row, citing security and public order fears. (AFP)

Gay Syrian man mutilated, beheaded in Istanbul: Rights group

United Nations deputy Syria envoy Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy on Sunday invited Damascus to new peace talks with the opposition at the end of August, drawing a positive response from the government. 
 
On Tuesday, the world body&#39;s special envoy Staffan de Mistura told reporters in Geneva he wanted &quot;to proceed with a third round of intra-Syrian talks towards the end of August&quot; after two previous rounds of talks this year ended in failure. 
 
De Mistura has struggled to keep the peace process alive amid a surge in fighting between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s forces and rebel groups. 
 
&quot;I informed the minister and his deputy of the intention of the special envoy De Mistura to reconvene the inter-Syrian talks towards the end of August,&quot; Ramzy said after meeting foreign minister Walid Muallem and his deputy Faisal Muqdad. 
 
&quot;I explained to the minister how we intend to proceed, and we discussed how to render this process of political transition which has already been endorsed by the Security Council to be a credible one, and we exchanged views on that,&quot; Ramzy said. 
 
He said Muallem &quot;confirmed the intention of the Syrian government to participate in these talks once they are held&quot;. 
 
Muqdad said Syria&#39;s government was &quot;ready to resume the talks with no preconditions in an inter-Syrian context with no foreign interference&quot;, the official SANA news agency reported him as saying. 
 
De Mistura&#39;s announcement comes with the armed opposition facing difficulties, especially in the northern city of Aleppo where government forces are besieging rebel-held districts. 
 
A peace roadmap, endorsed in December by the UN, called for the creation of a transitional body, which should have occurred on August 1, a new constitution and elections by mid-2017. 
 
The UN-brokered talks have so far been deadlocked over Assad&#39;s fate. 
 
The government has ruled out negotiations on his possible departure, while the main opposition High Negotiations Committee has said it will not agree to any deal that leaves Assad in power. 
 
Since Syria was plunged into chaos in 2011, more than 280,000 people have been killed and upwards of half the population has been displaced. 
 
(AFP)

UN special envoy has struggled to keep the peace process alive amid a surge in fighting between Syrian forces and rebel groups

United Nations deputy Syria envoy Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy on Sunday invited Damascus to new peace talks with the opposition at the end of August, drawing a positive response from the government. On Tuesday, the world body's special envoy Staffan de Mistura told reporters in Geneva he wanted "to proceed with a third round of intra-Syrian talks towards the end of August" after two previous rounds of talks this year ended in failure. De Mistura has struggled to keep the peace process alive amid a surge in fighting between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces and rebel groups. "I informed the minister and his deputy of the intention of the special envoy De Mistura to reconvene the inter-Syrian talks towards the end of August," Ramzy said after meeting foreign minister Walid Muallem and his deputy Faisal Muqdad. "I explained to the minister how we intend to proceed, and we discussed how to render this process of political transition which has already been endorsed by the Security Council to be a credible one, and we exchanged views on that," Ramzy said. He said Muallem "confirmed the intention of the Syrian government to participate in these talks once they are held". Muqdad said Syria's government was "ready to resume the talks with no preconditions in an inter-Syrian context with no foreign interference", the official SANA news agency reported him as saying. De Mistura's announcement comes with the armed opposition facing difficulties, especially in the northern city of Aleppo where government forces are besieging rebel-held districts. A peace roadmap, endorsed in December by the UN, called for the creation of a transitional body, which should have occurred on August 1, a new constitution and elections by mid-2017. The UN-brokered talks have so far been deadlocked over Assad's fate. The government has ruled out negotiations on his possible departure, while the main opposition High Negotiations Committee has said it will not agree to any deal that leaves Assad in power. Since Syria was plunged into chaos in 2011, more than 280,000 people have been killed and upwards of half the population has been displaced. (AFP)

UN initiates third round of peace talks with Syria

A maternity hospital supported by Save the Children was bombed Friday in an air raid in Idlib province of northwest Syria, causing casualties and heavy damage, the Britain-based charity said. 
 
&quot;Save the Children supported maternity hospital in #Idlib bombed, casualties reported - numbers unconfirmed,&quot; it tweeted. 
 
In a statement, Save the Children said the bomb hit the entrance to the hospital. 
 
&quot;This is the only hospital specialising in maternity and children in the northern western side of rural Idlib,&quot; it said. 
 
&quot;Casualties have been reported and we are awaiting confirmation of numbers,&quot; the statement said. 
 
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also said that the hospital in the rebel-held town of Kafar Takharim was heavily damaged and left barely operational. 
 
Quoting sources on the ground, it said a jihadist from Jabhat Fateh al-Sham who was going to visit his wife in the hospital was killed in the raid. 
 
&quot;It was him that was targeted. He went to visit his wife who had just given birth when the bombing happened,&quot; said the monitoring group&#39;s head, Rami Abdel Rahman. 
 
The bombing came a day after the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda, Al-Nusra Front, said it was breaking ties with the global terror network and changing its name to Jabhat Fateh al-Sham. 
 
Save The Children said the hospital is the biggest in the area, serving over 1,300 women monthly and carrying out over 300 deliveries a month. 
 
&quot;The hospital has six incubators for premature babies, and an outpatient clinic for supporting pregnant women and providing after delivery care,&quot; it said. 
 
The Britain-based Observatory did not specify if the raid was carried out by Syrian regime aircraft or warplanes of its Russian allies.&nbsp;Several clinics and makeshift hospital in rebel-controlled areas have been hit by Syrian regime air strikes, particularly in Aleppo and Idlib provinces. 
 
Last week, air raids struck four makeshift hospitals and a blood bank over a 24-hour period in the regime-besieged eastern sector of the city of Aleppo. 
 
In a separate statement, Sonia Khush, Syria Director for Save the Children, said the situation for an estimated 100,000 children trapped under siege and bombardment in Aleppo is &quot;desperate&quot;. 
 
&quot;The world cannot turn its back while children are bombed and then denied medical treatment,&quot; she said.&nbsp;&quot;We need an end to the indiscriminate attacks on civilians and immediate and unfettered access for humanitarian aid.&quot; 
 
CIA chief not optimistic about Syria 
 
Central Intelligence Agency Director John Brennan said on Friday he was not optimistic about the future of Syria. 
 
&quot;I don&#39;t know whether or not Syria can be put back together again,&quot; Brennan told the annual Aspen Security Forum. His comments were a rare public acknowledgement by a top US official that Syria may not survive a five-year civil war in its current state. 
 
The twin US goals in Syria have been ending the violence that already has claimed some 400,000 lives, according to United Nations estimates, and seeking a political process to replace Assad, whom President Barack Obama has said &quot;must go.&quot; 
 
(AFP) 
&nbsp;

The bombing hit the entrance to the hospital, the area's biggest, serving over 1,300 women and carrying out over 300 deliveries every month

A maternity hospital supported by Save the Children was bombed Friday in an air raid in Idlib province of northwest Syria, causing casualties and heavy damage, the Britain-based charity said. "Save the Children supported maternity hospital in #Idlib bombed, casualties reported - numbers unconfirmed," it tweeted. In a statement, Save the Children said the bomb hit the entrance to the hospital. "This is the only hospital specialising in maternity and children in the northern western side of rural Idlib," it said. "Casualties have been reported and we are awaiting confirmation of numbers," the statement said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also said that the hospital in the rebel-held town of Kafar Takharim was heavily damaged and left barely operational. Quoting sources on the ground, it said a jihadist from Jabhat Fateh al-Sham who was going to visit his wife in the hospital was killed in the raid. "It was him that was targeted. He went to visit his wife who had just given birth when the bombing happened," said the monitoring group's head, Rami Abdel Rahman. The bombing came a day after the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda, Al-Nusra Front, said it was breaking ties with the global terror network and changing its name to Jabhat Fateh al-Sham. Save The Children said the hospital is the biggest in the area, serving over 1,300 women monthly and carrying out over 300 deliveries a month. "The hospital has six incubators for premature babies, and an outpatient clinic for supporting pregnant women and providing after delivery care," it said. The Britain-based Observatory did not specify if the raid was carried out by Syrian regime aircraft or warplanes of its Russian allies. Several clinics and makeshift hospital in rebel-controlled areas have been hit by Syrian regime air strikes, particularly in Aleppo and Idlib provinces. Last week, air raids struck four makeshift hospitals and a blood bank over a 24-hour period in the regime-besieged eastern sector of the city of Aleppo. In a separate statement, Sonia Khush, Syria Director for Save the Children, said the situation for an estimated 100,000 children trapped under siege and bombardment in Aleppo is "desperate". "The world cannot turn its back while children are bombed and then denied medical treatment," she said. "We need an end to the indiscriminate attacks on civilians and immediate and unfettered access for humanitarian aid." CIA chief not optimistic about Syria Central Intelligence Agency Director John Brennan said on Friday he was not optimistic about the future of Syria. "I don't know whether or not Syria can be put back together again," Brennan told the annual Aspen Security Forum. His comments were a rare public acknowledgement by a top US official that Syria may not survive a five-year civil war in its current state. The twin US goals in Syria have been ending the violence that already has claimed some 400,000 lives, according to United Nations estimates, and seeking a political process to replace Assad, whom President Barack Obama has said "must go." (AFP)

Save the Children-supported maternity hospital bombed in Syria: NGO

The UN yesterday urged Russia to give it control of humanitarian passages out of Aleppo in northern Syria where besieged residents cowered indoors afraid to use what some called &quot;death corridors&quot;. 
 
A monitoring group, meanwhile, reported that at least 18 civilians were killed in air strikes in the city of Aleppo and in the provincial town of Atareb. 
 
The Britain-based charity Save the Children said a maternity hospital it supports in northwestern Idlib province was bombed yesterday, killing two people and injuring babies in incubators. 
 
Syrian regime ally Russia has said three humanitarian passages would be opened for civilians and surrendering fighters seeking to exit Aleppo&#39;s eastern districts. 
 
Only a dozen of Aleppo residents trickled out through one passage yesterday, while others wanting to flee were turned back by rebels, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said. 
 
An AFP correspondent in east Aleppo said streets were empty with residents holed up indoors and shops shuttered. 
 
Ahmad Ramadan from the opposition Syrian National Coalition accused Russia and the regime of forcing civilians to flee through continued bombing raids. 
 
&quot;Aleppo residents are calling the corridors that Russia is talking about &#39;death corridors&#39;,&quot; he said. 
 
The Britain-based Observatory said at least eight civilians were killed in regime air strikes that hit two eastern areas of Aleppo, warning the death toll could rise as more were trapped under the rubble. 
 
It later reported unidentified air strikes on the rebel-held town of Atareb in Aleppo province that killed 10 people and wounded many other seriously, calling the raids a &quot;new massacre&quot;. 
 
UN envoy Staffan de Mistura said Russia, which has been carrying out air strikes alongside Syrian regime planes, should let the United Nations take charge of the corridors. 
 
&quot;Our suggestion is to Russia to actually leave the corridors being established at their initiative to us,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;How can you expect people to want to walk through a corridor, thousands of them, while there is shelling, bombing, fighting?&quot; 
 
Russia&#39;s deputy defence minister, Anatoly Antonov, said Moscow was prepared &quot;for the closest and most constructive cooperation&quot; with the United Nations and international humanitarian organisations. 
 
But he warned that rebels would not be allowed &quot;to enter the city and fuel the terrorists with weapons and ammunition&quot;. 
 
The UN says around 250,000 people have been trapped in Aleppo&#39;s eastern districts since July 17 when pro-regime forces surrounded the area. 
 
&#39;Existential dilemma&#39; 
 
Residents have reported food shortages and spiralling prices in rebel districts since regime forces cut off the opposition&#39;s main supply route into the northern city. 
 
Aid agencies and analysts said the humanitarian corridors must be used to send desperately needed supplies to those areas which have not received any medical aid since July 7. 
 
&quot;Those who decide, for whatever reason, to stay in eastern Aleppo must be protected, and all sides must allow humanitarian agencies to reach and assess their well-being and needs,&quot; said the International Committee of the Red Cross. 
 
The US-based International Rescue Committee warned that those left behind in east Aleppo risked starvation and called for a pause in the fighting. 
 
Analyst Karim Bitar from the French think-tank IRIS said: &quot;Aleppo residents are facing a terrible existential dilemma, they often have to chose between risking starvation or risking to die while fleeing.&quot; 
 
Humanitarian effort have often been used during the conflict &quot;as cynical ploy to advance geopolitical interests.&quot; 
 
Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu announced on Thursday that three humanitarian corridors were being opened &quot;to aid civilians held hostage by terrorists and for fighters wishing to lay down their arms&quot;. 
 
&#39;Military objectives&#39; 
 
Analysts said losing Aleppo would be a major blow for the rebels and a possible turning point in Syria&#39;s five-year-old conflict. 
 
&quot;In Aleppo, getting civilians to leave would both serve its propaganda and its military objectives,&quot; said Emile Hokayem, senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. 
 
&quot;The regime uses massive, indiscriminate force to brutalise civilians to force them to kneel or reject the rebel groups,&quot; he added. 
 
More than 280,000 people have been killed in Syria&#39;s war which erupted in 2011 with a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests before becoming a complex conflict involving many groups, including jihadists. 
 
Save the Children voiced &quot;outrage&quot; over the attack of the maternity hospital it supports in Idlib. 
 
&quot;Several babies were injured when their incubators crashed to the floor, and a woman who was six months pregnant had her leg severed,&quot; it said. 
 
The Observatory said a jihadist from Al-Nusra Front, which has changed its name to Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, was killed in the raid in the rebel-held town of Kafar Takharim. 
 
It also reported that IS had executed 24 civilians after seizing a village in northern Syria. 
 
(AFP)

Russia had announced opening of humanitarian passages for civilians to exit Aleppo. Some residents have termed the passage 'death corridors'

The UN yesterday urged Russia to give it control of humanitarian passages out of Aleppo in northern Syria where besieged residents cowered indoors afraid to use what some called "death corridors". A monitoring group, meanwhile, reported that at least 18 civilians were killed in air strikes in the city of Aleppo and in the provincial town of Atareb. The Britain-based charity Save the Children said a maternity hospital it supports in northwestern Idlib province was bombed yesterday, killing two people and injuring babies in incubators. Syrian regime ally Russia has said three humanitarian passages would be opened for civilians and surrendering fighters seeking to exit Aleppo's eastern districts. Only a dozen of Aleppo residents trickled out through one passage yesterday, while others wanting to flee were turned back by rebels, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said. An AFP correspondent in east Aleppo said streets were empty with residents holed up indoors and shops shuttered. Ahmad Ramadan from the opposition Syrian National Coalition accused Russia and the regime of forcing civilians to flee through continued bombing raids. "Aleppo residents are calling the corridors that Russia is talking about 'death corridors'," he said. The Britain-based Observatory said at least eight civilians were killed in regime air strikes that hit two eastern areas of Aleppo, warning the death toll could rise as more were trapped under the rubble. It later reported unidentified air strikes on the rebel-held town of Atareb in Aleppo province that killed 10 people and wounded many other seriously, calling the raids a "new massacre". UN envoy Staffan de Mistura said Russia, which has been carrying out air strikes alongside Syrian regime planes, should let the United Nations take charge of the corridors. "Our suggestion is to Russia to actually leave the corridors being established at their initiative to us," he said. "How can you expect people to want to walk through a corridor, thousands of them, while there is shelling, bombing, fighting?" Russia's deputy defence minister, Anatoly Antonov, said Moscow was prepared "for the closest and most constructive cooperation" with the United Nations and international humanitarian organisations. But he warned that rebels would not be allowed "to enter the city and fuel the terrorists with weapons and ammunition". The UN says around 250,000 people have been trapped in Aleppo's eastern districts since July 17 when pro-regime forces surrounded the area. 'Existential dilemma' Residents have reported food shortages and spiralling prices in rebel districts since regime forces cut off the opposition's main supply route into the northern city. Aid agencies and analysts said the humanitarian corridors must be used to send desperately needed supplies to those areas which have not received any medical aid since July 7. "Those who decide, for whatever reason, to stay in eastern Aleppo must be protected, and all sides must allow humanitarian agencies to reach and assess their well-being and needs," said the International Committee of the Red Cross. The US-based International Rescue Committee warned that those left behind in east Aleppo risked starvation and called for a pause in the fighting. Analyst Karim Bitar from the French think-tank IRIS said: "Aleppo residents are facing a terrible existential dilemma, they often have to chose between risking starvation or risking to die while fleeing." Humanitarian effort have often been used during the conflict "as cynical ploy to advance geopolitical interests." Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu announced on Thursday that three humanitarian corridors were being opened "to aid civilians held hostage by terrorists and for fighters wishing to lay down their arms". 'Military objectives' Analysts said losing Aleppo would be a major blow for the rebels and a possible turning point in Syria's five-year-old conflict. "In Aleppo, getting civilians to leave would both serve its propaganda and its military objectives," said Emile Hokayem, senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. "The regime uses massive, indiscriminate force to brutalise civilians to force them to kneel or reject the rebel groups," he added. More than 280,000 people have been killed in Syria's war which erupted in 2011 with a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests before becoming a complex conflict involving many groups, including jihadists. Save the Children voiced "outrage" over the attack of the maternity hospital it supports in Idlib. "Several babies were injured when their incubators crashed to the floor, and a woman who was six months pregnant had her leg severed," it said. The Observatory said a jihadist from Al-Nusra Front, which has changed its name to Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, was killed in the raid in the rebel-held town of Kafar Takharim. It also reported that IS had executed 24 civilians after seizing a village in northern Syria. (AFP)

UN seeks control of Russia escape routes from Syria's Aleppo

The Islamic State jihadist group has executed at least 24 civilians after seizing a village in northern Syria from a Kurdish-Arab alliance, a monitor said on Friday. 
 
&quot;IS has executed at least 24 civilians in the last 24 hours&quot; after seizing the village of Buyir close to the northern town of Manbij from the Syrian Democratic Forces, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. 
 
(AFP)

The village of Buyir was captured from a Kurdish-Arab alliance before the execution

The Islamic State jihadist group has executed at least 24 civilians after seizing a village in northern Syria from a Kurdish-Arab alliance, a monitor said on Friday. "IS has executed at least 24 civilians in the last 24 hours" after seizing the village of Buyir close to the northern town of Manbij from the Syrian Democratic Forces, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. (AFP)

Islamic State executes 24 in Syria: Monitor

Al Qaeda&#39;s powerful Syrian branch announced yesterday it was ending its relationship with the global jihadist network founded by Osama bin Laden and changing its name, to remove what it called a pretext used by world powers to attack Syrians. 
 
In the first known video statement ever to show his face, the leader of the Nusra Front, Mohamad al-Golani, announced that the group would re-form under a new name, with &quot;no ties with any foreign party&quot;. 
 
The move was being made &quot;to remove the excuse used by the international community - spearheaded by America and Russia - to bombard and displace Muslims in the Levant: that they are targeting the Nusra Front which is associated with Al Qaeda,&quot; he said. The group would now be called Jabhat Fatah al-Sham. 
 
Golani appeared in the video flanked by two other Nusra Front figures, in front of Jabhat Fatah al Sham&#39;s new white flag. Nusra Front&#39;s old flag was black, the colour used by ultra-hardline jihadist groups such as Al Qaeda and Islamic State. 
 
Earlier yesterday, bin Laden&#39;s successor as al Qaeda leader, Ayman al-Zawahri, announced that he was giving the Nusra Front his blessing to break away. In his message, Golani thanked Zawahri for putting the interests of the Syrian people ahead of organisational interests. 
 
The move appeared to be an attempt to appeal to Syrians who have long had deep misgivings about Nusra&#39;s links with al Qaeda and the significant presence of foreign jihadists among its ranks, which set it apart from Western-backed rebel groups. 
 
It could alter the strategic alignment on the ground in Syria if the renamed Nusra gains acceptance among other rebel groups fighting against President Bashar al-Assad. 
 
But Assad and his Russian allies are unlikely to accept the rebranding as requiring them to halt military operations that have put the Syrian leader in the strongest position on the battlefield for years. 
 
The Nusra Front, long one of the most powerful rebel forces in Syria&#39;s five-year, multi-sided civil war, was excluded along with Islamic State from a US and Russian-backed ceasefire this year, a loophole other rebels blamed for the truce&#39;s collapse. 
 
Nusra is listed as a terrorist organisation by the United States and United Nations. Assad&#39;s other opponents have long said its presence gave the government and its Russian allies a pretext to abandon the truce and launch advances under the cover of anti-terrorist operations permitted under the ceasefire. 
 
Aleppo siege tightens 
 
The Nusra announcement came as Syria&#39;s government and its Russian allies launched what they called a &quot;humanitarian operation&quot; in the rebel-held sector of Aleppo, Syria&#39;s largest city before the war, which government forces have held under effective siege since early July. 
 
Although Moscow and Damascus described their new plans for rebel-held Aleppo as an operation to aid people trapped there, Western countries are worried that the real aim is to depopulate the area ahead of an offensive to storm it. 
 
Aleppo has been divided into rebel and government zones for years. Asserting full control would be the biggest victory for Assad&#39;s government so far, and a potential turning point in a civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands, spawned the world&#39;s worst refugee crisis and drawn in most regional and world powers. 
 
Rebel-held parts of Aleppo have been bombarded since Wednesday with air-dropped leaflets telling civilians they would be given safe passage out and providing maps to exit routes designated as safe corridors. Yesterday Assad ordered rebel fighters in the city to surrender within three months. 
 
Around 250,000 civilians are believed to be trapped in the rebel zone of Aleppo. The United Nations says food supplies will run out within weeks. 
 
Assad said rebels who surrender within three months would be given an amnesty. State television quoted the governor of Aleppo as saying three humanitarian corridors would be established so residents could safely leave. 
 
Russia said a fourth corridor would be set up in the north of the city for surrendering rebels, near the Castello Road, the main land route into the rebel sector, most of which the army seized to complete its encirclement. 
 
Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu said: &quot;On behalf of the President of the Russian Federation, today, (we will) start a large-scale humanitarian operation together with the Syrian government to help civilians in Aleppo.&quot; 
 
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said helicopters over rebel-held areas dropped baby diapers and meal packs that had Russian-language labels. 
 
&quot;If it is a genuine humanitarian proposal then clearly it will be accompanied by an end to the bombing campaign and by Russian support for other aspects of this comprehensive approach to the humanitarian situation in Aleppo,&rdquo; British ambassador to the United Nations Matthew Rycroft told reporters in New York. 
 
&ldquo;Clearly the UN and the rest of us cannot be complicit in anything else, for instance an form of emptying of Aleppo or preparing for an onslaught of Aleppo or indeed any continuation of this medieval siege of Aleppo which is going on.&quot; 
 
The proposed safe corridors did not appear to be open so far. Two rebels and aid workers contacted in besieged Aleppo said the army fired at civilians in one of the safe corridors, in the Salah al Din district. A doctor for a medical charity that operates in Aleppo also said the army had fired artillery at families gathering near another humanitarian corridor, in the opposition-held Bustan al Qasr neighbourhood. 
 
Hael Asi Hilal, head of the Syrian Red Crescent in rebel-held areas, said no family so far had been able to leave via any corridor due to snipers firing at them. 
 
The army, backed by allied militia forces and air support from Syrian and Russian jets, has meanwhile taken more ground on the northern edge of the city. State television said the army had advanced in the Bani Zeid district, on the southern side of the Castello road. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said pro-government forces had taken full control of the district. 
 
A rebel source confirmed that the army had made advances. He said Kurdish forces from the nearby Sheikh Maqsoud district had also taken advantage of the fighting to advance into a housing complex in Bani Zeid. 
 
&quot;There has been a (rebel) withdrawal, but no one has surrendered,&quot; Zakaria Malahifji of the Aleppo-based rebel group Fastaqim group told Reuters. 
 
The United States and Russia are both leading separate military campaigns against Islamic State in Syria but are otherwise supporting opposite sides in the wider civil war, with Moscow backing Assad and Washington saying he must leave power. 
 
The Cold War-era superpowers jointly sponsored the ceasefire earlier this year that led to UN brokered peace talks. But that collapsed in May and since then government forces have been advancing with Russian support. 
 
US Secretary of State John Kerry has been holding talks with Russians with the aim of building a system of military cooperation that would allow them to jointly identify legitimate targets not covered by the truce. But so far the negotiations have yet to bear fruit. 
 
A Russian deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, said Washington&#39;s stance would allow militants to regroup since it would call for a ceasefire before distinguishing between terrorists and other opposition groups. 
 
&quot;There is an element here of a political ruse at least,&quot; Sergei Ryabkov said. 
 
One US national security official said it was difficult to negotiate with the Russians as long as the wider objectives of Moscow and Washington diverge. 
 
&ldquo;The Russians want to destroy ISIS to save Assad,&rdquo; the official said. &ldquo;We want to destroy ISIS to eliminate a terrorist threat and start a political process to remove Assad, whom President (Barack) Obama has said must go.&rdquo; 
 
(Reuters)

The leader of the Nusra Front, Mohamad al-Golani, appeared in a video in front of the group's new white flag and announced the split

Al Qaeda's powerful Syrian branch announced yesterday it was ending its relationship with the global jihadist network founded by Osama bin Laden and changing its name, to remove what it called a pretext used by world powers to attack Syrians. In the first known video statement ever to show his face, the leader of the Nusra Front, Mohamad al-Golani, announced that the group would re-form under a new name, with "no ties with any foreign party". The move was being made "to remove the excuse used by the international community - spearheaded by America and Russia - to bombard and displace Muslims in the Levant: that they are targeting the Nusra Front which is associated with Al Qaeda," he said. The group would now be called Jabhat Fatah al-Sham. Golani appeared in the video flanked by two other Nusra Front figures, in front of Jabhat Fatah al Sham's new white flag. Nusra Front's old flag was black, the colour used by ultra-hardline jihadist groups such as Al Qaeda and Islamic State. Earlier yesterday, bin Laden's successor as al Qaeda leader, Ayman al-Zawahri, announced that he was giving the Nusra Front his blessing to break away. In his message, Golani thanked Zawahri for putting the interests of the Syrian people ahead of organisational interests. The move appeared to be an attempt to appeal to Syrians who have long had deep misgivings about Nusra's links with al Qaeda and the significant presence of foreign jihadists among its ranks, which set it apart from Western-backed rebel groups. It could alter the strategic alignment on the ground in Syria if the renamed Nusra gains acceptance among other rebel groups fighting against President Bashar al-Assad. But Assad and his Russian allies are unlikely to accept the rebranding as requiring them to halt military operations that have put the Syrian leader in the strongest position on the battlefield for years. The Nusra Front, long one of the most powerful rebel forces in Syria's five-year, multi-sided civil war, was excluded along with Islamic State from a US and Russian-backed ceasefire this year, a loophole other rebels blamed for the truce's collapse. Nusra is listed as a terrorist organisation by the United States and United Nations. Assad's other opponents have long said its presence gave the government and its Russian allies a pretext to abandon the truce and launch advances under the cover of anti-terrorist operations permitted under the ceasefire. Aleppo siege tightens The Nusra announcement came as Syria's government and its Russian allies launched what they called a "humanitarian operation" in the rebel-held sector of Aleppo, Syria's largest city before the war, which government forces have held under effective siege since early July. Although Moscow and Damascus described their new plans for rebel-held Aleppo as an operation to aid people trapped there, Western countries are worried that the real aim is to depopulate the area ahead of an offensive to storm it. Aleppo has been divided into rebel and government zones for years. Asserting full control would be the biggest victory for Assad's government so far, and a potential turning point in a civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands, spawned the world's worst refugee crisis and drawn in most regional and world powers. Rebel-held parts of Aleppo have been bombarded since Wednesday with air-dropped leaflets telling civilians they would be given safe passage out and providing maps to exit routes designated as safe corridors. Yesterday Assad ordered rebel fighters in the city to surrender within three months. Around 250,000 civilians are believed to be trapped in the rebel zone of Aleppo. The United Nations says food supplies will run out within weeks. Assad said rebels who surrender within three months would be given an amnesty. State television quoted the governor of Aleppo as saying three humanitarian corridors would be established so residents could safely leave. Russia said a fourth corridor would be set up in the north of the city for surrendering rebels, near the Castello Road, the main land route into the rebel sector, most of which the army seized to complete its encirclement. Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu said: "On behalf of the President of the Russian Federation, today, (we will) start a large-scale humanitarian operation together with the Syrian government to help civilians in Aleppo." The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said helicopters over rebel-held areas dropped baby diapers and meal packs that had Russian-language labels. "If it is a genuine humanitarian proposal then clearly it will be accompanied by an end to the bombing campaign and by Russian support for other aspects of this comprehensive approach to the humanitarian situation in Aleppo,” British ambassador to the United Nations Matthew Rycroft told reporters in New York. “Clearly the UN and the rest of us cannot be complicit in anything else, for instance an form of emptying of Aleppo or preparing for an onslaught of Aleppo or indeed any continuation of this medieval siege of Aleppo which is going on." The proposed safe corridors did not appear to be open so far. Two rebels and aid workers contacted in besieged Aleppo said the army fired at civilians in one of the safe corridors, in the Salah al Din district. A doctor for a medical charity that operates in Aleppo also said the army had fired artillery at families gathering near another humanitarian corridor, in the opposition-held Bustan al Qasr neighbourhood. Hael Asi Hilal, head of the Syrian Red Crescent in rebel-held areas, said no family so far had been able to leave via any corridor due to snipers firing at them. The army, backed by allied militia forces and air support from Syrian and Russian jets, has meanwhile taken more ground on the northern edge of the city. State television said the army had advanced in the Bani Zeid district, on the southern side of the Castello road. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said pro-government forces had taken full control of the district. A rebel source confirmed that the army had made advances. He said Kurdish forces from the nearby Sheikh Maqsoud district had also taken advantage of the fighting to advance into a housing complex in Bani Zeid. "There has been a (rebel) withdrawal, but no one has surrendered," Zakaria Malahifji of the Aleppo-based rebel group Fastaqim group told Reuters. The United States and Russia are both leading separate military campaigns against Islamic State in Syria but are otherwise supporting opposite sides in the wider civil war, with Moscow backing Assad and Washington saying he must leave power. The Cold War-era superpowers jointly sponsored the ceasefire earlier this year that led to UN brokered peace talks. But that collapsed in May and since then government forces have been advancing with Russian support. US Secretary of State John Kerry has been holding talks with Russians with the aim of building a system of military cooperation that would allow them to jointly identify legitimate targets not covered by the truce. But so far the negotiations have yet to bear fruit. A Russian deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, said Washington's stance would allow militants to regroup since it would call for a ceasefire before distinguishing between terrorists and other opposition groups. "There is an element here of a political ruse at least," Sergei Ryabkov said. One US national security official said it was difficult to negotiate with the Russians as long as the wider objectives of Moscow and Washington diverge. “The Russians want to destroy ISIS to save Assad,” the official said. “We want to destroy ISIS to eliminate a terrorist threat and start a political process to remove Assad, whom President (Barack) Obama has said must go.” (Reuters)

Nusra Front renames itself Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, ends link to al Qaeda

The US State Department said yesterday that Nusra Front militants remained a fair target for US and Russian warplanes in Syria despite a decision to cut ties with al Qaeda and change its name to Jabhat Fatah al Sham, and it was seeking clarification from Turkey on detentions of journalists following an attempted coup there. 
 
State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters at a news conference that the Nusra Front&#39;s announcement could simply be a rebranding exercise and the United States would judge it by its actions, goals and ideology. 
 
&quot;Certainly see no reason to believe that their actions or their objectives are any different, and they are still considered a foreign terrorist organisation,&quot; Kirby said. 
 
&quot;They are still not a party to the cessation of hostilities and therefore are still a fair target for coalition operations,&quot; he added. 
 
Kirby also said the Russian and Syrian humanitarian exercise around Aleppo on Thursday appeared to actually be an attempt to force the evacuation of civilians and the surrender of militant groups. 
 
&quot;What needs to happen is the innocent people of Aleppo should be able to stay in their homes, safely, and to receive the humanitarian access which Russia and the regime have agreed, in principle have agreed, certainly according to the UN Security Council resolution, to provide,&quot; Kirby said. 
 
The United States understands Turkey&#39;s need to hold perpetrators of the recent attempted coup to account but the detention of more journalists is part of a worrisome trend that discourages public discourse, Kirby told reporters. 
 
&quot;We&#39;re obviously deeply concerned by the reports and were seeking additional information from Turkish authorities. As you well know and as I&#39;ve said many many times from the podium the United States supports freedom of expression around the world. And we have concerns when any country makes a move to close down media outlets and restrict this universal value. We expect Turkish authorities to uphold their assurances that the Turkish government will protect the rule of law and fundamental freedoms,&quot; he said. 
 
The moves follow a failed coup on July 15 in which at least 246 people were killed and more than 2,000 injured. 
 
Western governments and human rights groups have condemned the coup, but they have also expressed disquiet over the scale and depth of the purges, fearing that Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan may be using them to get rid of opponents and tighten his grip on power. 
 
(Reuters)

State Department spokesman said the Front is still considered a terrorist organisation and their actions will be no different than before

The US State Department said yesterday that Nusra Front militants remained a fair target for US and Russian warplanes in Syria despite a decision to cut ties with al Qaeda and change its name to Jabhat Fatah al Sham, and it was seeking clarification from Turkey on detentions of journalists following an attempted coup there. State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters at a news conference that the Nusra Front's announcement could simply be a rebranding exercise and the United States would judge it by its actions, goals and ideology. "Certainly see no reason to believe that their actions or their objectives are any different, and they are still considered a foreign terrorist organisation," Kirby said. "They are still not a party to the cessation of hostilities and therefore are still a fair target for coalition operations," he added. Kirby also said the Russian and Syrian humanitarian exercise around Aleppo on Thursday appeared to actually be an attempt to force the evacuation of civilians and the surrender of militant groups. "What needs to happen is the innocent people of Aleppo should be able to stay in their homes, safely, and to receive the humanitarian access which Russia and the regime have agreed, in principle have agreed, certainly according to the UN Security Council resolution, to provide," Kirby said. The United States understands Turkey's need to hold perpetrators of the recent attempted coup to account but the detention of more journalists is part of a worrisome trend that discourages public discourse, Kirby told reporters. "We're obviously deeply concerned by the reports and were seeking additional information from Turkish authorities. As you well know and as I've said many many times from the podium the United States supports freedom of expression around the world. And we have concerns when any country makes a move to close down media outlets and restrict this universal value. We expect Turkish authorities to uphold their assurances that the Turkish government will protect the rule of law and fundamental freedoms," he said. The moves follow a failed coup on July 15 in which at least 246 people were killed and more than 2,000 injured. Western governments and human rights groups have condemned the coup, but they have also expressed disquiet over the scale and depth of the purges, fearing that Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan may be using them to get rid of opponents and tighten his grip on power. (Reuters)

US: Nusra Front military target despite name change, break with Qaeda

Two bomb blasts claimed by Islamic State hit the northeastern Syrian city of Qamishli near the Turkish border today, killing at least 44 people and wounding 170 others, state television reported.
The official SANA news agency said at least 140 people were also injured when a suicide bomber in a vehicle blew himself up in a western neighbourhood of the city.

The attack was initially described as a double bombing, but sources in the city and the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights subsequently said the initial attack had caused a gas tank to detonate.

The area targeted houses of several ministries of the local autonomous Kurdish administration.
It said one of the bombs exploded near a security headquarters of the Kurdish administration that controls most of Hasaka province, where Qamishli is located. 
 
State TV said one blast was from a car bomb and the other from a bomb on a motorbike. 
 
It rolled footage purportedly from the scene of one blast, showing large-scale damage to buildings, vast amounts of rubble strewn across the road and plumes of smoke rising. 
 
One explosion was so powerful it shattered the windows of shops in the Turkish town of Nusaybin, directly across the border. Two people were slightly hurt in Nusaybin, a witness said. 
 
IS &#39;targeted&#39; Kurdish security forces&nbsp; 
 
Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, saying they had targeted Kurdish security forces. 
 
The jihadist group, which is fighting against the Kurdish YPG militia and its allies in Hasaka and Aleppo provinces, has targeted Qamishli and the provincial capital, Hasaka city, in the past with bombing attacks. 
 
A suicide blast killed six members of the Kurdish internal security force, known as the Asayish, in April. In July, an Islamic State suicide bomb killed at least 16 people in Hasaka. 
 
The YPG captured large areas of territory from Islamic State in northeastern Syria last year and is involved in a US-backed offensive that has advanced against the jihadists further west near the Turkish border. 
 
(Reuters, AFP)

British Syrian Observatory said one of the bombs exploded near security headquarters of the Kurdish administration that controls Qamishli

Two bomb blasts claimed by Islamic State hit the northeastern Syrian city of Qamishli near the Turkish border today, killing at least 44 people and wounding 170 others, state television reported. The official SANA news agency said at least 140 people were also injured when a suicide bomber in a vehicle blew himself up in a western neighbourhood of the city. The attack was initially described as a double bombing, but sources in the city and the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights subsequently said the initial attack had caused a gas tank to detonate. The area targeted houses of several ministries of the local autonomous Kurdish administration. It said one of the bombs exploded near a security headquarters of the Kurdish administration that controls most of Hasaka province, where Qamishli is located. State TV said one blast was from a car bomb and the other from a bomb on a motorbike. It rolled footage purportedly from the scene of one blast, showing large-scale damage to buildings, vast amounts of rubble strewn across the road and plumes of smoke rising. One explosion was so powerful it shattered the windows of shops in the Turkish town of Nusaybin, directly across the border. Two people were slightly hurt in Nusaybin, a witness said. IS 'targeted' Kurdish security forces Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, saying they had targeted Kurdish security forces. The jihadist group, which is fighting against the Kurdish YPG militia and its allies in Hasaka and Aleppo provinces, has targeted Qamishli and the provincial capital, Hasaka city, in the past with bombing attacks. A suicide blast killed six members of the Kurdish internal security force, known as the Asayish, in April. In July, an Islamic State suicide bomb killed at least 16 people in Hasaka. The YPG captured large areas of territory from Islamic State in northeastern Syria last year and is involved in a US-backed offensive that has advanced against the jihadists further west near the Turkish border. (Reuters, AFP)

IS claimed bombing kills at least 44 in northeast Syria city Qamishli, state TV says

The US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group aims to open a new front in southern Syria in addition to its ongoing offensive in the northeast, US defense secretary Ashton Carter said yesterday. 
 
&quot;We will aggressively pursue opportunities to build pressure on ISIL in Syria from the south, complementing our existing, robust efforts from northeastern Syria,&quot; he said in a speech to US troops at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. ISIL is another term for the Islamic State group. 
 
Carter said the move will help Jordanian security and further split IS theatres of operation in Syria and Iraq. 
 
At the moment, the main coalition effort is centred on recapturing the Manbij pocket in northern Syria, the last jihadist-held territory bordering Turkey. 
 
That offensive is being led by the Syrian Democratic Forces, an Arab-Kurdish coalition. 
 
US-backed rebels also have tried to attack IS from the south, but so far without success. 
 
The New Syrian Army, a small rebel formation allied with the United States, tried in June to attack IS positions in Boukamal on the border with Iraq. 
 
But after coming within five kilometers of the town, the rebels were repelled by a jihadist counter-offensive. 
 
In another setback, the Pentagon said a rebel camp was bombed in mid-June by Russian warplanes, a charge Moscow has denied. 
 
After two years of war against the jihadists, the coalition estimates it has recovered about 50 per cent of the territory seized by IS in Iraq, and 20 per cent in Syria. 
 
The allies&#39; objective is to isolate and then recapture the cities of Raqa in Syria and Mosul in Iraq, the most important IS strongholds. 
 
&quot;As this isolation and pressure on Raqa and Mosul builds from the outside in, our partners will continue to reach deep inside those cities to enable pressure on ISIL from the inside out,&quot; Carter said. 
 
(AFP)

US defense secretary said the move will help Jordanian security and further split IS theatres of operation in Syria and Iraq

The US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group aims to open a new front in southern Syria in addition to its ongoing offensive in the northeast, US defense secretary Ashton Carter said yesterday. "We will aggressively pursue opportunities to build pressure on ISIL in Syria from the south, complementing our existing, robust efforts from northeastern Syria," he said in a speech to US troops at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. ISIL is another term for the Islamic State group. Carter said the move will help Jordanian security and further split IS theatres of operation in Syria and Iraq. At the moment, the main coalition effort is centred on recapturing the Manbij pocket in northern Syria, the last jihadist-held territory bordering Turkey. That offensive is being led by the Syrian Democratic Forces, an Arab-Kurdish coalition. US-backed rebels also have tried to attack IS from the south, but so far without success. The New Syrian Army, a small rebel formation allied with the United States, tried in June to attack IS positions in Boukamal on the border with Iraq. But after coming within five kilometers of the town, the rebels were repelled by a jihadist counter-offensive. In another setback, the Pentagon said a rebel camp was bombed in mid-June by Russian warplanes, a charge Moscow has denied. After two years of war against the jihadists, the coalition estimates it has recovered about 50 per cent of the territory seized by IS in Iraq, and 20 per cent in Syria. The allies' objective is to isolate and then recapture the cities of Raqa in Syria and Mosul in Iraq, the most important IS strongholds. "As this isolation and pressure on Raqa and Mosul builds from the outside in, our partners will continue to reach deep inside those cities to enable pressure on ISIL from the inside out," Carter said. (AFP)

US-led coalition aims to open new anti-IS front in Syria

Morocco said today that it had arrested 52 suspected militants inspired by Islamic State and that it had foiled several attacks in the North African kingdom by seizing weapons and bomb-making materials. 
 
It is the largest group arrested in years and the latest of a series of cells that the authorities say they have found plotting attacks inside and outside Morocco. 
 
The North African kingdom, an ally of the West against Islamist militancy, has been on high alert since 2014, when Islamic State took control of large swathes of northern Iraq and Syria. The 52 arrested were among 143 people investigated in many Moroccan cities and towns, the interior ministry said in a statement. 
 
Many members of the group were planning to create an Islamic State province (Wilayat) in Morocco, the statement said. They intended to assassinate Moroccan security and military officers and tourists, as well as targeting prisons and festivals and other institutions in the country. 
 
Morocco&#39;s Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation, the judicial part of the Moroccan domestic intelligence service, has tracked suspected militants since Islamic State established itself as a global threat. Morocco has dismantled 38 suspected militant cells with Islamic State ties since 2013, the statement said, adding 159 cells had been found since 2002. 
 
Hundreds of fighters from Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria have joined Islamist militant forces in Syria. Some are threatening to return and create new jihadist wings in their home countries, security experts have said. 
 
Nearby Libya has become a major draw for jihadists from North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa. Islamic State has taken advantage of the security chaos there to build a base, operate training camps and take over the city of Sirte. 
 
Morocco has been the target of militant attacks, most recently in 2011 in Marrakesh, when an explosion in a cafe killed 15 people, mostly foreigners. 
 
(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

The 52 suspects arrested were among 143 people investigated in many Moroccan cities and towns

Morocco said today that it had arrested 52 suspected militants inspired by Islamic State and that it had foiled several attacks in the North African kingdom by seizing weapons and bomb-making materials. It is the largest group arrested in years and the latest of a series of cells that the authorities say they have found plotting attacks inside and outside Morocco. The North African kingdom, an ally of the West against Islamist militancy, has been on high alert since 2014, when Islamic State took control of large swathes of northern Iraq and Syria. The 52 arrested were among 143 people investigated in many Moroccan cities and towns, the interior ministry said in a statement. Many members of the group were planning to create an Islamic State province (Wilayat) in Morocco, the statement said. They intended to assassinate Moroccan security and military officers and tourists, as well as targeting prisons and festivals and other institutions in the country. Morocco's Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation, the judicial part of the Moroccan domestic intelligence service, has tracked suspected militants since Islamic State established itself as a global threat. Morocco has dismantled 38 suspected militant cells with Islamic State ties since 2013, the statement said, adding 159 cells had been found since 2002. Hundreds of fighters from Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria have joined Islamist militant forces in Syria. Some are threatening to return and create new jihadist wings in their home countries, security experts have said. Nearby Libya has become a major draw for jihadists from North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa. Islamic State has taken advantage of the security chaos there to build a base, operate training camps and take over the city of Sirte. Morocco has been the target of militant attacks, most recently in 2011 in Marrakesh, when an explosion in a cafe killed 15 people, mostly foreigners. (Reuters)

Morocco arrests 52 suspected Islamic State militants, foils several attacks

A car bomb blast yesterday hit an upmarket area of Damascus housing several government buildings, Syrian state news agency SANA reported, saying there were &quot;several wounded&quot;. 
 
The explosion took place in front of a 10-storey building in the Kafar Sousse district in the southwest of the war-torn country`s capital, an AFP journalist at the scene said. 
 
Debris littered the ground, including pieces of metal apparently from the vehicle used in the blast, which the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said caused casualties, without giving details. 
 
Since Syria`s civil war erupted numerous attacks have hit Damascus, a stronghold of President Bashar al-Assad, though they have become less frequent in recent years. 
 
Kafar Sousse, home to the foreign ministry and the council of ministers, was the scene of some of the first major attacks in the Syrian conflict, when 44 people were killed and 166 wounded in two suicide bombings in December 2011. 
 
Those attacks, targeting intelligence and military security buildings, were blamed by the opposition on the government, who blamed Al-Qaeda. 
 
The district was also where Lebanese Hezbollah commander Imad Mughnieh was assassinated in 2008. 
 
Syria`s civil war has cost more than 280,000 lives and sent more than half the country`s population fleeing abroad. 
 
The increasingly complex conflict has drawn in regional and international powers and seen the rise of jihadist groups including the Islamic State. 
 
(AFP)

The bomb hit Kafar Sousse area, southwest of the capital. A Britain-based human rights group reported casualties without giving details

A car bomb blast yesterday hit an upmarket area of Damascus housing several government buildings, Syrian state news agency SANA reported, saying there were "several wounded". The explosion took place in front of a 10-storey building in the Kafar Sousse district in the southwest of the war-torn country`s capital, an AFP journalist at the scene said. Debris littered the ground, including pieces of metal apparently from the vehicle used in the blast, which the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said caused casualties, without giving details. Since Syria`s civil war erupted numerous attacks have hit Damascus, a stronghold of President Bashar al-Assad, though they have become less frequent in recent years. Kafar Sousse, home to the foreign ministry and the council of ministers, was the scene of some of the first major attacks in the Syrian conflict, when 44 people were killed and 166 wounded in two suicide bombings in December 2011. Those attacks, targeting intelligence and military security buildings, were blamed by the opposition on the government, who blamed Al-Qaeda. The district was also where Lebanese Hezbollah commander Imad Mughnieh was assassinated in 2008. Syria`s civil war has cost more than 280,000 lives and sent more than half the country`s population fleeing abroad. The increasingly complex conflict has drawn in regional and international powers and seen the rise of jihadist groups including the Islamic State. (AFP)

Car bomb blast wounds several in Damascus

The UN Security Council yesterday backed a call by the UN&#39;s top aid official for a humanitarian truce in Aleppo after four hospitals were bombed and civilians were killed by air strikes in the Syrian city. 
 
Warning that food will soon run out in Aleppo, UN aid chief Stephen O&#39;Brien called for 48-hour weekly humanitarian truces to prevent a &quot;medieval&quot; siege from taking hold. 
 
&quot;The international community simply cannot let eastern Aleppo city become yet another - and by far the largest - besieged area,&quot; O&#39;Brien told the council. 
 
&quot;This is medieval and shameful. We must not allow this to happen.&quot; 
 
O&#39;Brien, the UN&#39;s under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, said food supplies in rebel-held eastern Aleppo were expected to run out by the middle of August. 
 
Britain, France and the United States quickly endorsed the plan, and Japan&#39;s ambassador Koro Bessho, who holds the council presidency, said there was &quot;overwhelming support for the idea&quot; among the 15 council members. 
 
French ambassador Francois Delattre compared Aleppo&#39;s plight to that of Sarajevo during the Bosnian war and said &quot;the Security Council simply cannot accept such war crimes - yes, war crimes - to repeat again.&quot; 
 
Syrian regime forces seized the last remaining supply route to Aleppo this month and all humanitarian and commercial movements came to a halt on July 7. 
 
Syria and its allies are &quot;determined to besiege, starve and bomb Aleppo until they reach their military goal: eradicating the opposition. This is what the siege is all about,&quot; Delattre told reporters ahead of the meeting. 
 
Enough is enough 
 
Over the weekend, four hospitals were bombed in Aleppo, jeopardising medical care for more than 200,000 desperate civilians. 
 
On Monday, air strikes and barrel bombs killed 16 civilians in Aleppo, according to the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. 
 
&quot;Enough is enough now,&quot; British ambassador Matthew Rycroft said. 
 
Rycroft said the council was looking at possible action to address the crisis in Aleppo, but did not provide details. 
 
Council support for the proposed truces could lead to a draft resolution to enforce the UN plan, but it remained unlikely that Russia, Syria&#39;s ally, would back such a measure. 
 
Russia said the so-called Castello road that was seized by regime forces was a supply route for weapons to jihadists, including the Al-Qaeda linked Al-Nusra Front. 
 
Russian ambassador Vitaly Churkin nevertheless told the council that in Aleppo, &quot;there is a need there to prevent humanitarian disaster.&quot; 
 
The United States put the onus on Russia to persuade Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to halt attacks and re-open the Castello road. 
 
&quot;Russia, the Assad regime and other groups fighting around Aleppo should heed the UN call for a weekly 48-hour pause to allow for deliveries of essential supplies,&quot; said US ambassador Samantha Power. 
 
The council raised alarm over the humanitarian crisis in Aleppo on the eve of a meeting in Geneva between top US and Russian officials to try to lay the groundwork for a resumption of peace talks. 
 
More than 280,000 people have been killed in Syria in the war, which is now in its sixth year, and more than half the country has been displaced. 
 
(AFP)

Warning that food will soon run out, UN aid chief Stephen O'Brien called for 48-hour weekly pauses for deliveries of essential supplies

The UN Security Council yesterday backed a call by the UN's top aid official for a humanitarian truce in Aleppo after four hospitals were bombed and civilians were killed by air strikes in the Syrian city. Warning that food will soon run out in Aleppo, UN aid chief Stephen O'Brien called for 48-hour weekly humanitarian truces to prevent a "medieval" siege from taking hold. "The international community simply cannot let eastern Aleppo city become yet another - and by far the largest - besieged area," O'Brien told the council. "This is medieval and shameful. We must not allow this to happen." O'Brien, the UN's under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, said food supplies in rebel-held eastern Aleppo were expected to run out by the middle of August. Britain, France and the United States quickly endorsed the plan, and Japan's ambassador Koro Bessho, who holds the council presidency, said there was "overwhelming support for the idea" among the 15 council members. French ambassador Francois Delattre compared Aleppo's plight to that of Sarajevo during the Bosnian war and said "the Security Council simply cannot accept such war crimes - yes, war crimes - to repeat again." Syrian regime forces seized the last remaining supply route to Aleppo this month and all humanitarian and commercial movements came to a halt on July 7. Syria and its allies are "determined to besiege, starve and bomb Aleppo until they reach their military goal: eradicating the opposition. This is what the siege is all about," Delattre told reporters ahead of the meeting. Enough is enough Over the weekend, four hospitals were bombed in Aleppo, jeopardising medical care for more than 200,000 desperate civilians. On Monday, air strikes and barrel bombs killed 16 civilians in Aleppo, according to the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. "Enough is enough now," British ambassador Matthew Rycroft said. Rycroft said the council was looking at possible action to address the crisis in Aleppo, but did not provide details. Council support for the proposed truces could lead to a draft resolution to enforce the UN plan, but it remained unlikely that Russia, Syria's ally, would back such a measure. Russia said the so-called Castello road that was seized by regime forces was a supply route for weapons to jihadists, including the Al-Qaeda linked Al-Nusra Front. Russian ambassador Vitaly Churkin nevertheless told the council that in Aleppo, "there is a need there to prevent humanitarian disaster." The United States put the onus on Russia to persuade Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to halt attacks and re-open the Castello road. "Russia, the Assad regime and other groups fighting around Aleppo should heed the UN call for a weekly 48-hour pause to allow for deliveries of essential supplies," said US ambassador Samantha Power. The council raised alarm over the humanitarian crisis in Aleppo on the eve of a meeting in Geneva between top US and Russian officials to try to lay the groundwork for a resumption of peace talks. More than 280,000 people have been killed in Syria in the war, which is now in its sixth year, and more than half the country has been displaced. (AFP)

UN Security Council backs call for Aleppo truce

Libyan forces said today they had edged further into the centre of Sirte as they seek to recapture the city from Islamic State, following heavy battles until late the previous evening that left dozens dead. 
 
Forces aligned with Libya&#39;s United Nations-backed government in Tripoli advanced rapidly on Islamic State&#39;s Libyan stronghold in May, but have faced lethal resistance from snipers, suicide bombers and mines as they have closed in on the city centre. 
 
Sirte had been under the complete control of Islamic State since last year, becoming its most important base outside Syria and Iraq, and its loss would be a major setback for the group.&nbsp;After a lull in fighting earlier this week, the government-backed forces launched a fresh assault on several fronts in Sirte, after first pounding Islamic State positions with artillery and air strikes. 
 
The brigades, made up mainly of fighters from the western city of Misrata, said in a statement that they had captured a hotel on the eastern front line used by Islamic State snipers, and also taken control of part of the &quot;Dollar&quot; neighbourhood. 
 
They said they had foiled three attempted car bomb attacks and destroyed an armoured vehicle. A Reuters witness saw a tank belonging to the brigades being blown up, though it was not clear what caused the explosion.&nbsp;He said shelling continued late into Thursday night, but it was quiet today morning. 
 
Nearly 50 bodies of Islamic State fighters killed during Thursday&#39;s clashes were counted, the statement from the government-backed forces said. At least 22 brigade members were killed and 175 wounded, according to Misrata&#39;s central hospital. 
 
Since the campaign for Sirte began in May, more than 300 fighters from the brigades have been killed and more than 1,300 wounded, a spokesman for the forces said. 
 
Islamic State expanded into Libya amid the political chaos and security vacuum that developed after long-time ruler Muammar Gaddafi was toppled in an uprising in 2011.&nbsp;The group extended its presence along about 250 kilometres of Libya&#39;s coastline, but failed to win and retain territory elsewhere in the country. 
 
(Reuters)

The government-backed forces have taken control of a part of 'Dollar' neighbourhood. The city has been under control of IS since last year

Libyan forces said today they had edged further into the centre of Sirte as they seek to recapture the city from Islamic State, following heavy battles until late the previous evening that left dozens dead. Forces aligned with Libya's United Nations-backed government in Tripoli advanced rapidly on Islamic State's Libyan stronghold in May, but have faced lethal resistance from snipers, suicide bombers and mines as they have closed in on the city centre. Sirte had been under the complete control of Islamic State since last year, becoming its most important base outside Syria and Iraq, and its loss would be a major setback for the group. After a lull in fighting earlier this week, the government-backed forces launched a fresh assault on several fronts in Sirte, after first pounding Islamic State positions with artillery and air strikes. The brigades, made up mainly of fighters from the western city of Misrata, said in a statement that they had captured a hotel on the eastern front line used by Islamic State snipers, and also taken control of part of the "Dollar" neighbourhood. They said they had foiled three attempted car bomb attacks and destroyed an armoured vehicle. A Reuters witness saw a tank belonging to the brigades being blown up, though it was not clear what caused the explosion. He said shelling continued late into Thursday night, but it was quiet today morning. Nearly 50 bodies of Islamic State fighters killed during Thursday's clashes were counted, the statement from the government-backed forces said. At least 22 brigade members were killed and 175 wounded, according to Misrata's central hospital. Since the campaign for Sirte began in May, more than 300 fighters from the brigades have been killed and more than 1,300 wounded, a spokesman for the forces said. Islamic State expanded into Libya amid the political chaos and security vacuum that developed after long-time ruler Muammar Gaddafi was toppled in an uprising in 2011. The group extended its presence along about 250 kilometres of Libya's coastline, but failed to win and retain territory elsewhere in the country. (Reuters)

Libyan forces claim gains in fierce fight against Islamic State in Sirte

A sad-eyed Pikachu Pokemon Go character sits amidst the rubble on a Syrian street, while a Charizard dragon from the smash hit game is perched alongside gun-toting jihadists. The striking montages are the work of Syrian Khaled Akil, who is one of several activists and artists using the international frenzy over Pokemon Go to draw new attention to the plight of their battle-scarred country. 
 
In the images posted on Akil&#39;s website, characters from the wildly popular smartphone app are placed into news photographs of scenes from the conflict in Syria, which is now in its sixth year and has killed more than 280,000 people. One image appears to show the aftermath of bombardment, with the facades sheared from buildings and smoke rising from the blackened carcass of a car. 
 
A child walks across the rubble strewn throughout the street, atop which sits the yellow Pikachu character, his tall ears flopping down. In another image, a boy wheels his bicycle down a devastated street, with the turquoise-green Vaporeon character by his side. 
 
Since its global launch, Pokemon Go has sparked a worldwide frenzy among users who have taken to the streets with their smartphones. The free app uses satellite locations, graphics and camera capabilities to overlay cartoon monsters on real-world settings, challenging players to capture and train the creatures for battles. 
 
But some Syrians see it as a chance to redirect attention to the conflict that began in March 2011, which has often fallen out of the headlines despite a spiralling death toll and the displacement of more than half the Syrian population. Syrian graphic designer Saif Aldeen Tahhan posted images on his Facebook page showing users holding smartphones and seeking not Pokemons but medical care, school books or undamaged homes.&nbsp; 
 
One image depicts a smartphone in front of a rubber dinghy of refugees at sea, with the user trying to capture a life ring. &quot;I hope that the message behind these images reaches the whole world and that Syrians will be safe everywhere and always,&quot; Tahhan wrote on his Facebook page. 
 
Syrian opposition activists have also sought to harness the frenzy over the game, posting a series of images online this week showing children holding posters of individual characters. &quot;I am in Kafr Nabal in Idlib province, come and save me,&quot; reads the text underneath a Pikachu on a poster held by a young boy. 
 
Kafr Nabal is a rebel-held town in northwestern Idlib province, which is mostly held by an opposition alliance that includes Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front. Towns across the province are regularly bombarded by the Syrian government and its Russian ally, with more than 20 civilians reported dead in raids in Idlib on Thursday alone. 
 
Other images in the series created by the Syrian Revolutionary Forces activist group show children in the rebel-held towns of Kafr Zita and Kafr Nabuda in central Hama province. An additional montage depicts a giant Pikachu in tears, seated next to a child in the ruins of a devastated building. &quot;I am from Syria, come to save me!,&quot; the picture is captioned, with the hashtag #PrayForSyria. 
 
(AFP)

Artists are inserting Pokemon Go characters into news pictures of bombed-out Syria to create a startling juxtaposition

A sad-eyed Pikachu Pokemon Go character sits amidst the rubble on a Syrian street, while a Charizard dragon from the smash hit game is perched alongside gun-toting jihadists. The striking montages are the work of Syrian Khaled Akil, who is one of several activists and artists using the international frenzy over Pokemon Go to draw new attention to the plight of their battle-scarred country. In the images posted on Akil's website, characters from the wildly popular smartphone app are placed into news photographs of scenes from the conflict in Syria, which is now in its sixth year and has killed more than 280,000 people. One image appears to show the aftermath of bombardment, with the facades sheared from buildings and smoke rising from the blackened carcass of a car. A child walks across the rubble strewn throughout the street, atop which sits the yellow Pikachu character, his tall ears flopping down. In another image, a boy wheels his bicycle down a devastated street, with the turquoise-green Vaporeon character by his side. Since its global launch, Pokemon Go has sparked a worldwide frenzy among users who have taken to the streets with their smartphones. The free app uses satellite locations, graphics and camera capabilities to overlay cartoon monsters on real-world settings, challenging players to capture and train the creatures for battles. But some Syrians see it as a chance to redirect attention to the conflict that began in March 2011, which has often fallen out of the headlines despite a spiralling death toll and the displacement of more than half the Syrian population. Syrian graphic designer Saif Aldeen Tahhan posted images on his Facebook page showing users holding smartphones and seeking not Pokemons but medical care, school books or undamaged homes. One image depicts a smartphone in front of a rubber dinghy of refugees at sea, with the user trying to capture a life ring. "I hope that the message behind these images reaches the whole world and that Syrians will be safe everywhere and always," Tahhan wrote on his Facebook page. Syrian opposition activists have also sought to harness the frenzy over the game, posting a series of images online this week showing children holding posters of individual characters. "I am in Kafr Nabal in Idlib province, come and save me," reads the text underneath a Pikachu on a poster held by a young boy. Kafr Nabal is a rebel-held town in northwestern Idlib province, which is mostly held by an opposition alliance that includes Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front. Towns across the province are regularly bombarded by the Syrian government and its Russian ally, with more than 20 civilians reported dead in raids in Idlib on Thursday alone. Other images in the series created by the Syrian Revolutionary Forces activist group show children in the rebel-held towns of Kafr Zita and Kafr Nabuda in central Hama province. An additional montage depicts a giant Pikachu in tears, seated next to a child in the ruins of a devastated building. "I am from Syria, come to save me!," the picture is captioned, with the hashtag #PrayForSyria. (AFP)

Syrians harness Pokemon frenzy to depict their plight

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