The head of the opposition Syrian National Coalition (SNC) called for a suspension of the US-led air campaign against Islamic State in Syria while reports of dozens of civilian deaths from air strikes around the northern city of Manbij are investigated. 
 
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 56 civilians were killed in air strikes north of Manbij on Tuesday, a day after it said 21 civilians were killed in a northern district of the besieged Islamic State-held city. 
 
SNC president Anas al-Abdah said the strikes should be halted while the incidents were investigated, according to a statement issued late on Wednesday, and warned that the killing of civilians by the US-led air campaign would &quot;prove to be a recruitment tool for terrorist organisations&quot;. 
 
&quot;It is essential that such investigation not only result in revised rules of procedure for future operations, but also inform accountability for those responsible for such major violations,&quot; Abdah wrote in a letter to foreign ministers of countries in the anti-Islamic State alliance. 
 
US defence secretary Ash Carter said on Wednesday the US-led force would look into the reports of civilian casualties around Manbij. 
 
The Observatory said the dead from Tuesday&#39;s strike included 11 children. Pictures on social media purporting to be from the scene showed dust-covered corpses of two young children next to rubble. 
 
Syria&#39;s foreign ministry said Tuesday&#39;s air strike, which hit the village of Toukhan north of Manbij, was carried out by French forces, while Monday&#39;s strike was by US jets. 
 
&quot;(Syria) condemns, with the strongest terms, the two bloody massacres perpetrated by the French and US warplanes and those affiliated to the so-called international coalition which send their missiles and bombs to the civilians instead of directing them to the terrorist gangs,&quot; it said in a letter sent to the United Nations this week, according to state news agency SANA. 
 
A spokesman for the US-led alliance said there were &quot;multiple national aircraft providing strikes in Manbij. So how the Syrian government knows who conducted what strike, I question.&quot; 
 
The Western-backed Free Syrian Army, an umbrella grouping of factions which has fought against both President Bashar al-Assad and against Islamic State militants, also condemned what it called the &quot;shocking massacres&quot; near Manbij. 
 
&quot;We will not allow any crime to be justified under the pretext of combating terrorism,&quot; it said in a statement signed by more than 30 armed factions. 
 
( Reuters)

Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 56 civilians were killed in air strikes north of Manbij

The head of the opposition Syrian National Coalition (SNC) called for a suspension of the US-led air campaign against Islamic State in Syria while reports of dozens of civilian deaths from air strikes around the northern city of Manbij are investigated. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 56 civilians were killed in air strikes north of Manbij on Tuesday, a day after it said 21 civilians were killed in a northern district of the besieged Islamic State-held city. SNC president Anas al-Abdah said the strikes should be halted while the incidents were investigated, according to a statement issued late on Wednesday, and warned that the killing of civilians by the US-led air campaign would "prove to be a recruitment tool for terrorist organisations". "It is essential that such investigation not only result in revised rules of procedure for future operations, but also inform accountability for those responsible for such major violations," Abdah wrote in a letter to foreign ministers of countries in the anti-Islamic State alliance. US defence secretary Ash Carter said on Wednesday the US-led force would look into the reports of civilian casualties around Manbij. The Observatory said the dead from Tuesday's strike included 11 children. Pictures on social media purporting to be from the scene showed dust-covered corpses of two young children next to rubble. Syria's foreign ministry said Tuesday's air strike, which hit the village of Toukhan north of Manbij, was carried out by French forces, while Monday's strike was by US jets. "(Syria) condemns, with the strongest terms, the two bloody massacres perpetrated by the French and US warplanes and those affiliated to the so-called international coalition which send their missiles and bombs to the civilians instead of directing them to the terrorist gangs," it said in a letter sent to the United Nations this week, according to state news agency SANA. A spokesman for the US-led alliance said there were "multiple national aircraft providing strikes in Manbij. So how the Syrian government knows who conducted what strike, I question." The Western-backed Free Syrian Army, an umbrella grouping of factions which has fought against both President Bashar al-Assad and against Islamic State militants, also condemned what it called the "shocking massacres" near Manbij. "We will not allow any crime to be justified under the pretext of combating terrorism," it said in a statement signed by more than 30 armed factions. ( Reuters)

Syrian opposition calls for suspension of US-led air strikes

A video circulated on social media on Tuesday shows rebel fighters beheading a boy after capturing him, at north of Syria&#39;s second city Aleppo, a monitor said. 
 
The video shows the boy laying in the back of a truck when a fighter begins to cut off his head with a small knife. 
 
One fighter shouts &quot;we will leave no one in Handarat&quot;, which is north of Aleppo city where there has been fighting between rebels and regime forces. 
 
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed that the video depicts rebel fighters. 
 
In an earlier clip, the boy was sitting in the back of the truck with fighters around him accusing him with being a member of Al Quds brigade, a Palestinian group fighting with the regime forces. 
 
Earlier in July, Amnesty International issued a report saying that Islamist rebels and jihadists in Syria are guilty of war crimes, accusing them of &quot;a chilling wave of abductions, torture and summary killings&quot;. 
 
The London-based rights group named five Syrian anti-regime factions operating in northern Syria among them Nureddin Zinki. 
 
Activists accused Nurredin Zinki group of carrying out the killing, but the group issued a statement condemning a &quot;violation&quot; that was &quot;an individual mistake, that does not represent the general policy of the group&quot;. 
 
According to Rami Abdel Rahman, Syrian Observatory for Human Rights chief, &quot;the boy is no more than 13 years old, he was captured on Tuesday in Handarat area, but the incident took place in a rebel held area in Aleppo city, Al Mashhad neighbourhood to be exact.&quot; 
 
He could not confirm if the boy was a Palestinian or a child soldier, though he said Al Quds brigade denied that he was one of its fighters. 
 
Nureddin Zinki added that &quot;the persons who carried out this violation were arrested and handed over&quot; to a judicial committee for investigation. 
 
Syria&#39;s conflict began in 2011 with the repression of anti-government demonstrations and has evolved into a multi-front war that has left more than 280,000 dead and forced millions from their homes. 
 
(AFP) 
&nbsp;

The clip showed the boy, no more than 13 years old, laying in a truck and a fighter using a small knife to hack his throat

A video circulated on social media on Tuesday shows rebel fighters beheading a boy after capturing him, at north of Syria's second city Aleppo, a monitor said. The video shows the boy laying in the back of a truck when a fighter begins to cut off his head with a small knife. One fighter shouts "we will leave no one in Handarat", which is north of Aleppo city where there has been fighting between rebels and regime forces. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed that the video depicts rebel fighters. In an earlier clip, the boy was sitting in the back of the truck with fighters around him accusing him with being a member of Al Quds brigade, a Palestinian group fighting with the regime forces. Earlier in July, Amnesty International issued a report saying that Islamist rebels and jihadists in Syria are guilty of war crimes, accusing them of "a chilling wave of abductions, torture and summary killings". The London-based rights group named five Syrian anti-regime factions operating in northern Syria among them Nureddin Zinki. Activists accused Nurredin Zinki group of carrying out the killing, but the group issued a statement condemning a "violation" that was "an individual mistake, that does not represent the general policy of the group". According to Rami Abdel Rahman, Syrian Observatory for Human Rights chief, "the boy is no more than 13 years old, he was captured on Tuesday in Handarat area, but the incident took place in a rebel held area in Aleppo city, Al Mashhad neighbourhood to be exact." He could not confirm if the boy was a Palestinian or a child soldier, though he said Al Quds brigade denied that he was one of its fighters. Nureddin Zinki added that "the persons who carried out this violation were arrested and handed over" to a judicial committee for investigation. Syria's conflict began in 2011 with the repression of anti-government demonstrations and has evolved into a multi-front war that has left more than 280,000 dead and forced millions from their homes. (AFP)

Video showing Syrian rebels beheading boy goes viral

Syrian residents and the opposition expressed outrage today at the brutal beheading of a child by a rebel group in Aleppo city, describing it as a &quot;heinous act&quot;. 
 
The horrific murder, captured in footage circulated on social media Tuesday, was carried out by Islamist rebels who accused the boy of fighting alongside government forces. 
 
&quot;How could they slaughter a child like this?&quot; said 25-year-old Bassel Zein, a barber in the opposition-held Al-Kalasseh neighbourhood of Aleppo.&nbsp;&quot;He should have been tried in a fair way and maybe swapped with the regime for rebel detainees instead of this heinous act,&quot; he said. 
 
Other residents said the beheading tarnished the name of the opposition, and at an Aleppo mosque on Tuesday night, Imam Mohamed Badawi railed against the killing. 
 
&quot;This is the work of criminals, and is forbidden in Islam,&quot; he told the congregation gathered for sunset prayers. 
 
The boy was decapitated by members of the Nureddin al-Zenki rebel group on the back of a pick-up truck on a public road in Aleppo&#39;s opposition-controlled Al-Mashhad neighbourhood. 
 
In the grisly footage, rebels accused the boy of fighting with a pro-regime Palestinian faction known as the Al-Quds Brigade, and said he was captured during fighting north of Aleppo city. 
 
But the Al-Quds Brigade issued a statement denying the boy was a member, and described him as a 12-year-old Palestinian refugee. 
 
The Nureddin al-Zenki group officially condemned the act as a &quot;violation&quot; in a statement on Tuesday, describing it as an &quot;individual mistake that does not represent the general policy of the group&quot;. 
 
The organisation said it had detained those involved in the murder and established a judicial committee to investigate the incident and issue a verdict &quot;as soon as possible&quot;. 
 
Rebel group accused of abuses&nbsp; 
 
The killing was also condemned by the opposition Syrian National Coalition, which expressed &quot;shock at the horrific scenes&quot; and urged the faction to follow through on its pledge to investigate and punish the perpetrators. 
 
&quot;The National Coalition... does not condone any behaviour that is contrary to the principles of the revolution and the aspirations of the Syrian people, who came out to demand freedom, dignity and justice,&quot; the statement added. 
 
Nureddin al-Zenki is an Islamist rebel group largely based in Aleppo province that at one point received US-made anti-tank missiles, though that support appears to have dried up in 2015.&nbsp;The faction had already been accused of abuses, with Amnesty International earlier this month saying it was among several rebel factions committing war crimes and other violations of international law. 
 
In Washington, the state department said it was aware of reports of the &quot;appalling&quot; incident and that involvement with the group could be reviewed. 
 
&quot;We&#39;re seeking more information,&quot; spokesman Mark Toner said at Tuesday&#39;s daily briefing.&nbsp;&quot;We&#39;ll look at, frankly, any affiliation or cooperation with this group we may have going forward, if these allegations are proven true,&quot; he added. 
 
In eastern parts of Aleppo, now under siege after being encircled by government forces, residents accused the rebels involved of besmirching the opposition&#39;s name. 
 
&quot;This is a big error and will harm all the Free Syrian Army rebel factions,&quot; said Mohamed Mansour, a resident of Al-Mashhad where the execution occurred.&nbsp;&quot;There is nothing in Islam that allows the slaughter of prisoners. Islam requires captives to be well-treated, fed and cared for.&quot; 
 
Rights groups say war crimes have been committed by all sides in Syria&#39;s conflict, which began in March 2011 and has killed more than 280,000 people.&nbsp;The government is accused of widespread torture, as well as indiscriminate fire on civilian populations.&nbsp;And the Islamic State group has regularly carried out gruesome executions of its opponents. 
 
(AFP)

The boy was decapitated by Nureddin al-Zenki rebel group, who accused the child of fighting alongside government forces

Syrian residents and the opposition expressed outrage today at the brutal beheading of a child by a rebel group in Aleppo city, describing it as a "heinous act". The horrific murder, captured in footage circulated on social media Tuesday, was carried out by Islamist rebels who accused the boy of fighting alongside government forces. "How could they slaughter a child like this?" said 25-year-old Bassel Zein, a barber in the opposition-held Al-Kalasseh neighbourhood of Aleppo. "He should have been tried in a fair way and maybe swapped with the regime for rebel detainees instead of this heinous act," he said. Other residents said the beheading tarnished the name of the opposition, and at an Aleppo mosque on Tuesday night, Imam Mohamed Badawi railed against the killing. "This is the work of criminals, and is forbidden in Islam," he told the congregation gathered for sunset prayers. The boy was decapitated by members of the Nureddin al-Zenki rebel group on the back of a pick-up truck on a public road in Aleppo's opposition-controlled Al-Mashhad neighbourhood. In the grisly footage, rebels accused the boy of fighting with a pro-regime Palestinian faction known as the Al-Quds Brigade, and said he was captured during fighting north of Aleppo city. But the Al-Quds Brigade issued a statement denying the boy was a member, and described him as a 12-year-old Palestinian refugee. The Nureddin al-Zenki group officially condemned the act as a "violation" in a statement on Tuesday, describing it as an "individual mistake that does not represent the general policy of the group". The organisation said it had detained those involved in the murder and established a judicial committee to investigate the incident and issue a verdict "as soon as possible". Rebel group accused of abuses The killing was also condemned by the opposition Syrian National Coalition, which expressed "shock at the horrific scenes" and urged the faction to follow through on its pledge to investigate and punish the perpetrators. "The National Coalition... does not condone any behaviour that is contrary to the principles of the revolution and the aspirations of the Syrian people, who came out to demand freedom, dignity and justice," the statement added. Nureddin al-Zenki is an Islamist rebel group largely based in Aleppo province that at one point received US-made anti-tank missiles, though that support appears to have dried up in 2015. The faction had already been accused of abuses, with Amnesty International earlier this month saying it was among several rebel factions committing war crimes and other violations of international law. In Washington, the state department said it was aware of reports of the "appalling" incident and that involvement with the group could be reviewed. "We're seeking more information," spokesman Mark Toner said at Tuesday's daily briefing. "We'll look at, frankly, any affiliation or cooperation with this group we may have going forward, if these allegations are proven true," he added. In eastern parts of Aleppo, now under siege after being encircled by government forces, residents accused the rebels involved of besmirching the opposition's name. "This is a big error and will harm all the Free Syrian Army rebel factions," said Mohamed Mansour, a resident of Al-Mashhad where the execution occurred. "There is nothing in Islam that allows the slaughter of prisoners. Islam requires captives to be well-treated, fed and cared for." Rights groups say war crimes have been committed by all sides in Syria's conflict, which began in March 2011 and has killed more than 280,000 people. The government is accused of widespread torture, as well as indiscriminate fire on civilian populations. And the Islamic State group has regularly carried out gruesome executions of its opponents. (AFP)

Syrians outraged after rebels behead child

Europe is at major risk of &quot;lone wolf&quot; terror attacks, its policing agency said today, with the latest incidents showing &quot;how difficult it is to detect and disrupt suspects&quot;. 
 
Recent incidents including Monday&#39;s attack on a German train and last week&#39;s carnage in Nice which left 84 people dead &quot;remain a favoured tactic by the Islamic State group and al-Qaeda,&quot; Europol said in a statement. 
 
&quot;Both groups have repeatedly called on Muslims living in western countries to perpetrate lone actor attacks in their countries of residence,&quot; it said. 
 
In the latest incident, the Islamic State group on Tuesday released a video purportedly featuring a 17-year-old migrant who went on an axe rampage on a train at Wuerzburg in southern Germany, injuring five people, two critically. 
 
&quot;Although IS has claimed responsibility for the latest attacks, none seem to have been planned, logistically supported or executed directly by IS,&quot; Europol said, 
 
Despite the attackers&#39; pledges of allegiance to the IS group, &quot;their actual involvement cannot be established,&quot; Europol said. 
 
The Hague-based policing organisation also released its 2015 &quot;EU Terrorism and Trend Report&quot; saying 151 people died and more than 350 others were injured in terror attacks last year in the 28-member bloc. 
 
The 55-page report only looked at 2015 and did not take into account the Nice attack or the attacks on the Brussels airport and metro stations in March in which 32 people died. 
 
&quot;In 2015 the EU (European Union) experienced a massive number of casualties caused by terrorist attacks,&quot; Europol chief Rob Wainwright said. 
 
&quot;The carefully planned attacks demonstrate the elevated threat to the EU from a fanatical minority based in the Middle East, combined with a network of people born and raised in the EU,&quot; he said. 
 
These people are &quot;often radicalised within a short space of time, (and) proven willing to act as facilitators and active accomplices in terrorism,&quot; Wainwright said. 
 
A significant number of all foreign terrorist travellers in Syria and Iraq are now female, the report said, and women have also &quot;proven to be very successful in facilitating and recruiting while still in the EU&quot;. 
 
These women are trained in the use of weapons though are probably not currently taking part in active combat, Europol added. 
 
&quot;Their roles may change in the future, which may have an effect on the nature and impact&quot; of Islamic State group operations in Europe, the policing agency warned. 
 
Last year, 687 suspects were arrested, of whom 198 were convicted of jihadist activities. 
 
Europol warned: &quot;It is a highly challenging task for the security services and law enforcement to prevent every terrorist attack by keeping track of the ever-increasing numbers of people suspected of being, in one way, or another sympathetic to IS ideology.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

The Islamic State group yesterday released a video purportedly featuring a 17-year-old migrant who went on an axe rampage on a train

Europe is at major risk of "lone wolf" terror attacks, its policing agency said today, with the latest incidents showing "how difficult it is to detect and disrupt suspects". Recent incidents including Monday's attack on a German train and last week's carnage in Nice which left 84 people dead "remain a favoured tactic by the Islamic State group and al-Qaeda," Europol said in a statement. "Both groups have repeatedly called on Muslims living in western countries to perpetrate lone actor attacks in their countries of residence," it said. In the latest incident, the Islamic State group on Tuesday released a video purportedly featuring a 17-year-old migrant who went on an axe rampage on a train at Wuerzburg in southern Germany, injuring five people, two critically. "Although IS has claimed responsibility for the latest attacks, none seem to have been planned, logistically supported or executed directly by IS," Europol said, Despite the attackers' pledges of allegiance to the IS group, "their actual involvement cannot be established," Europol said. The Hague-based policing organisation also released its 2015 "EU Terrorism and Trend Report" saying 151 people died and more than 350 others were injured in terror attacks last year in the 28-member bloc. The 55-page report only looked at 2015 and did not take into account the Nice attack or the attacks on the Brussels airport and metro stations in March in which 32 people died. "In 2015 the EU (European Union) experienced a massive number of casualties caused by terrorist attacks," Europol chief Rob Wainwright said. "The carefully planned attacks demonstrate the elevated threat to the EU from a fanatical minority based in the Middle East, combined with a network of people born and raised in the EU," he said. These people are "often radicalised within a short space of time, (and) proven willing to act as facilitators and active accomplices in terrorism," Wainwright said. A significant number of all foreign terrorist travellers in Syria and Iraq are now female, the report said, and women have also "proven to be very successful in facilitating and recruiting while still in the EU". These women are trained in the use of weapons though are probably not currently taking part in active combat, Europol added. "Their roles may change in the future, which may have an effect on the nature and impact" of Islamic State group operations in Europe, the policing agency warned. Last year, 687 suspects were arrested, of whom 198 were convicted of jihadist activities. Europol warned: "It is a highly challenging task for the security services and law enforcement to prevent every terrorist attack by keeping track of the ever-increasing numbers of people suspected of being, in one way, or another sympathetic to IS ideology." (AFP)

Europol warns it is difficult to predict lone wolf attacks

At least 56 civilians were killed on Tuesday in air strikes north of the besieged Islamic State-held city of Manbij in northern Syria. Residents said they believed the attack was carried out by US-led warplanes, a monitoring group said. 
 
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the dead included 11 children, and that dozens more were wounded.&nbsp; 
 
The US-backed Syria Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters, launched an offensive at the end of May to seize the last territory held by Islamic State (IS) insurgents on Syria&#39;s frontier with Turkey. 
 
Supported by US coalition air strikes, the SDF have surrounded the city, but Islamic State attacks still occur in some areas of the surrounding countryside. 
 
On Monday, 21 were killed in raids also believed to have been conducted by US-led coalition aircraft on Manbij&#39;s northern Hazawneh quarter.&nbsp; 
 
But progress into Manbij city has been slow. The militants have deployed snipers, planted mines and prevented civilians from leaving, hampering efforts to bomb the city without causing heavy casualties, according to Kurdish sources. 
 
The Observatory said at least 104 civilians have died from air strikes since the start of the Manbij offensive in late May.&nbsp; 
 
Colonel Chris Garver, a spokesman for the US coalition against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, said it was looking into reports of civilian deaths but was being &quot;extraordinarily careful to make sure&quot; air strikes were killing IS fighters. 
 
&quot;Around Manbij, the Syrian Arab Coalition (SAC - Arab groups within the SDF), which is leading that fight, is being very slow and deliberate in that fight to protect civilians which we know are inside.&quot; 
 
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights recently voiced concern for the roughly 70,000 civilians believed to be trapped between warring parties in Manbij. 
 
&quot;Civilians have...reportedly been killed if they leave their homes or attempt to flee. Families are unable to access local cemeteries to bury their relatives who have died or been killed, and are burying them in their gardens or keeping the corpses in bunkers,&quot; Zeid Ra&#39;ad Al Hussein said. 
 
&quot;The town has no electricity or water at present, and no medical facilities are known to be operating. As the SDF closes in on the city, (Islamic State) has not permitted civilians to leave the area.&quot; 
 
The coalition said it has conducted more than 450 strikes in the vicinity of Manbij. It routinely investigates civilian deaths and publishes the results of confirmed incidents. 
 
Between September 10, 2015 and February 2, 2016, coalition air strikes in Iraq and Syria probably killed 20 civilians and injured 11 others, the US Central Command said in April.&nbsp; 
 
On Tuesday, the coalition said the SAC captured an IS command centre in western Manbij on Sunday that was concealed in a hospital and was also being used as a logistics hub. 
 
The SAC had also taken a significant area of the city during the operation, giving civilians an opportunity to flee, a statement from the Combined Joint Task Force said. 
 
(Reuters)

Residents say they believe the attack was carried out by US-led warplanes in strikes north of IS-held city, Manbij

At least 56 civilians were killed on Tuesday in air strikes north of the besieged Islamic State-held city of Manbij in northern Syria. Residents said they believed the attack was carried out by US-led warplanes, a monitoring group said. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the dead included 11 children, and that dozens more were wounded. The US-backed Syria Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters, launched an offensive at the end of May to seize the last territory held by Islamic State (IS) insurgents on Syria's frontier with Turkey. Supported by US coalition air strikes, the SDF have surrounded the city, but Islamic State attacks still occur in some areas of the surrounding countryside. On Monday, 21 were killed in raids also believed to have been conducted by US-led coalition aircraft on Manbij's northern Hazawneh quarter. But progress into Manbij city has been slow. The militants have deployed snipers, planted mines and prevented civilians from leaving, hampering efforts to bomb the city without causing heavy casualties, according to Kurdish sources. The Observatory said at least 104 civilians have died from air strikes since the start of the Manbij offensive in late May. Colonel Chris Garver, a spokesman for the US coalition against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, said it was looking into reports of civilian deaths but was being "extraordinarily careful to make sure" air strikes were killing IS fighters. "Around Manbij, the Syrian Arab Coalition (SAC - Arab groups within the SDF), which is leading that fight, is being very slow and deliberate in that fight to protect civilians which we know are inside." The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights recently voiced concern for the roughly 70,000 civilians believed to be trapped between warring parties in Manbij. "Civilians have...reportedly been killed if they leave their homes or attempt to flee. Families are unable to access local cemeteries to bury their relatives who have died or been killed, and are burying them in their gardens or keeping the corpses in bunkers," Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said. "The town has no electricity or water at present, and no medical facilities are known to be operating. As the SDF closes in on the city, (Islamic State) has not permitted civilians to leave the area." The coalition said it has conducted more than 450 strikes in the vicinity of Manbij. It routinely investigates civilian deaths and publishes the results of confirmed incidents. Between September 10, 2015 and February 2, 2016, coalition air strikes in Iraq and Syria probably killed 20 civilians and injured 11 others, the US Central Command said in April. On Tuesday, the coalition said the SAC captured an IS command centre in western Manbij on Sunday that was concealed in a hospital and was also being used as a logistics hub. The SAC had also taken a significant area of the city during the operation, giving civilians an opportunity to flee, a statement from the Combined Joint Task Force said. (Reuters)

Air strikes kill 56 civilians in northern Syria

Opposition-controlled parts of Syria&#39;s battered northern city Aleppo are now completely besieged, a monitor and a rebel group said today, after government forces severed the last route out of the east. 
 
Regime fighters are now on the Castello Road and have fully cut it, said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. 
 
&quot;The eastern neighbourhoods are now completely besieged,&quot; he said. 
 
The army had advanced on July 7 to within firing range of the key supply route but had not reached the road itself. 
 
&quot;Aleppo is now 100 per cent besieged,&quot; a rebel fighter from the Aleppo Revolutionaries group said. 
 
&quot;The army has reached the road and even arrested a group of civilians who were walking there,&quot; the fighter said. 
 
&quot;They are now setting up sandbag barriers,&quot; he said. 
 
AFP&#39;s correspondent in one eastern rebel-controlled neighbourhood said the distant sound of clashes could be heard. 
 
According to the United Nations, nearly 600,000 people are living under siege in Syria, most of them surrounded by government forces, although rebel groups also use the brutal tactic. 
 
Eastern Aleppo is not yet designated by the UN as besieged. 
 
Aleppo city is divided roughly between government control in the west and rebel control in the east. 
 
It was once Syria&#39;s commercial powerhouse but has been ravaged by the country&#39;s five-year war, which has left more than 280,000 people dead. 
 
(AFP)

A rebel fighter from Aleppo Revolutionaries group said the army has reached Castello Road and is setting up sand barriers

Opposition-controlled parts of Syria's battered northern city Aleppo are now completely besieged, a monitor and a rebel group said today, after government forces severed the last route out of the east. Regime fighters are now on the Castello Road and have fully cut it, said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. "The eastern neighbourhoods are now completely besieged," he said. The army had advanced on July 7 to within firing range of the key supply route but had not reached the road itself. "Aleppo is now 100 per cent besieged," a rebel fighter from the Aleppo Revolutionaries group said. "The army has reached the road and even arrested a group of civilians who were walking there," the fighter said. "They are now setting up sandbag barriers," he said. AFP's correspondent in one eastern rebel-controlled neighbourhood said the distant sound of clashes could be heard. According to the United Nations, nearly 600,000 people are living under siege in Syria, most of them surrounded by government forces, although rebel groups also use the brutal tactic. Eastern Aleppo is not yet designated by the UN as besieged. Aleppo city is divided roughly between government control in the west and rebel control in the east. It was once Syria's commercial powerhouse but has been ravaged by the country's five-year war, which has left more than 280,000 people dead. (AFP)

Rebel-held areas of Syria's Aleppo fully besieged

US secretary of state John Kerry met with Russian President Vladimir Putin about boosting military and intelligence cooperation against Islamic State and al-Qaeda in Syria and told him that without &quot;concrete, near-term steps&quot;, diplomatic efforts to end the war could not go on indefinitely. 
 
Kerry met Putin for three hours at the Kremlin and their talks lasted until 1am local time on Friday. 
 
The state department said Kerry expressed concern about repeated violations of a cessation of hostilities by the Moscow-backed Syrian government. It said the two also discussed the need to increase pressure on groups like Islamic State and the Al-Nusra Front, al-Qaeda&#39;s affiliate in Syria. 
 
Kerry &quot;emphasized that absent concrete, near-term steps, diplomatic efforts could not continue indefinitely&quot;, a statement said, adding that discussions between Kerry and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday were expected to explore initiatives in more detail. 
 
On Thursday, the Washington Post published a leaked document it said Kerry would put forward in Moscow calling for intelligence sharing to identify leadership targets, training camps, supply lines and headquarters of the Nusra Front, al Qaeda&#39;s affiliate in Syria. 
 
It said strikes against those targets could be carried out by US or Russian jets and expanded coordination would be channelled through a Joint Implementation Group based in the vicinity of the Jordanian capital, Amman. 
 
The extent of cooperation proposed in the document would represent a major US shift after years of rivalry between Washington and Moscow, which support opposing sides in Syria&#39;s five-year civil war, but the idea has raised doubts among US defense and intelligence officials. 
 
Putin said at the start of his meeting with Kerry that his last conversation with US President Barack Obama had convinced him that both sides were sincere in their efforts to find a solution in Syria. 
 
&quot;I hope after today&#39;s consultations you&#39;ll be able to advise him of the progress made and possible headway for us to make,&quot; he told Kerry. 
 
A test of Russia 
 
US officials described the visit as a test of Moscow&#39;s willingness to use its influence on the Syrian government to help revive the country&#39;s peace process. 
 
Under the leaked plan, the US and Russia would establish separate headquarters and a shared coordination office, where they would deploy senior officials, intelligence personnel and experts in strike planning and targeting. 
 
They would decide on a date to simultaneously begin strikes against Al-Nusra Front targets and to stop all Syrian military air activities in designated areas, except for non-combat purposes and against areas where Nusra Front has acquired territory. 
 
The proposal also allows for Russia to use air power to defend Syrian forces from attack from AL-Nusra Front within a designated area, if agreed in advance with the United States. 
 
Washington sceptical 
 
The White House and Pentagon offered lukewarm support for the plan and demanded that Moscow show it was serious about fighting Islamic State, not just propping up President Bashar al-Assad. Kerry himself took a tough line after his meeting on Thursday with Putin, state department spokesman John Kirby told reporters in Moscow. 
 
&quot;Secretary Kerry emphasized that absent concrete, near-term steps, diplomatic efforts could not continue indefinitely,&quot; Kirby said. 
 
A senior US official said before the talks that expectations were &quot;very low&quot;, but added: &quot;Either we find a way to do something about it or not. 
 
&quot;And if we don&rsquo;t, the entire thing breaks down. That would be an end of the cessation of hostilities and that would not be a good thing for Russia, or the United States, or the world, or, most importantly, for the Syrian people.&quot; 
 
Kerry faces some strong opposition to his efforts to woo Russia from US defense and intelligence officials who say Washington and Moscow have diametrically opposed objectives in Syria. 
 
(Reuters)

US secretary of state seeks concrete, near-term steps from Moscow

US secretary of state John Kerry met with Russian President Vladimir Putin about boosting military and intelligence cooperation against Islamic State and al-Qaeda in Syria and told him that without "concrete, near-term steps", diplomatic efforts to end the war could not go on indefinitely. Kerry met Putin for three hours at the Kremlin and their talks lasted until 1am local time on Friday. The state department said Kerry expressed concern about repeated violations of a cessation of hostilities by the Moscow-backed Syrian government. It said the two also discussed the need to increase pressure on groups like Islamic State and the Al-Nusra Front, al-Qaeda's affiliate in Syria. Kerry "emphasized that absent concrete, near-term steps, diplomatic efforts could not continue indefinitely", a statement said, adding that discussions between Kerry and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday were expected to explore initiatives in more detail. On Thursday, the Washington Post published a leaked document it said Kerry would put forward in Moscow calling for intelligence sharing to identify leadership targets, training camps, supply lines and headquarters of the Nusra Front, al Qaeda's affiliate in Syria. It said strikes against those targets could be carried out by US or Russian jets and expanded coordination would be channelled through a Joint Implementation Group based in the vicinity of the Jordanian capital, Amman. The extent of cooperation proposed in the document would represent a major US shift after years of rivalry between Washington and Moscow, which support opposing sides in Syria's five-year civil war, but the idea has raised doubts among US defense and intelligence officials. Putin said at the start of his meeting with Kerry that his last conversation with US President Barack Obama had convinced him that both sides were sincere in their efforts to find a solution in Syria. "I hope after today's consultations you'll be able to advise him of the progress made and possible headway for us to make," he told Kerry. A test of Russia US officials described the visit as a test of Moscow's willingness to use its influence on the Syrian government to help revive the country's peace process. Under the leaked plan, the US and Russia would establish separate headquarters and a shared coordination office, where they would deploy senior officials, intelligence personnel and experts in strike planning and targeting. They would decide on a date to simultaneously begin strikes against Al-Nusra Front targets and to stop all Syrian military air activities in designated areas, except for non-combat purposes and against areas where Nusra Front has acquired territory. The proposal also allows for Russia to use air power to defend Syrian forces from attack from AL-Nusra Front within a designated area, if agreed in advance with the United States. Washington sceptical The White House and Pentagon offered lukewarm support for the plan and demanded that Moscow show it was serious about fighting Islamic State, not just propping up President Bashar al-Assad. Kerry himself took a tough line after his meeting on Thursday with Putin, state department spokesman John Kirby told reporters in Moscow. "Secretary Kerry emphasized that absent concrete, near-term steps, diplomatic efforts could not continue indefinitely," Kirby said. A senior US official said before the talks that expectations were "very low", but added: "Either we find a way to do something about it or not. "And if we don’t, the entire thing breaks down. That would be an end of the cessation of hostilities and that would not be a good thing for Russia, or the United States, or the world, or, most importantly, for the Syrian people." Kerry faces some strong opposition to his efforts to woo Russia from US defense and intelligence officials who say Washington and Moscow have diametrically opposed objectives in Syria. (Reuters)

Kerry meets Putin about cooperating against Islamic State in Syria

The United States is to offer to cooperate with Russia in joint military action against the Al-Nusra Front and Islamic State extremist groups in Syria, the Washington Post reported today. 
 
US secretary of state John Kerry, who was on his way to Moscow for talks with President Vladimir Putin, did not deny the report, but refused to discuss the proposal in detail until he had been to the Kremlin. 
 
According to the Post, which cited sections of what it said was a draft agreement, US and Russian commanders would set up a joint command and control centre to direct intensified air strikes against the jihadist groups. 
 
Currently, Russian forces in Syria are operating in support of President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s regime against a variety of rebel factions while a US-led coalition focuses its fire on the Islamic State group. 
 
Any deal between the great power rivals would be controversial, since for many - including critics of US President Barack Obama in Washington - it would amount to a tacit acceptance of Putin&#39;s efforts to shore up Assad&#39;s regime. 
 
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the report before Moscow had received Washington&#39;s proposal. 
 
He said the Kremlin has reiterated the need for &quot;the coordination of joint efforts&quot; in the fight against jihadist groups in Syria and regretted Washington&#39;s reluctance to cooperate with Russia militarily in the war-torn country. 
 
Kerry was due in Moscow later today and was to hold talks first with Putin at the Kremlin followed by a meeting with his opposite number foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday. 
 
Asked if he wanted to comment on the reported US offer of a military pact, Kerry said: &quot;I don&#39;t right now. I&#39;ll have comments. I&#39;m going to Moscow, meeting with President Putin tonight, and we&#39;ll have plenty of time to talk about it.&quot; 
 
&quot;I&#39;ll give you all a sense of where we are,&quot; he added. 
 
According to the Post, Kerry was to propose to Putin that Russia and the United States set up a &#39;Joint Implementation Group&#39; or JIG to &quot;enable extended coordination&quot; between their militaries on the Syrian battlefields. 
 
Both the Islamic State and the Al-Nusra Front are defined as terrorist groups by the UN security council, and they are not party to the much-breached ceasefire in place between Assad&#39;s forces and more moderate rebel groups. 
 
But, while the Islamic State&#39;s so-called &#39;caliphate&#39; has global ambitions, al-Nusra which is an affiliate of al-Qaeda has concentrated on battling Assad, fighting alongside other rebel groups backed by US allies. 
 
Any deal between Russia and the United States to fight both groups would in effect strengthen Assad&#39;s position, and could undermine US efforts to press him to agree a negotiated political settlement to the civil war. 
 
( AFP)

John Kerry did not deny nor discuss the report. But critics say it would amount to acceptance of Putin's efforts to shore up Assad's regime

The United States is to offer to cooperate with Russia in joint military action against the Al-Nusra Front and Islamic State extremist groups in Syria, the Washington Post reported today. US secretary of state John Kerry, who was on his way to Moscow for talks with President Vladimir Putin, did not deny the report, but refused to discuss the proposal in detail until he had been to the Kremlin. According to the Post, which cited sections of what it said was a draft agreement, US and Russian commanders would set up a joint command and control centre to direct intensified air strikes against the jihadist groups. Currently, Russian forces in Syria are operating in support of President Bashar al-Assad's regime against a variety of rebel factions while a US-led coalition focuses its fire on the Islamic State group. Any deal between the great power rivals would be controversial, since for many - including critics of US President Barack Obama in Washington - it would amount to a tacit acceptance of Putin's efforts to shore up Assad's regime. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the report before Moscow had received Washington's proposal. He said the Kremlin has reiterated the need for "the coordination of joint efforts" in the fight against jihadist groups in Syria and regretted Washington's reluctance to cooperate with Russia militarily in the war-torn country. Kerry was due in Moscow later today and was to hold talks first with Putin at the Kremlin followed by a meeting with his opposite number foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday. Asked if he wanted to comment on the reported US offer of a military pact, Kerry said: "I don't right now. I'll have comments. I'm going to Moscow, meeting with President Putin tonight, and we'll have plenty of time to talk about it." "I'll give you all a sense of where we are," he added. According to the Post, Kerry was to propose to Putin that Russia and the United States set up a 'Joint Implementation Group' or JIG to "enable extended coordination" between their militaries on the Syrian battlefields. Both the Islamic State and the Al-Nusra Front are defined as terrorist groups by the UN security council, and they are not party to the much-breached ceasefire in place between Assad's forces and more moderate rebel groups. But, while the Islamic State's so-called 'caliphate' has global ambitions, al-Nusra which is an affiliate of al-Qaeda has concentrated on battling Assad, fighting alongside other rebel groups backed by US allies. Any deal between Russia and the United States to fight both groups would in effect strengthen Assad's position, and could undermine US efforts to press him to agree a negotiated political settlement to the civil war. ( AFP)

US to offer to cooperate with Russia in joint action on IS, Al-Nusra in Syria: Post

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said today he has never faced pressure from Russia to step aside, as US secretary of state John Kerry headed to Moscow seeking to revive stalled peace efforts. 
 
Speaking to NBC News in Damascus, Assad insisted his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and foreign minister Sergei Lavrov had never raised the issue of his departure or a political transition. 
 
&quot;Only the Syrian people define who&#39;s going to be the President, when to come, and when to go. They never said a single word regarding this,&quot; he said. 
 
Assad&#39;s fate is a key question in efforts to bring about a negotiated settlement to Syria&#39;s five-year civil war.&nbsp; 
 
Hopes for the existing peace process rest on the UN-backed blueprint sketched out by the 22-nation, US and Russian-led International Syria Support Group. 
 
Under this road map, signed by both Syria&#39;s ally Iran and Assad&#39;s pro-rebel foe Saudi Arabia, a nationwide ceasefire will precede Geneva-based talks on &quot;political transition&quot;. 
 
But there has been little progress towards a resumption of talks that had been expected to take place this month. 
 
And the prospects for a political transition beginning August, as laid out in the road map, now appear slim. 
 
Kerry was due to arrive later today in Moscow, a close ally of Assad&#39;s government that launched air strikes in support of regime forces last September. 
 
Kerry said before leaving Washington that he would meet Putin &quot;to see if we can somehow advance this (the peace process) in the important ways that people want us to&quot;. Moscow and Washington brokered a landmark partial ceasefire in Syria in February but it has since all but collapsed amid continued heavy fighting. 
 
Kerry&#39;s spokesman John Kirby told reporters his boss was &quot;extremely frustrated&quot; with the failure of peace efforts and &quot;his patience was growing thin&quot;. 
 
In Washington, many observers have criticised Kerry&#39;s outreach to Russia on Syria, arguing he has been strung along by Putin as he seeks to protect his client Assad. 
 
But Kirby insisted the administration is not being naive, and that today&#39;s visit to Moscow, Kerry&#39;s third this year, would &quot;probe the sincerity&quot; of Putin&#39;s promises. 
 
Syria&#39;s conflict began in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government demonstrations and has evolved into a complex multi-front war that has left more than 280,000 dead and forced millions from their homes. 
 
Efforts to bring an end to the war have taken on greater urgency since the emergence of the Islamic State group, which seized control of large parts of Syria and neighbouring Iraq in mid-2014. 
 
The jihadist group has committed widespread atrocities in areas under its control and organised or inspired a wave of attacks across the Middle East and in Western cities. 
 
A US-led coalition is carrying out air strikes against the jihadists in Syria and Iraq and recent months have seen IS lose significant territory. 
 
The Washington Post reported today that Washington was to offer to cooperate with Russia in joint military action against IS and the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda, Al-Nusra Front. 
 
In Paris before heading to Moscow, Kerry did not deny the report, but refused to discuss the proposal in detail until he had been to the Kremlin. 
 
According to the Post, which cited sections of what it said was a draft agreement, US and Russian commanders would set up a joint command and control centre to direct intensified air strikes against the groups. 
 
Such a deal is likely to face criticism that it amounts to a tacit acceptance of Putin&#39;s efforts to shore up Assad&#39;s regime.&nbsp; 
 
It was her own fault 
In his interview with NBC, Assad also said a US reporter killed in alleged Syrian government bombardment in 2012 was responsible for her own death. 
 
Marie Colvin, a 56-year-old war correspondent working for British newspaper The Sunday Times, died in the rebel-held Baba Amr district of Syria&#39;s third city Homs. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s a war and she came illegally to Syria. She worked with the terrorists, and because she came illegally, she&#39;s been responsible of everything that befall on her,&quot; Assad said, speaking in English. 
 
Asked if she was responsible for her own death, Assad replied &quot;of course&quot;, though he denied that his forces had targeted her. 
 
His comments came days after relatives of Colvin filed a lawsuit in a US court alleging Assad&#39;s regime targeted her to stop her covering government atrocities. 
 
The suit, based on information from captured government documents as well as defectors, claims the Syrian military intercepted Colvin&#39;s communications and unleashed a barrage of rocket fire on her location, killing her and French photographer Remi Ochlik. 
 
(AFP)

'Only the Syrian people define who's going to be the President, when to come, and when to go,' he said

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said today he has never faced pressure from Russia to step aside, as US secretary of state John Kerry headed to Moscow seeking to revive stalled peace efforts. Speaking to NBC News in Damascus, Assad insisted his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and foreign minister Sergei Lavrov had never raised the issue of his departure or a political transition. "Only the Syrian people define who's going to be the President, when to come, and when to go. They never said a single word regarding this," he said. Assad's fate is a key question in efforts to bring about a negotiated settlement to Syria's five-year civil war. Hopes for the existing peace process rest on the UN-backed blueprint sketched out by the 22-nation, US and Russian-led International Syria Support Group. Under this road map, signed by both Syria's ally Iran and Assad's pro-rebel foe Saudi Arabia, a nationwide ceasefire will precede Geneva-based talks on "political transition". But there has been little progress towards a resumption of talks that had been expected to take place this month. And the prospects for a political transition beginning August, as laid out in the road map, now appear slim. Kerry was due to arrive later today in Moscow, a close ally of Assad's government that launched air strikes in support of regime forces last September. Kerry said before leaving Washington that he would meet Putin "to see if we can somehow advance this (the peace process) in the important ways that people want us to". Moscow and Washington brokered a landmark partial ceasefire in Syria in February but it has since all but collapsed amid continued heavy fighting. Kerry's spokesman John Kirby told reporters his boss was "extremely frustrated" with the failure of peace efforts and "his patience was growing thin". In Washington, many observers have criticised Kerry's outreach to Russia on Syria, arguing he has been strung along by Putin as he seeks to protect his client Assad. But Kirby insisted the administration is not being naive, and that today's visit to Moscow, Kerry's third this year, would "probe the sincerity" of Putin's promises. Syria's conflict began in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government demonstrations and has evolved into a complex multi-front war that has left more than 280,000 dead and forced millions from their homes. Efforts to bring an end to the war have taken on greater urgency since the emergence of the Islamic State group, which seized control of large parts of Syria and neighbouring Iraq in mid-2014. The jihadist group has committed widespread atrocities in areas under its control and organised or inspired a wave of attacks across the Middle East and in Western cities. A US-led coalition is carrying out air strikes against the jihadists in Syria and Iraq and recent months have seen IS lose significant territory. The Washington Post reported today that Washington was to offer to cooperate with Russia in joint military action against IS and the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda, Al-Nusra Front. In Paris before heading to Moscow, Kerry did not deny the report, but refused to discuss the proposal in detail until he had been to the Kremlin. According to the Post, which cited sections of what it said was a draft agreement, US and Russian commanders would set up a joint command and control centre to direct intensified air strikes against the groups. Such a deal is likely to face criticism that it amounts to a tacit acceptance of Putin's efforts to shore up Assad's regime. It was her own fault In his interview with NBC, Assad also said a US reporter killed in alleged Syrian government bombardment in 2012 was responsible for her own death. Marie Colvin, a 56-year-old war correspondent working for British newspaper The Sunday Times, died in the rebel-held Baba Amr district of Syria's third city Homs. "It's a war and she came illegally to Syria. She worked with the terrorists, and because she came illegally, she's been responsible of everything that befall on her," Assad said, speaking in English. Asked if she was responsible for her own death, Assad replied "of course", though he denied that his forces had targeted her. His comments came days after relatives of Colvin filed a lawsuit in a US court alleging Assad's regime targeted her to stop her covering government atrocities. The suit, based on information from captured government documents as well as defectors, claims the Syrian military intercepted Colvin's communications and unleashed a barrage of rocket fire on her location, killing her and French photographer Remi Ochlik. (AFP)

Have never faced pressure from Russia to step aside: Assad

A top Islamic State group commander, Omar al-Shishani, has been killed in Iraq, the jihadist-linked Amaq agency said on Wednesday. 
 
The Pentagon announced in March that Shishani, known as Omar the Chechen, was believed to have died of injuries received in an air raid targeting his convoy in northeastern Syria, details at odds with Amaq&#39;s account. 
 
Citing a &quot;military source&quot;, Amaq said Shishani was killed &quot;in the town of Sharqat as he took part in repelling the military campaign on the city of Mosul&quot;, referring to the last IS-held city in Iraq. 
 
Iraqi forces are conducting operations to set the stage for a final push to Mosul, the country&#39;s second city that fell to IS in June 2014. 
 
Sharqat lies on the road north to Mosul, but Iraqi forces recently bypassed the area to recapture a key military base in the Qayyarah area farther north that the Pentagon said will be a &quot;springboard&quot; for the push toward the city. 
 
Amaq did not specify when Shishani was killed, but the loss of the commander is a blow to the jihadist group, which has suffered a string of setbacks in Iraq this year.&nbsp;In addition to Shishani, the US announced that it had killed IS deputy leader Abd ar-Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli in March. 
 
Shishani, a fierce, battle-hardened warlord with roots in Georgia and a thick red beard, was one of the most notorious faces of IS.&nbsp;Shishani, whose nom de guerre means &quot;Omar the Chechen&quot;, was one of the IS leaders most wanted by Washington, which had put a $5 million bounty on his head. 
 
His exact rank was unclear, but a US official had branded him as &quot;equivalent of the secretary of defence&quot; for the jihadist group. 
Shishani came from the former Soviet state of Georgia&#39;s Pankisi Gorge region, which is populated mainly by ethnic Chechens. 
 
He fought as a Chechen rebel against Russian forces before joining the Georgian military in 2006, and fought Russian forces again in Georgia in 2008. 
 
He later resurfaced in northern Syria as the commander of a group of foreign fighters, and became a senior leader within IS. 
 
IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014 but has since lost significant ground to Iraqi forces backed by US-led air strikes, training and other assistance. 
 
Baghdad declared victory in the city of Fallujah, west of Baghdad, at the end of last month, leaving Mosul as the sole Iraqi city held by IS. 
 
The Sunni extremist group has responded to the battlefield setbacks by striking civilians, particularly Shiites, and experts have warned there may be more bombings as the jihadists continue to lose ground. 
 
(AFP)

Omar al-Shishani was one of the IS leaders most wanted by Washington, which had a $5 million bounty on his head

A top Islamic State group commander, Omar al-Shishani, has been killed in Iraq, the jihadist-linked Amaq agency said on Wednesday. The Pentagon announced in March that Shishani, known as Omar the Chechen, was believed to have died of injuries received in an air raid targeting his convoy in northeastern Syria, details at odds with Amaq's account. Citing a "military source", Amaq said Shishani was killed "in the town of Sharqat as he took part in repelling the military campaign on the city of Mosul", referring to the last IS-held city in Iraq. Iraqi forces are conducting operations to set the stage for a final push to Mosul, the country's second city that fell to IS in June 2014. Sharqat lies on the road north to Mosul, but Iraqi forces recently bypassed the area to recapture a key military base in the Qayyarah area farther north that the Pentagon said will be a "springboard" for the push toward the city. Amaq did not specify when Shishani was killed, but the loss of the commander is a blow to the jihadist group, which has suffered a string of setbacks in Iraq this year. In addition to Shishani, the US announced that it had killed IS deputy leader Abd ar-Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli in March. Shishani, a fierce, battle-hardened warlord with roots in Georgia and a thick red beard, was one of the most notorious faces of IS. Shishani, whose nom de guerre means "Omar the Chechen", was one of the IS leaders most wanted by Washington, which had put a $5 million bounty on his head. His exact rank was unclear, but a US official had branded him as "equivalent of the secretary of defence" for the jihadist group. Shishani came from the former Soviet state of Georgia's Pankisi Gorge region, which is populated mainly by ethnic Chechens. He fought as a Chechen rebel against Russian forces before joining the Georgian military in 2006, and fought Russian forces again in Georgia in 2008. He later resurfaced in northern Syria as the commander of a group of foreign fighters, and became a senior leader within IS. IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014 but has since lost significant ground to Iraqi forces backed by US-led air strikes, training and other assistance. Baghdad declared victory in the city of Fallujah, west of Baghdad, at the end of last month, leaving Mosul as the sole Iraqi city held by IS. The Sunni extremist group has responded to the battlefield setbacks by striking civilians, particularly Shiites, and experts have warned there may be more bombings as the jihadists continue to lose ground. (AFP)

Top Islamic State commander Shishani killed

At least 11 civilians, including three children, were killed in air strikes on a rebel-held town in Syria&#39;s northwestern Idlib province on Wednesday, a monitor said. 
 
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said it was unclear if the strikes on the town of Ariha in Idlib province were carried out by Syrian government or Russian war planes. 
 
The town is controlled by the Army of Conquest, a rebel alliance of mainly Islamist groups including Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front that holds almost all of Idlib province. 
 
Video uploaded by activists purportedly showed the aftermath of the strikes, with residents and civil defence workers picking through debris looking for survivors. 
 
Idlib has regularly been targeted by both Syrian government air strikes and raids carried out by its Russian ally. 
 
A longtime backer of the government in Damascus, Moscow stepped up its support for President Bashar al-Assad on September 30, when it began an air campaign aimed at bolstering regime positions. 
 
Elsewhere in the country, the Observatory said at least eight people were killed on Wednesday in the town of Rastan in central Homs province. 
 
Five of them died in air strikes on the town&#39;s market place, which also wounded dozens of people. Another three were killed in shelling earlier Wednesday. 
 
(AFP)

'It was unclear if the strikes on the town of Ariha in Idlib province were carried out by Syrian government or Russian war planes'

At least 11 civilians, including three children, were killed in air strikes on a rebel-held town in Syria's northwestern Idlib province on Wednesday, a monitor said. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said it was unclear if the strikes on the town of Ariha in Idlib province were carried out by Syrian government or Russian war planes. The town is controlled by the Army of Conquest, a rebel alliance of mainly Islamist groups including Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front that holds almost all of Idlib province. Video uploaded by activists purportedly showed the aftermath of the strikes, with residents and civil defence workers picking through debris looking for survivors. Idlib has regularly been targeted by both Syrian government air strikes and raids carried out by its Russian ally. A longtime backer of the government in Damascus, Moscow stepped up its support for President Bashar al-Assad on September 30, when it began an air campaign aimed at bolstering regime positions. Elsewhere in the country, the Observatory said at least eight people were killed on Wednesday in the town of Rastan in central Homs province. Five of them died in air strikes on the town's market place, which also wounded dozens of people. Another three were killed in shelling earlier Wednesday. (AFP)

Air strikes kill 11 including children in Syria's Idlib: Monitor

An Australian court today convicted Sydney man Hamdi Al Qudsi of recruiting seven young men to travel overseas and fight alongside Islamic State and al-Qaeda affiliates in Syria, a spokeswoman for the court said. 
 
Al Qudsi, 42, was found guilty by the New South Wales state Supreme Court in Sydney of aiding the men to fight with extremist groups in 2013, the spokeswoman told Reuters. 
 
&quot;The charges were give money/goods to promote/support foreign hostile acts,&quot; she said. Each of the seven charges carries a 10 year prison sentence. Al Qudsi is yet to be sentenced. 
 
Prosecutors alleged that Al Qudsi made arrangements for the men to travel to Syria in 2013 for the purpose of fighting alongside groups listed by the Australian government as terrorist organisations. 
 
Under tough new security powers passed in 2014, Australians face up to a decade in prison for overseas travel to areas declared off limits, which includes the province of Raqqa in Syria, a key strategic hub for Islamic State militants. 
 
A copy of the indictment provided to Reuters lists seven men that Al Qudsi recruited to fight in Syria. Two of those men - Tyler Casey and Caner Temel - were killed in Syria, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported. 
 
Two other men listed in the indictment, Muhammed Abdul-Karim Musleh and Mehmet Biber, have since returned, the ABC said. 
 
About 100 people have left Australia for Syria to fight alongside organisations such as Islamic State, Australia&#39;s Immigration Minister said earlier this year. 
 
Australia, a staunch US ally, has been on heightened alert for attacks by home-grown radicals since 2014 and authorities say they have thwarted a number of plots. 
 
There have been several &quot;lone wolf&quot; assaults, including a 2014 cafe siege in Sydney that left two hostages and the gunman dead. Also in 2014, police shot dead a Melbourne teenager after he stabbed two counter-terrorism officers. 
 
In 2015, a 15-year-old boy fired on an accountant at a police headquarters in a Sydney suburb and was then killed in a gunfight with police. 
 
(Reuters)

Hamdi Al Qudsi made arrangements for seven young men to travel to Syria in 2013 to fight with IS, and gets 10 years in jail for each recruit

An Australian court today convicted Sydney man Hamdi Al Qudsi of recruiting seven young men to travel overseas and fight alongside Islamic State and al-Qaeda affiliates in Syria, a spokeswoman for the court said. Al Qudsi, 42, was found guilty by the New South Wales state Supreme Court in Sydney of aiding the men to fight with extremist groups in 2013, the spokeswoman told Reuters. "The charges were give money/goods to promote/support foreign hostile acts," she said. Each of the seven charges carries a 10 year prison sentence. Al Qudsi is yet to be sentenced. Prosecutors alleged that Al Qudsi made arrangements for the men to travel to Syria in 2013 for the purpose of fighting alongside groups listed by the Australian government as terrorist organisations. Under tough new security powers passed in 2014, Australians face up to a decade in prison for overseas travel to areas declared off limits, which includes the province of Raqqa in Syria, a key strategic hub for Islamic State militants. A copy of the indictment provided to Reuters lists seven men that Al Qudsi recruited to fight in Syria. Two of those men - Tyler Casey and Caner Temel - were killed in Syria, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported. Two other men listed in the indictment, Muhammed Abdul-Karim Musleh and Mehmet Biber, have since returned, the ABC said. About 100 people have left Australia for Syria to fight alongside organisations such as Islamic State, Australia's Immigration Minister said earlier this year. Australia, a staunch US ally, has been on heightened alert for attacks by home-grown radicals since 2014 and authorities say they have thwarted a number of plots. There have been several "lone wolf" assaults, including a 2014 cafe siege in Sydney that left two hostages and the gunman dead. Also in 2014, police shot dead a Melbourne teenager after he stabbed two counter-terrorism officers. In 2015, a 15-year-old boy fired on an accountant at a police headquarters in a Sydney suburb and was then killed in a gunfight with police. (Reuters)

Australian convicted of recruiting foreign fighters for Islamic State

Pentagon chief Ashton Carter held taks in Baghdad today over the fight against the Islamic State group and the strategy to recapture Iraq&#39;s second city Mosul from the jihadists. 
 
Carter met with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and Defence Minister Khalid al-Obeidi, two days after Iraq announced the recapture of a base south of Mosul seen as an important step toward the eventual battle for the city. 
 
Carter&#39;s unannounced visit is&nbsp;his fourth to Iraq since beginning his job in February 2015, which&nbsp;comes two days after Iraqi forces captured an airbase to the south of Mosul that is seen as an important step toward the eventual battle for the country&#39;s second city, which has been under IS control since June 2014. 
 
IS losing ground in Syria, Iraq; Carter wants to highlight successes&nbsp; 
 
IS also holds territory in neighbouring Syria, but has lost significant ground in both countries, and Carter wants to highlight successes, even as the jihadists have struck back with devastating attacks in Iraq and abroad. 
 
The Sunni extremists have carried out bloody attacks against civilians as they lose ground, including a bombing in Baghdad that killed 292 people this month, one of the deadliest to ever hit the country. 
 
&quot;Let me begin... by expressing the condolences of myself and the United States for the terrorist attacks against the people of Iraq in recent weeks,&quot; Carter told Abadi. 
 
&quot;You have our sympathy but also it further strengthens our resolve to help in the defeat of (IS), which all of our societies need because all of our societies are subject to attacks.&quot;&quot;I also want to congratulate you on the string of successes that the Iraqi security forces have had,&quot; said Carter. 
 
The Qayyarah airbase, which Abadi announced Saturday had been recaptured, is located 60 kilometres (35 miles) south of Mosul and can serve as a launchpad for future operations to recapture the city. 
 
&#39;Ultimate goal is recapture of Iraqi territory&#39;&nbsp; 
 
Ahead of his meetings, Carter told journalists that he would discuss the next moves in the war against the jihadists. 
 
&quot;What I&#39;ll be discussing with Prime Minister Abadi and our commanders there are the next plays in the campaign, which involve the collapse and control over Mosul,&quot; Carter said aboard a military plane. 
 
The ultimate goal, he added, was &quot;the recapture of all of Iraqi territory by the Iraqi security forces, but of course Mosul is the biggest part of that.&quot; 
 
US defence officials say the campaign`s first &quot;10 plays&quot; have been successfully completed in the US-led counter-IS campaign in Iraq and Syria. 
 
These steps include the recapture of several important areas across the two countries, including Ramadi in Iraq and Al-Shadadi, a town in northeastern Syria previously considered a strategic IS stronghold.&nbsp; 
 
Pentagon has announced a series a measures to speed up war&nbsp; 
 
Carter and President Barack Obama have been criticised for the pace of the campaign, which began in autumn 2014 and got off to a slow start, particularly in war-torn Syria, where the United States had few assets on the ground to provide targeting information.The Pentagon has announced a series of measures to speed up the war, including a revised mission to train anti-IS rebels in northern Syria and extra advisers for Iraqi forces. 
 
Coupled with coalition air support, the results have seen the IS group losing roughly half its territory in Iraq and about 20 percent of its Syria claim, the Pentagon said. 
 
But the jihadists have struck back against civilians as they lost ground. 
 
On July 3, IS carried out the devastating bombing targeting shoppers in Baghdad that killed 292, many of whom were burned alive, sparking widespread anger among Iraqis, some of whom have accused the government of not doing enough to protect them. 
 
Four days later, the jihadists struck a Shiite shrine north the capital, leaving another 40 dead. 
 
Carter was also to meet with US troops, of whom there are now about 4,000 in Iraq, mainly to train local forces. 
 
The Pentagon chief will also phone Massud Barzani, the de facto president of Iraq`s Kurdistan region. 
 
The United States has pledged $415 million to help Kurdish peshmerga fighters as they join the fight for Mosul, moving in from the north. 
 
 
(AFP)

Ashton Carter's visit come 2 days after Iraq announced recapture of a base south of Mosul, seen as an important step

Pentagon chief Ashton Carter held taks in Baghdad today over the fight against the Islamic State group and the strategy to recapture Iraq's second city Mosul from the jihadists. Carter met with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and Defence Minister Khalid al-Obeidi, two days after Iraq announced the recapture of a base south of Mosul seen as an important step toward the eventual battle for the city. Carter's unannounced visit is his fourth to Iraq since beginning his job in February 2015, which comes two days after Iraqi forces captured an airbase to the south of Mosul that is seen as an important step toward the eventual battle for the country's second city, which has been under IS control since June 2014. IS losing ground in Syria, Iraq; Carter wants to highlight successes IS also holds territory in neighbouring Syria, but has lost significant ground in both countries, and Carter wants to highlight successes, even as the jihadists have struck back with devastating attacks in Iraq and abroad. The Sunni extremists have carried out bloody attacks against civilians as they lose ground, including a bombing in Baghdad that killed 292 people this month, one of the deadliest to ever hit the country. "Let me begin... by expressing the condolences of myself and the United States for the terrorist attacks against the people of Iraq in recent weeks," Carter told Abadi. "You have our sympathy but also it further strengthens our resolve to help in the defeat of (IS), which all of our societies need because all of our societies are subject to attacks.""I also want to congratulate you on the string of successes that the Iraqi security forces have had," said Carter. The Qayyarah airbase, which Abadi announced Saturday had been recaptured, is located 60 kilometres (35 miles) south of Mosul and can serve as a launchpad for future operations to recapture the city. 'Ultimate goal is recapture of Iraqi territory' Ahead of his meetings, Carter told journalists that he would discuss the next moves in the war against the jihadists. "What I'll be discussing with Prime Minister Abadi and our commanders there are the next plays in the campaign, which involve the collapse and control over Mosul," Carter said aboard a military plane. The ultimate goal, he added, was "the recapture of all of Iraqi territory by the Iraqi security forces, but of course Mosul is the biggest part of that." US defence officials say the campaign`s first "10 plays" have been successfully completed in the US-led counter-IS campaign in Iraq and Syria. These steps include the recapture of several important areas across the two countries, including Ramadi in Iraq and Al-Shadadi, a town in northeastern Syria previously considered a strategic IS stronghold. Pentagon has announced a series a measures to speed up war Carter and President Barack Obama have been criticised for the pace of the campaign, which began in autumn 2014 and got off to a slow start, particularly in war-torn Syria, where the United States had few assets on the ground to provide targeting information.The Pentagon has announced a series of measures to speed up the war, including a revised mission to train anti-IS rebels in northern Syria and extra advisers for Iraqi forces. Coupled with coalition air support, the results have seen the IS group losing roughly half its territory in Iraq and about 20 percent of its Syria claim, the Pentagon said. But the jihadists have struck back against civilians as they lost ground. On July 3, IS carried out the devastating bombing targeting shoppers in Baghdad that killed 292, many of whom were burned alive, sparking widespread anger among Iraqis, some of whom have accused the government of not doing enough to protect them. Four days later, the jihadists struck a Shiite shrine north the capital, leaving another 40 dead. Carter was also to meet with US troops, of whom there are now about 4,000 in Iraq, mainly to train local forces. The Pentagon chief will also phone Massud Barzani, the de facto president of Iraq`s Kurdistan region. The United States has pledged $415 million to help Kurdish peshmerga fighters as they join the fight for Mosul, moving in from the north. (AFP)

Pentagon chief visits Baghdad to step up fight against Islamic State

French President Francois Hollande called on Saturday for international action against an Al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria, warning that the recent losses sustained by the Islamic State group could embolden other jihadist groups. 
 
&quot;Daesh (the Arabic acronym for Islamic State) is in retreat, that is beyond dispute,&quot; Hollande said after a meeting with the leaders of the United States, Germany, Britain, Italy and Ukraine on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Warsaw. 
 
But, Hollande added, &quot;we must also avoid a situation whereby as Daesh becomes weaker, other groups become stronger.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
Hollande singled out Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Nusra Front as particularly standing to benefit from the US-led military campaign against its arch-rival the Islamic State group. 
 
Faced with a barrage of airstrikes and ground offensives by local forces, IS has lost territory in both Syria and Iraq in recent months. 
 
&quot;We must coordinate among ourselves to continue actions against Daesh but also take effective action against Al-Nusra,&quot; Hollande said, directing his appeal at Russia and the US. 
 
On Wednesday, US President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed in a telephone call to &quot;intensify&quot; military coordination between their two countries in Syria. 
 
Russia had in May proposed joint air strikes with the US against jihadist targets in Syria - a suggestion that was rebuffed by Washington. 
 
The White House reported that the two leaders, in their call this week, &quot;confirmed their commitment to defeating ISIL (IS) and the Al-Nusra Front&quot;. 
 
The two groups are excluded from a broader truce brokered by Moscow and Washington in February.&nbsp; 
 
(AFP)

'We must also avoid a situation whereby as IS becomes weaker, other groups become stronger,' says the French President

French President Francois Hollande called on Saturday for international action against an Al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria, warning that the recent losses sustained by the Islamic State group could embolden other jihadist groups. "Daesh (the Arabic acronym for Islamic State) is in retreat, that is beyond dispute," Hollande said after a meeting with the leaders of the United States, Germany, Britain, Italy and Ukraine on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Warsaw. But, Hollande added, "we must also avoid a situation whereby as Daesh becomes weaker, other groups become stronger." Hollande singled out Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Nusra Front as particularly standing to benefit from the US-led military campaign against its arch-rival the Islamic State group. Faced with a barrage of airstrikes and ground offensives by local forces, IS has lost territory in both Syria and Iraq in recent months. "We must coordinate among ourselves to continue actions against Daesh but also take effective action against Al-Nusra," Hollande said, directing his appeal at Russia and the US. On Wednesday, US President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed in a telephone call to "intensify" military coordination between their two countries in Syria. Russia had in May proposed joint air strikes with the US against jihadist targets in Syria - a suggestion that was rebuffed by Washington. The White House reported that the two leaders, in their call this week, "confirmed their commitment to defeating ISIL (IS) and the Al-Nusra Front". The two groups are excluded from a broader truce brokered by Moscow and Washington in February. (AFP)

Hollande calls for military action against Syrian Qaeda affiliate

Islamic State (IS) lost an area the size of Ireland,&nbsp;a quarter of its territory,&nbsp;to hostile forces in the last 18 months in Iraq and Syria and is likely to further step up attacks on civilians in coming months, a leading research firm&nbsp;Information handling Services (IHS)&nbsp;said in a report today.

The territory controlled by the ultra-hardline Sunni group shrank from 90,800 sq km (35,000 square miles) in January 2015, six months after it declared a caliphate in Syria and Iraq, to 68,300 sq km (26,370 square miles), the research firm said.

This has led the group to step up attacks on civilian targets in the Middle East and in Europe and this is likely to intensify, IHS stated.

&quot;As the Islamic State&#39;s caliphate shrinks and it becomes increasingly clear that its governance project is failing, the group is re-prioritising insurgency,&quot; said Columb Strack, senior analyst at IHS and lead analyst for the IHS Conflict Monitor.

&quot;As a result, we unfortunately expect an increase in mass casualty attacks and sabotage of economic infrastructure, across Iraq and Syria, and further afield, including Europe,&quot; &nbsp;he added.&nbsp; 
 
IS lost control of stronghold in&nbsp;Falluja, Ramadi&nbsp;

The Iraqi military&#39;s recapture of Falluja, an Islamic State stronghold just west of Baghdad, last month has led the insurgents to step up bombings on Shi&#39;ite Muslim targets.

Nearly 300 people died when an Islamic State suicide bomber struck in a busy shopping district in Baghdad a week ago, in one of the worst such attacks by the group to date.

Islamic State lost control of the city of Ramadi at the end of last year, another key stronghold for the group which captured large swathes of Iraq in 2014. The army is now gearing up to retake Mosul, the largest city in Iraq&#39;s north and Islamic State&#39;s de facto capital.

In Syria, the militants lost ground this year to both Russian and Iranian-backed forces supporting President Bashar al-Assad and to the US-backed Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance.

In February the SDF captured the town of al Shadadi, a major logistics hub for the militants, and in March Syrian and allied forces backed by Russian air strikes drove Islamic State out of the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra and surrounding areas.

An SDF advance is underway to retake areas north of Islamic State&#39;s de facto capital in Syria, Raqqa. 
 
(Reuters)

This has led the group to step up attacks on civilian targets in the Middle East and in Europe, according to a leading research firm

Islamic State (IS) lost an area the size of Ireland, a quarter of its territory, to hostile forces in the last 18 months in Iraq and Syria and is likely to further step up attacks on civilians in coming months, a leading research firm Information handling Services (IHS) said in a report today. The territory controlled by the ultra-hardline Sunni group shrank from 90,800 sq km (35,000 square miles) in January 2015, six months after it declared a caliphate in Syria and Iraq, to 68,300 sq km (26,370 square miles), the research firm said. This has led the group to step up attacks on civilian targets in the Middle East and in Europe and this is likely to intensify, IHS stated. "As the Islamic State's caliphate shrinks and it becomes increasingly clear that its governance project is failing, the group is re-prioritising insurgency," said Columb Strack, senior analyst at IHS and lead analyst for the IHS Conflict Monitor. "As a result, we unfortunately expect an increase in mass casualty attacks and sabotage of economic infrastructure, across Iraq and Syria, and further afield, including Europe," he added. IS lost control of stronghold in Falluja, Ramadi The Iraqi military's recapture of Falluja, an Islamic State stronghold just west of Baghdad, last month has led the insurgents to step up bombings on Shi'ite Muslim targets. Nearly 300 people died when an Islamic State suicide bomber struck in a busy shopping district in Baghdad a week ago, in one of the worst such attacks by the group to date. Islamic State lost control of the city of Ramadi at the end of last year, another key stronghold for the group which captured large swathes of Iraq in 2014. The army is now gearing up to retake Mosul, the largest city in Iraq's north and Islamic State's de facto capital. In Syria, the militants lost ground this year to both Russian and Iranian-backed forces supporting President Bashar al-Assad and to the US-backed Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance. In February the SDF captured the town of al Shadadi, a major logistics hub for the militants, and in March Syrian and allied forces backed by Russian air strikes drove Islamic State out of the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra and surrounding areas. An SDF advance is underway to retake areas north of Islamic State's de facto capital in Syria, Raqqa. (Reuters)

IS lost quarter of its territory in Syria, Iraq in 18 months, says research firm

The family of American journalist Marie Colvin who died in Syria in 2012 has filed a wrongful death lawsuit in a US court, accusing the Syrian government of deliberately killing her, the New York Times reported on Saturday. 
 
Colvin and French photographer, Remi Ochlik, were killed in the besieged Syrian city of Homs in 2012 while reporting on the Syrian conflict now in its sixth year. 
 
The lawsuit, filed in Washington, said Syrian officials deliberately targeted rockets against a makeshift broadcast studio where Colvin and other reporters were living and working. 
 
The lawsuit, to which The New York Time article provides an online link, said the attack was part of a plan orchestrated at the highest levels of the Syrian government to silence local and international media &quot;as part of its effort to crush political opposition&quot;. 
 
Colvin and Ochlik were both prize-winning reporters of wars in the Middle East, Asia and elsewhere. The Britain-based Colvin, who lost an eye while working in Sri Lanka in 2001, was working for the Sunday Times at the time of her death. 
 
(Reuters)

The lawsuit said the attack was part of a plan by the Syrian government to silence local and international media

The family of American journalist Marie Colvin who died in Syria in 2012 has filed a wrongful death lawsuit in a US court, accusing the Syrian government of deliberately killing her, the New York Times reported on Saturday. Colvin and French photographer, Remi Ochlik, were killed in the besieged Syrian city of Homs in 2012 while reporting on the Syrian conflict now in its sixth year. The lawsuit, filed in Washington, said Syrian officials deliberately targeted rockets against a makeshift broadcast studio where Colvin and other reporters were living and working. The lawsuit, to which The New York Time article provides an online link, said the attack was part of a plan orchestrated at the highest levels of the Syrian government to silence local and international media "as part of its effort to crush political opposition". Colvin and Ochlik were both prize-winning reporters of wars in the Middle East, Asia and elsewhere. The Britain-based Colvin, who lost an eye while working in Sri Lanka in 2001, was working for the Sunday Times at the time of her death. (Reuters)

Family of slain US scribe sues Syria

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad joined Eid al-Fitr prayers at a mosque in the country&#39;s third-largest city, Homs, on Wednesday in a rare public appearance outside the capital for the end-of-Ramadan holiday. 
 
Large parts of Homs were once under the control of rebels fighting to overthrow Assad&#39;s regime but since May 2014 they have been confined to a single besieged neighbourhood in the city&#39;s outskirts. 
 
The Al-Safa mosque, where Assad joined worshippers, is in Akrama, a loyalist neighbourhood which has been hit by repeated attacks by the Islamic State group and its jihadist rival Al-Qaeda. 
 
State television broadcast footage of the president in the congregation alongside Islamic Endowments Minister Mohammad Abdel-Sattar Sayyed and Syria&#39;s top Muslim cleric Ahmad Badredine Hassoun. 
 
Since the civil war erupted in 2011, Assad has made only rare public appearances and nearly all of those have been in Damascus. 
 
(AFP)

Since the civil war erupted in 2011, Assad has made only rare public appearances and nearly all of those have been in Damascus

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad joined Eid al-Fitr prayers at a mosque in the country's third-largest city, Homs, on Wednesday in a rare public appearance outside the capital for the end-of-Ramadan holiday. Large parts of Homs were once under the control of rebels fighting to overthrow Assad's regime but since May 2014 they have been confined to a single besieged neighbourhood in the city's outskirts. The Al-Safa mosque, where Assad joined worshippers, is in Akrama, a loyalist neighbourhood which has been hit by repeated attacks by the Islamic State group and its jihadist rival Al-Qaeda. State television broadcast footage of the president in the congregation alongside Islamic Endowments Minister Mohammad Abdel-Sattar Sayyed and Syria's top Muslim cleric Ahmad Badredine Hassoun. Since the civil war erupted in 2011, Assad has made only rare public appearances and nearly all of those have been in Damascus. (AFP)

Syria's Assad makes rare appearance outside capital for Eid

A motorcycle bomber killed at least 16 people outside a bakery in Syria&#39;s Hasakeh city on Tuesday, on the eve of the feast marking the end of Ramzan, an official said.&nbsp;The attack, which also wounded dozens of people, occurred in the Kurdish-majority neighbourhood of Salihiah ahead of the Eid al-Fitr festival. 
 
It was not immediately clear who carried out the attack, but the Islamic State (IS) group has claimed previous bombings in the mainly Kurdish region.&nbsp;Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the attack killed at least 16 people and wounded another 40. 
 
A Kurdish police source confirmed the death toll to an AFP correspondent and said the suicide attacker detonated his explosives in front of the bakery.&nbsp;&quot;A suicide bomber on a motorcycle blew himself up in the Salihiah neighbourhood of Hasakeh city,&quot; said Abdel Rahman. 
 
Fifteen of the wounded were in critical condition, said the head of the Britain-based group that relies on a network of sources on the ground for its information. 
 
Hasakeh city is the capital of the province of the same name.&nbsp;Nearly all of the province is controlled by the Kurdish People`s Protection Units (YPG), who have declared an autonomous region across the mainly Kurdish northern areas they hold. 
 
The YPG is regarded by the Pentagon as the most effective fighting force against IS on the ground in Syria.&nbsp;A US-backed alliance of Kurds and Arabs has been locked in battle in the neighbouring province of Aleppo for control of the IS stronghold of Manbij for more than one month. 
 
The Syrian Democratic Forces alliance launched the offensive in late May and encircled the town and entered its southwestern districts on June 23.&nbsp;More than 280,000 people have been killed and millions have been displaced since Syria&#39;s conflict broke out in March 2011. 
 
(AFP)

It was not immediately clear who carried out the attack, but the Islamic State has claimed previous bombings in the mainly Kurdish region

A motorcycle bomber killed at least 16 people outside a bakery in Syria's Hasakeh city on Tuesday, on the eve of the feast marking the end of Ramzan, an official said. The attack, which also wounded dozens of people, occurred in the Kurdish-majority neighbourhood of Salihiah ahead of the Eid al-Fitr festival. It was not immediately clear who carried out the attack, but the Islamic State (IS) group has claimed previous bombings in the mainly Kurdish region. Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the attack killed at least 16 people and wounded another 40. A Kurdish police source confirmed the death toll to an AFP correspondent and said the suicide attacker detonated his explosives in front of the bakery. "A suicide bomber on a motorcycle blew himself up in the Salihiah neighbourhood of Hasakeh city," said Abdel Rahman. Fifteen of the wounded were in critical condition, said the head of the Britain-based group that relies on a network of sources on the ground for its information. Hasakeh city is the capital of the province of the same name. Nearly all of the province is controlled by the Kurdish People`s Protection Units (YPG), who have declared an autonomous region across the mainly Kurdish northern areas they hold. The YPG is regarded by the Pentagon as the most effective fighting force against IS on the ground in Syria. A US-backed alliance of Kurds and Arabs has been locked in battle in the neighbouring province of Aleppo for control of the IS stronghold of Manbij for more than one month. The Syrian Democratic Forces alliance launched the offensive in late May and encircled the town and entered its southwestern districts on June 23. More than 280,000 people have been killed and millions have been displaced since Syria's conflict broke out in March 2011. (AFP)

16 killed, 40 wounded in suicide bombing outside bakery in Syria's Hasakeh

The Syrian army today said it was observing a 72-hour ceasefire across the country coinciding with the festival marking the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. 
 
&quot;A &#39;regime of silence&#39; is applied across all territory of the Syrian Arab Republic for 72 hours from 1:00 am on July 6 to midnight on July 8,&quot; the army said in a statement republished by official media. 
 
The statement did not specify whether the ceasefire extended to military action against jihadists such as the Islamic State (IS) group or the al Qaeda-affiliated Al-Nusra Front. 
 
A ceasefire between regime forces and non-jihadist rebel groups was announced by Russia and the United States in late February but has mostly collapsed amid repeated violations. 
 
There was no immediate indication whether rebel forces opposing President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s regime would abide by the new truce. 
 
The ceasefire coincides with the three-day Eid ul-Fitr festival marking the end of Ramadan, when devout Muslims fast from dawn until dusk. 
 
Assad joined Eid prayers at a mosque in third city Homs today in a rare public appearance outside the capital Damascus. 
 
State television broadcast footage of the president joining worshippers at the Al-Safa mosque in Homs, which is mainly under government control except for a besieged rebel-held neighbourhood on the city&#39;s outskirts. 
 
Previous attempts to implement ceasefires in Syria have repeatedly failed, as have diplomatic efforts to end a five-year civil war that has killed more than 280,000 people and forced millions from their homes. 
 
Shelling reported in Aleppo 
 
Several temporary truces have been announced in recent months for second city Aleppo, scene of some of the heaviest fighting in the war, but have fallen apart. 
 
Aleppo, which was Syria&#39;s commercial and manufacturing hub before the civil war erupted, is divided between a rebel-held east and regime-controlled west. 
 
Eastern districts have faced heavy bombardment including air strikes from regime forces, while rebels regularly fire rockets into the west. 
 
Despite the ceasefire announcement, Aleppo&#39;s eastern areas came under fire today morning, according to residents and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group. 
 
In the eastern Al-Mashad district a civilian was killed and several wounded when artillery fire fell near a mosque hosting Eid prayers, the Observatory said. 
 
&quot;Shells have been falling on the neighbourhood since early this morning,&quot; resident Ahmad Nassif told AFP. 
 
&quot;I had planned to visit family and friends, to bring my children out to play, but we decided to stay inside the house in case the shelling resumes,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;I hope things will calm down a bit during Eid, not for me but for my children.&quot; 
 
Syria&#39;s conflict began five years ago with the brutal repression of anti-government demonstrations and has evolved into a complex multi-front war. 
 
IS emerged from the chaos of the war, seizing control of large parts of Syria and neighbouring Iraq, committing widespread atrocities in areas under its control, and organising and inspiring jihadist attacks across the Middle East and in Western cities. 
 
Washington has backed rebel forces in Syria and Moscow is supporting Assad, but the rise of IS has seen efforts focus on defeating the jihadists. 
 
Russia and the United States launched a major attempt last year to bring about peace talks between Assad and rebel forces, but the negotiations faltered as the partial truce announced in February fell apart. 
 
(AFP)

The truce coincides with the three-day Eid ul-Fitr festival marking the end of Ramzan

The Syrian army today said it was observing a 72-hour ceasefire across the country coinciding with the festival marking the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. "A 'regime of silence' is applied across all territory of the Syrian Arab Republic for 72 hours from 1:00 am on July 6 to midnight on July 8," the army said in a statement republished by official media. The statement did not specify whether the ceasefire extended to military action against jihadists such as the Islamic State (IS) group or the al Qaeda-affiliated Al-Nusra Front. A ceasefire between regime forces and non-jihadist rebel groups was announced by Russia and the United States in late February but has mostly collapsed amid repeated violations. There was no immediate indication whether rebel forces opposing President Bashar al-Assad's regime would abide by the new truce. The ceasefire coincides with the three-day Eid ul-Fitr festival marking the end of Ramadan, when devout Muslims fast from dawn until dusk. Assad joined Eid prayers at a mosque in third city Homs today in a rare public appearance outside the capital Damascus. State television broadcast footage of the president joining worshippers at the Al-Safa mosque in Homs, which is mainly under government control except for a besieged rebel-held neighbourhood on the city's outskirts. Previous attempts to implement ceasefires in Syria have repeatedly failed, as have diplomatic efforts to end a five-year civil war that has killed more than 280,000 people and forced millions from their homes. Shelling reported in Aleppo Several temporary truces have been announced in recent months for second city Aleppo, scene of some of the heaviest fighting in the war, but have fallen apart. Aleppo, which was Syria's commercial and manufacturing hub before the civil war erupted, is divided between a rebel-held east and regime-controlled west. Eastern districts have faced heavy bombardment including air strikes from regime forces, while rebels regularly fire rockets into the west. Despite the ceasefire announcement, Aleppo's eastern areas came under fire today morning, according to residents and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group. In the eastern Al-Mashad district a civilian was killed and several wounded when artillery fire fell near a mosque hosting Eid prayers, the Observatory said. "Shells have been falling on the neighbourhood since early this morning," resident Ahmad Nassif told AFP. "I had planned to visit family and friends, to bring my children out to play, but we decided to stay inside the house in case the shelling resumes," he said. "I hope things will calm down a bit during Eid, not for me but for my children." Syria's conflict began five years ago with the brutal repression of anti-government demonstrations and has evolved into a complex multi-front war. IS emerged from the chaos of the war, seizing control of large parts of Syria and neighbouring Iraq, committing widespread atrocities in areas under its control, and organising and inspiring jihadist attacks across the Middle East and in Western cities. Washington has backed rebel forces in Syria and Moscow is supporting Assad, but the rise of IS has seen efforts focus on defeating the jihadists. Russia and the United States launched a major attempt last year to bring about peace talks between Assad and rebel forces, but the negotiations faltered as the partial truce announced in February fell apart. (AFP)

Syrian army declares 72-hour nationwide ceasefire

President Tayyip Erdogan outlined plans on Tuesday to grant citizenship to some of the near 3 million migrants who have fled war in neighbouring Syria, particularly those with qualifications of use to Turkey. 
 
&quot;Western nations open their doors to such skilled individuals and they have no choice but to go (to the West) when we do not open the gates (of citizenship) ourselves. We would like to benefit from their knowledge,&quot; Erdogan told reporters after praying at an Istanbul mosque. 
 
Turkey struck a deal with the European Union in March to stem the flow of migrants into Europe and it has sharply cut the number of refugees and migrants reaching Greece. However, the deal has been hampered by discord over Turkish counter-terrorism law, which the EU wants brought in line with its codes. 
 
Ankara has already said it would make it easier for migrants from Syria and other nations to get work permits and Erdogan said they could also be made Turkish citizens. 
 
&quot;There are highly qualified individuals among Syrian refugees in Turkey. (Granting them citizenship) would both serve Turkey&#39;s interests and improve their living standards,&quot; Erdogan said at the start of the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday. 
 
Some 260,000 of the Syrians in Turkey live in state-run camps, while the remainder live in accommodation in cities across the country, which has a population of 79 million. 
 
&quot;We do not think it right to host such people in tent camps, container towns or in such basic places,&quot; Erdogan said. 
 
Erdogan first raised the idea of giving Syrian migrants the possibility of Turkish citizenship at the weekend, saying that the interior ministry was taking steps on the issue. 
 
His comments come after the Turkish government took steps last week to improve relations with Israel and Russia, marking a shift in a foreign policy which had left Turkey more isolated than influential. 
 
(Reuters)

Ankara has already said it would make it easier for migrants from Syria and other nations to get work permits

President Tayyip Erdogan outlined plans on Tuesday to grant citizenship to some of the near 3 million migrants who have fled war in neighbouring Syria, particularly those with qualifications of use to Turkey. "Western nations open their doors to such skilled individuals and they have no choice but to go (to the West) when we do not open the gates (of citizenship) ourselves. We would like to benefit from their knowledge," Erdogan told reporters after praying at an Istanbul mosque. Turkey struck a deal with the European Union in March to stem the flow of migrants into Europe and it has sharply cut the number of refugees and migrants reaching Greece. However, the deal has been hampered by discord over Turkish counter-terrorism law, which the EU wants brought in line with its codes. Ankara has already said it would make it easier for migrants from Syria and other nations to get work permits and Erdogan said they could also be made Turkish citizens. "There are highly qualified individuals among Syrian refugees in Turkey. (Granting them citizenship) would both serve Turkey's interests and improve their living standards," Erdogan said at the start of the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday. Some 260,000 of the Syrians in Turkey live in state-run camps, while the remainder live in accommodation in cities across the country, which has a population of 79 million. "We do not think it right to host such people in tent camps, container towns or in such basic places," Erdogan said. Erdogan first raised the idea of giving Syrian migrants the possibility of Turkish citizenship at the weekend, saying that the interior ministry was taking steps on the issue. His comments come after the Turkish government took steps last week to improve relations with Israel and Russia, marking a shift in a foreign policy which had left Turkey more isolated than influential. (Reuters)

Turkey's Erdogan moots plan to grant citizenship to Syrians

Pope Francis on Tuesday criticised countries which are arming the warring parties in Syria while speaking at the same time of peace. 
 
The pontiff did not name any countries. President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s government is receiving military and other help from Russia and Iran, while some opposition groups have the backing of Sunni Muslim regional powers and the West. 
 
&quot;While the people suffer, incredible quantities of money are being spent to supply weapons to fighters. And some of the countries supplying these arms are also among those that talk of peace,&quot; Francis said in a video message to a charity group holding a conference on Syria. 
 
&quot;How can you believe in someone who caresses you with the right hand and strikes you with the left hand?&quot; 
 
More than a quarter of a million people have been killed and more than 11 million displaced in Syria&#39;s five-year-old civil war, which has led to Europe&#39;s biggest refugee crisis since World War Two. 
 
UN-brokered peace talks have stalled. The United Nations&#39; envoy to Syria told the UN Security Council last week it remained unclear when the next round peace talks would take place. 
 
Francis has made many appeals for peace in Syria and has criticised arms manufacters and traffickers, saying they cannot in good conscience call themselves Christians. 
 
(Reuters)

More than a quarter of a million people have been killed and more than 11 million displaced in Syria's five-year-old civil war

Pope Francis on Tuesday criticised countries which are arming the warring parties in Syria while speaking at the same time of peace. The pontiff did not name any countries. President Bashar al-Assad's government is receiving military and other help from Russia and Iran, while some opposition groups have the backing of Sunni Muslim regional powers and the West. "While the people suffer, incredible quantities of money are being spent to supply weapons to fighters. And some of the countries supplying these arms are also among those that talk of peace," Francis said in a video message to a charity group holding a conference on Syria. "How can you believe in someone who caresses you with the right hand and strikes you with the left hand?" More than a quarter of a million people have been killed and more than 11 million displaced in Syria's five-year-old civil war, which has led to Europe's biggest refugee crisis since World War Two. UN-brokered peace talks have stalled. The United Nations' envoy to Syria told the UN Security Council last week it remained unclear when the next round peace talks would take place. Francis has made many appeals for peace in Syria and has criticised arms manufacters and traffickers, saying they cannot in good conscience call themselves Christians. (Reuters)

Pope raps countries that talk of peace in Syria but supply arms

Syrian refugees living in Turkey could eventually be granted Turkish citizenship, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has signalled, a plan that could spark controversy at home. 
 
&quot;I want to announce some good news,&quot; media quoted Erdogan as saying late Saturday at a dinner to break the Ramadan fast in Kilis province, on the Syrian border. 
 
&quot;We are going to help our Syrian friends in offering them the chance, if they want it, to acquire Turkish nationality.&quot; 
 
The interior ministry will shortly announce how the naturalisation procedure would work, Erdogan said, without giving further details. 
 
&quot;We regard you as our brothers and sisters -- you are not far from your homeland, but only from your homes and your land,&quot; Erdogan told a group of Syrian refugees in Kilis. 
 
&quot;Turkey is also your homeland.&quot; 
 
Turkey is hosting over 2.7-million refugees from the conflict in Syria -- but Ankara has refused to grant them refugee status, referring to them as &quot;guests&quot;. 
 
Only a select group of Syrians have been granted work permits and residency. 
 
Life is a struggle for most Syrians in Turkey who live mostly off odd jobs that are often insufficient to feed and house a family. 
 
Erdogan&#39;s announcement sparked debate on social media, with many Turkish web users questioning whether it was a good idea. 
 
&quot;Granting citizenship shouldn&#39;t depend on what one person wants. We need a referendum!&quot; wrote Mahomet Mahomet on Twitter. 
 
Other critics suggested the move might be a bid by Erdogan to register an army of thankful Syrian voters who might back his plans to boost his presidential powers. 
 
(AFP)

The Turkish president referred to Syrians as 'brothers and sisters' but Ankara, who hasn't granted them refugee status, calls them 'guests'

Syrian refugees living in Turkey could eventually be granted Turkish citizenship, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has signalled, a plan that could spark controversy at home. "I want to announce some good news," media quoted Erdogan as saying late Saturday at a dinner to break the Ramadan fast in Kilis province, on the Syrian border. "We are going to help our Syrian friends in offering them the chance, if they want it, to acquire Turkish nationality." The interior ministry will shortly announce how the naturalisation procedure would work, Erdogan said, without giving further details. "We regard you as our brothers and sisters -- you are not far from your homeland, but only from your homes and your land," Erdogan told a group of Syrian refugees in Kilis. "Turkey is also your homeland." Turkey is hosting over 2.7-million refugees from the conflict in Syria -- but Ankara has refused to grant them refugee status, referring to them as "guests". Only a select group of Syrians have been granted work permits and residency. Life is a struggle for most Syrians in Turkey who live mostly off odd jobs that are often insufficient to feed and house a family. Erdogan's announcement sparked debate on social media, with many Turkish web users questioning whether it was a good idea. "Granting citizenship shouldn't depend on what one person wants. We need a referendum!" wrote Mahomet Mahomet on Twitter. Other critics suggested the move might be a bid by Erdogan to register an army of thankful Syrian voters who might back his plans to boost his presidential powers. (AFP)

Syrian refugees could become Turkish citizens: Erdogan

Two medics were among at least 20 people killed on Saturday in Syrian government shelling of a rebel-held town northeast of the capital, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.&nbsp; 
 
The bombardment struck the town of Jayrud, 60 kilometres (35 miles) from Damascus, where the army says Islamist rebels killed a pilot they captured after he was forced to eject on Friday.&nbsp; 
 
(AFP) &nbsp;

The bombardment struck the town of Jayrud, 60 kilometres from Damascus

Two medics were among at least 20 people killed on Saturday in Syrian government shelling of a rebel-held town northeast of the capital, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The bombardment struck the town of Jayrud, 60 kilometres (35 miles) from Damascus, where the army says Islamist rebels killed a pilot they captured after he was forced to eject on Friday. (AFP)

Syria regime shelling leaves 20 dead, including 2 medics

The Obama administration is considering a plan to coordinate air strikes on Nusra Front and Islamic State militants in Syria if Syria&#39;s government stops bombing &#39;moderate&#39; rebels, US officials said on Thursday. 
 
The US backs the &#39;moderate&#39; rebels, who are under pressure from Islamic State and government forces, but the plan depends in part on whether Russia is willing to press Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, its ally, to stop bombing them. Many US officials and outside experts doubt Moscow is willing to do that. 
 
It would also require moderate opposition forces to disentangle themselves from Nusra and move into identifiable areas where they would be vulnerable to government and Russian air attacks. 
 
Although Russia says it has targeted Islamic State, most of its strikes have been on the US-backed moderate rebels, who distrust the Assad government which has caused most of the ceasefire violation, as claimed by the moderate rebels and Washington. 
 
&quot;If the moderates separate themselves from Nusra, the Russians and Assad will immediately target them,&quot; said Chris Harmer, an analyst with the Institute for the Study of War. &quot;The idea that the moderate rebels will separate themselves from Nusra is just not going to happen. It (the administration plan) is a Hail Mary pass that is dead on arrival.&quot; 
 
&quot;It&rsquo;s staggering to me that anybody, even during the fifth year of this civil war, thought this would be a good idea,&quot; said Harmer. 
 
The Washington Post, which first reported the plan, said the Obama administration has submitted a written proposal to Moscow, but two US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that while the plan is under discussion within the administration, no decisions have been made. 
 
A &#39;Hail Mary&#39;pass? 
 
That Washington is even considering such a plan, however, reflects the unravelling of a February 27 cessation of hostilities agreement that was supposed to bring some calm to a country riven by five years of civil war and promote a political settlement, as well as the weakness of the US-backed moderate opposition forces. 
 
In one sign of their predicament, US-backed Syrian rebels on Wednesday were pushed back from Al-Bukamal, an Islamic State-held town on the Iraq border, suffering casualties and seeing some of their fighters and arms captured, a rebel source said. 
 
Finally, targeting the Nusra Front could end up boosting the popularity of the al Qaeda affiliate, which is widely hailed by anti-government Syrians as the most effective fighting force seeking to oust Assad. 
 
Prospects for a political deal to end the conflict appear dim, not least because there is no agreement on the future of Assad, whom the US wants to step down, but whom Russia has supported with its military intervention since last September. 
 
UN Syria envoy Staffan De Mistura is in Washington this week to meet senior US officials to discuss efforts to reduce attacks on civilians and the provision of humanitarian aid as he &quot;continues to work to advance a political transition,&quot; National security council spokesman Carl Woog said on Thursday.&nbsp; 
 
(Reuters)

The rebels backed by the US is under fire from the Islamic State and the government forces which has support from Moscow

The Obama administration is considering a plan to coordinate air strikes on Nusra Front and Islamic State militants in Syria if Syria's government stops bombing 'moderate' rebels, US officials said on Thursday. The US backs the 'moderate' rebels, who are under pressure from Islamic State and government forces, but the plan depends in part on whether Russia is willing to press Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, its ally, to stop bombing them. Many US officials and outside experts doubt Moscow is willing to do that. It would also require moderate opposition forces to disentangle themselves from Nusra and move into identifiable areas where they would be vulnerable to government and Russian air attacks. Although Russia says it has targeted Islamic State, most of its strikes have been on the US-backed moderate rebels, who distrust the Assad government which has caused most of the ceasefire violation, as claimed by the moderate rebels and Washington. "If the moderates separate themselves from Nusra, the Russians and Assad will immediately target them," said Chris Harmer, an analyst with the Institute for the Study of War. "The idea that the moderate rebels will separate themselves from Nusra is just not going to happen. It (the administration plan) is a Hail Mary pass that is dead on arrival." "It’s staggering to me that anybody, even during the fifth year of this civil war, thought this would be a good idea," said Harmer. The Washington Post, which first reported the plan, said the Obama administration has submitted a written proposal to Moscow, but two US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that while the plan is under discussion within the administration, no decisions have been made. A 'Hail Mary'pass? That Washington is even considering such a plan, however, reflects the unravelling of a February 27 cessation of hostilities agreement that was supposed to bring some calm to a country riven by five years of civil war and promote a political settlement, as well as the weakness of the US-backed moderate opposition forces. In one sign of their predicament, US-backed Syrian rebels on Wednesday were pushed back from Al-Bukamal, an Islamic State-held town on the Iraq border, suffering casualties and seeing some of their fighters and arms captured, a rebel source said. Finally, targeting the Nusra Front could end up boosting the popularity of the al Qaeda affiliate, which is widely hailed by anti-government Syrians as the most effective fighting force seeking to oust Assad. Prospects for a political deal to end the conflict appear dim, not least because there is no agreement on the future of Assad, whom the US wants to step down, but whom Russia has supported with its military intervention since last September. UN Syria envoy Staffan De Mistura is in Washington this week to meet senior US officials to discuss efforts to reduce attacks on civilians and the provision of humanitarian aid as he "continues to work to advance a political transition," National security council spokesman Carl Woog said on Thursday. (Reuters)

US to bomb Nusra and IS if Assad halts strikes on Washington-backed rebels

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