The Mosul offensive, arguably one of the most important military attacks in the past five years in Western Asia, is approaching. It is most likely only&nbsp;days before the Iraqi Prime Minister orders its forces to advance towards the de facto capital of the Islamic State in Iraq. Everything seems to be ready and coordinated except one thing: the role of Turkey.&nbsp;

Turkey&#39;s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is willing to deploy&nbsp;troops to&nbsp;attack&nbsp;Mosul, whatever the cost. Iraqi&nbsp;Prime Minister&nbsp;Haider al-Habadi, who is also the Iraqi army&#39;s commander-in-chief, does not share the same idea. Recently, he&nbsp;defined Turkish troops as an &ldquo;occupying force&rdquo;. Tones of the dispute are heated.&nbsp;Erdogan, speaking at&nbsp;the ninth Eurasian Islamic Council in Istanbul, told the Iraqi Prime Minister,&nbsp;&ldquo;know your place&rdquo; and &ldquo;you are not my interlocutor, you are not at my level&rdquo;. The two countries have withdrawn their respective ambassadors for consultation.

Ankara&rsquo;s military presence does not come out of the blue.&nbsp;Turkish forces have been located in Iraqi Kurdistan&nbsp;on the basis of an agreement with Iraqi Kurdistan President Masoud Barzani. In the past few years, Barzani&nbsp;has become&nbsp;the main interlocutor and advocate of a Turkish presence in the region, especially due to the volume of investments Ankara is undertaking in the territories he administers. 
&nbsp; 
Erdogan considers the right to participate in the battle of Mosul as the natural right of Turkey to fight against the Islamic State, but this seems&nbsp;more of a pretext for a renewed activism of the Turkish President, who aims to become a major power,&nbsp;if not the major power,&nbsp;in Western Asia.

After the failed coup, Erdogan needs&nbsp;to project an image of strength in order to stabilise his position both on the national and international stage. It is no secret that the purges against more than 100,000 workers&nbsp;have contributed in worsening Turkey&rsquo;s international reputation.

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<h5>Erdogan, speaking at&nbsp;the ninth Eurasian Islamic Council in Istanbul, told the Iraqi Prime Minister,&nbsp;&ldquo;know your place&rdquo; and &ldquo;you are not my interlocutor, you are not at my level&rdquo;.</h5>
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Repression has been particularly tough in Turkey&rsquo;s south-east&nbsp;where a majority of Kurds live.&nbsp;The iron-fist&nbsp;Erdogan is showing the Iraqi Prime Minister is part of a series of Turkish aggressive initiatives, starting&nbsp;with the purge.

A month after the coup, Turkey launched operation Euphrates Shield in order to secure the last 95 kilometres&nbsp;of Syrian border under Islamic State control, an action which was presented as a major success. Too few asked themselves what took so long to secure such a small area which was commonly known as the &ldquo;terror corridor&rdquo; and from which foreign fighters, supplies, oil and ammunitions kept going and coming from IS territories.

Erdogan&rsquo;s offensive began soon after the Kurdish militias, known as the People&rsquo;s Protection Units (YPG), crossed the western banks of the Euphrates river, the red line Ankara established for them. That very segment of border&nbsp;divides the Kurdish-controlled region of Rojava in north Syria and the Kurdish-controlled area of Afrin, in north-west Syria. Turkey wanted to&nbsp;secure&nbsp;it&nbsp;to avoid an autonomous Kurdish area right across the border, and President Erdogan made it clear then that the war will not end until every terrorist organisation, including the YPG and the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK), is defeated. Turkey&nbsp;directly links the YPG with the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK), an organisation they classify as terrorists, against&nbsp;whom they fought a three-decade guerrilla war.

Soon after the operation, Turkish forces and Turkish-backed&nbsp;rebels of the undefined Islamist assortment under the name of Free Syrian Army, started fighting against the Kurds, forcing them to retreat.

This created diplomatic problems with the Department of State, which was a direct ally of the Syrian Kurds, with whom they liberated a significant part of Northern Syria and important cities like Kobane and Manbij from the IS.

The situation paved the way for Russia that is also using the Syrian civil war to renew its presence in Western Asia. During their last meeting in Istanbul on October 10, Russia&rsquo;s President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Erdogan agreed to normalise relations, which became tense after the Turkish forces shot down a Russian jet in November 2015. They signed an agreement to build two gas pipelines&nbsp;and other trade agreements which will help Russia to overcome the EU sanctions.

Another reason for Turkey to insist on keeping their troops in Iraqi Kurdistan is the presence of the PKK in the Qandil mountains. Turkey&#39;s&nbsp;air force is constantly bombing the area behind the Iraqi city of Sulaymaniyah, close to the Iranian border, where the PKK has its headquarters. Airstrikes were registered less than three days ago.&nbsp;

The conflict between Ankara and the Kurdish Workers&#39; Party is another phenomenon the Iraqi Prime Minister wants to eradicate from his territory, and an additional reason to ask Ankara to withdraw its troops. Al-Habadi declared at the end of September that &ldquo;Iraq is not a place for the PKK and Turkey&rsquo;s struggle&rdquo;.

Deteriorating relations between Turkey and the Iraqi central government could result&nbsp;in the delaying of the Mosul offensive which is a symbol of the war against Islamic State in Syria in Iraq. A highly fragmented conflict, made of wars-within-the-wars where regional powers, ethnic groups and political parties use the fight against the Islamic State as a pretext to increase their military presence and areas of influence on the ground.&nbsp;

(WION)

While an international coalition prepares to attack IS's Iraqi base, Mosul, Turkey's diplomatic fight with Iraq could delay things

The Mosul offensive, arguably one of the most important military attacks in the past five years in Western Asia, is approaching. It is most likely only days before the Iraqi Prime Minister orders its forces to advance towards the de facto capital of the Islamic State in Iraq. Everything seems to be ready and coordinated except one thing: the role of Turkey. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is willing to deploy troops to attack Mosul, whatever the cost. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Habadi, who is also the Iraqi army's commander-in-chief, does not share the same idea. Recently, he defined Turkish troops as an “occupying force”. Tones of the dispute are heated. Erdogan, speaking at the ninth Eurasian Islamic Council in Istanbul, told the Iraqi Prime Minister, “know your place” and “you are not my interlocutor, you are not at my level”. The two countries have withdrawn their respective ambassadors for consultation. Ankara’s military presence does not come out of the blue. Turkish forces have been located in Iraqi Kurdistan on the basis of an agreement with Iraqi Kurdistan President Masoud Barzani. In the past few years, Barzani has become the main interlocutor and advocate of a Turkish presence in the region, especially due to the volume of investments Ankara is undertaking in the territories he administers. Erdogan considers the right to participate in the battle of Mosul as the natural right of Turkey to fight against the Islamic State, but this seems more of a pretext for a renewed activism of the Turkish President, who aims to become a major power, if not the major power, in Western Asia. After the failed coup, Erdogan needs to project an image of strength in order to stabilise his position both on the national and international stage. It is no secret that the purges against more than 100,000 workers have contributed in worsening Turkey’s international reputation. Erdogan, speaking at the ninth Eurasian Islamic Council in Istanbul, told the Iraqi Prime Minister, “know your place” and “you are not my interlocutor, you are not at my level”. × Repression has been particularly tough in Turkey’s south-east where a majority of Kurds live. The iron-fist Erdogan is showing the Iraqi Prime Minister is part of a series of Turkish aggressive initiatives, starting with the purge. A month after the coup, Turkey launched operation Euphrates Shield in order to secure the last 95 kilometres of Syrian border under Islamic State control, an action which was presented as a major success. Too few asked themselves what took so long to secure such a small area which was commonly known as the “terror corridor” and from which foreign fighters, supplies, oil and ammunitions kept going and coming from IS territories. Erdogan’s offensive began soon after the Kurdish militias, known as the People’s Protection Units (YPG), crossed the western banks of the Euphrates river, the red line Ankara established for them. That very segment of border divides the Kurdish-controlled region of Rojava in north Syria and the Kurdish-controlled area of Afrin, in north-west Syria. Turkey wanted to secure it to avoid an autonomous Kurdish area right across the border, and President Erdogan made it clear then that the war will not end until every terrorist organisation, including the YPG and the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK), is defeated. Turkey directly links the YPG with the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK), an organisation they classify as terrorists, against whom they fought a three-decade guerrilla war. Soon after the operation, Turkish forces and Turkish-backed rebels of the undefined Islamist assortment under the name of Free Syrian Army, started fighting against the Kurds, forcing them to retreat. This created diplomatic problems with the Department of State, which was a direct ally of the Syrian Kurds, with whom they liberated a significant part of Northern Syria and important cities like Kobane and Manbij from the IS. The situation paved the way for Russia that is also using the Syrian civil war to renew its presence in Western Asia. During their last meeting in Istanbul on October 10, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Erdogan agreed to normalise relations, which became tense after the Turkish forces shot down a Russian jet in November 2015. They signed an agreement to build two gas pipelines and other trade agreements which will help Russia to overcome the EU sanctions. Another reason for Turkey to insist on keeping their troops in Iraqi Kurdistan is the presence of the PKK in the Qandil mountains. Turkey's air force is constantly bombing the area behind the Iraqi city of Sulaymaniyah, close to the Iranian border, where the PKK has its headquarters. Airstrikes were registered less than three days ago. The conflict between Ankara and the Kurdish Workers' Party is another phenomenon the Iraqi Prime Minister wants to eradicate from his territory, and an additional reason to ask Ankara to withdraw its troops. Al-Habadi declared at the end of September that “Iraq is not a place for the PKK and Turkey’s struggle”. Deteriorating relations between Turkey and the Iraqi central government could result in the delaying of the Mosul offensive which is a symbol of the war against Islamic State in Syria in Iraq. A highly fragmented conflict, made of wars-within-the-wars where regional powers, ethnic groups and political parties use the fight against the Islamic State as a pretext to increase their military presence and areas of influence on the ground. (WION)

Turkey's parallel war in Iraq and Syria

Syrian migrant&nbsp;Jaber Albakr&nbsp;suspected of planning a bomb attack on a Berlin airport has committed suicide in police custody in&nbsp;Leipzig, Germany.&nbsp;

The 22-year-old was under police surveillance for months but had managed to escape when police raided his house. He was nabbed on Monday after a two-day hunt&nbsp;with the help of three Syrians in whose flat he sought refuge, one of whom alerted the police.

&quot;Jaber Albakr took his own life in the Leipzig prison hospital,&quot; the regional government in Saxony said in a statement without elaborating, AFP reported.

&nbsp;

While Germany&rsquo;s Spiegel Online said it was not yet clear how he had killed himself, Bild daily reported he was found hanging in his cell.

Albakr had been under round-the-clock watch due to an acute risk of suicide and hunger strike, Spiegel Online said.

 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

German media reported the 22-year-old Syrian migrant Jaber Albakr was found hanging in his prison cell

Syrian migrant Jaber Albakr suspected of planning a bomb attack on a Berlin airport has committed suicide in police custody in Leipzig, Germany. The 22-year-old was under police surveillance for months but had managed to escape when police raided his house. He was nabbed on Monday after a two-day hunt with the help of three Syrians in whose flat he sought refuge, one of whom alerted the police. "Jaber Albakr took his own life in the Leipzig prison hospital," the regional government in Saxony said in a statement without elaborating, AFP reported. While Germany’s Spiegel Online said it was not yet clear how he had killed himself, Bild daily reported he was found hanging in his cell. Albakr had been under round-the-clock watch due to an acute risk of suicide and hunger strike, Spiegel Online said. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Germany: Syrian bomb suspect commits suicide

Russia launched its heaviest strikes in days on Syria&rsquo;s Aleppo on Tuesday,as a fire started by rebels killed at least five schoolchildren in the war-torn country&rsquo;s south.

The raids killed 25 civilians, a monitor said and caused massive destruction is several residential areas of Aleppo, AFP reported.

Syria&rsquo;s army announced a bid last month to re-capture the city, which has been divided since mid-2012, with rebels holding the eastern sector.

The assault began after the collapse of a short-lived truce brokered by US and Russia,and has seen the besieged east of the city come under fierce aerial assault.

The army said last Wednesday it would reduce its bombardment, after days of attacks that killed hundreds and destroyed the largest remaining hospital in the east.

But according to AFP and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights renewed heavy bombing were reported on Tuesday.

&quot;This is the heaviest Russian bombardment since the Syrian regime announced it would reduce the bombardment&quot; last week, said the monitor&#39;s head Rami Abdel Rahman, AFP reported.

The 25 dead, among them four children, were killed in raids in east Aleppo including in the districts of Bustan al-Qasr and Fardos, the Observatory told AFP.

A Footage by the Aleppo Media Centre activist group showed a toddler, blood smeared across her face, lying on a hospital bed.

An elderly man near her wailed in pain as a team of medics bent over him, calling out instructions to the nurses, AFP reported.

Backed by Russian air raids, government forces have been advancing street by street into rebel-held parts of Aleppo.

More than 300 people, mostly civilians, have been killed by government or Russian fire since the operation began, the Observatory told AFP.

Rebel forces were also firing on western government-held districts of Aleppo on Tuesday. The state news agency, SANA reported four dead and 14 wounded in rebel bombing of Hamdaniyeh district.

SANA also reported an unidentified number of injuries in a mortar shell attack near the famous Umayyad mosque in the Old City of Damascus.

 
&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from AFP

25 civilians were killed in the air raids on Tuesday, that resumed after a brief lull and were reportedly the heaviest in days

Russia launched its heaviest strikes in days on Syria’s Aleppo on Tuesday,as a fire started by rebels killed at least five schoolchildren in the war-torn country’s south. The raids killed 25 civilians, a monitor said and caused massive destruction is several residential areas of Aleppo, AFP reported. Syria’s army announced a bid last month to re-capture the city, which has been divided since mid-2012, with rebels holding the eastern sector. The assault began after the collapse of a short-lived truce brokered by US and Russia,and has seen the besieged east of the city come under fierce aerial assault. The army said last Wednesday it would reduce its bombardment, after days of attacks that killed hundreds and destroyed the largest remaining hospital in the east. But according to AFP and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights renewed heavy bombing were reported on Tuesday. "This is the heaviest Russian bombardment since the Syrian regime announced it would reduce the bombardment" last week, said the monitor's head Rami Abdel Rahman, AFP reported. The 25 dead, among them four children, were killed in raids in east Aleppo including in the districts of Bustan al-Qasr and Fardos, the Observatory told AFP. A Footage by the Aleppo Media Centre activist group showed a toddler, blood smeared across her face, lying on a hospital bed. An elderly man near her wailed in pain as a team of medics bent over him, calling out instructions to the nurses, AFP reported. Backed by Russian air raids, government forces have been advancing street by street into rebel-held parts of Aleppo. More than 300 people, mostly civilians, have been killed by government or Russian fire since the operation began, the Observatory told AFP. Rebel forces were also firing on western government-held districts of Aleppo on Tuesday. The state news agency, SANA reported four dead and 14 wounded in rebel bombing of Hamdaniyeh district. SANA also reported an unidentified number of injuries in a mortar shell attack near the famous Umayyad mosque in the Old City of Damascus. (WION with inputs from AFP

Russia launches heavy air strikes on Syria's Aleppo

France is seeking an international war crimes investigation against Syrian and Russian forces in eastern Aleppo and is working to ask the International Criminal Court&rsquo;s prosecutor to launch the investigation.

&quot;These bombings - and I said it in Moscow - are war crimes,&quot; the country&rsquo;s foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault told France Inter radio after a French-drafted resolution on Syria was vetoed by Russia in a UN security council meeting on Saturday.

&quot;We shall contact the International Criminal Court prosecutor to see how she can launch these investigations.&quot; he added.

Ever since the collapse of a US-Russia brokered ceasefire deal in September, Russian and Syrian forces have pounded Aleppo&rsquo;s rebel-held sectors in their biggest offensive.

US secretary of state John Kerry had also called for a war crimes investigation last week.

It is,however, unclear how the ICC proceeds with an investigation because Syria is not its member and so the court has no jurisdiction in the west Asian country.

The only way for the case to make it to ICC is through a referral from the UN security council. Moscow vetoed a French resolution in May 2014 to refer the situation in Syria to the ICC.

&quot;It is very dangerous to play with such words because war crimes also weigh on the shoulders of American officials,&quot; said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, according to RIA news agency.

A French diplomatic source told Reuters that Paris had begun to comb through the ICC&rsquo;s articles to see what could be done. &nbsp;

&quot;It will be complicated, but we are looking for other solutions. Our jurists are trying to find other ways,&quot; the source said, adding that Paris was also not ruling out a new security council &nbsp;resolution.

Ayrault added in his interview that Paris would also seek separate sanctions on the Syrian government at the United Nations once a joint UN and Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) inquiry concludes&nbsp;on October 21.&nbsp;

&quot;We do not agree with what Russia is doing, bombarding Aleppo. France is committed as never before to saving the population of Aleppo,&quot; Ayrault said.

&quot;If the President decides (to see Putin), this will not be to trade pleasantries,&quot; he added.

&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

 
 
&nbsp;

France claims that Russian and Syrian forces have committed war crimes in Aleppo

France is seeking an international war crimes investigation against Syrian and Russian forces in eastern Aleppo and is working to ask the International Criminal Court’s prosecutor to launch the investigation. "These bombings - and I said it in Moscow - are war crimes," the country’s foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault told France Inter radio after a French-drafted resolution on Syria was vetoed by Russia in a UN security council meeting on Saturday. "We shall contact the International Criminal Court prosecutor to see how she can launch these investigations." he added. Ever since the collapse of a US-Russia brokered ceasefire deal in September, Russian and Syrian forces have pounded Aleppo’s rebel-held sectors in their biggest offensive. US secretary of state John Kerry had also called for a war crimes investigation last week. It is,however, unclear how the ICC proceeds with an investigation because Syria is not its member and so the court has no jurisdiction in the west Asian country. The only way for the case to make it to ICC is through a referral from the UN security council. Moscow vetoed a French resolution in May 2014 to refer the situation in Syria to the ICC. "It is very dangerous to play with such words because war crimes also weigh on the shoulders of American officials," said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, according to RIA news agency. A French diplomatic source told Reuters that Paris had begun to comb through the ICC’s articles to see what could be done. "It will be complicated, but we are looking for other solutions. Our jurists are trying to find other ways," the source said, adding that Paris was also not ruling out a new security council resolution. Ayrault added in his interview that Paris would also seek separate sanctions on the Syrian government at the United Nations once a joint UN and Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) inquiry concludes on October 21. "We do not agree with what Russia is doing, bombarding Aleppo. France is committed as never before to saving the population of Aleppo," Ayrault said. "If the President decides (to see Putin), this will not be to trade pleasantries," he added. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

France to seek International Criminal Court options for war crimes investigation in Syria

Besieged by the Syrian government for two years, the city of Madaya has had little contact with the outside world, barely reachable by aid convoys, let alone video journalists.

So ABC News and Marvel Comics, known for its muscular superheroes, teamed up to find another way to help the world see the devastating reality of life under siege.&nbsp;

Journalists at ABC had been in contact with a woman living in Madaya, a city home to some 40,000 people near the border with Lebanon, &nbsp;who chronicled in a series of blog posts her fight to survive the harsh conditions brought on by the Syrian civil war, now in its sixth year.&nbsp;

The two Disney-owned companies created a free, digital comic based on the anonymous dispatches by the young mother of five, a way to try and demonstrate the horrors their cameras could not access.

The illustrated panels are far less bloody than they are heartbreaking. Combined with the powerful words of the mother, kept anonymous to protect her family&rsquo;s safety , they speak to the severe hardships trapped families are enduring.

Since Madaya came under total siege in mid-2015, more than 60 victims have died of famine and malnutrition.

&quot;Our bodies are no longer used to eating,&quot; reads one panel. &quot;My children are hungry but are getting sick, severe stomach pains from the food because their bodies aren&rsquo;t able to digest and absorb the food because they were hungry for so long.&quot;Artist Dalibor Talajic said he made a conscious effort to avoid straying into the sensational.

&quot;I didn&rsquo;t want to do a war comic,&quot; said the Croatian artist, who lived through Yugoslavia&rsquo;s breakup in 1991. &quot;I wanted to make a comic with a civilian point of view, where you&#39;re really powerless.&quot;

&quot;You can&#39;t do anything. You&#39;re just waiting for it to pass or for you to die.&quot;

Before now Talajic was best known for his work on Deadpool, a comic about antiheroes that were featured in a film of the same name earlier this year.

The illustrator said he is &quot;not a typical Marvel artist where everything must be larger than life,&quot; preferring instead to stay anchored in reality. &quot;I always try to keep things more familiar, more grounded, more probable.&quot;

But attempting to convey the grim daily life of besieged Syrians without sensationalizing was no easy task.

&quot;It was challenging,&quot; Talajic said, noting that he never saw photos of the young mother or the family. &quot;It&#39;s like blade running the thin line of being exploitive of someone&#39;s hardship.&quot;

The brutal story of daily life under siege is occasionally broken up with small bright moments.

&quot;It is a mother, but it is every mother,&quot; Talajic said. &quot;It is a family, but it&#39;s every family.&quot;

This is not Marvel&#39;s first foray into real life heroes: the comic book company also depicted Pope John-Paul II, St Francis of Assisi and Mother Teresa.

ABC did manage to deliver some of Talajic&rsquo;s images to the mother: &quot;she found that he really nailed the features of the people, the ambiance, the town,&quot; ABC News Producer Rym Momtaz said.

&quot;If she ever gets out,&quot; artist Talajic said, &quot;the pictures will go to her.&quot;

(AFP)

Marvel comics has announced a digital comic depicting the struggles of a Madayan family in war-torn Syria

Besieged by the Syrian government for two years, the city of Madaya has had little contact with the outside world, barely reachable by aid convoys, let alone video journalists. So ABC News and Marvel Comics, known for its muscular superheroes, teamed up to find another way to help the world see the devastating reality of life under siege. Journalists at ABC had been in contact with a woman living in Madaya, a city home to some 40,000 people near the border with Lebanon, who chronicled in a series of blog posts her fight to survive the harsh conditions brought on by the Syrian civil war, now in its sixth year. The two Disney-owned companies created a free, digital comic based on the anonymous dispatches by the young mother of five, a way to try and demonstrate the horrors their cameras could not access. The illustrated panels are far less bloody than they are heartbreaking. Combined with the powerful words of the mother, kept anonymous to protect her family’s safety , they speak to the severe hardships trapped families are enduring. Since Madaya came under total siege in mid-2015, more than 60 victims have died of famine and malnutrition. "Our bodies are no longer used to eating," reads one panel. "My children are hungry but are getting sick, severe stomach pains from the food because their bodies aren’t able to digest and absorb the food because they were hungry for so long."Artist Dalibor Talajic said he made a conscious effort to avoid straying into the sensational. "I didn’t want to do a war comic," said the Croatian artist, who lived through Yugoslavia’s breakup in 1991. "I wanted to make a comic with a civilian point of view, where you're really powerless." "You can't do anything. You're just waiting for it to pass or for you to die." Before now Talajic was best known for his work on Deadpool, a comic about antiheroes that were featured in a film of the same name earlier this year. The illustrator said he is "not a typical Marvel artist where everything must be larger than life," preferring instead to stay anchored in reality. "I always try to keep things more familiar, more grounded, more probable." But attempting to convey the grim daily life of besieged Syrians without sensationalizing was no easy task. "It was challenging," Talajic said, noting that he never saw photos of the young mother or the family. "It's like blade running the thin line of being exploitive of someone's hardship." The brutal story of daily life under siege is occasionally broken up with small bright moments. "It is a mother, but it is every mother," Talajic said. "It is a family, but it's every family." This is not Marvel's first foray into real life heroes: the comic book company also depicted Pope John-Paul II, St Francis of Assisi and Mother Teresa. ABC did manage to deliver some of Talajic’s images to the mother: "she found that he really nailed the features of the people, the ambiance, the town," ABC News Producer Rym Momtaz said. "If she ever gets out," artist Talajic said, "the pictures will go to her." (AFP)

Syrian mother who chronicled her war ordeal becomes Marvel's new superhero

The United Nations Security Council is set to vote on Saturday on rival draft resolutions on Syria - a French text requiring an end to air strikes and military flights over Aleppo city and a Russian draft that is similar but makes no mention of ending military flights over the &nbsp;battered Syrian city.

The French draft is most likely to be vetoed by Russia while Moscow&rsquo;s text is essentially the French draft with Russian amendments that brings the failed September 9 ceasefire deal between US and Russia back into focus.

&ldquo;This is a cynical attempt to divert attention away from the bombing of Aleppo,&rdquo; British UN Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said of the Russian draft, Reuters reported. 
&nbsp;

The 15-member council was negotiating on a French text for the past one week. &nbsp;A Saturday vote on that was called after French foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault visited Moscow on Thursday and Washington on Friday to discuss the resolution. 
&nbsp;

Following Ayrault&rsquo;s visit, Moscow proposed its own draft and said it would be put to a vote immediately after the vote on the French draft, which is likely to be blocked by Russia because it &quot;demands that all parties immediately end all aerial bombardments of and military flights over Aleppo city.&quot;

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad&rsquo;s forces, backed by Russian war planes and Iranian support, have been battling to capture eastern Aleppo, the rebel-held half of Syria&rsquo;s largest city.

&quot;This is not a draft which is right for adoption, I have this suspicion that the real motive is to cause a Russian veto,&quot; Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told Reuters on Friday of the French text. &quot;I cannot possibly see how we can let this resolution pass.&quot;

Security Council diplomats have told Reuters that while the Russian draft contained a lot of reasonable language, the lack of any references to ending air strikes on Aleppo was likely to be a problem.

In order to be adopted, a resolution needs nine votes in favour and no vetoes. The council veto powers are the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China.

The US has already suspended talks with Russia on implementing a ceasefire deal in Syria and has accused Moscow of not living up to its commitments to halt fighting.

The failed ceasefire deal is annexed to the Russian draft UN resolution, which urges Moscow and Washington to ensure the implementation of the agreement. It stresses an &quot;urgent need to achieve and verify separating moderate opposition forces from &lsquo;Jabhat Al-Nusra&rsquo; &nbsp;as a key priority.&quot;

Nearly half &nbsp;of Syria&rsquo;s 22 million people have been uprooted and more than 400,000 killed ever since the civil war started in 2011.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from Reuters and AFP)

 
 
 
 
 
&nbsp;

The two draft resolutions include a French text seeking end to air strikes and a Russian one that does not mention ending military flights

The United Nations Security Council is set to vote on Saturday on rival draft resolutions on Syria - a French text requiring an end to air strikes and military flights over Aleppo city and a Russian draft that is similar but makes no mention of ending military flights over the battered Syrian city. The French draft is most likely to be vetoed by Russia while Moscow’s text is essentially the French draft with Russian amendments that brings the failed September 9 ceasefire deal between US and Russia back into focus. “This is a cynical attempt to divert attention away from the bombing of Aleppo,” British UN Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said of the Russian draft, Reuters reported. The 15-member council was negotiating on a French text for the past one week. A Saturday vote on that was called after French foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault visited Moscow on Thursday and Washington on Friday to discuss the resolution. Following Ayrault’s visit, Moscow proposed its own draft and said it would be put to a vote immediately after the vote on the French draft, which is likely to be blocked by Russia because it "demands that all parties immediately end all aerial bombardments of and military flights over Aleppo city." Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces, backed by Russian war planes and Iranian support, have been battling to capture eastern Aleppo, the rebel-held half of Syria’s largest city. "This is not a draft which is right for adoption, I have this suspicion that the real motive is to cause a Russian veto," Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told Reuters on Friday of the French text. "I cannot possibly see how we can let this resolution pass." Security Council diplomats have told Reuters that while the Russian draft contained a lot of reasonable language, the lack of any references to ending air strikes on Aleppo was likely to be a problem. In order to be adopted, a resolution needs nine votes in favour and no vetoes. The council veto powers are the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China. The US has already suspended talks with Russia on implementing a ceasefire deal in Syria and has accused Moscow of not living up to its commitments to halt fighting. The failed ceasefire deal is annexed to the Russian draft UN resolution, which urges Moscow and Washington to ensure the implementation of the agreement. It stresses an "urgent need to achieve and verify separating moderate opposition forces from ‘Jabhat Al-Nusra’ as a key priority." Nearly half of Syria’s 22 million people have been uprooted and more than 400,000 killed ever since the civil war started in 2011. (WION with inputs from Reuters and AFP)

UN council to vote on rival Syria resolutions today

Imagine a child without any toys to play with, regular schooling or a daily dose of cartoons. Sounds like a disturbed childhood, right? This is the reality for about 14.4 million refugees (2014 UNHCR figures) in the world&nbsp;who lead a different life than an average kid living in their own homeland.

World Refugee Day is celebrated every year on June 20.&nbsp;

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World Refugee Day (WION)
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Living under difficult circumstances, refugees deal with several issues at hand. Displaced from their place of belonging here is a list of things that refugee kids miss out on a daily basis:&nbsp;

<ul>
	<li>Their home:&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

Usually relocated, refugee children miss out on growing up in their own homeland, among friends and family. Unlike children who are raised under normal state of affairs, these kids are not exposed to their culture and surroundings that are vital for a holistic development.&nbsp;

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A refugee camp (AFP)
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<ul>
	<li>Regular education:&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

Most refugee children have no or negligible access to regular schools. Some are pulled out of schools because of war-like situations or have to discontinue so as to fend for the family.&nbsp;

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A makeshift refugee school (AFP)
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<ul>
	<li>Food:&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

Leading a disturbed lifestyle, refugee children have no access to everyday food that we munch on. Most of them survive on minimum basics or go without food for several days. In several countries they are given food vouchers, so you can imagine they don&#39;t eat anything that we fancy on as kids -&nbsp;ice creams, burgers, pizzas or other junk food items.&nbsp;

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Displaced kids eating (AFP)
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<ul>
	<li>Lose their childhood too early:&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

Reeling under physical and psychological pressure, refugee kids mature much early than their counterparts. It is reported by the&nbsp;UN&#39;s refugee agency that countries like Syria have reported grave dangers for refugee kids. Girls are married to much older men vying for safety while the boys are forced into labour so as to sustain a family.&nbsp;

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A kid at work in a refugee camp (AFP)
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<ul>
	<li>Source of entertainment:&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

As a child refugee, the&nbsp;kids are always striving for safety and have no&nbsp;source of entertainment like movies, cartoons, leisure activities or even access to toys sometimes.&nbsp;

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A child plays with makeshift tricycle (AFP)
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Every year, war adds on to the number of refugees worldwide. Facing danger to life and other basic human rights, they need to be provided with a closer-to home environment for growth. Many organisations around the world like UNHCR, World Food Programs are working towards improving their living standards.

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(Contributed by: Zeba Khan)&nbsp; 
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Owing to pressure, these kids mature faster than those living in their homes

Imagine a child without any toys to play with, regular schooling or a daily dose of cartoons. Sounds like a disturbed childhood, right? This is the reality for about 14.4 million refugees (2014 UNHCR figures) in the world who lead a different life than an average kid living in their own homeland. World Refugee Day is celebrated every year on June 20. World Refugee Day (WION) × Living under difficult circumstances, refugees deal with several issues at hand. Displaced from their place of belonging here is a list of things that refugee kids miss out on a daily basis: Their home: Usually relocated, refugee children miss out on growing up in their own homeland, among friends and family. Unlike children who are raised under normal state of affairs, these kids are not exposed to their culture and surroundings that are vital for a holistic development. A refugee camp (AFP) × Regular education: Most refugee children have no or negligible access to regular schools. Some are pulled out of schools because of war-like situations or have to discontinue so as to fend for the family. A makeshift refugee school (AFP) × Food: Leading a disturbed lifestyle, refugee children have no access to everyday food that we munch on. Most of them survive on minimum basics or go without food for several days. In several countries they are given food vouchers, so you can imagine they don't eat anything that we fancy on as kids - ice creams, burgers, pizzas or other junk food items. Displaced kids eating (AFP) × Lose their childhood too early: Reeling under physical and psychological pressure, refugee kids mature much early than their counterparts. It is reported by the UN's refugee agency that countries like Syria have reported grave dangers for refugee kids. Girls are married to much older men vying for safety while the boys are forced into labour so as to sustain a family. A kid at work in a refugee camp (AFP) × Source of entertainment: As a child refugee, the kids are always striving for safety and have no source of entertainment like movies, cartoons, leisure activities or even access to toys sometimes. A child plays with makeshift tricycle (AFP) × Every year, war adds on to the number of refugees worldwide. Facing danger to life and other basic human rights, they need to be provided with a closer-to home environment for growth. Many organisations around the world like UNHCR, World Food Programs are working towards improving their living standards. (Contributed by: Zeba Khan)

A refugee child misses out on things your average kid takes for granted

Unspecified number of people dead or wounded, according to initial reports

At least two suicide bombers detonated explosive belts in Syria's Hama today, leaving an unspecified number of people dead or wounded, state media reported, The attack targetted a square in the city's al-Hader district. The attack has come in as a coalition of rebels and jihadists move closer to government-controlled Hama,which has remained relatively insulated from the brutal violence of Syria's five-year war. (WION with inputs from agencies)

At least 2 suicide bombings reported in Syria's Hama

Heavy bombardment of rebel-held areas of eastern Aleppo has killed more than 70 people and has destroyed at least 40 buildings since Friday morning, Ammar al Selmo, the head of civil defence there, told Reuters. 
 
Warplanes targeted rebel-held districts of Aleppo in a second day of intense bombardment on Friday after the Syrian army declared an offensive to fully capture what was Syria&#39;s biggest city before the war. 
 
(Reuters)

The head of civil defence told Reuters at least 40 buildings have also been destroyed since Friday morning

Heavy bombardment of rebel-held areas of eastern Aleppo has killed more than 70 people and has destroyed at least 40 buildings since Friday morning, Ammar al Selmo, the head of civil defence there, told Reuters. Warplanes targeted rebel-held districts of Aleppo in a second day of intense bombardment on Friday after the Syrian army declared an offensive to fully capture what was Syria's biggest city before the war. (Reuters)

Bombing of rebel-held Aleppo kills 70

Donald Trump&#39;s eldest son sparked an online storm on Tuesday as he compared Syrian refugees to lethal candies reiterating his father&#39;s hardline stance on immigration.&nbsp; 
 
Donald Jr, who is one of the surrogates of Republican presidential candidate, posted a tweet on the microblogging website saying: &nbsp;&quot;This image says it all,&quot; The picture showed a white bowl filled with the popular, rainbow-colored Skittles candies. 
&nbsp;
<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
This image says it all. Let&#39;s end the politically correct agenda that doesn&#39;t put America first. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/trump2016?src=hash">#trump2016</a> <a href="https://t.co/9fHwog7ssN">pic.twitter.com/9fHwog7ssN</a>
&mdash; Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) <a href="https://twitter.com/DonaldJTrumpJr/status/778016283342307328">September 19, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
 
Written above the image is: &quot;If I had a bowl of skittles and I told you just three would kill you, would you take a handful? That&#39;s our Syria refugee problem.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
&quot;It is too dangerous to welcome migrants when a tiny number of them could later launch attacks,&quot; &nbsp;he stressed.&nbsp; 
 
In a company statement, Wrigley, the maker of Skittles, criticised Trump Jr&#39;s tweet&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Skittles are candy. Refugees are people. We don&#39;t feel it&#39;s an appropriate analogy,&quot; the official statement read.&nbsp; 
 
The statement also triggered an online outrage as some users posted heart-wrenching pictures of Syrian refugees.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;
<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Skittles. <a href="https://t.co/BdrBjQh2OR">pic.twitter.com/BdrBjQh2OR</a>
&mdash; Nish Weiseth (@NishWeiseth) <a href="https://twitter.com/NishWeiseth/status/778066919655997441">September 20, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
&nbsp;

<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Remember when everyone thought the Trump kids were classy before they called refugee&#39;s skittles, walked out on media last week <a href="https://t.co/8fcgPFvkbM">https://t.co/8fcgPFvkbM</a>
&mdash; Barry Ybarra (@ybarry45) <a href="https://twitter.com/ybarry45/status/778464303804329985">September 21, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
I have an idea. Let&#39;s stop with analogies and address the problems head on. 
 
Enough trying to soften the blows of actual problems. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Skittles?src=hash">#Skittles</a>
&mdash; Mitsurugi Reiji (@MitsuReiji) <a href="https://twitter.com/MitsuReiji/status/778464650962743296">September 21, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/SethAbramovitch">@SethAbramovitch</a> the fact they disowned that analogy tells you where <a href="https://twitter.com/Skittles">@Skittles</a> stands. Real far away from Mr Trump.
&mdash; Patchouli Woollahra (@PatchouliW) <a href="https://twitter.com/PatchouliW/status/778463659353776128">September 21, 2016</a> 
 
 
&nbsp;</blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
 
 
Meanwhile, Trump has repeatedly warned of the risks posed by Syrian refugees, citing the arrival in Europe of Islamic State operatives disguised as simple refugees.&nbsp; 
 
On Tuesday, the Republican candidate called them a dangerous &quot;Trojan horse&quot; who enter the country with the aim of doing harm, is inextricably linked to his meteoric political rise. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s just a plain fact that our current immigration system makes no real attempt to determine the views of the people entering our country. We have no idea who they are, what they think,&quot; he said in a speech at High Point University in North Carolina. 
 
The real estate tycoon also renounced the &quot;open borders&quot; that he said his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton advocated as secretary of state, blaming her for the rise of the Islamic State group. 
 
(WION with inputs from AFP)&nbsp;

'It is too dangerous to welcome migrants when a tiny number of them could later launch attacks,' Donald Jr said

Donald Trump's eldest son sparked an online storm on Tuesday as he compared Syrian refugees to lethal candies reiterating his father's hardline stance on immigration. Donald Jr, who is one of the surrogates of Republican presidential candidate, posted a tweet on the microblogging website saying: "This image says it all," The picture showed a white bowl filled with the popular, rainbow-colored Skittles candies. This image says it all. Let's end the politically correct agenda that doesn't put America first. #trump2016 pic.twitter.com/9fHwog7ssN — Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) September 19, 2016 Written above the image is: "If I had a bowl of skittles and I told you just three would kill you, would you take a handful? That's our Syria refugee problem." "It is too dangerous to welcome migrants when a tiny number of them could later launch attacks," he stressed. In a company statement, Wrigley, the maker of Skittles, criticised Trump Jr's tweet "Skittles are candy. Refugees are people. We don't feel it's an appropriate analogy," the official statement read. The statement also triggered an online outrage as some users posted heart-wrenching pictures of Syrian refugees. Skittles. pic.twitter.com/BdrBjQh2OR — Nish Weiseth (@NishWeiseth) September 20, 2016 Remember when everyone thought the Trump kids were classy before they called refugee's skittles, walked out on media last week https://t.co/8fcgPFvkbM — Barry Ybarra (@ybarry45) September 21, 2016 I have an idea. Let's stop with analogies and address the problems head on. Enough trying to soften the blows of actual problems. #Skittles — Mitsurugi Reiji (@MitsuReiji) September 21, 2016 @SethAbramovitch the fact they disowned that analogy tells you where @Skittles stands. Real far away from Mr Trump. — Patchouli Woollahra (@PatchouliW) September 21, 2016 Meanwhile, Trump has repeatedly warned of the risks posed by Syrian refugees, citing the arrival in Europe of Islamic State operatives disguised as simple refugees. On Tuesday, the Republican candidate called them a dangerous "Trojan horse" who enter the country with the aim of doing harm, is inextricably linked to his meteoric political rise. "It's just a plain fact that our current immigration system makes no real attempt to determine the views of the people entering our country. We have no idea who they are, what they think," he said in a speech at High Point University in North Carolina. The real estate tycoon also renounced the "open borders" that he said his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton advocated as secretary of state, blaming her for the rise of the Islamic State group. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Trump's son compares Syrian refugees to lethal candies, triggers online outrage

The US Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power expressed regret on Saturday over the US-led coalition strike on a Syrian army post, but dismissed Russia&#39;s call for an emergency Security Council meeting as a &quot;stunt.&quot; 
 
Russia called the urgent meeting to demand an explanation from the United States after the bombing killed at least 62 soldiers in eastern Syria, near the Islamic State group-controlled town of Deir Ezzor. 
 
&quot;We are investigating the incident,&quot; Power told journalists as the closed door meeting got under way. 
 
&quot;If we determine that we did indeed strike Syrian military personnel, that was not our intention. And we of course regret the loss of life,&quot; she added. 
 
Power went on to describe Russia&#39;s request for the urgent meeting as a &quot;stunt, replete with moralism and grandstanding,&quot; saying Moscow should instead demand a meeting with the Assad regime to press for peace. 
 
In an exchange reminiscent of Cold War-era verbal jousting, Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin returned by accusing the United States of violating agreements that it would not target Syrian positions and said the action was a &quot;bad omen&quot; for a US-Russian deal on halting the fighting in Syria. 
 
Washington and Moscow reached an agreement in September that calls for a ceasefire, the delivery of aid and the joint targeting of Islamist rebels in Syria. 
 
The ceasefire went into effect on Monday, but convoys of aid have yet to reach civilians besieged by Syrian forces in the battleground city of Aleppo. 
 
Asked if the air strike on the Syrian army would kill off the US-Russian deal, Churkin said &quot;this is a very big question mark.&quot; 
 
&quot;I do hope that they will find a way to convince us and everybody else that they are serious about political settlement in Syria, serious about fighting terrorists,&quot; he said. 
 
US secretary of state John Kerry and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov are due on Wednesday to attend a special Security Council meeting on Syria, held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting. 
 
(AFP) 
&nbsp;

Russia has called an urgent UNSC meeting to demand an explanation of the US for the bombing that killed at least 62 Syrian soldiers

The US Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power expressed regret on Saturday over the US-led coalition strike on a Syrian army post, but dismissed Russia's call for an emergency Security Council meeting as a "stunt." Russia called the urgent meeting to demand an explanation from the United States after the bombing killed at least 62 soldiers in eastern Syria, near the Islamic State group-controlled town of Deir Ezzor. "We are investigating the incident," Power told journalists as the closed door meeting got under way. "If we determine that we did indeed strike Syrian military personnel, that was not our intention. And we of course regret the loss of life," she added. Power went on to describe Russia's request for the urgent meeting as a "stunt, replete with moralism and grandstanding," saying Moscow should instead demand a meeting with the Assad regime to press for peace. In an exchange reminiscent of Cold War-era verbal jousting, Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin returned by accusing the United States of violating agreements that it would not target Syrian positions and said the action was a "bad omen" for a US-Russian deal on halting the fighting in Syria. Washington and Moscow reached an agreement in September that calls for a ceasefire, the delivery of aid and the joint targeting of Islamist rebels in Syria. The ceasefire went into effect on Monday, but convoys of aid have yet to reach civilians besieged by Syrian forces in the battleground city of Aleppo. Asked if the air strike on the Syrian army would kill off the US-Russian deal, Churkin said "this is a very big question mark." "I do hope that they will find a way to convince us and everybody else that they are serious about political settlement in Syria, serious about fighting terrorists," he said. US secretary of state John Kerry and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov are due on Wednesday to attend a special Security Council meeting on Syria, held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting. (AFP)

US regrets Syria airstrike, hits out at Russia

At a rundown park near the frontlines in the Syrian city of Aleppo, a fragile truce has brought out visitors to see the last animal left at a makeshift zoo -- &quot;Happy&quot; the monkey. 
 
The 22-year-old hamadryas baboon has been a much-loved attraction at Sabil park in the western portion of the city for years. 
 
But the conflict since March 2011 that has split Aleppo between government control in the west and its rebel-held east has taken its toll on Saeed, whose name is Arabic for &quot;happy&quot;. 
 
&quot;He&#39;s not as happy as he was before the war. He used to be cheerful and happy but now he seems old, and he&#39;s sad because he doesn&#39;t get visitors like before,&quot; said Abdullah al-Jaghal, his 52-year-old keeper. 
 
Sabil park was once a major draw for residents of Aleppo, a former economic powerhouse that has been ravaged by the country&#39;s five-year conflict. 
 
Its mini-zoo included other monkeys and peacocks that are now all dead. 
 
As violence has raged across Syria, residents have stayed away for fear of the rocket and homemade missiles fired by rebels in eastern Aleppo, which itself is regularly targeted in government air strikes. 
 
The park bears some scars of the war, including a small pit left by a rocket impact, and the fighting has traumatised Saeed.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Whenever Saeed hears the sounds of shelling or gunfire, he gets scared and tries to climb to the highest point in the cage,&quot; said Jaghal, who has cared for the monkey for the 18 years it has lived at the park. 
 
&quot;He&#39;s afraid of loud noises and when he gets scared, it takes him a long time to calm down again.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
Even in the context of war, Saeed&#39;s enclosure is grim -- a yellow-painted circular cage with nothing inside but a dirt floor sprinkled with remnants of food, including dried scraps of bread. 
 
He walks around it with a chain and a small padlock around his neck, as adults and children watch him with interest. 
 
&quot;Our families have been coming since childhood to Sabil park to see Saeed and watch his acrobatics,&quot; said 35-year-old Bassam Primo, as his daughter handed the monkey a carton of juice. 
 
&quot;But with the war, he&#39;s gotten sick, and his wife died. After that he started to isolate himself and stopped interacting with visitors,&quot; he said. 
 
Throughout the violence which has killed over 300,000 people and displacing half of Syria&#39;s population, Primo kept visiting Saeed, often feeding him apples. 
 
&quot;But I found him depressed and sad,&quot; he said. 
 
With the start of a truce negotiated by Russia and the United States, Sabil park was once again full this week, particularly as the lull coincided with the Muslim Eid al-Adha holidays. 
 
Street vendors hawked goods to families enjoying a chance to walk without fear, while children crowded around Saeed&#39;s cage and called out his name. 
 
Asma Deeb, an English teacher, said she was glad Saeed had survived. 
 
&quot;We&#39;ve lived through tough times in Aleppo... and Saeed lived through them with us,&quot; the 36-year-old said. 
 
&quot;I was afraid that he would die of hunger or be hit by shrapnel from a shell.&quot; 
 
But she winced at the children around his cage trying to provoke a reaction&nbsp;and said she was saddened by his confined habitat. 
 
&quot;He has brought us happiness for 20 years... but his place is not here, his place is in his homeland in Africa, and I wish he&#39;d be able to go back there so he could be happy.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
(AFP)

The 22-year-old hamadryas baboon has been a much-loved attraction but the conflict has taken its toll on him

At a rundown park near the frontlines in the Syrian city of Aleppo, a fragile truce has brought out visitors to see the last animal left at a makeshift zoo -- "Happy" the monkey. The 22-year-old hamadryas baboon has been a much-loved attraction at Sabil park in the western portion of the city for years. But the conflict since March 2011 that has split Aleppo between government control in the west and its rebel-held east has taken its toll on Saeed, whose name is Arabic for "happy". "He's not as happy as he was before the war. He used to be cheerful and happy but now he seems old, and he's sad because he doesn't get visitors like before," said Abdullah al-Jaghal, his 52-year-old keeper. Sabil park was once a major draw for residents of Aleppo, a former economic powerhouse that has been ravaged by the country's five-year conflict. Its mini-zoo included other monkeys and peacocks that are now all dead. As violence has raged across Syria, residents have stayed away for fear of the rocket and homemade missiles fired by rebels in eastern Aleppo, which itself is regularly targeted in government air strikes. The park bears some scars of the war, including a small pit left by a rocket impact, and the fighting has traumatised Saeed. "Whenever Saeed hears the sounds of shelling or gunfire, he gets scared and tries to climb to the highest point in the cage," said Jaghal, who has cared for the monkey for the 18 years it has lived at the park. "He's afraid of loud noises and when he gets scared, it takes him a long time to calm down again." Even in the context of war, Saeed's enclosure is grim -- a yellow-painted circular cage with nothing inside but a dirt floor sprinkled with remnants of food, including dried scraps of bread. He walks around it with a chain and a small padlock around his neck, as adults and children watch him with interest. "Our families have been coming since childhood to Sabil park to see Saeed and watch his acrobatics," said 35-year-old Bassam Primo, as his daughter handed the monkey a carton of juice. "But with the war, he's gotten sick, and his wife died. After that he started to isolate himself and stopped interacting with visitors," he said. Throughout the violence which has killed over 300,000 people and displacing half of Syria's population, Primo kept visiting Saeed, often feeding him apples. "But I found him depressed and sad," he said. With the start of a truce negotiated by Russia and the United States, Sabil park was once again full this week, particularly as the lull coincided with the Muslim Eid al-Adha holidays. Street vendors hawked goods to families enjoying a chance to walk without fear, while children crowded around Saeed's cage and called out his name. Asma Deeb, an English teacher, said she was glad Saeed had survived. "We've lived through tough times in Aleppo... and Saeed lived through them with us," the 36-year-old said. "I was afraid that he would die of hunger or be hit by shrapnel from a shell." But she winced at the children around his cage trying to provoke a reaction and said she was saddened by his confined habitat. "He has brought us happiness for 20 years... but his place is not here, his place is in his homeland in Africa, and I wish he'd be able to go back there so he could be happy." (AFP)

In Syria's Aleppo, 'Happy' the monkey is zoo's last resident

The breakthrough ceasefire deal touted as the moment of change in the Syrian peace process got off to a shaky start. 
 
Russia and the United States hammered out a truce deal following marathon talks on Friday in the Swiss city of Geneva.&nbsp; 
 
But just hours before the ceasefire was due to begin, an influential Syrian rebel group, the hardline Islamist Ahrar al-Sham rejected the truce deal. 
 
The Syrian rebel group is the first to officially react to the deal. Ahrar al-Sham said the people cannot accept half-solutions.&nbsp; 
 
In his YouTube video to mark the start of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha on Monday, the group&#39;s deputy leader Ali al-Omar said that the deal would only serve to reinforce the regime of President Bashar al-Assad and increase the suffering of civilians.&nbsp; 
 
The group works closely with former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front, which has also dismissed the accord.&nbsp; 
 
The deputy leader refuted a crucial aspect of the deal wherein Washington is expected to convince mainstream opposition fighters to break their alliance with Fateh al-Sham.&nbsp; 
 
Fateh al-Sham spokesman Mostafa Mahamed wrote on Twitter, &quot;The negotiations and the deals which do not take account of fighters on the ground are useless.&quot; 
 
The group is not covered by the ceasefire deal. 
 
The negotiated plan aims to put Syria&#39;s peace process back on track. It will include a nationwide truce effective from sundown on Monday, providing better humanitarian aid access and military coordination between the U.S. and Russia against banned Islamist groups in Syria.&nbsp; 
 
US secretary of state John Kerry said, &#39;&#39;The United States and Russia are announcing a plan which we hope will reduce violence, ease suffering and resume movement towards a negotiated peace and a political transition in Syria and we believe that the plan as it is set forth if implemented, if followed, has the ability to provide a turning point, a moment of change.&#39;&#39;&nbsp; 
 
The Assad regime and its allies have promised to respect the ceasefire deal.&nbsp; 
 
Kerry said the &quot;bedrock&quot; of the new deal was an agreement that the Syrian government would not fly combat missions in an agreed area on the pretext of hunting fighters from the banned Nusra Front, an Al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria. 
 
In another confidence building measure, Russian-backed government forces and opposition groups, supported by the United States and Gulf States, would halt fighting for a while. It would give a chance to the opposition fighters to separate from militant groups in areas, such as Aleppo.&nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

Ahrar al-Sham claimed the US-Russia brokered deal would have little political influence as it only empowers the Assad government

The breakthrough ceasefire deal touted as the moment of change in the Syrian peace process got off to a shaky start. Russia and the United States hammered out a truce deal following marathon talks on Friday in the Swiss city of Geneva. But just hours before the ceasefire was due to begin, an influential Syrian rebel group, the hardline Islamist Ahrar al-Sham rejected the truce deal. The Syrian rebel group is the first to officially react to the deal. Ahrar al-Sham said the people cannot accept half-solutions. In his YouTube video to mark the start of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha on Monday, the group's deputy leader Ali al-Omar said that the deal would only serve to reinforce the regime of President Bashar al-Assad and increase the suffering of civilians. The group works closely with former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front, which has also dismissed the accord. The deputy leader refuted a crucial aspect of the deal wherein Washington is expected to convince mainstream opposition fighters to break their alliance with Fateh al-Sham. Fateh al-Sham spokesman Mostafa Mahamed wrote on Twitter, "The negotiations and the deals which do not take account of fighters on the ground are useless." The group is not covered by the ceasefire deal. The negotiated plan aims to put Syria's peace process back on track. It will include a nationwide truce effective from sundown on Monday, providing better humanitarian aid access and military coordination between the U.S. and Russia against banned Islamist groups in Syria. US secretary of state John Kerry said, ''The United States and Russia are announcing a plan which we hope will reduce violence, ease suffering and resume movement towards a negotiated peace and a political transition in Syria and we believe that the plan as it is set forth if implemented, if followed, has the ability to provide a turning point, a moment of change.'' The Assad regime and its allies have promised to respect the ceasefire deal. Kerry said the "bedrock" of the new deal was an agreement that the Syrian government would not fly combat missions in an agreed area on the pretext of hunting fighters from the banned Nusra Front, an Al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria. In another confidence building measure, Russian-backed government forces and opposition groups, supported by the United States and Gulf States, would halt fighting for a while. It would give a chance to the opposition fighters to separate from militant groups in areas, such as Aleppo. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Syrian rebel group rejects ceasefire accord

Twenty Islamic State militants were killed in Turkish air strikes in northern Syria on Saturday, the Turkish military said. 
 
Three buildings, one vehicle and a motorbike were targeted in the town of Tel el-Hawa as part of the attack. 
 
&lsquo;Operation Euphrates Shield&rsquo;, a Turkish incursion into Syria against the IS and Kurdish militia fighters was launched more than two weeks ago. The operation would &ldquo;continue decisively&rdquo;, local broadcaster NTV reported.

(WION with inputs from agencies)

The air strikes targeted three buildings, one vehicle and a motorbike in the town of Tel el-Hawa

Twenty Islamic State militants were killed in Turkish air strikes in northern Syria on Saturday, the Turkish military said. Three buildings, one vehicle and a motorbike were targeted in the town of Tel el-Hawa as part of the attack. ‘Operation Euphrates Shield’, a Turkish incursion into Syria against the IS and Kurdish militia fighters was launched more than two weeks ago. The operation would “continue decisively”, local broadcaster NTV reported. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Turkish air strikes kill 20 Islamic State fighters in Syria

The top commander of&nbsp;Syrian militant rebel group has been killed in an airstrike in Aleppo, Syria. 
 
Other senior members of the group may have been killed in the strike as well, Reuters reports. 
 
It remains unknown which nation carried out the airstrike. 
 
The death of commander Abu Omar Sarakeb, militant leader of the Army of Conquest, was announced on Twitter by&nbsp;Fateh al-Sham Front, earlier known as Al-Nusra Front. 
 
Army of Conquest, or Jaish al-Fatah, is mainly active in the Syrian province of Idlib. Believed to be backed by Saudi Arabia and Turkey, the group is the largest&nbsp;rebel alliance in Syria. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

The death of commander Abu Omar Sarakeb, leader of Syria's largest rebel alliance, was announced on Twitter

The top commander of Syrian militant rebel group has been killed in an airstrike in Aleppo, Syria. Other senior members of the group may have been killed in the strike as well, Reuters reports. It remains unknown which nation carried out the airstrike. The death of commander Abu Omar Sarakeb, militant leader of the Army of Conquest, was announced on Twitter by Fateh al-Sham Front, earlier known as Al-Nusra Front. Army of Conquest, or Jaish al-Fatah, is mainly active in the Syrian province of Idlib. Believed to be backed by Saudi Arabia and Turkey, the group is the largest rebel alliance in Syria. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Top Syrian rebel leader killed in airstrike

Syrian government&#39;s suspected chlorine gas attack on a rebel-held&nbsp;Aleppo neighbourhood has left one dead and&nbsp;more than 70 people complaining of breathing problems, Al Jazeera reported. 
 
President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s regime used a chopper to&nbsp;drop two barrel bombs containing chlorine gas on residents, Al Jazeera quoted rescue workers as saying.&nbsp; 
 
Images tweeted by Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) showed children being treated for suffocation.&nbsp; 
 
Although chlorine gas is not technically a chemical weapon, it has caused destruction&nbsp;wherever they have been used. 
 
Before this, there have been two chlorine gas attacks in Syria,&nbsp;the first being in rebel-held Kafr Zita two years back. That time there were contrasting reports about who had done it, although the Syrian government was blamed in some quarters. 
 
Aleppo has been ravaged by war ever since a US-Russia truce crumbled in February. Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to evacuate the city ever since the war started in 2012.&nbsp; 
 
Meanwhile, fighting raged on in the northwestern province of Idlib, which is largely controlled by the rebels. Eight people, including two children, died due to regime air strikes.&nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

Rescue activists say a Syrian regime helicopter dropped two barrel bombs containing chlorine gas on a rebel-held Aleppo neighbourhood

Syrian government's suspected chlorine gas attack on a rebel-held Aleppo neighbourhood has left one dead and more than 70 people complaining of breathing problems, Al Jazeera reported. President Bashar al-Assad's regime used a chopper to drop two barrel bombs containing chlorine gas on residents, Al Jazeera quoted rescue workers as saying. Images tweeted by Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) showed children being treated for suffocation. Although chlorine gas is not technically a chemical weapon, it has caused destruction wherever they have been used. Before this, there have been two chlorine gas attacks in Syria, the first being in rebel-held Kafr Zita two years back. That time there were contrasting reports about who had done it, although the Syrian government was blamed in some quarters. Aleppo has been ravaged by war ever since a US-Russia truce crumbled in February. Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to evacuate the city ever since the war started in 2012. Meanwhile, fighting raged on in the northwestern province of Idlib, which is largely controlled by the rebels. Eight people, including two children, died due to regime air strikes. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Suspected chlorine gas attack in Syria leaves dozens suffocated

A series of bomb attacks rocked mostly Syrian government-controlled areas, leaving at least 48 people, Syrian media reported. 
 
The attacks come after Turkish forces and their allies in Syria ejected Islamic State from northern Syria. 
 
One of the bombings occurred in Tartus, a coastal city in Syria&nbsp;and also Syrian President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s stronghold. 
 
Islamic State claimed responsibility for a blast against a security post in Hasakeh. The handiwork of other bombings in Tartus, Homs city and an army checkpoint outside Damascus remains unknown.&nbsp; 
 
The&nbsp;Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group, believed the attacks to be coordinated.&nbsp;

&quot;Clearly these attacks were simultaneous and they all targeted security posts,&quot; Rami Abdel Rahman, the Observatory director, told AFP. 
 
The deadliest attack occurred in Tartus, which left 30 dead and dozens injured. 
 
All the four blasts happened between 05:00 and 06:00 GMT. 
 
United States President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin met to discuss the Syrian crisis in the G20 summit in China. 
 
Later, Obama called the talks &quot;productive&quot;, while Putin said the 90-minute discussion has led to some &quot;alignment&quot; on the issue. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies) 
 
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A string of bomb attacks hit across mostly government-controlled areas of&nbsp;Syria&nbsp;on Monday, killing several dozen people including at least 35 in President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s coastal stronghold of Tartus, state media said.

At least 48 people died in the multiple blasts, with dozens also wounded in the double bombing outside of Tartus city, which is home to a Russian naval base.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for one of the blasts, against a Kurdish security post in Hasakeh, but there were no immediate claims for the other attacks in Tartus, on government-held Homs city and at an army checkpoint on a road outside Damascus.

In Tartus, two blasts targeted the Arzuna bridge, &quot;the first a car bomb and the second a suicide bomber who detonated his explosive belt when people gathered to help the wounded,&quot; according to state television.

Quoting the head of Al-Bassel hospital in Tartus, the channel said 35 people had been killed and 43 others wounded in the attack.&nbsp;

Tartus has been largely spared the worst violence of&nbsp;Syria&#39;s conflict since it began with anti-government protests in March 2011.

It has become a refuge for many Syrians fleeing the fighting that has displaced more than half the country&#39;s population.

In&nbsp;the northeast of the country, at least eight people were killed by a bomber on a motorbike in the city of Hasakeh, which is mostly controlled by Kurdish forces, though the regime is also present.

Syrian state media said the dead were six members of the Asayesh security forces and two civilians.

IS claimed the attack in a statement circulated on social media.

Hasakeh city has been regularly targeted by IS, including in July when a motorcycle bomber killed at least 16 people outside a bakery in the city.

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<h2>- &#39;Coordinated attacks&#39; -</h2>

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Monday&#39;s bombings came after advances by Turkish forces and allied Syrian rebels expelled IS from the last stretch of the Syrian-Turkish border under their control.

The jihadist group has been losing ground to both an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters known as the Syrian Democratic Forces and, more recently, to a Turkish offensive involving rebels loyal to Ankara.

In central Homs city, state media said at least four people were killed in a car bomb at the entrance to Al-Zahraa, a neighbourhood whose residents mostly belong to the same Alawite sect as Assad.

Al-Zahraa has also been regularly targeted in attacks, including a devastating double bomb blast in February that killed 57 people and was claimed by IS.

State television broadcast images from the aftermath of the blast in Homs, showing rubble strewn on the streets and smoke rising from the charred remains of vehicles.

Another bomb attack was also reported on Al-Sabura road west of the capital Damascus, with state media saying one person had been killed and three wounded.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group, said that attack targeted a checkpoint and gave a toll of three dead.

Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said the dead in both the Homs and Al-Sabura road attacks were government security forces manning checkpoints.

He said the blasts appeared to be coordinated.

&quot;Clearly these attacks were simultaneous and they all targeted security posts,&quot; he told AFP.

More than 290,000 people have been killed in&nbsp;Syria&nbsp;since its conflict erupted in March 2011, and millions displaced by the fighting.

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack in Tartus, which is Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's base

A series of bomb attacks rocked mostly Syrian government-controlled areas, leaving at least 48 people, Syrian media reported. The attacks come after Turkish forces and their allies in Syria ejected Islamic State from northern Syria. One of the bombings occurred in Tartus, a coastal city in Syria and also Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's stronghold. Islamic State claimed responsibility for a blast against a security post in Hasakeh. The handiwork of other bombings in Tartus, Homs city and an army checkpoint outside Damascus remains unknown. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group, believed the attacks to be coordinated. "Clearly these attacks were simultaneous and they all targeted security posts," Rami Abdel Rahman, the Observatory director, told AFP. The deadliest attack occurred in Tartus, which left 30 dead and dozens injured. All the four blasts happened between 05:00 and 06:00 GMT. United States President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin met to discuss the Syrian crisis in the G20 summit in China. Later, Obama called the talks "productive", while Putin said the 90-minute discussion has led to some "alignment" on the issue. (WION with inputs from agencies) A string of bomb attacks hit across mostly government-controlled areas of Syria on Monday, killing several dozen people including at least 35 in President Bashar al-Assad's coastal stronghold of Tartus, state media said. At least 48 people died in the multiple blasts, with dozens also wounded in the double bombing outside of Tartus city, which is home to a Russian naval base. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for one of the blasts, against a Kurdish security post in Hasakeh, but there were no immediate claims for the other attacks in Tartus, on government-held Homs city and at an army checkpoint on a road outside Damascus. In Tartus, two blasts targeted the Arzuna bridge, "the first a car bomb and the second a suicide bomber who detonated his explosive belt when people gathered to help the wounded," according to state television. Quoting the head of Al-Bassel hospital in Tartus, the channel said 35 people had been killed and 43 others wounded in the attack. Tartus has been largely spared the worst violence of Syria's conflict since it began with anti-government protests in March 2011. It has become a refuge for many Syrians fleeing the fighting that has displaced more than half the country's population. In the northeast of the country, at least eight people were killed by a bomber on a motorbike in the city of Hasakeh, which is mostly controlled by Kurdish forces, though the regime is also present. Syrian state media said the dead were six members of the Asayesh security forces and two civilians. IS claimed the attack in a statement circulated on social media. Hasakeh city has been regularly targeted by IS, including in July when a motorcycle bomber killed at least 16 people outside a bakery in the city. - 'Coordinated attacks' - Monday's bombings came after advances by Turkish forces and allied Syrian rebels expelled IS from the last stretch of the Syrian-Turkish border under their control. The jihadist group has been losing ground to both an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters known as the Syrian Democratic Forces and, more recently, to a Turkish offensive involving rebels loyal to Ankara. In central Homs city, state media said at least four people were killed in a car bomb at the entrance to Al-Zahraa, a neighbourhood whose residents mostly belong to the same Alawite sect as Assad. Al-Zahraa has also been regularly targeted in attacks, including a devastating double bomb blast in February that killed 57 people and was claimed by IS. State television broadcast images from the aftermath of the blast in Homs, showing rubble strewn on the streets and smoke rising from the charred remains of vehicles. Another bomb attack was also reported on Al-Sabura road west of the capital Damascus, with state media saying one person had been killed and three wounded. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group, said that attack targeted a checkpoint and gave a toll of three dead. Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said the dead in both the Homs and Al-Sabura road attacks were government security forces manning checkpoints. He said the blasts appeared to be coordinated. "Clearly these attacks were simultaneous and they all targeted security posts," he told AFP. More than 290,000 people have been killed in Syria since its conflict erupted in March 2011, and millions displaced by the fighting.

Multiple bombings leave at least 48 dead in Syria

Turkey ramped up its its offensive against the Islamic State in Syria on Saturday as its tanks crossed into the northern part of the country from the Kilis province. 
 
Turkey&#39;s fresh military impetus helped Syrian rebels retake two villages held by the IS.&nbsp;
&quot;Today, they (Turkey-backed Syrian rebels)&nbsp;managed to take control of the villages of Arab Ezza, al-Fursan, and have moved towards Lilwa,&quot; Ahmed Othman,&nbsp;a commander in the pro-Turkey rebel group Sultan Murad, told Al Jazeera from Aleppo&#39;s northern suburbs.&nbsp;
Howitzers belonging to the Turkish force pounded IS strongholds in the area, Dogan news agency reported. 
 
A Reuters cameraman in the area earlier heard a repeated booming sound and saw plumes of smoke rising from the Syrian side of the border. 
 
The tanks are reported to have crossed the frontier near the Turkish village of Cobanbey.&nbsp; 
 
The area is some 55 kilometres southwest of Jarablus, where last week Turkish-backed Syrian forces launched &quot;Operation Euphrates Shield&quot;, Turkey&#39;s first major incursion into Syria since the civil war began five years ago. 
 
Turkish-backed Syrian rebels have made advances against IS militants on one hand and the US-backed Kurdish rebels on the other.&nbsp; 
 
The same day, Turkish-backed rebel factions from the Free Syrian Army announced that they had seized several villages from the Islamic State, news that was confirmed by monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.&nbsp; 
 
The Hamza Brigade, a group fighting under the banner of the Free Syrian Army, said it had taken control of Arab Ezza, a village near which Turkish warplanes carried out air strikes on Friday. 
 
A source in the Failaq al-Sham rebel group said FSA factions had also captured the villages of Fursan, Lilawa, Kino and Najma just south of Arab Ezza. 
 
The US has voiced concerns about Turkish strikes on Kurdish-aligned groups which it backs in its battle against the Islamic State stating that it would jeopardise the broader goal of ridding Syria of the militant group. 
 
(WION with inputs from Reuters)

Turkish tanks crossed into northern Syria to intensify its attack on Islamic State

Turkey ramped up its its offensive against the Islamic State in Syria on Saturday as its tanks crossed into the northern part of the country from the Kilis province. Turkey's fresh military impetus helped Syrian rebels retake two villages held by the IS. "Today, they (Turkey-backed Syrian rebels) managed to take control of the villages of Arab Ezza, al-Fursan, and have moved towards Lilwa," Ahmed Othman, a commander in the pro-Turkey rebel group Sultan Murad, told Al Jazeera from Aleppo's northern suburbs. Howitzers belonging to the Turkish force pounded IS strongholds in the area, Dogan news agency reported. A Reuters cameraman in the area earlier heard a repeated booming sound and saw plumes of smoke rising from the Syrian side of the border. The tanks are reported to have crossed the frontier near the Turkish village of Cobanbey. The area is some 55 kilometres southwest of Jarablus, where last week Turkish-backed Syrian forces launched "Operation Euphrates Shield", Turkey's first major incursion into Syria since the civil war began five years ago. Turkish-backed Syrian rebels have made advances against IS militants on one hand and the US-backed Kurdish rebels on the other. The same day, Turkish-backed rebel factions from the Free Syrian Army announced that they had seized several villages from the Islamic State, news that was confirmed by monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The Hamza Brigade, a group fighting under the banner of the Free Syrian Army, said it had taken control of Arab Ezza, a village near which Turkish warplanes carried out air strikes on Friday. A source in the Failaq al-Sham rebel group said FSA factions had also captured the villages of Fursan, Lilawa, Kino and Najma just south of Arab Ezza. The US has voiced concerns about Turkish strikes on Kurdish-aligned groups which it backs in its battle against the Islamic State stating that it would jeopardise the broader goal of ridding Syria of the militant group. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Turkey ups its offensive against IS in Syria

Islamic State spokesman and head of external operations Abu Muhammad al-Adnani has been killed in Aleppo in Syria, the organisation&#39;s Amaq news agency said on Tuesday. 
 
The United States carried out an air strike targeting Adnani, a US&nbsp;defense official said after the militant group announced the group&#39;s longest-serving leaders&nbsp;had been killed. 
 
The Amaq&nbsp;news agency, however, reported that Adnani was killed &quot;while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo&quot;. 
 
The US&nbsp;official said the strike targeted a vehicle in the town of al-Bab in Syria. 
 
He declined to say whether Adnani was killed.&nbsp; 
 
Adnani was one of the group&#39;s most prominent leaders&nbsp;along with group&#39;s caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. 
 
He has been the group&#39;s chief propagandist since he declared in a statement that the group was establishing a caliphate cover huge swathes of Iraq and Syria in 2014. 
 
Recent advances by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias, and by Syrian rebels backed by Turkey, have made inroads into Islamic State holdings in Aleppo province, cutting them off from the Turkish border and supply lines along it. 
 
According to Hisham al-Hashimi, a&nbsp;security analyst who advises the Iraqi government on Islamic State, Adnani was injured in a coalition strike on August 17 in north of Aleppo. 
 
The Islamic State is fighting Turkish and US-backed Syrian rebels there. 
 
A US&nbsp;counter-terrorism official who monitors Islamic State said that Adnani&#39;s death will hurt the militants &quot;in the area that increasingly concerns us as the group loses more and more of its caliphate and its financial base ... and turns to mounting and inspiring more attacks in Europe, Southeast Asia and elsewhere&quot;. 
 
Designated a &ldquo;global terrorist&rdquo; by the US this year, Adnani was one of the first foreign fighters to oppose US-led coalition forces in Iraq since 2003. 
 
(WION with inputs from Reuters)

The US carried out an air strike targeting Adnani, a US defense official said after IS announced the leader had been killed

Islamic State spokesman and head of external operations Abu Muhammad al-Adnani has been killed in Aleppo in Syria, the organisation's Amaq news agency said on Tuesday. The United States carried out an air strike targeting Adnani, a US defense official said after the militant group announced the group's longest-serving leaders had been killed. The Amaq news agency, however, reported that Adnani was killed "while surveying the operations to repel the military campaigns against Aleppo". The US official said the strike targeted a vehicle in the town of al-Bab in Syria. He declined to say whether Adnani was killed. Adnani was one of the group's most prominent leaders along with group's caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. He has been the group's chief propagandist since he declared in a statement that the group was establishing a caliphate cover huge swathes of Iraq and Syria in 2014. Recent advances by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias, and by Syrian rebels backed by Turkey, have made inroads into Islamic State holdings in Aleppo province, cutting them off from the Turkish border and supply lines along it. According to Hisham al-Hashimi, a security analyst who advises the Iraqi government on Islamic State, Adnani was injured in a coalition strike on August 17 in north of Aleppo. The Islamic State is fighting Turkish and US-backed Syrian rebels there. A US counter-terrorism official who monitors Islamic State said that Adnani's death will hurt the militants "in the area that increasingly concerns us as the group loses more and more of its caliphate and its financial base ... and turns to mounting and inspiring more attacks in Europe, Southeast Asia and elsewhere". Designated a “global terrorist” by the US this year, Adnani was one of the first foreign fighters to oppose US-led coalition forces in Iraq since 2003. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Islamic State propaganda chief killed in Syria's Aleppo

Around 35 civilians were killed as Turkish warplanes and artillery struck areas held by Kurdish YPG (people protection units) militia in north Syria on Sunday, said reports. 
 
Turkey is involved in a cross-border campaign launched last week with its Syrian rebel allies and says that its campaign is against the Islamic State while attempting to stop Kurdish forces from extending their control in other territories. 
 
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Sunday that Turkish warplanes had struck areas north of Manbij, a city south of Jarablus captured by Kurdish-aligned Syrian Democratic Forces this month in a US-backed operation. 
 
&nbsp;25 Kurdish militants were killed in its air strikes.&nbsp; 
 
Turkish officials say their goal in Syria is as much about ensuring Kurdish forces do not expand the territory they already control along Turkey&#39;s border as it is about driving Islamic State from its strongholds. 
 
The Observatory, a Britain-based monitoring group with a network of sources in Syria, said Turkish-allied forces had seized at least two villages south of Jarablus, Jub al-Kousa and al-Amarna, that were held by militias loyal to the SDF. 
 
The fighting killed 20 civilians in Jub al-Kousa and 15 in al-Amarna, while scores more were wounded, the group said. 
 
Ankara wants to stop Kurdish forces gaining control of an unbroken swathe of Syrian territory on Turkey&#39;s frontier, which it fears could embolden the Kurdish PKK militant group that has waged a three-decade insurgency in Turkey. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

Turkey last week launched a cross-border campaign with its Syrian rebel allies against the Islamic State

Around 35 civilians were killed as Turkish warplanes and artillery struck areas held by Kurdish YPG (people protection units) militia in north Syria on Sunday, said reports. Turkey is involved in a cross-border campaign launched last week with its Syrian rebel allies and says that its campaign is against the Islamic State while attempting to stop Kurdish forces from extending their control in other territories. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Sunday that Turkish warplanes had struck areas north of Manbij, a city south of Jarablus captured by Kurdish-aligned Syrian Democratic Forces this month in a US-backed operation. 25 Kurdish militants were killed in its air strikes. Turkish officials say their goal in Syria is as much about ensuring Kurdish forces do not expand the territory they already control along Turkey's border as it is about driving Islamic State from its strongholds. The Observatory, a Britain-based monitoring group with a network of sources in Syria, said Turkish-allied forces had seized at least two villages south of Jarablus, Jub al-Kousa and al-Amarna, that were held by militias loyal to the SDF. The fighting killed 20 civilians in Jub al-Kousa and 15 in al-Amarna, while scores more were wounded, the group said. Ankara wants to stop Kurdish forces gaining control of an unbroken swathe of Syrian territory on Turkey's frontier, which it fears could embolden the Kurdish PKK militant group that has waged a three-decade insurgency in Turkey. (WION with inputs from agencies)

At least 35 civilians killed as Turkish warplanes hit north Syria

The United States has asked warring Turkish and Kurdish forces to back off and focus on their common enemy IS in Syria. 
 
&quot;We are closely monitoring reports in (sic)&nbsp;Jarablus (a town in South Syria) -- where ISIL is no longer located -- between the Turkish armed forces, some opposition groups, and units that are affiliated with the SDF (Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces),&quot; said Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook.&nbsp; 
 
Pentagon was referring to the recent escalation of war in North Syria, where both the Turkish force and the US-backed Kurdish-led alliance in Syria&nbsp;lost their men. 
 
&quot;We want to make clear that we find these clashes unacceptable and they are a source of deep concern,&quot; the spokesman further said. 
 
The US was kept in the dark about the recent fighting raging in North Syria. 
 
The United States&nbsp;&quot;was not involved in these activities, they were not coordinated with US forces, and we do not support them,&quot; the spokesman&nbsp;added. 
 
Turkey, meanwhile, has said it will continue to attack Kurdish forces unless they retreat east of the Euphrates river. 
 
The animosity between the Kurdish-led SDF and Turkey runs long and deep. SDF has a strong presence of People&#39;s Protection Units (known as YPG due to Kurdish initials), a group viewed by Turkey as a terrorist organisation. 
 
That is because the YPG&nbsp;is an offshoot of the&nbsp;Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged a three decade-long insurgency in Turkey. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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The recent escalation of war in North Syria between the two forces has prompted the Pentagon to intervene

The United States has asked warring Turkish and Kurdish forces to back off and focus on their common enemy IS in Syria. "We are closely monitoring reports in (sic) Jarablus (a town in South Syria) -- where ISIL is no longer located -- between the Turkish armed forces, some opposition groups, and units that are affiliated with the SDF (Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces)," said Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook. Pentagon was referring to the recent escalation of war in North Syria, where both the Turkish force and the US-backed Kurdish-led alliance in Syria lost their men. "We want to make clear that we find these clashes unacceptable and they are a source of deep concern," the spokesman further said. The US was kept in the dark about the recent fighting raging in North Syria. The United States "was not involved in these activities, they were not coordinated with US forces, and we do not support them," the spokesman added. Turkey, meanwhile, has said it will continue to attack Kurdish forces unless they retreat east of the Euphrates river. The animosity between the Kurdish-led SDF and Turkey runs long and deep. SDF has a strong presence of People's Protection Units (known as YPG due to Kurdish initials), a group viewed by Turkey as a terrorist organisation. That is because the YPG is an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged a three decade-long insurgency in Turkey. (WION with inputs from agencies)

US urges warring Turkey and Kurdish forces to show restraint

Turkey on Saturday sent six more tanks into Syria as pro-Ankara forces pressed on with de-mining work in a town captured from Islamic State (IS) jihadists this week, an AFP correspondent said. 
 
The Turkish military on Wednesday launched an operation codenamed &quot;Euphrates Shield&quot; inside Syria to oust IS from the border region and also counter advances by a Kurdish militia detested by Ankara. 
 
An AFP photographer in the village of Karkamis on the Turkish side of the border watched six Turkish tanks roll over the frontier into Syria on Saturday. 
 
The Hurriyet daily had reported earlier that the Turkish armed forces had 50 tanks and 380 personnel on the ground in Syria after three days of operations. 
 
Turkish troops are supporting an even larger force of hundreds of Syrian rebels. 
 
The photographer said that sporadic explosions were audible on the Turkish side of the border as the rebels carried out de-mining work in the town of Jarabulus seized from IS on Wednesday. 
 
The state-run Anadolu news agency confirmed in a story datelined from Jarabulus that the rebels were working to destroy explosives left behind by IS militants. 
 
It said that on Friday alone 20 different sets of explosives had been destroyed. 
 
Turkey&#39;s leadership has made clear that the offensive is also aimed at ensuring that the Kurdish People`s Protection Units (YPG) militia, which has led the fight against IS in the area, stay east of the Euphrates River. 
 
Ankara says that the YPG has failed to stick to a promise made by its US allies that the militia would move back east across the Euphrates following the seizure of the town of Manbij from IS earlier this month. 
 
On Thursday, Turkey shelled positions of the YPG near Manbij but there have been no reports of further activity against the group since then. 
 
Hurriyet said that the Turkish armed forces had been given an order to &quot;strike immediately&quot; should the YPG be seen to make any move towards Jarabulus. 
 
Turkey sees the YPG militia and its Democratic Union Party (PYD) political wing, which have links to Kurdish rebels in Turkey, as &quot;terror groups&quot; bent on carving out an autonomous Kurdish region in Syria. 
 
(AFP)

Turkey's military launched an operation codenamed 'Euphrates Shield' inside Syria on Wednesday to oust IS from the border region

Turkey on Saturday sent six more tanks into Syria as pro-Ankara forces pressed on with de-mining work in a town captured from Islamic State (IS) jihadists this week, an AFP correspondent said. The Turkish military on Wednesday launched an operation codenamed "Euphrates Shield" inside Syria to oust IS from the border region and also counter advances by a Kurdish militia detested by Ankara. An AFP photographer in the village of Karkamis on the Turkish side of the border watched six Turkish tanks roll over the frontier into Syria on Saturday. The Hurriyet daily had reported earlier that the Turkish armed forces had 50 tanks and 380 personnel on the ground in Syria after three days of operations. Turkish troops are supporting an even larger force of hundreds of Syrian rebels. The photographer said that sporadic explosions were audible on the Turkish side of the border as the rebels carried out de-mining work in the town of Jarabulus seized from IS on Wednesday. The state-run Anadolu news agency confirmed in a story datelined from Jarabulus that the rebels were working to destroy explosives left behind by IS militants. It said that on Friday alone 20 different sets of explosives had been destroyed. Turkey's leadership has made clear that the offensive is also aimed at ensuring that the Kurdish People`s Protection Units (YPG) militia, which has led the fight against IS in the area, stay east of the Euphrates River. Ankara says that the YPG has failed to stick to a promise made by its US allies that the militia would move back east across the Euphrates following the seizure of the town of Manbij from IS earlier this month. On Thursday, Turkey shelled positions of the YPG near Manbij but there have been no reports of further activity against the group since then. Hurriyet said that the Turkish armed forces had been given an order to "strike immediately" should the YPG be seen to make any move towards Jarabulus. Turkey sees the YPG militia and its Democratic Union Party (PYD) political wing, which have links to Kurdish rebels in Turkey, as "terror groups" bent on carving out an autonomous Kurdish region in Syria. (AFP)

Turkey sends more tanks into Syria after IS-held town capture

Washington and Moscow failed on Friday to reach a breakthrough deal on a nationwide cessation of hostilities and military cooperation in Syria, saying they still have issues to resolve before an agreement could be announced. 
 
The United States and Russia have &quot;achieved clarity&quot; on the way towards a new ceasefire in Syria, but technical details must still be resolved, US secretary of state John Kerry said Friday. 
 
Addressing a joint news conference after more than nine hours of off-and-on talks in Geneva, Kerry and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said teams from both sides would try to finalise details in coming days in the Swiss city. 
 
 
&#39;Improving humanitarian assistance&#39; &nbsp; 
 
Kerry said during the talks with Lavrov, both of them offered few details on how they planned to renew a February cessation of hostilities and improve humanitarian assistance. 
 
&quot;We don&#39;t want to have a deal for the sake of the deal,&quot; he said.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We want to have something done that is effective and that works for the people of Syria, that makes the region more stable and secure, and that brings us to the table here in Geneva to find a political solution.&quot; 
 
Kerry stressed that the two sides were not prepared to make a definitive announcement, but said US and Russian technical experts would continue to meet in Geneva in the coming days to hammer out a set of unresolved issues.&nbsp; 
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Kerry linked the near total collapse of a previous ceasefire agreed earlier this year to the failure to respond to violations and the Syrian regime&#39;s efforts to reclaim strategic territory, including around Damascus. 
 
Talks have been complicated&nbsp; 
 
The talks have been complicated since initial meetings in July by new government attacks on opposition groups, and a significant offensive in the southern part of the divided city of Aleppo led by opposition fighters intermingled with the Nusra Front, an al-Qaeda affiliate also seeking to topple Russian-backed President Bashar al-Assad. 
 
In the days ahead the technical teams, which include US and Russian military and intelligence experts, will try to figure out ways to separate the opposition groups, backed by the United States and Gulf Arab countries, from the jihadis.&nbsp; 
 
It was unclear after Friday&#39;s meetings whether outstanding issues could all be resolved between Moscow and Washington, which back opposing parties in the Syrian conflict.&nbsp; 
 
Different views&nbsp; 
 
The United States has insisted that the Syrian air force, which has dropped barrel bombs and chlorine on residential areas, be grounded but Lavrov said on Friday that was not the goal. 
 
Assad&#39;s future is not part of the current talks. Instead, discussions are focused on finding an effective and lasting solution to end the violence, which would open negotiations on a political transition in Syria.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;If the remaining details can be completed, we believe we will be able to address the two primary challenges to the cessation of hostilities - the regime violations and the increasing influence of the al-Nusra Front,&quot; Kerry said.&nbsp; 
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Kerry believes the plan is the best chance to limit fighting that is driving thousands of Syrians into exile in Europe and preventing humanitarian aid from reaching tens of thousands more. 
 
The talks came as opposition groups effectively surrendered the Damascus suburb of Daraya to the government after a grueling four-year siege. 
 
Kerry insisted the Syrian regime had &quot;forced the surrender&quot; of Daraya in contravention of the February cessation of hostilities agreement, but Lavrov said the local accord was an &quot;example&quot; that should be &quot;replicated&quot;. 
 
The Russian foreign minister said another besieged area was &quot;interested in such an operation with mediation of the Russian Federation.&quot; He did not name the area. 
 
Residents and insurgents in Daraya began to leave the besieged area where civilians have been trapped since 2012 and the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross expressed concern for their safety. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)&nbsp; 
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The talks came as opposition groups effectively surrendered the Damascus suburb of Daraya to Syrian government after a grueling 4-year siege

Washington and Moscow failed on Friday to reach a breakthrough deal on a nationwide cessation of hostilities and military cooperation in Syria, saying they still have issues to resolve before an agreement could be announced. The United States and Russia have "achieved clarity" on the way towards a new ceasefire in Syria, but technical details must still be resolved, US secretary of state John Kerry said Friday. Addressing a joint news conference after more than nine hours of off-and-on talks in Geneva, Kerry and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said teams from both sides would try to finalise details in coming days in the Swiss city. 'Improving humanitarian assistance' Kerry said during the talks with Lavrov, both of them offered few details on how they planned to renew a February cessation of hostilities and improve humanitarian assistance. "We don't want to have a deal for the sake of the deal," he said. "We want to have something done that is effective and that works for the people of Syria, that makes the region more stable and secure, and that brings us to the table here in Geneva to find a political solution." Kerry stressed that the two sides were not prepared to make a definitive announcement, but said US and Russian technical experts would continue to meet in Geneva in the coming days to hammer out a set of unresolved issues. We want to have something done that is effective and that works for the people of Syria, that makes the region more stable and secure, and that brings us to the table here in Geneva to find a political solution." - Kerry Kerry linked the near total collapse of a previous ceasefire agreed earlier this year to the failure to respond to violations and the Syrian regime's efforts to reclaim strategic territory, including around Damascus. Talks have been complicated The talks have been complicated since initial meetings in July by new government attacks on opposition groups, and a significant offensive in the southern part of the divided city of Aleppo led by opposition fighters intermingled with the Nusra Front, an al-Qaeda affiliate also seeking to topple Russian-backed President Bashar al-Assad. In the days ahead the technical teams, which include US and Russian military and intelligence experts, will try to figure out ways to separate the opposition groups, backed by the United States and Gulf Arab countries, from the jihadis. It was unclear after Friday's meetings whether outstanding issues could all be resolved between Moscow and Washington, which back opposing parties in the Syrian conflict. Different views The United States has insisted that the Syrian air force, which has dropped barrel bombs and chlorine on residential areas, be grounded but Lavrov said on Friday that was not the goal. Assad's future is not part of the current talks. Instead, discussions are focused on finding an effective and lasting solution to end the violence, which would open negotiations on a political transition in Syria. "If the remaining details can be completed, we believe we will be able to address the two primary challenges to the cessation of hostilities - the regime violations and the increasing influence of the al-Nusra Front," Kerry said. Kerry insisted the Syrian regime had "forced the surrender" of Daraya in contravention of the February cessation of hostilities agreement, but Lavrov said the local accord was an "example" that should be "replicated". Kerry believes the plan is the best chance to limit fighting that is driving thousands of Syrians into exile in Europe and preventing humanitarian aid from reaching tens of thousands more. The talks came as opposition groups effectively surrendered the Damascus suburb of Daraya to the government after a grueling four-year siege. Kerry insisted the Syrian regime had "forced the surrender" of Daraya in contravention of the February cessation of hostilities agreement, but Lavrov said the local accord was an "example" that should be "replicated". The Russian foreign minister said another besieged area was "interested in such an operation with mediation of the Russian Federation." He did not name the area. Residents and insurgents in Daraya began to leave the besieged area where civilians have been trapped since 2012 and the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross expressed concern for their safety. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Washington, Moscow fail to reach 'breakthrough deal' on ending Syria violence

Thousands of rebels and civilians prepared to evacuate the Syrian town of Daraya today ahead of its takeover by government forces. &nbsp;Ambulances and Red Crescent vehicles reached the town to aid evacuation. 
 
Ending one of the longest standoffs in the five-year conflict, rebels and Syria&#39;s army agreed a deal on Thursday to evacuate all residents and insurgents. The town, situated near the capital Damascus and the government&#39;s Mazzeh air&nbsp;base, has been under rebel control since 2012. 
 
Meanwhile, the agreement to evacuate residents is being seen as a defeat for the opposition&nbsp;forces. 
 
Evacuation could take up to four days&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Seven hundred armed men with their personal weapons will leave Daraya to&nbsp;head to the (rebel-controlled) city of Idlib, while thousands of men and women&nbsp;with their families will be taken to reception centres,&quot; Syrian State News&nbsp;Agency SANA reported. 
 
Around 8,000 people have been living in the town, despite a four-year-long&nbsp;government siege and frequent bombardments. 
 
The rebels, belonging to Ajnad al-Sham and the Martyrs of Islam, will have to&nbsp;surrender their armaments to the army. 
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The entire evacuation could take up to four days. 
 
&quot;The civilians will go to regions under regime control around Damascus,&nbsp;rebels will go to Idlib &quot;or sort out their situation with the regime&quot;, a rebel&nbsp;official told AFP news agency.&nbsp; 
 
Only one humanitarian food aid convoy has entered Daraya since government&nbsp;forces began their siege of the town in late 2012. 
 
A UN aid convoy carrying medicine but no food had entered earlier. 
 
According to the United Nations, nearly 600,000 live under siege across Syria,&nbsp;owing to government forces, rebels and Islamists. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

Ending one of the longest standoffs in the five-year conflict, rebels and Syria's army agreed a deal on Thursday to evacuate all residents

Thousands of rebels and civilians prepared to evacuate the Syrian town of Daraya today ahead of its takeover by government forces. Ambulances and Red Crescent vehicles reached the town to aid evacuation. Ending one of the longest standoffs in the five-year conflict, rebels and Syria's army agreed a deal on Thursday to evacuate all residents and insurgents. The town, situated near the capital Damascus and the government's Mazzeh air base, has been under rebel control since 2012. Meanwhile, the agreement to evacuate residents is being seen as a defeat for the opposition forces. Evacuation could take up to four days "Seven hundred armed men with their personal weapons will leave Daraya to head to the (rebel-controlled) city of Idlib, while thousands of men and women with their families will be taken to reception centres," Syrian State News Agency SANA reported. Around 8,000 people have been living in the town, despite a four-year-long government siege and frequent bombardments. The rebels, belonging to Ajnad al-Sham and the Martyrs of Islam, will have to surrender their armaments to the army. According to the United Nations, nearly 600,000 live under siege across Syria, owing to government forces, rebels and Islamists. The entire evacuation could take up to four days. "The civilians will go to regions under regime control around Damascus, rebels will go to Idlib "or sort out their situation with the regime", a rebel official told AFP news agency. Only one humanitarian food aid convoy has entered Daraya since government forces began their siege of the town in late 2012. A UN aid convoy carrying medicine but no food had entered earlier. According to the United Nations, nearly 600,000 live under siege across Syria, owing to government forces, rebels and Islamists. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Rebels, civilians prepare to evacuate Syrian town of Daraya under deal

Turkey&#39;s military fired on Syrian Kurdish targets 20 times with artillery at Manbij in northern Syria, a Turkish official said, adding that the military was continuing to hit Islamic&nbsp;State targets in the Syrian town of Jarablus on the border with&nbsp;Turkey.

&quot;The fundamental aim in the latest operation is to open a corridor for moderate rebels,&quot; the official said. 
 
BBC understands the fresh offensive was triggered after IS allegedly perpetrated a bomb attack in a Kurdish wedding in the city of Gaziantep, killing&nbsp;54 people.&nbsp; 
 
Meanwhile, Turkey on Monday went back on claims that a child bomber linked to Islamic State (IS) jihadists carried out the&nbsp;deadly suicide bombing close to Syria, saying it had no clue who was behind the attack. 
 
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Ankara could not confirm who was the perpetrator of the attack, apparently contradicting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who had said it was a child bomber acting on IS orders. 
 
&quot;We do not have a clue about who the perpetrators behind the attack were. Early information on who did the attack, in what organisation&#39;s name, is unfortunately not right,&quot; Yildirim told reporters in Ankara. 
 
His comments were in stark contract with those by Erdogan who said on Sunday that the bomber was a child aged between 12-14 acting on orders of IS jihadists. 
 
Yildirim described as &quot;rumours&quot; whether the attack was conducted by a child or an adult, while insisting security agencies would continue their work to find out who was responsible. 
 
&quot;Those who were behind the attack will be revealed, there is no doubt about this.&quot; 
 
The Hurriyet daily said DNA tests were under way to ascertain the bomber`s identity, nationality and gender. 
 
Earlier Turkish press reports said security forces believed the attack had been timed as retaliation by jihadists for offensives both by Kurdish militias and pro-Ankara Syrian opposition forces against IS in Syria. 
 
(Agencies)

Reports suggest the fresh offensive took place due to the suicide bomb attack on a Kurdish wedding earlier this week

Turkey's military fired on Syrian Kurdish targets 20 times with artillery at Manbij in northern Syria, a Turkish official said, adding that the military was continuing to hit Islamic State targets in the Syrian town of Jarablus on the border with Turkey. "The fundamental aim in the latest operation is to open a corridor for moderate rebels," the official said. BBC understands the fresh offensive was triggered after IS allegedly perpetrated a bomb attack in a Kurdish wedding in the city of Gaziantep, killing 54 people. Meanwhile, Turkey on Monday went back on claims that a child bomber linked to Islamic State (IS) jihadists carried out the deadly suicide bombing close to Syria, saying it had no clue who was behind the attack. Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Ankara could not confirm who was the perpetrator of the attack, apparently contradicting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who had said it was a child bomber acting on IS orders. "We do not have a clue about who the perpetrators behind the attack were. Early information on who did the attack, in what organisation's name, is unfortunately not right," Yildirim told reporters in Ankara. His comments were in stark contract with those by Erdogan who said on Sunday that the bomber was a child aged between 12-14 acting on orders of IS jihadists. Yildirim described as "rumours" whether the attack was conducted by a child or an adult, while insisting security agencies would continue their work to find out who was responsible. "Those who were behind the attack will be revealed, there is no doubt about this." The Hurriyet daily said DNA tests were under way to ascertain the bomber`s identity, nationality and gender. Earlier Turkish press reports said security forces believed the attack had been timed as retaliation by jihadists for offensives both by Kurdish militias and pro-Ankara Syrian opposition forces against IS in Syria. (Agencies)

Turkey strikes IS targets in North Syria

Syrian rebels are preparing to launch an attack to seize a town from Islamic State on the border with Turkey, a senior rebel said on Sunday, in a move that would frustrate Kurdish hopes to expand in the area.&nbsp; 
 
The rebels, Turkish-backed groups fighting under the banner of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), are expected to assault Jarablus from inside Turkey in the next few days, said the rebel official, who is familiar with the plans but declined to be identified.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;The factions are gathering in an area near the border (inside Turkey),&quot; the rebel said. 
 
Another rebel source said they were gathering at a Turkish military camp near the town of Qarqamish just opposite Jarablus. 
 
&quot;Every day there are groups of fighters entering from inside Syria across a secret crossing to a Turkish base where they are gathering in preparation of the assault on Jarablus,&quot; the source said. 
 
Fighters mostly drawn from Failaq al Sham, Sultan Murad, Ahrar al-Sham and Jabha al Shamiya groups were coming from Syria`s northwestern rebel-held Idlib province and also from the town of Azaz. 
 
Another source, in Ahrar al-Sham, expected the assault on Jarablus to begin in the next few days. 
 
Jarablus, on the western bank of the Euphrates river, is the last significant town held by the militant Islamist group on Syria`s border with Turkey.&nbsp; 
 
It is 34 miles (54 km) east of al-Rai, a border town FSA rebel groups recently took from Islamic State.&nbsp; 
 
Rivalry with Kurds 
 
By taking Jarablus themselves, the rebel groups would preclude an assault on the town by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a group of Kurdish-dominated militias who on August 6 took the city of Manbij, 20 miles (30 km) to the south, from IS.&nbsp; 
 
A group allied to the SDF and calling itself the Jarablus military council issued a statement on Sunday accusing Turkey of supporting radical jihadist groups and calling on the US-led coalition to back the council. 
 
The US-led coalition has helped the SDF to make significant gains against Islamic State militants in northern Syria since it was established last year. 
 
Turkey, an important supporter of the FSA groups, is worried that Kurds are using the SDF&#39;s westwards expansion against IS to extend their influence across northern Syria. The SDF already holds the eastern bank of the Euphrates opposite Jarablus. 
 
On Saturday, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said that Ankara would play a more active role in addressing the conflict in Syria in the coming six months to stop it being torn along ethnic lines. 
 
The rebel source from Ahrar al Sham said Turkish artillery had since Friday been pounding several Islamic State positions in villages on the outskirts of Jarablus near the border strip. 
 
The mainly Sunni Arab rebel groups are now aiming to regain control of the strategic towns of Tal Rifaat and Marea in the northern Aleppo countryside, currently in the hands of the YPG, the powerful Kurdish militia. 
 
Islamic State has pulled personnel out of Jarablus in recent days, the rebel leader said.&nbsp;On Friday, families of IS fighters were evacuated from Jarablus and another city nearby, al-Bab, to the group`s stronghold of Raqqa, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. 
 
The rebel operation aimed to effectively end Islamic State`s presence on the Turkish border, the official said.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;There will certainly be resistance. They will have mined it heavily,&quot; he said. &quot;The operation of entering Jarablus will not be easy.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)

The onslaught will also dent Kurdish hopes of expansion along the Syria-Turkey border area

Syrian rebels are preparing to launch an attack to seize a town from Islamic State on the border with Turkey, a senior rebel said on Sunday, in a move that would frustrate Kurdish hopes to expand in the area. The rebels, Turkish-backed groups fighting under the banner of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), are expected to assault Jarablus from inside Turkey in the next few days, said the rebel official, who is familiar with the plans but declined to be identified. "The factions are gathering in an area near the border (inside Turkey)," the rebel said. Another rebel source said they were gathering at a Turkish military camp near the town of Qarqamish just opposite Jarablus. "Every day there are groups of fighters entering from inside Syria across a secret crossing to a Turkish base where they are gathering in preparation of the assault on Jarablus," the source said. Fighters mostly drawn from Failaq al Sham, Sultan Murad, Ahrar al-Sham and Jabha al Shamiya groups were coming from Syria`s northwestern rebel-held Idlib province and also from the town of Azaz. Another source, in Ahrar al-Sham, expected the assault on Jarablus to begin in the next few days. Jarablus, on the western bank of the Euphrates river, is the last significant town held by the militant Islamist group on Syria`s border with Turkey. It is 34 miles (54 km) east of al-Rai, a border town FSA rebel groups recently took from Islamic State. Rivalry with Kurds By taking Jarablus themselves, the rebel groups would preclude an assault on the town by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a group of Kurdish-dominated militias who on August 6 took the city of Manbij, 20 miles (30 km) to the south, from IS. A group allied to the SDF and calling itself the Jarablus military council issued a statement on Sunday accusing Turkey of supporting radical jihadist groups and calling on the US-led coalition to back the council. The US-led coalition has helped the SDF to make significant gains against Islamic State militants in northern Syria since it was established last year. Turkey, an important supporter of the FSA groups, is worried that Kurds are using the SDF's westwards expansion against IS to extend their influence across northern Syria. The SDF already holds the eastern bank of the Euphrates opposite Jarablus. On Saturday, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said that Ankara would play a more active role in addressing the conflict in Syria in the coming six months to stop it being torn along ethnic lines. The rebel source from Ahrar al Sham said Turkish artillery had since Friday been pounding several Islamic State positions in villages on the outskirts of Jarablus near the border strip. The mainly Sunni Arab rebel groups are now aiming to regain control of the strategic towns of Tal Rifaat and Marea in the northern Aleppo countryside, currently in the hands of the YPG, the powerful Kurdish militia. Islamic State has pulled personnel out of Jarablus in recent days, the rebel leader said. On Friday, families of IS fighters were evacuated from Jarablus and another city nearby, al-Bab, to the group`s stronghold of Raqqa, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The rebel operation aimed to effectively end Islamic State`s presence on the Turkish border, the official said. "There will certainly be resistance. They will have mined it heavily," he said. "The operation of entering Jarablus will not be easy." (Reuters)

Syrian rebels prepare to seize IS town from inside Turkey

More than 300 civilians have been killed in a three-week surge of fighting and bombardment in Syria&#39;s devastated Aleppo city, a monitoring group said on Saturday.&nbsp; 
 
The battle for Syria&#39;s second city has killed 333 civilians since July 31 when rebels launched a major push to break a government siege of districts under their control.&nbsp; 
 
The toll includes 165 civilians, among them 49 children, killed in opposition fire on the city&#39;s government-held western districts. &nbsp;Another 168 civilians died in Russian and regime air strikes and shelling on its rebel-controlled eastern neighbourhoods, the Observatory said. 
 
Russia has been carrying out air raids in support of President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s forces in Syria since September 2015. &nbsp;Another 109 people were killed in bombardment across the rest of Aleppo province during the same period, the Britain-based monitoring group said. 
 
Once Syria&#39;s economic hub, Aleppo city has been ripped apart by violence since mid-2012, with warplanes bombarding the east and rockets raining down on the west.&nbsp; 
 
Air strikes pounded Aleppo&#39;s southern edges on Saturday, and the intense battles there could be heard throughout the city.&nbsp;The violence rendered the rebel route out of the city, via the southern district of Ramussa, temporarily unusable, and trucks of food and other produce could not be brought into the city, the correspondent said. 
&nbsp; 
Approximately 250,000 people live in the city&#39;s eastern districts, while another 1.2 million live in its western neighbourhoods. While rebel groups are accessing the city via Ramussa, the regime is using the Castello Road to the north of the city to reach areas it controls.&nbsp; 
 
According to the Observatory, regime forces seized territory on the city&#39;s southern edges on Saturday.&nbsp;&quot;There are a lot of clashes and air strikes, and the regime made modest advances. They are trying to reinforce their positions,&quot; Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said.&nbsp; 
 
The Observatory, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria for its information, says it determines what planes carried out raids according to their type, location, flight patterns and the munitions involved.&nbsp;More than 290,000 people have been killed since Syria&#39;s conflict started in March 2011, and international efforts at putting an end to the war have faltered.&nbsp; 
 
(AFP)

Once Syria's economic hub, Aleppo has been ripped apart since mid-2012, with warplanes bombarding the east and rockets firing from the west

More than 300 civilians have been killed in a three-week surge of fighting and bombardment in Syria's devastated Aleppo city, a monitoring group said on Saturday. The battle for Syria's second city has killed 333 civilians since July 31 when rebels launched a major push to break a government siege of districts under their control. The toll includes 165 civilians, among them 49 children, killed in opposition fire on the city's government-held western districts. Another 168 civilians died in Russian and regime air strikes and shelling on its rebel-controlled eastern neighbourhoods, the Observatory said. Russia has been carrying out air raids in support of President Bashar al-Assad's forces in Syria since September 2015. Another 109 people were killed in bombardment across the rest of Aleppo province during the same period, the Britain-based monitoring group said. Once Syria's economic hub, Aleppo city has been ripped apart by violence since mid-2012, with warplanes bombarding the east and rockets raining down on the west. Air strikes pounded Aleppo's southern edges on Saturday, and the intense battles there could be heard throughout the city. The violence rendered the rebel route out of the city, via the southern district of Ramussa, temporarily unusable, and trucks of food and other produce could not be brought into the city, the correspondent said. Approximately 250,000 people live in the city's eastern districts, while another 1.2 million live in its western neighbourhoods. While rebel groups are accessing the city via Ramussa, the regime is using the Castello Road to the north of the city to reach areas it controls. According to the Observatory, regime forces seized territory on the city's southern edges on Saturday. "There are a lot of clashes and air strikes, and the regime made modest advances. They are trying to reinforce their positions," Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said. The Observatory, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria for its information, says it determines what planes carried out raids according to their type, location, flight patterns and the munitions involved. More than 290,000 people have been killed since Syria's conflict started in March 2011, and international efforts at putting an end to the war have faltered. (AFP)

More than 300 civilians killed in Aleppo in last 3 weeks: Monitor

The US-led coalition scrambled fighters to protect US advisers working with Kurdish forces after Syrian regime jets bombed the area, in the latest escalation of Syria&#39;s bloody conflict, the Pentagon said Friday. 
 
The air strikes took place on Thursday, conducted by two Syrian SU-24 attack planes targeting Kurdish forces undergoing training with US special operations advisers around the northeastern city of Hasakeh, Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said. 
 
The coalition scrambled its own jets to the area in a bid to intercept the Syrian jets, but the regime planes had left by the time they arrived. 
 
&quot;This was done as a measure to protect coalition forces,&quot; Davis said. 
 
&quot;We will ensure their safety and the Syrian regime would be well-advised not to do things that place them at risk... We view instances that place the coalition at risk with utmost seriousness and we do have the inherent right of self-defense.&quot; 
 
But the warning appeared to fall on deaf ears. Two Syrian regime warplanes attempted to fly to the area again on Friday, but were met by coalition aircraft, a US defense official said in a statement. 
 
&quot;The presence of the coalition aircraft encouraged the Syrian aircraft to depart the airspace without further incident,&quot; he said. &quot;No weapons were fired by the coalition fighters.&quot; 
 
As soon as Thursday&#39;s strike began, ground forces tried to hail pilots via radio but to no avail. 
 
US forces then contacted Russia, which has been bombing parts of Syria for nearly a year in support of President Bashar al-Assad, but 
Russian military officials said the planes were Syrian. 
 
&quot;This is very unusual, we have not seen the regime take this type of action against YPG before,&quot; Davis said, using the initials of the US-supported Kurdish militia fighting the Islamic State group in northern Syria. 
 
No coalition injuries were reported in Thursday&#39;s strike. US forces were moved from the area and are in a safe location, Davis said without elaborating. 
 
The coalition is now conducting additional combat air patrols in the region, he added. 
 
The Kurdish People&#39;s Protection Units, or YPG, are a key US ally in the fight against the IS group. 
 
Washington regards them as the most effective fighting force on the ground in Syria and has provided weapons and special forces military advisers. 
 
More than 290,000 people have been killed since Syria`s conflict erupted in March 2011. 
 
(AFP)

In an unprecedented move, Syrian regime jets on Thursday targeted Kurdish forces undergoing training with US special operations advisers

The US-led coalition scrambled fighters to protect US advisers working with Kurdish forces after Syrian regime jets bombed the area, in the latest escalation of Syria's bloody conflict, the Pentagon said Friday. The air strikes took place on Thursday, conducted by two Syrian SU-24 attack planes targeting Kurdish forces undergoing training with US special operations advisers around the northeastern city of Hasakeh, Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said. The coalition scrambled its own jets to the area in a bid to intercept the Syrian jets, but the regime planes had left by the time they arrived. "This was done as a measure to protect coalition forces," Davis said. "We will ensure their safety and the Syrian regime would be well-advised not to do things that place them at risk... We view instances that place the coalition at risk with utmost seriousness and we do have the inherent right of self-defense." But the warning appeared to fall on deaf ears. Two Syrian regime warplanes attempted to fly to the area again on Friday, but were met by coalition aircraft, a US defense official said in a statement. "The presence of the coalition aircraft encouraged the Syrian aircraft to depart the airspace without further incident," he said. "No weapons were fired by the coalition fighters." As soon as Thursday's strike began, ground forces tried to hail pilots via radio but to no avail. US forces then contacted Russia, which has been bombing parts of Syria for nearly a year in support of President Bashar al-Assad, but Russian military officials said the planes were Syrian. "This is very unusual, we have not seen the regime take this type of action against YPG before," Davis said, using the initials of the US-supported Kurdish militia fighting the Islamic State group in northern Syria. No coalition injuries were reported in Thursday's strike. US forces were moved from the area and are in a safe location, Davis said without elaborating. The coalition is now conducting additional combat air patrols in the region, he added. The Kurdish People's Protection Units, or YPG, are a key US ally in the fight against the IS group. Washington regards them as the most effective fighting force on the ground in Syria and has provided weapons and special forces military advisers. More than 290,000 people have been killed since Syria`s conflict erupted in March 2011. (AFP)

US sent jets to Syria to protect its Kurdish advisers: Pentagon

India&#39;s Minister of State for External Affairs, M J Akbar, arrived in Damascus on Friday (August 19) for a two-day visit amid an escalation in the country&#39;s civil war. 
 
Akbar, who arrived via Lebanon, is expected to meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Mouallem on Saturday (August 20). 
 
The main umbrella group for the Syrian opposition on Friday cautiously welcomed a proposal for a weekly pause in fighting in Aleppo to allow aid to reach besieged areas, provided it was monitored by the United Nations. 
 
International concern has mounted over the fate of up to two million civilians in the city amid an intensification of fighting, with the World Food Programme warning on Friday that the situation was &quot;inhumane, awful, disgusting, nightmarish&quot;. 
 
Russia, Syrian President Assad&#39;s most powerful military ally, said on Thursday (August 18) it supported a long-standing U.N. call for a 48-hour truce each week in the city, and that it was ready to start the first one next week. Syria&#39;s government has not yet commented on the idea. 
 
Assad, backed by Russia and Iran, has focused mostly on fighting Sunni Arab rebels who have been battling to oust him in western Syria with support from countries including Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the United States. 
 
Akbar&#39;s arrival in Damascus came the same day as India&#39;s Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj met her Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in New Delhi. 
 
(Reuters)

The minister is expected to meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Mouallem on Saturday

India's Minister of State for External Affairs, M J Akbar, arrived in Damascus on Friday (August 19) for a two-day visit amid an escalation in the country's civil war. Akbar, who arrived via Lebanon, is expected to meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Mouallem on Saturday (August 20). The main umbrella group for the Syrian opposition on Friday cautiously welcomed a proposal for a weekly pause in fighting in Aleppo to allow aid to reach besieged areas, provided it was monitored by the United Nations. International concern has mounted over the fate of up to two million civilians in the city amid an intensification of fighting, with the World Food Programme warning on Friday that the situation was "inhumane, awful, disgusting, nightmarish". Russia, Syrian President Assad's most powerful military ally, said on Thursday (August 18) it supported a long-standing U.N. call for a 48-hour truce each week in the city, and that it was ready to start the first one next week. Syria's government has not yet commented on the idea. Assad, backed by Russia and Iran, has focused mostly on fighting Sunni Arab rebels who have been battling to oust him in western Syria with support from countries including Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the United States. Akbar's arrival in Damascus came the same day as India's Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj met her Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in New Delhi. (Reuters)

India's Minister of State for External Affairs visits Syria

Aid convoys have not reached Syria&#39;s besieged areas with desperately needed food and medicine for the past month, the UN envoy to the war-ravaged country, Staffan de Mistura, said today. 
 
In protest at the failure of warring parties to allow aid to reach civilians, de Mistura cut short the weekly meeting of the Geneva-based humanitarian taskforce, which is headed by the United States and Russia. 
 
&quot;Not one single convoy in one month has reached any of the humanitarian besieged areas,&quot; de Mistura told reporters, blaming relentless fighting. 
 
Today&#39;s taskforce meeting lasted just eight minutes before it was &quot;suspended&quot;, de Mistura said, explaining that the move was symbolic and that the group would meet again next week. 
 
The envoy re-issued the United Nations&#39; call for a weekly 48-hour humanitarian pause in Aleppo, where an estimated 1.5 million civilians are trapped as fierce fighting rages between Syria President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s forces and rebels. 
 
Aleppo, Syria&#39;s second city and former economic hub, has emerged as a top concern for the UN and aid agencies since regime troops seized control of the last supply route into rebel-held areas in mid-July. 
 
De Mistura said the 17 countries that make up the International Support Group for Syria (ISSG), which sit on the humanitarian taskforce, would hold another meeting later today on the issue of a humanitarian pause in Aleppo. 
 
Since the beginning of the year, the UN and its Red Cross partners have delivered aid to nearly 1.3 million Syrians living in areas defined as besieged or hard-to-reach. 
 
But the movement of convoys has primarily been hampered by access restrictions imposed by Assad&#39;s government. 
 
Deir Ezzor, which is partially controlled by the Islamic State group, has continued to receive aid over the last month through World Food Programme air drops, de Mistura said. 
 
Four besieged areas -- Madaya, Zabadani, Foah and Kafraya -- have not been reached by a convoy in 110 days, the UN envoy added. 
 
More than 290,000 people have been killed and more than half the population has been displaced since Syria&#39;s conflict erupted in March 2011 with anti-government protests that escalated into a brutal multi-front war. 
 
(AFP)

Four besieged areas, Madaya, Zabadani, Foah and Kafraya, have not been reached by a convoy in 110 days

Aid convoys have not reached Syria's besieged areas with desperately needed food and medicine for the past month, the UN envoy to the war-ravaged country, Staffan de Mistura, said today. In protest at the failure of warring parties to allow aid to reach civilians, de Mistura cut short the weekly meeting of the Geneva-based humanitarian taskforce, which is headed by the United States and Russia. "Not one single convoy in one month has reached any of the humanitarian besieged areas," de Mistura told reporters, blaming relentless fighting. Today's taskforce meeting lasted just eight minutes before it was "suspended", de Mistura said, explaining that the move was symbolic and that the group would meet again next week. The envoy re-issued the United Nations' call for a weekly 48-hour humanitarian pause in Aleppo, where an estimated 1.5 million civilians are trapped as fierce fighting rages between Syria President Bashar al-Assad's forces and rebels. Aleppo, Syria's second city and former economic hub, has emerged as a top concern for the UN and aid agencies since regime troops seized control of the last supply route into rebel-held areas in mid-July. De Mistura said the 17 countries that make up the International Support Group for Syria (ISSG), which sit on the humanitarian taskforce, would hold another meeting later today on the issue of a humanitarian pause in Aleppo. Since the beginning of the year, the UN and its Red Cross partners have delivered aid to nearly 1.3 million Syrians living in areas defined as besieged or hard-to-reach. But the movement of convoys has primarily been hampered by access restrictions imposed by Assad's government. Deir Ezzor, which is partially controlled by the Islamic State group, has continued to receive aid over the last month through World Food Programme air drops, de Mistura said. Four besieged areas -- Madaya, Zabadani, Foah and Kafraya -- have not been reached by a convoy in 110 days, the UN envoy added. More than 290,000 people have been killed and more than half the population has been displaced since Syria's conflict erupted in March 2011 with anti-government protests that escalated into a brutal multi-front war. (AFP)

No humanitarian convoys in Syria in a month: UN

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

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

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

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

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