Why thousands of Iranians are fighting in Syria

A letter from a young woman to her fallen husband, a pro-Assad fighter in Syria, was recently published in Tasnim News, one of Iran’s most prominent news agencies affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). “This shrine [the Zaynab shrine] is sacred … I am worried about people who throw stones at it and so […]

Syrian Military engaged in fierce battle with ISIS for Deir al-Zour

Danny Makki is a journalist and fixer who works within Syria.  I met him on my recent trip to Damascus and thought that this recent article he wrote from the front lines of Deir al-zour would be of interest to our readers.  Danny also works on a track type two initiative between Syria and the U.K. […]

Russia dismisses U.S. claims of risky flight maneuvers over Syria

MOSCOW—Russia’s Defense Ministry dismissed allegations by the U.S. Air Force that its planes regularly fly too close to U.S. fighter jets, risking collision in the crowded skies above Syria. Air Force Brig. Gen. Charles Corcoran, commander of the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing, recently told The Wall Street Journal U.S. pilots were having close calls in […]

First sign of enhanced U.S.-Russia relations under Trump: An invite to Syria talks

Russia has invited the incoming Trump administration to Syrian peace talks it is sponsoring later this month with Turkey and Iran, part of a process from which the Obama administration pointedly has been excluded. U.S. participation, especially if an agreement is reached, would be the first indication of the enhanced U.S.-Russia cooperation that President Vladi­mir […]

US levies sanctions against Syria for using chemical weapons on their own people

The United States formally “blacklisted” eighteen Syrian officials that have been tied to the use of chemical weapons on Thursday, as well as five governmental organizations.  These first sanctions against the Syrian government for the use of weapons of mass destruction came as a result of an international investigation that found the Syrian government had […]

U.S. troops carry out ground raid against ISIS in Syria

BEIRUT — U.S. Special Operations troops carried out a ground operation in eastern Syria aimed at capturing an Islamic State militant, U.S. officials said Monday. The raid took place Sunday near a small town along the Euphrates River valley, in the vicinity of the city of Deir al-Zour and deep in the heart of Islamic […]

President-elect vows to set up safe zones and hints at 5th Special Forces Group

Trump expressed both a desire to eliminate ISIS and concern for the lives lost in Syria, which means it’s likely he’ll take action with 5th Special Forces Group and JSOC. The President-elect Donald Trump made comments vowing to set up ‘safe zones’ in Syria. He made the comments in acknowledgment of the humanitarian crisis in […]

Russia announces military drawdown in Syria

MOSCOW—Russia’s top general said Friday his country would draw down its military presence in Syria, starting with a withdrawal of its warships from the eastern Mediterranean. Gen. Valery Gerasimov, the chief of Russia’s general staff, said Russia would withdraw the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov from the waters off the coast of Syria. The ships deployed […]

U.S. military aid is fueling big ambitions for Syria’s leftist Kurdish militia

TAL ABYAD, Syria —In a former high school classroom in this northeastern Syrian town, about 250 Arab recruits for the U.S.-backed war against the Islamic State were being prepped by Kurdish instructors to receive military training from American troops. Most of the recruits were from villages surrounding the Islamic State’s self- proclaimed capital of Raqqa, and the […]

Big Phil’s War: Fighting ISIS (Part One)

A lot of people have been asking me about the film I made for Sky Atlantic – Big Phil’s War: Fighting ISIS – how it came about and whether there will be another one? To answer the last question first – yes, but getting these things together is hard, so you’ll have to wait a […]

U.N. Backs Effort by Russia and Turkey to End Syrian Violence

UNITED NATIONS—The United Nations Security Council on Saturday unanimously adopted a resolution supporting efforts by Russia and Turkey to end the nearly six-year conflict in Syria. The resolution also called for the “rapid, safe and unhindered” delivery of humanitarian aid throughout Syria and looked forward to a meeting of the Syrian government and opposition representatives […]