Syria

Russia has made a significant observation: the U.S. is not guaranteed to take action in the light of a post Cold War Russia, that changes their foreign policy and political calculus.

The jihadist-led Jaish al Fatah launched a major offensive in southwestern Aleppo on July 31 to break the siege of the rebel-held part of the city. The offensive comes after the last supply route north of Aleppo was severed on July 28 by pro-regime forces encompassing the Syrian Arab Army, Shia militias backed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and […]

Believing he was answering a holy call, Harry Sarfo left his home in the working-class city of Bremen last year and drove for four straight days to reach the territory controlled by the Islamic State in Syria. He barely had time to settle in before members of the Islamic State’s secret service, wearing masks over […]

Rescuers in Syria said Tuesday a helicopter dropped barrels filled with toxic gas, seriously injuring dozens of people, not far from where a Russian transport helicopter was shot down the day before, Reuters reported. A spokesman for rebel fighters reportedly said 33 people, most of them women and children, were hurt. They believed chlorine gas was […]

With hospitals in rebel-controlled eastern Aleppo coming under fire, the most severely injured patients in the besieged city have – until recently – been transferred to Turkey for better, safer care. But now, with the city under siege, such transfers have become impossible. “We can’t send the wounded to either rebel parts of the countryside or Turkey, because […]

Middlemen such as Serbia’s CPR Impex and Slovakia’s Eldon have played a critical role in supplying weapons and ammunition to the Middle East.

Barrels suspected to contain chlorine gas have been dropped on a town in Syria, a doctor and rescuers have said. It is not clear who was responsible. The attack took place in Saraqeb in Idlib province, near where a Russian military transport helicopter was shot down by rebels hours earlier. About 30 people, mostly women and children, […]

A Russian transport helicopter was shot down in Syria on Monday. All five people onboard were killed. This is deadliest single incident for the Russian military since its involvement in Syria’s civil war. The Russain Air Force suffered a major blow on Monday when an Mi-8 “transport” helicopter was shot down. All five passengers onboard were […]

US-backed forces have now seized control of almost 70 percent of Manbij in northern Syria from Islamic State after making rapid advances over the past two days, a spokesman said on Sunday. Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) have pushed back the ultra hardline Sunni militants into the old quarter after seizing most of the western, eastern […]

In the Syrian city of Aleppo, children carrying groceries climb 15-foot mounds of rubble on their way home. Shoppers ignore vibrations from falling bombs. Buildings stand sliced in half, wires and beds and bathtubs exposed, with families still living inside. Most days, doctors have just seconds to decide which children to try to save and […]

The head of the US Central Intelligence Agency has said he is not optimistic about the future of Syria remaining one country. John Brennan’s comments are a rare public acknowledgement by a senior US official that Syria may not survive a five-year civil war in its current state. “I don’t know whether or not Syria […]

How we engage in battle is prescribed by our laws and the classification of the combatant is paramount. Jabhat Al – Nusra is aware of our framework and limitations and will undoubtedly exploit it.