US Airstrikes Causing “Staggering” Civilian Deaths Says UN

The UN is reporting that the coalition airstrikes led by the US is causing a “staggering” number of civilian deaths in the Syrian city of Raqqa. The city was taken by Islamist State forces in 2014 and has been cited by the IS as their “capital” and their “caliphate”. US-backed SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces) are […]

Experts Doubting that Airstrike Killed Terrorist Leader al-Baghdadi

The reports that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghadi has been killed in a US coalition airstrike have not been confirmed or denied by US military officials. The airstrike on late Saturday was broadcast on Syrian state television. But the British and others have reported that no report has surfaced on either state television or […]

Syrian SDF Rebels Moving Into Small Neighborhoods of Raqqa

The US-backed Syrian Defense Forces (SDF) are slowly tightening the noose around the Islamic State (IS) enclave of Raqqa. While forward elements are already getting a foothold in the city’s east side, other SDF units are busy securing the areas surrounding the city. There are reports of US Special Operations troops being with the SDF […]

US-backed Syrian fighters move slowly into IS ‘Capital’ of Raqqa

The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) rebel force against the government of Assad has cautiously entered the final Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa. They entered thru the eastern edge of the city, fording a river on foot and in light vehicles all the while relaying their position by radio in an attempt not to fall […]

US-backed Syrian Fighters Move Slowly into IS “Capital” of Raqqa

The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) rebel force against the government of Assad has cautiously entered the final Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa. They entered thru the eastern edge of the city, fording a river on foot and in light vehicles all the while relaying their position by radio in an attempt not to fall […]

U.S. shoots down drone after it attacks coalition fighters in Syria

A drone launched by “pro-Syria regime” fighters attached U.S. backed forces in Southern Syria on Thursday, prompting a U.S. warplane to shoot it down. This incident is the latest in a number of altercations that have placed Iranian backed militias that support Syrian President Bashar al Assad against fighters trained by the United States, the […]

USS George H.W. Bush launches anti-ISIS strikes from Mediterranean

After a two-month gap, the U.S. Navy is again launching carrier-based strikes against Islamic State targets in Syria from the Mediterranean, the service announced on Monday. Strike fighters from USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) launched Monday against targets in Syria as part of the ongoing Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR). “By defeating violent extremists in Iraq […]

Turkey readies for ‘aggression’ from US-backed SDF in Raqqa

The US-backed coalition of Kurds and Arabs of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have begun their long-awaited assault on the Islamic State’s self-proclaimed caliphate in Raqqa. The forecast for the battle has it that it will be long and costly as the IS fighters are cut off from any support. But the government of Turkey […]

Syrian Forces Closing on Special Operations Base Hit with US Air Strikes

Syrian military forces loyal to embattled President Assad ignored warnings about approaching a small US base that houses its Special Operations Forces this week and was hit by a US-led airstrike. This was the second attack in just the past month against Assad’s forces by US airstrikes in what the Defense Department characterized as self-defense […]

As ISIS retreats in Syria, U.S. and Iran scramble for control

BEIRUT — U.S.- and Iran-backed forces are locked in a race to take Islamic State strongholds in southeastern Syria and seize a stretch of land that will either cement Tehran’s regional ambitions or stifle them. The scramble for pole position in Deir al-Zour province is likely to be one of the most consequential fights against the extremist […]

U.S. coalition begins ‘long and difficult’ battle for Islamic State’s Raqqa stronghold

BEIRUT — U.S.-backed forces have begun the “long and difficult” battle to capture the northern Syrian city of Raqqa, the Islamic State’s de facto capital, the U.S.-led coalition fighting the extremist group said Tuesday. Kurdish-led militants began laying the groundwork for the ­offensive in November, edging through the surrounding province and cutting supply lines into the […]

Syrian boy who became image of civil war reappears

A young Syrian boy who captured the world’s attention last year when images of his blood- and dust-covered face spread across the internet has re-emerged this week — in interviews on news outlets with ties to the Syrian government. The boy, Omran Daqneesh, came to symbolize the plight of civilians besieged by government forces in […]