U.S. Marines arrive in Syria, bring heavy artillery with them

Marines from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit arrived in Syria this week, along with M777 Howitzers armed with 155 millimeter explosive shells.  Their presence is intended to bolster the coalition of militias, collectively referred to as Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) as they continue their offensive to take ISIS’ self-declared capital, Raqqa. While the Pentagon has […]

U.S. envoy to U.N. says ‘we need to get Iran’ out of Syria

The United States supports the U.N.-led Syria peace talks, U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley said on Wednesday, saying Syria could no longer be a “safe haven for terrorists” and that it was important “we get Iran and their proxies out.” Haley spoke to reporters after U.N. Syria mediator Staffan de Mistura briefed the Security Council behind […]

Turkey shuts down a U.S. aid group that helped Syrians

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey has ordered Oregon-based Mercy Corps, one of the largest humanitarian organizations delivering aid to Syria, to immediately shut down its Turkish operations, ending a program that provides regular assistance to hundreds of thousands of besieged Syrian civilians and refugees. “Our hearts are broken by this turn of events, which comes after […]

Marines have arrived in Syria to fire artillery in the fight for Raqqa

Marines from an amphibious task force have left their ships in the Middle East and deployed to Syria, establishing an outpost from which they can fire artillery guns in support of the fight to take back the city of Raqqa from the Islamic State, defense officials said. The deployment marks a new escalation in the […]

With a show of Stars and Stripes, U.S. forces in Syria try to keep warring allies apart

BEIRUT — The U.S. military is getting drawn into a deepening struggle for control over areas liberated from the Islamic State that risks prolonging American involvement in wars in Syria and Iraq long after the militants are defeated. In their first diversion from the task of fighting the Islamic State since the U.S. military’s involvement […]

US Marine Corps Deploys to Syria with the Big Guns!

It is being reported by the Marine Corps that a ‘couple hundred’ Marines have moved into Syria from the 11 th Marine Expeditionary Unit and they have taken artillery with them. Moving within artillery range of Raqqa, the so called capital of the Islamic State the Marines will be positioned to take immediate action in support […]

U.S. support for YPG fighters frustrates Turkey, who calls them terrorists

The American campaign to remove the Islamic State from northern Syria continues to be complicated by the various armed groups and allegiances on the ground. Turkey, a critical ally for the United States in counter-terrorism operations in the region, has expressed great concern over American support for the Kurdish YPG, an armed group fighting against […]

Syrian army captures water station supplying Aleppo from Islamic State

The Syrian army and its allies have captured the main water pumping station that supplies Aleppo in a sweeping advance against Islamic State that has brought them to the bank of the Euphrates, a group that monitors the conflict said on Tuesday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the army and allied forces made […]

Welcome to Raqqa, a photo-essay from the frontlines

Today I want to introduce my friend Joey L. to SOFREP readers.  Joey is an accomplished professional photographer who I traveled to Damascus, Syria with last year.  He has also made several trips to Iraq and Kurdish held northern Syria.  This report details his last trip to Syria a few months ago and helps set […]

US Special Forces and Russians Working Too Close for Comfort

Reports were coming out of Syria that US-backed coalition units and Russian troops were operating in very close proximity to one another. In neighboring villages, they each tried to calm rival factions that are both fighting ISIS The Telegraph is reporting that the two superpowers have each sent troops into the area of the northern […]

Netanyahu to meet Putin, says Iran seeks permanent foothold in Syria

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday to voice opposition to what the Israeli leader charged were Iran’s attempts to establish a permanent military foothold in Syria. “In the framework of a (future peace agreement) or without one, Iran is attempting to base itself permanently in […]