Syria: Raqqa Civilians Flee Airstrikes as Kurds, Jihadists Clash

May 25, 2016 By administrator

Raqa Syria U.S.-led coalition warplanes carried out intense airstrikes Tuesday on Raqqa, the de facto Syrian capital of the Islamic State group, a monitoring group said, continuing days of air-raids that appear to be aimed at demoralizing jihadist fighters before an offensive by Kurdish-led forces on villages to the north of the city.

The airstrikes appear targeted mostly on IS defensive positions on the outskirts of the city. This may be to try to avoid civilian casualties, although civilian deaths have been reported.

Raqqa political activists have been warning that IS is using civilians as human shields, spreading fighters and their weaponry around civilian areas and housing militants in residential blocks.

Leaders of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a Kurdish-dominated coalition that also includes a mixed bag of small Sunni Arab armed groups and some Syriac and Turkmen community defense forces, announced Tuesday it had started an offensive to liberate Raqqa from the Islamic State.

Americans in combat mode?

SDF spokesmen said U.S. commandos are embedding with their fighters in the offensive and posted videos purportedly showing this. U.S. officials deny American soldiers are taking on combat roles in the fighting and insist U.S. Special Forces won’t be exchanging fire with IS.

Colonel Steve Warren, the spokesman for the U.S.-led international coalition against IS, says U.S. Special Forces personnel are only providing assistance and advice to the SDF in the battle, but they are not on the front line. “We are in their off centers and headquarters providing advice,” he said.

U.S. officials, and some Kurdish officials, are also cautioning the objective of the military operation is to seize villages and territory north and west of Raqqa rather than to seek to retake the beleaguered city. The objective, they say, is to squeeze the city and further isolate it.

Civilians urged to leave

Some Western officials concede the SDF doesn’t have the capability yet to mount a full-scale assault on the city. That has prompted political activists to question why the international coalition has been air-dropping leaflets in the past few days on Raqqa urging civilians to flee the city, implying that an assault is in the offing.

Civilians flee to countryside

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based monitoring group that relies on a network of activists inside Syria, reported Wednesday sharp clashes between SDF and IS forces around villages close to Ain Issa, 56 kilometers north of Raqqa. The monitoring group also said dozens of civilians left Raqqa city Wednesday and headed into the western countryside.

Meanwhile, Turkish military officials have warned their U.S. counterparts that Turkey will not accept American-backed Kurdish-led forces crossing the Euphrates River to mount assaults on two other IS-held towns, Manbij and Jarabulus.

Reports recently suggested the Turks may have been reducing their objections to Kurdish-led forces moving west of the Euphrates, but in a meeting with General Joseph Votel, head of U.S. Central Command, deputy chief of the Turkish general staff Yaşar Güler warned Turkey still considers the Azaz-Jarablus line as a “red line” when it comes to the Kurdish-led forces.

Syria: U.S.-backed fighters begin offensive on edge of ISIS’ capital

May 24, 2016 By administrator

Members of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces gather to speak to reporters as they announce an operation to retake Raqqa, Syria, back from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), in an image realeased by the SDF on Twitter, May24, 2016.
SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces)

A U.S.-backed Syrian coalition of Kurdish and Arab fighters has launched an offensive to begin forcing Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) fighters from the de-facto capital city of their self-proclaimed Islamic “caliphate” — or at least to begin doing so.

The Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, as the umbrella group of fighters is called, announced the move on Twitter, and it was soon reported on Kurdish media and confirmed to CBS News by a representative for the group.

SDF statements posted on the group’s official Twitter account said the operation was focused on liberating northern Raqqa, to protect the largely-Kurdish areas to the north from ISIS attack.

Early reports of casualties all centered in the rural area to the north of the city.

ISIS has controled Raqqa in northern Syria since sweeping across vast swathes of that country and neighboring Iraq in 2014. It is believed to operate most of its administration and control and command from the city.

It was not immediately clear how far the SDF hoped to push into Raqqa proper — or how quickly, but a commander with the Kurdish YPG militia, which is taking part in the operation, said the operation launched Tuesday was a necessary first step to reclaim the city.

He told CBS News the SDF fighters needed to focus on clearing the area to the north of the city of ISIS militants, and then hold that ground before launching a wider attack on the heart of ISIS-held Raqqa.

U.S. officials have indicated to CBS News that the push announced by SDF likely does not amount to a concerted effort to retake the entire city, yet. The task is too large for the SDF on its own, and there is no indication, in spite of SDF claims of backing by the U.S.-led coalition, that a significant international operation is under way.

Raqqa sits only about 50 miles south of Syria’s border with Turkey, in land long-dominated by Kurds.

In a message posted to its official Twitter account, the SFD said members of the U.S.-led anti-ISIS coalition, dubbed “Operation Inherent Resolve,” would “accompany” SDF forces on the offensive.

Operation Inherent Resolve has largely consisted, from the U.S. standpoint, of airstrikes against ISIS positions in both Syria and Iraq. Pentagon officials would not comment on any level of involvement by Operation Inherent Resolve or the U.S. military in or around Raqqa.

About 200 U.S. troops are in Syria in a training capacity.

Russia killed 28,000 militants in Syria, third of all ISIS forces – Russian deputy security chief

May 24, 2016 By administrator

Russia-isis killed Since Moscow started its air operation in Syria on September 30 last year, the Russian Air Force has eliminated over a third of Islamic State fighters in the country, the deputy head of Russia’s top security body revealed.

“We estimate that at the beginning of our operation Al-Nusra Front and Islamic State [IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL] possessed about 80,000 fighters, of whom 28,000 (35 percent) have already been eliminated. This is [the result of] our actions together with the Syrian Army,” Evgeny Lukyanov said at the VII international security summit being held in Grozny, the capital of Russia’s Chechen Republic.

“Well, the [US-led anti-terrorist] coalition eliminated an additional 5,000 in two years,” Lukyanov added.

“There were people predicting that it [Russia’s anti-terrorist operation in Syria] would result in another Afghanistan or something like that. That would never be. There are only limited military plans,” Lukyanov said, stressing that Syrians “must solve their issues for themselves.”

The principle task of the Russian operation in Syria has been to force the sides to start a political dialogue, the Russian Security Council’s top official stressed.

A deal is needed, and arrangements must be made through compromise,” Lukyanov added. “There are no victors in a civil war, everybody loses.”

The war in Syria has witnessed a turning point, Lukyanov also said.

“Only those politically motivated could deny that fact or interpret it differently.”

However, judging by the reaction of certain parties on the Syrian battlefield and the aggressive actions of intransigent opposition, “they would like very much to wreck the settlement process.”

Saudi, Turkey, Qatar behind dangerous escalation: Syria

May 24, 2016 By administrator

Syria has written to to the United Nations, blaming Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Qatar for Monday terrorist bombings which killed at leas 154 people in the coastal cities of in Tartous and Jableh.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry sent a letter to the United Nations, saying the blasts are a “dangerous escalation by the hostile and extremist regimes in Riyadh, Ankara and Doha.”

The letter said the three countries seek to derail UN-brokered peace talks in Geneva and frustrate efforts to stop bloodshed in Syria as well as undermine “remarkable achievements” of the Syrian army against terrorists.

The ministry said the Security Council’s inaction in the face of “heinous crimes being perpetrated by foreign-sponsored terrorist groups across Syria has emboldened those regimes that support terrorism to deploy their terrorist pawns to Syria.”

The letter also criticized Britain, France and the US over their refusal to label Jaysh al-Islam and al-Qaeda-affiliated Ahrar al-Sham as terrorist groups, saying the approach speaks to their lack of seriousness in fighting terrorism.

Bombings and terrorist attacks, the letter said, will not dent Syria’s determination to combat terrorism.

It urged the UN Security Council to adopt immediate punitive measures against the states that sponsor terrorism and undermine international peace and security.

More than 300 people were also wounded in the Monday attacks in the Mediterranean coastal cities, some of them critically, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The Lebanese Hezbollah movement condemned the deadly bombings in a statement, saying they called for a clear and resolute stance against regional and global powers supporting terrorism.

“These genocides, which are being carried out by Takfiri groups with backing and support by international secret services and with a cover by well-known Arab officials and countries, are the result of a dark ideology that aims to spread fear and chaos in our Arab and Muslim societies.”

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. Damascus says Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar are the main supporters of the militants fighting the government forces.

United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura estimates that over 400,000 people have been killed in the Syrian crisis.

At least 100 killed in IS-claimed bomb blasts in Syria

May 23, 2016 By administrator

212918 Bomb blasts killed more than 100 people in the Syrian coastal cities of Jableh and Tartous on Monday, May 23, monitors said, in a government-controlled area that host Russian forces, Reuters says.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks in the Mediterranean cites that have up to now escaped the worst of the conflict, saying it was targeting supporters of President Bashar al-Assad.

Scores were wounded in at least five suicide attacks and two car bombs, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, the first assaults of their kind in Tartous, where government ally Russia maintains a naval facility, and Jableh.

State media confirmed the attacks but gave a lower toll, Reuters says.

Footage broadcast by the state-run Ikhbariya news channel of what it said were scenes of the blasts in Jableh showed several twisted and incinerated cars and minivans.

Pictures circulated by pro-Damascus social media users showed dead bodies in the back of pick-up vans and charred body parts on the ground, Reuters says.

The Syrian Observatory said at least 53 people were killed in Jableh, and 48 in Tartous.

The interior ministry said in a statement more than 20 people had been killed, and one state media outlet put the death toll at 45 people.

Սիրիայում ահաբեկչությունների շարք է տեղի ունեցել. կա ավելի քան 100 զոհ. Tert.am

Syria captures Turkish aid cargo heading to Daesh ISIS in Iraq

May 14, 2016 By administrator

A frame grab of Syrian intelligence forces inspecting a captured Daesh-bound lorry full of medicine in Aleppo

Syrian intelligence forces say that they have captured a haul of medical supplies near Aleppo that came from Turkey and was destined for Daesh terrorists in the Iraqi city of Mosul.

In a video released by Russia’s RT television network on Friday, Hussein al-Omar, a colonel in Syria’s Military Intelligence Directorate, said that the lorry, loaded with some 25 tons of medicine and hospital supplies, including a number of dialysis machines, had entered Syria from Turkey’s Bab al-Hawa international border crossing, located on Syria’s northwestern border with Turkey.

He added that the lorry was planned to reach Mosul, Daesh’s de facto capital in Iraq, through the towns of Afrin, A’zaz, and Manbij in Aleppo province. According to Omar, the lorry, loaded in Turkey, bore a Syrian number plate and was driven by two militants from al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front terrorist group, who had received the cargo in the Bab al-Hawa border crossing.

“Through an intelligence operation, we lured them from Afrin to Nubl, arrested them, and brought them here. All of this proves that Turkey is supporting the terrorists, especially Daesh, with meds and all supplies, even with weapons,” the Syrian official further said.

The much-needed aid would be delivered to Aleppo’s local maternity hospital, which sustained damage in a recent shelling attack launched by the Takfiri terrorists, he added.

Turkey has time and again been accused of aiding and abetting militant groups operating in Syria with reports saying that Ankara actively trains and arms the Takfiri militants there, and facilitates their safe passage into the Arab country. Ankara has also been accused of buying smuggled oil from Daesh.

fb8ca0fb-e542-41c4-a406-1e24caa3ccdc Last year, Russia released satellite images showing long lines of trucks carrying oil from Syria’s Daesh-controlled parts into Turkey. Ankara, however, has rejected the allegations.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura estimates that over 400,000 people have been killed in the conflict, which has also displaced over half of the Arab country’s pre-war population of about 23 million.

US gov’t suspends 14 aid programs in Turkey upon corrupt practices in aid to Syria

May 10, 2016 By administrator

n_98977_1 The U.S. government has suspended millions of dollars in funding to more than a dozen organizations providing aid for Syria from Turkey, after discovering they were systematically overpaying Turkish companies for basic goods with the collusion of some staff members, a U.S. official said on May 10.

Upon a complex investigation into cross-border aid programs providing humanitarian relief in Syria and running from both Turkey and Jordan by multiple nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) with funds from USAID and other international donors, the Washington-based U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Office of Inspector General (OIG) has identified corrupt practices involving a number of these programs operating from Turkey, the OIG announced on May 6.

A U.S. government official, speaking with the Hürriyet Daily News on May 10, confirmed that the investigation had led to the suspension of 14 entities and individuals involved in aid programs from Turkey.

“It is an independent investigation being conducted by an independent inspector general,” said the U.S. official, who requested anonymity.

“As it is an ongoing investigation, we cannot provide any information on the name of any specific organization or individual involved,” the U.S. official added.

The investigation to date has identified a network of commercial vendors, NGO employees, and others who have colluded to engage in bid-rigging and multiple bribery and kickback schemes related to contracts to deliver humanitarian aid in Syria, USAID OIG said in a May 6 statement.

“Some early concerns about these practices surfaced through one USAID implementer, which identified and self-reported procurement irregularities affecting its programs,” it said.

“To date, OIG’s investigation has established grounds resulting in the suspension of 14 entities and individuals involved with aid programs from Turkey. As a result of the suspensions, these parties are no longer able to receive U.S. government awards. A portion of USAID-funded cross-border programs in Syria were suspended as a result of this investigation, and several NGOs delivering aid to Syria have terminated staff members’ employment based on demonstrated misconduct,” the statement added.

Citing humanitarian sources, Agence France-Presse reported from Washington on May 10 that among those affected are the International Medical Corps (IMC), the Irish charity Goal, and the International Rescue Committee (IRC), headed by former British Foreign Secretary David Miliband.

Syria Life testimony Aleppo

April 17, 2016 By administrator

Pierre Le Corf is a very good friend. There are more than a year, with only luggage a computer and a smartphone, this young Breton has undertaken to the World Tour to gather the stories of those whom we never speak, those forgotten and abandoned the humanity, but which are nonetheless men and women with a history. This is a humanitarian goal journey called ” #WeAreSuperheroes. “, An organization dedicated to supporting marginalized communities to develop their self-confidence through the Storytelling. The idea is to achieve a participatory journalism platform.

With little financial means, previously saved, he lived among each other. In his journey, sometimes dangerous, he even took the time to help some to get by.

After collecting more than 500 accounts across the globe, Pierre has recently joined the Middle East, against the advice of his friends, because of the potential danger that locally prevailing there. Thus, after passing through Lebanon, he arrived in Damascus early April, then towards Aleppo where he will meet many Armenian, which he hopes to take evidence in the next days.

Meanwhile, here’s what Peter Corf lived the last two days (Friday, Saturday) in Aleppo.

According to our latest information, in the night from Friday to Saturday, the armed rebel groups launched rocket raids against the Kyugh Nor populated district of Aleppo Armenians. The attacks were mainly civilians.

Jean Eckian

Despite Turkish terrorism on Syrians vote for parliamentary elections going on

April 13, 2016 By administrator

Syrians go to polls in parliamentary elections against the backdrop of a generally-holding ceasefire in the war-hit country and peace talks between government and opposition.

Polling stations opened at 07:00 a.m. local time (0400 GMT), with the official SANA news agency saying they will remain open until 7 p.m. (1800 GMT).

Voting, it said, could be extended for five hours by the Higher Judicial Committee for Elections depending on the turnout which it reported high at the opening hours.

More than 7,300 polling stations have been set up across the government-held regions in the country. Syrian voters are electing members of the 250-seat parliament out of some 3,500 candidates.

A number of opposition parties are running in the race, but the ruling Ba’ath party is expected to prevail. Armed opposition groups have boycotted the vote and called it illegitimate.

A smiling President Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma (pictured below) cast their ballots in Damascus and spoke to voters at the polling station.

Walls across the capital Damascus were covered with campaign posters. From the top of one of the city’s tallest buildings a banner proclaimed: “The elections of resistance.”

“I voted because this election will decide the country’s future. I hope that the winners will be true to the nation even before being true to the voters,” Yamin al-Homsi, a 37-year old who voted in Damascus, told AFP.

Samer Issa, a taxi driver, said he had “fulfilled his national duty” by casting his vote.

“Now, it’s up to the winners to fulfill their promises,” the 58-year-old added, according to the French news agency.

The polls coincide with the beginning of a second round of UN-brokered indirect talks between the Syrian government and the opposition in Geneva, with the future of President Assad being a key sticking point.

The foreign-backed Syrian opposition says Assad must step down before a transitional government can be established.

Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem has said the fate of President Assad remains a “red line” for the Syrian government in the Geneva talks.

The last round of the UN-backed peace talks for Syria came to a halt on March 24 over disagreements on the role of Assad in Syria’s future.

UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura will try again to reach a consensus at the talks starting Wednesday in Geneva on ending the war.

The negotiations come at a tense time with a surge in violence in recent days threatening a fragile six-week ceasefire.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. According to the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least 270,000 people have been killed in the conflict. Some reports, however, put the death toll at as high as 470,000.

Hell From Above: Russian Aviation to Help Syrian Army Liberate Aleppo

April 10, 2016 By administrator

Moscow and Damascus are elaborating a joint operation to liberate Aleppo from terrorists, the Syrian prime minister said.

DAMASCUS (Sputnik) — The Russian Aerospace Forces’ aircraft will help the Syrian army liberate Aleppo from terrorist groups, Syrian Prime Minister Wael Nader Halqi said Sunday as quoted by a Russian lawmaker.

“Halqi told us that Syria and Russia are preparing an operation to liberate Aleppo. Russian aviation will help the Syrian army to attack on the ground,” Russian upper house member Dmitry Sablin told RIA Novosti.

A group of Russian lawmakers is currently visiting the Syrian capital of Damascus.

Moscow commenced an anti-terrorism operation in Syria on September 30 at President Bashar Assad’s request. On March 14, Vladimir Putin ordered to start withdrawing the main part of the Russian air group from Syria. Moscow maintained its presence at the Hmeymin airbase and the Tartus naval facility.

Russia Plays Major Role in Liberating Over 500 Syrian Settlements

“The Syrian people will never forget the assistance provided by the Russian people. First of all, it concerns the decision of [Russian] President Vladimir Putin on the involvement of Russian Aerospace Forces in the operation to support the Syrian army on the ground. More than 500 settlements with a total area of 40,000 square kilometers were liberated thanks to it,” Halqi added.

On March 27, the Syrian army, backed by militias and Russian Aerospace Forces, fully liberated Palmyra, which was under the control of Daesh since May 2015.

Syria has been mired in civil war since March 2011, with government forces loyal to Assad fighting numerous opposition factions and extremist groups, such as Daesh and the Nusra Front. A US-Russia-brokered ceasefire came into force across Syria on February 27. It does not apply to terrorist groups such as Daesh and Nusra Front, both of which are banned in Russia.

Source: sputniknews.com/