Seven-year-old Bana Alabed tweeted a photo a week ago, sitting at a desk with a book, her doll in the background. “Good afternoon from Aleppo,” the caption read. “I’m reading to forget the war.” Aleppo, Syria’s second city, has been split in two during the country’s long conflict. Daily life has become a struggle for … Read more
The next U. S. administration will inherit the worst relationship with Russia since Ronald Reagan called the Soviet Union an evil empire. Judging from the list of grievances that President Vladimir Putin has laid out, even a relatively Putin-friendly Donald Trump will have a hard time satisfying him. Putin delivered his message to the future … Read more
Russia’s increasing military action in Syria is forcing moderate elements within the Syrian opposition into the hands of extremists, a US state department spokesman has said. Mark Toner said renewed Russian and Syrian air strikes were making a difficult situation “more confused”. The US says it may end co-operation with Russia over its action in … Read more
The US is trying to spare a Syrian jihadist group in case it is needed to unseat President Assad, the Russian foreign minister has told the BBC. Sergei Lavrov said the US had broken its promise to separate the powerful Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (formerly known as al-Nusra Front) and other extremist groups from US-backed moderate … Read more
US President Barack Obama has expressed “deep concern” about the situation in rebel-held parts of Aleppo, amid an assault by Syrian government forces. Medics in the city are struggling to cope with the huge number of casualties caused by the most sustained and intense aerial bombardment in years. Supplies of medicine and blood are running … Read more
The US ambassador to the UN has accused Russia of “barbarism” over the bombing of the Syrian city of Aleppo. At an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, Samantha Power said Russia had told the council outright lies about its conduct in Syria. She said Russia and the Syrian regime were “laying waste to … Read more
UN chief Ban Ki-moon is “appalled by the chilling military escalation” in the embattled Syrian city of Aleppo, his spokesman says. Stephane Dujarric said the secretary-general was alarmed by reports of air strikes involving incendiary weapons and bunker-busting bombs. The Syrian government has stepped up strikes on rebel-held areas of the city since a ceasefire … Read more
The US government has expressed “outrage” over an attack on an aid convoy near the Syrian city of Aleppo that, a war monitor says, left 12 dead. The UN has confirmed that the convoy was hit near the town of Urm al-Kubra, without giving details. But activists say an air strike hit the trucks hours … Read more
A week-old truce in Syria brokered by the US and Russia appears close to unravelling, with alleged violations by government and rebel forces mounting. A US-backed rebel group in the divided northern city of Aleppo said the initiative had “practically failed”. Rebels also warned that the forced evacuation of some 300 fighters from a besieged … Read more
The Syrian cease-fire agreed to last week by Russia and the United States has reduced violence in the short term, but there are troubling signs it may collapse like previous attempts to end the war, now in its sixth year. The crucial element of the agreement is a “cessation of hostilities” among all parties involved … Read more
A cessation of hostilities has come into effect in Syria, although it is unclear how widely it will be observed. If the truce holds for seven days, the US and Russia will carry out co-ordinated air strikes against jihadist militants. The Syrian army says it is observing the truce but it is still unclear whether … Read more
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad prayed on Monday at a mosque in a Damascus suburb that was evacuated by rebels and surrendered to government control last month, state media reported. Assad visited the city of Daraya, southwest of Damascus, on the occasion of Eid al-Adha. Daraya had been a major symbol of the uprising against Assad, … Read more
Turkey has a duty to defeat the so-called Islamic State (IS) in neighbouring Syria; President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said. He called it a “binding duty”, to ensure the militants were “unable to carry out actions inside our country”. Turkey’s military said its warplanes killed 20 IS fighters during air raids over Syria on Saturday. … Read more
A day of intense airstrikes Saturday on and around the northern city of Aleppo killed at least 45 people, according to opposition activists. The Aleppo Media Center, an activist collective, said 45 people were killed Saturday, just hours after the new U. S.-Russian agreement was reached to try and end the violence in Syria. The … Read more
Turkey and the EU have welcomed a nationwide truce for Syria brokered by the US and Russia but have warned that further action is needed. Turkey said aid must be delivered from the very start while EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini looked towards a “political transition”. The deal provides for a 10-day truce from … Read more
A look at some of the key points in an “arrangement” announced by U. S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, aimed at halting fighting in Syria and moving toward a political transition after 5-1/2 years of combat between President Bashar Assad’s forces and opposition rebels: WHAT THE … Read more
Fighting raged on in southern Aleppo on Saturday, the army and rebels said, hours after the United States and Russia hailed a breakthrough deal to put Syria’s peace process back on track. The army attacked rebel-held areas, pushing to maximize recent gains before a new nationwide ceasefire was due to come into effect on Monday. … Read more
Russia and the US have announced an agreement on Syria starting with a “cessation of hostilities” from sunset on Monday. Under the plan, the Syrian government will end combat missions in specified areas held by the opposition. Russia and the US will establish a joint centre to combat so-called Islamic State and al-Nusra fighters. The … Read more
A senior commander of the Syrian militant group formerly known as al-Nusra Front has been killed near Aleppo, rebel sources say. The group Jabhat Fateh al-Sham said on its Twitter account that commander Abu Omar Sarakeb died in an air strike in Aleppo province. It did not say which country’s forces had carried out the … Read more
A senior commander of the Syrian militant group formerly known as al-Nusra Front has been killed near Aleppo, rebel sources say. The group Jabhat Fateh al-Sham said on its Twitter account that commander Abu Omar Sarakeb died in an air strike in Aleppo province. It did not say which country’s forces had carried out the … Read more