(3.10.2018) A few years ago it would have been jarring to see the US military presence in Syria promoted as if it were Afghanistan. But overlapping and intentionally vague statements about what exactly US troops in Syria are doing, how many of them are doing it, and how long they are planning to be there have seemed to lull much of the country into accepting that they are there long term.
Archiv: forces
ISIS Kills And Captures Scores Of SDF Fighters During Large Hit And Run Attack In Southeastern Deir Ezzor
In details, ISIS fighters took advantage of the bad weather conditions and attacked several positions of US-backed forces around the towns of al-Kashmah and al-Bahrah. After overrunning theses positions, the terrorists stormed the Hajin refugee camp and several military positions around it.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that ISIS abducted over 130 families from the Hajin camp during the attack. The SDF, which is responsible for the camp, is yet to confirm or deny this.
US Sends More Diplomats to Coalition-Controlled Areas of Syria: What’s Behind the Move?
Defense Secretary James Mattis announced on Oct. 2 that the number of US diplomats in Syria had doubled. No specific number was mentioned, but the move was motivated by the need to intensify the diplomatic effort, with “the military operations becoming less.” Under the label of “Syria,” the secretary was referring to more than a quarter of the country, with an estimated population of 1.5 million to two million people. This territory is controlled by the US-supported and Kurdish-dominated SDF and its political wing, the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC).
Raqqa’s dirty secret
(13.11.2017) The BBC has uncovered details of a secret deal that let hundreds of IS fighters and their families escape from Raqqa, under the gaze of the US and British-led coalition and Kurdish-led forces who control the city.
A convoy included some of IS’s most notorious members and – despite reassurances – dozens of foreign fighters. Some of those have spread out across Syria, even making it as far as Turkey.
Four Russian military killed by militants’ fire in Syria – Defense Ministry
According to the ministry, the fighting occurred in the Deir ez-Zor Governorate in the dark time when several mobile terrorist groups attacked an artillery battery of the Syrian government forces.
International vehicle seen near Syria suspected gas attack site
Journalists were not allowed to approach the convoy that included the vehicle by Syrian security forces. The identity of the car’s occupants or which organisation they belonged to was not clear.