Contents tagged with Syrian Conflict

  • Kremlin says the U.S. has not consulted Russia regarding ‘security zones’ in Syria

    The Kremlin has called on the U.S. to consider all the consequence regarding the creation of the so-called “security zones” for Syrian refugees in order not to make the situation worse.

    This was stated by the Press Secretary of the Russian President, Dmitry Peskov, as reported by Russia’s TASS news agency.

    “This is important that the situation does not become worse. It is worth considering all the consequences” he stated.

    When asked if the U.S. consulted with Russia prior to taking this …

  • Russia deploys four Su-25 ground attack aircraft to Syria

    Russia has deployed four Sukhoi Su-25 ground attack aircraft to Syria despite President Vladimir Putin’s recent announcement that Russia’s military presence in the country would be decreased, Fox News reported, citing two U.S. officials.

    “[The Russians] say they are pulling out, but we have seen no evidence to support that. On the contrary, we have seen new things coming in,” one official said.

    Approximately 36 Russian military aircraft are still in Syria, roughly the same number as last …

  • Reporters learned of the death of another Russian soldier in Syria

    Artillery Captain Marat Akhmetshin from Tatarstan was killed in Syria in the summer of 2016. He became at least the 24th Russian soldier killed during the Syrian operation. Information about his death was published on January 7 by the Tatar news website, Shahrikazan.com.

    According to the statement of his widow, Guzel Akhmetshin, which was published by Shahrikazan.com in April last year, the captain was sent on detached duty. After a while, he was able to call his wife from an unknown number, …

  • Turkish Foreign Minister: Ankara will not reconsider its position on Ukraine's territorial integrity

    Speaking at the conference of Ambassadors in Ankara, the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, stated that a dialogue with Russia will contribute to resolving many conflicts. He noted that cooperation with Moscow does not justify a review of Ankara’s position on Ukraine and Georgia.

    “We support the territorial integrity of Ukraine and Georgia. We don’t recognize the annexation of Ukrainian territories,” Turkish media quoted the Minister as saying. Speaking of the Syrian …

  • Pentagon chief: Russia is doing virtually nothing to fight ISIS in Syria

    According to the Pentagon chief, Ashton Carter, Russia has done "virtually zero" in the fight against the so-called Islamic State in Syria. Speaking in an interview with NBC News that was published on Sunday, January 8th, Carter said that Moscow promised to come in, fight the so-called Islamic State, and help end the civil war in Syria. However, Moscow hasn’t done either of those things and thus, “we are fighting the Islamic State on our own,” Carter said. The Pentagon chief stated that the US …

  • Israeli satellites photographed Russian Iskander missile systems in Syria

    Israeli satellites photographed the presence of Iskander tactical missiles at the Latakia airbase in Syria where the Russian military is based. 

    A photo and the interpretation of the Israeli satellite images was published by The Jerusalem Post.

    The two Iskanders in trucks are clearly seen at the airbase on the northeast side of the runway, the newspaper reports. The photos were taken on 28 December. Earlier this weapon had been hidden from satellites, however, due to recent rains it has been …

  • CIA Director accuses Russia of having a 'scorched earth policy' in Syria

    CIA Director John Brennan accused Russia of having a “scorched earth policy” in Syria, which had led to the death of thousands of civilians.

    Speaking in an interview with PBS, Brennan said, “What the Russians have done in Syria in terms of some of the scorched-earth policy that they have pursued that have led to devastation and thousands upon thousands of innocent deaths, that’s not something that the United States would ever do in any of these military conflicts.”

    When asked if the CIA …

  • Turkish Media: Assad's regime continues to violate the ceasefire in Syria

    Despite the ceasefire in Syria, Bashar al-Assad's regime continues to attack the opposition forces, as reported by the Anadolu news agency.

    According to the agency, Assad's army and pro-Iranian groups have been attacking the opposition's strongholds from the ground and air using heavy weapons.

    As a result of the strikes, two children were killed at the Kafr Dael settlement west of Aleppo.

    The opposition forces responded with artillery at the towns of Kefraya and Al-Fu'ah which are controlled …

  • Media: Turkey and Russia agreed on a plan for a comprehensive ceasefire in Syria

    The Turkish news agency Anadolu reported that Turkey and Russia agreed on a plan for the introduction of a comprehensive ceasefire in Syria. According to this plan, all the parties to the conflict in Syria will be asked to halt combat operations. The agency’s report says that Ankara's and Moscow's agreed on a plan for a comprehensive cease-fire, which does not apply to the terrorist groups, will be presented to the parties of the conflict in Syria for approval.

    However, there is no clear …

  • Russian Embassy in Damascus comes under mortar attack

    The Russian Embassy in Damascus has come under mortar fire, as reported by Russia’s RIA news agency citing the Press Service of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

    “One shell, which luckily didn’t explode, fell into one of the courtyards of the embassy’s compound. The second one fell in the close proximity to the embassy’s walls. Demining specialists had to be called in to neutralize the unexploded shells,” the Ministry of Foreign affairs stated.

    The Ministry notes that the incident …