Agency: Nearly All Russian Tourists Brought Home From Turkey
Russia's Federal Tourism Agency, Rosturizm, has completed a program for bringing home Russian tourists from Turkey, TASS reports this morning.
Russia announced that it was banning the sale of package tours and charter flights to Turkey and bringing Russian tourists in Turkey home following the November 24 downing by Turkish F-16s of a Russian Su-24 jet near the Syrian border.
Over 9,000 tourists who had gone to Turkey on package tours have been brought home, a spokeswoman for Rosturizm said.
Only around six to 10 tourists remain in Turkey and they will be returned home via scheduled flights by December 26, the spokeswoman added.
U.S. Coalition Denies It Hit Syrian Army Base
This just in from AFP -- the U.S.-led coalition is denying that it hit a Syrian army base.
Turkish FM: Air Strikes Alone Won't Remove IS From Syria
Air strikes alone will not be enough to dislodge IS in Syria, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told his country's Kanal 24 television this morning.
Cavusoglu said that an effective ground force is needed to support Syria's moderate opposition, Reuters reports.
Syria's Foreign Ministry has written letters to the United Nations secretary-general and the chairman of the UN Security Council condemning the strike by the U.S.-led coalition against a Syrian army post in Deir Ezzor, state media is reporting.
The letters "called on the Security Council to immediately take the urgent measures to prevent such aggressions from occurring again, adding that the aggression on the military post hinders the efforts aiming to fight terrorism and reiterates that the U.S.- led coalition lacks seriousness and credibility in the fight against terrorism," Syrian state news agency SANA reports.
Obama Vows To Destroy IS
U.S. President Obama has vowed that the United States will destroy the IS group and hunt down its supporters at home or abroad, AFP reports this morning.
Obama's rare speech came after IS claimed on December 5 that a married couple who killed 14 people in a mass shooting in San Bernardino, California were its followers.
"After so much war, many Americans are asking whether we are confronted by a cancer that has no immediate cure," Obama said, according to AFP.
"The threat from terrorism is real, but we will overcome it. We will destroy [IS] and any other organization that tries to harm us...Our military will continue to hunt down terrorist plotters in any country where it is necessary," Obama added.
WATCH: U.S. President Barack Obama Says Islamic State Will Be Defeated
From our news desk:
NATO Chief Says Alliance Won't Send Ground Troops Into Syria
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says NATO has ruled out sending ground troops to fight Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria.
In an interview published by Switzerland’s Tages-Anzeiger newspaper on December 7, Stoltenberg said NATO ground forces accompanying U.S.-led coalition air strikes was "not on the agenda of the coalition and the NATO allies."
Stoltenberg said: "The United States has a limited number of special forces," but strengthening local forces is "the only option."
Stoltenberg also said NATO would help improve Turkey's air defenses after it shot down a Russian bomber that crossed into Turkish airspace.
Noting a "significant buildup of the Russian military presence from the far north to the Mediterranean," Stoltenberg said it is important there to "avoid similar incidents such as in Turkey."
President Barack Obama said his strategy to fight IS does not include U.S. ground combat troops in Syria and Iraq.
But the Pentagon has announced small deployments of elite special forces.
The Syrian government is saying this morning that four warplanes from the U.S.-led coalition targeted a Syrian army camp in Deir Ezzor province on Sunday, killing three soldiers and wounding 13.
Deir Ezzor is mostly controlled by IS.
Syria's Foreign Ministry says nine missiles were fired at the camp, Reuters reports.
Barring any major developments, that concludes our live-blogging of Islamic State for Sunday, December 6. Check back here tomorrow morning for more of our continuing coverage.
An update on the incident in London from our News Desk:
British counterterrorism police were questioning a 29-year-old man on December 6 on suspicion of attempted murder following a knife attack at a London underground that injured three people.
The Metropolitan Police said the "violent unprovoked" attack at Leytonstone Underground Station late on December 5 is being treated as "a terrorist incident."
Authorities have asked witnesses who filmed the stabbing to share their footage with police.
The suspect reportedly screamed "This is for Syria!" as he attacked.
Police said one of the victims was seriously injured.
Britain on December 3 began carrying out air strikes against suspected Islamic State targets in Syria.
Britain's national terrorism threat level remains at "severe," meaning that authorities believe an attack is highly likely.