Russia's Agreement With Syria Over Air Force Deployment Is For ' Unlimited Period'
The agreement between Russia and Syria over the deployment of Russian air power to Syria is for an unlimited period, and if one of the parties seeks to terminate the agreement it must do so in writing, RIA Novosti reports.
The text of the agreement, signed in Damascus on August 26, 2015, was posted on a Russian government website today.
The document says that Syria has provided the Hmeymim air base in Latakia province to accommodate the Russian air group as well as "necessary territory by agreement of the Parties."
The Hmeymim air base is provided by Syria free of charge.
The agreement also states that the deployment of the Russian air group to Syria has a defensive character and is not directed against other states.
Widow Suing Twitter For Allegedly Helping IS Spread Its Message
Tamara Fields, a widow of an American killed in a shooting attack at a police training center in Jordan, is suing Twitter.
Fields alleges that the social media company is knowingly making it easier for the IS group to spread its message, raise money and attract recruits.
In the wake of this morning's attacks by the IS group in Jakarta, Rita Katz of the SITE Intelligence Group points out on Twitter that the Indonesian militant group Mujahidin Indonesia Timor (MIT) was the first to pledge allegiance to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi after IS declared a "caliphate" in Iraq and Syria in June 2014.
That pledge was then accepted by IS, as announced in IS's magazine Dabiq.
U.S. Designates IS Branch In Afghanistan, Pakistan As Foreign Terror Group
The U.S. Department of State has formally designated the IS group's "Khorasan Province" -- its branch in Afghanistan and Pakistan -- as a foreign terrorist organization.
According to the Department of State website:
The group is based in the Afghanistan/Pakistan region and is composed primarily of former members of Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban. The senior leadership of ISIL-K has pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIL. This pledge was accepted in late January 2015 and since then ISIL-K has carried out suicide bombings, small arms attacks and kidnappings in eastern Afghanistan against civilians and Afghan National Security and Defense Forces, and claimed responsibility for May 2015 attacks on civilians in Karachi, Pakistan.
UNICEF, WHO Call For Lifting Of Sieges In Syria
UNICEF and the World Health Organization have called for all parties in the Syrian conflict to lift sieges and allow "immediate and uninterrupted" humanitarian access to all areas of Syria.
The appeal comes as a second convoy of aid was sent this morning to the rebel-held town of Madaya, which is under siege by government forces. Aid was also sent to two Shi'ite villages under siege by rebels.
In their statement, UNICEF and WHO said that there are sieges in 15 different areas in Syria by various parties to the conflict, where some 40,000 people are trapped with "highly constrained access" to food, water and other basic services.
U.S. Condemns Jakarta Attacks
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has condemned the attacks by IS-linked militants in Jakarta, saying that IS had "proven that they offer nothing, no alternative but their own destruction."
U.S.-led Coalition Carries Out 20 Strikes In Iraq, Syria
The U.S.-led coalition has carried out 20 air strikes against the IS group in Syria and Iraq on January 13, the U.S. Department of Defense says.
Three strikes in Syria hit IS near Manbij and Mar'a.
In Iraq, were conducted by attack, bomber, fighter, ground attack and remotely piloted aircraft and hit hear Hit, Mosul, Kisik, Ramadi, Sinjar, Sultan Abdallah, Tel Afar, Habbaniyah and Beiji.
Russian & Syrian Warplanes Carry Out First Joint Mission -- Ministry
Russia's Defense Ministry has released a video that it says shows Russian and Syrian warplanes carrying out their first joint mission in Syria.
According to the Ministry, Syrian MiG 29 jets provided cover for Russian Su-25 jets from the Hmeymim air base in Latakia province, while the Russian jets carried out sorties against "terrorist targets."
IS Briefly Seize Iraqi Village East Of Tikrit
The IS group briefly overran the village of Tal Kusaiba in northern Iraq this morning, though the Iraqi army retook it hours later in a counter attack.
The IS assault killed Tal Kusaiba's police station chief and nine fighters from a Shi'ite militia and Sunni tribal forces.
Canadian Killed In Jakarta Attacks