Kremlin: Problems Remain With Opposition Lists Ahead Of Syria Talks
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said this morning that problems remain with an agreed list of opposition groups ahead of scheduled Syria peace talks set for January 25.
Serious disagreements remain over which groups should be blacklisted and which should not, Peskov told reporters.
Damascus said earlier this month that it backed the Syria talks but wanted to see the names of the Syrian opposition figures who would take part. The Syrian government also said that it wanted to obtain a list of groups that would be classed as "terrorists."
"Intense work is being carried out, and our Foreign Minister [Lavrov] and the U.S. Secretary of State are meeting. Work is ongoing in other areas, let's say, but not everything is going smoothly," Peskov said.
Kerry, Lavrov Meet To Discuss Syria
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov are to meet today in Zurich.
The main topic of conversation will be the Syria talks scheduled for January 25, according to the Russian media.
Russia Pressing Air Strikes Before Scheduled Syria Peace Talks
Russia is pressing its "air blitz" in Syria days before scheduled peace talks on January 25, AP reports.
Since Russia launched its air campaign in Syria on Sept. 30, its warplanes have flown nearly 6,000 missions. The number is impressive for a compact force comprising just a few dozen warplanes.
The Russian military brought a group of Moscow-based reporters to the base on Wednesday to see the operations. Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Tuesday that over the previous four days Russian warplanes had flown 157 sorties striking 579 targets in six Syrian regions.
IS Destroys Oldest Christian Monastery In Iraq
IS militants have destroyed St. Elijah's Monastery of Mosul -- the oldest Christian monastery in Iraq, new satellite photos obtained by AP show.
"I can't describe my sadness," the Rev. Paul Thabit Habib told AP from his office in exile in Irbil, Iraq.
"Our Christian history in Mosul is being barbarically leveled. We see it as an attempt to expel us from Iraq, eliminating and finishing our existence in this land."
IS have confiscated the house of a woman from al-Basira, an IS-controlled town in Syria's Deir al-Zor province. The woman, Dr. Fatma al-Abd, is living in Turkey -- IS say she is living in the "land of the infidels," according to pro-opposition citizen journalist group DeirEzzor24.
Amnesty: Kurdish Forces Destroyed Arab Homes In Revenge Campaign
Kurdish Peshmerga militia forces in Iraq have destroyed thousands of Arab homes, apparently in an effort to uproot Arab communities in revenge for their alleged support for the IS group, human rights watchdog Amnesty International has said in a new report.
Yazidi militias have also razed Arab homes, the report claims.
Amnesty says that its claims are supported by satellite imagery that shows widespread destruction by Peshmerga forces and in some cases Yazidi militias as well as Kurdish forces from Syria and Turkey who were fighting alongside the Peshmerga.
The displaced Arab citizens are now living in refugee camps in "desperate conditions," Amnesty said.
A former resident of the village of Tabaj Hamid in the east of Diyala province said that the village had been "flattened" by Peshmerga forces after they recaptured it from IS in August 2014.
"All I know is that when the Peshmerga retook the village the houses were standing. We could not go back but could see it clearly from the distance. And later they bulldozed the village, I don’t know why," the resident, Maher Nubul, said.
Dindar Zebari, the head of KRG's committee to respond to international reports, told Reuters that the destruction documented by Amnesty was the result of fighting between IS and Peshmerga forces.
'Exceptional Circumstances' Force IS To Halve Militants' Salaries
The IS group has announced plans to halve the salaries of its militants in Syria and Iraq, because of "exceptional circumstances," according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on a network of activists, fighters and medics in Syria for information.
"Because of the exceptional circumstances that [IS] is passing through, a decision was taken to cut the salaries of the mujahedin [fighters] in half," the Arabic statement published by SOHR said.
"No one will be exempt from this decision no matter his position, but the distribution of food assistance will continue twice a month as usual."
We are now closing the live blog for today. Join us again tomorrow for our continuing coverage tracking Islamic State.
IS Confirms Death Of 'Jihadi John' In Drone Strike
A publication associated with the extremist group Islamic State (IS) has confirmed the death of the British militant nicknamed "Jihadi John" who appeared in several videos showing the beheadings of hostages.
The intelligence group SITE, which tracks terrorist activity, said IS published a eulogy for "Jihadi John," whose real name was Mohammed Emwazi, in its English-language propaganda magazine Dabiq.
The extremist group said Emwazi was killed in November "as the car he was in was targeted in a strike by an unmanned drone in the city of Raqa, destroying the car and killing him instantly."
The U.S. military said in November it was "reasonably certain" that Emwazi was killed in a drone strike.
Kuwaiti-born Emwazi had been described by a former hostage as a bloodthirsty psychopath who enjoyed threatening Western hostages.
He appeared in videos showing the murders of several hostages, including U.S. journalists Steven Sotloff and James Foley, British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning, and Japanese journalist Kenji Goto.
Based on reporting by AP, Reuters, and AFP
Four British Schoolgirls Who Ran Away To Syria Married Men Approved By IS
Four schoolgirls from London who ran away to IS-controlled Syria have all married men approved by the IS group, The Guardian reports.
Two became widows within months of arriving in Syria, their families have been told.
Shamima Begum was aged 15, Kadiza Sultana 16 and Amira Abase 15 when they fled last February. Their 15-year-old friend, who has not being named, joined them in December.