Syrian Kurds Say They Must Be Represented At Peace Talks
Syrian Kurds have said that they must be represented at peace talks in Geneva or the talks will fail, Saleh Muslim, the co-chairman of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) has said.
Muslim also said that one of the opposition groups involved in the talks, the Islam Army, has the "same mentality" as Al-Qaeda and the IS group.
No Indirect Talks Before Goodwill Steps Taken: Syrian Opposition
George Sabra, the deputy head of the Syrian opposition delegation, has said that there will be no indirect peace talks with the Syrian government before Russian air strikes have been halted and government blockades on populated areas lifted.
Russian Warships In 'Soviet-Era' Display Near Syria
AP describes Russia's publicizing of its Vice Admiral Kulakov destroyed and flagship Varyag missile cruiser -- both stationed off the coast of Syria -- as a "Soviet-era display of might."
By establishing a long-term presence in the eastern Mediterranean, the Russian military has revived a Soviet-era capability to project naval power far from its borders.
Syrian government forces are claiming to have captured another four villages from rebels in Latakia province, the pro-Kremlin RIA Novosti is reporting, citing a "military source."
The villages are north of Salma, a rebel stronghold recaptured by government forces, and are named as Bayt Miru, Al-Hawr, 'Ara and Ghunaymiyah.
Syrian government forces have been making gains in Latakia province with the help of Russian air strikes.
The U.S.-led coalition against the IS group in Iraq and Syria posted a video to its Facebook account, showing the U.S.S. Harry S. Truman providing air cover to the coalition air mission.
Russia's Defense Ministry has posted these photos to its Facebook account showing Russian warships off the Syrian coast, which it says are protecting Russian warplanes in the Hmeymim air base in Syria.
Aid Airdrops To Syria's Besieged Deemed Too Dangerous
Aid airdrops to besieged communities in Syria are possible to do but too dangerous, and face "deep complications, both political and logistical," according to a report by AP.
"If we fly aircraft over Syria without the permission of the Syrian government, then there is a real danger that they will take action against them. And that is not going to help anybody," one Security Council diplomat said.
Valerie Szybala, executive director of The Syria Institute and the author of a report last year on besieged communities, was more blunt: "Anyone who enters Damascus airspace without the consent of the Syrian military and Russia runs a very real risk of being shot down."
AFP has shared this image showing Libyan workers trying to control fires in oil storage tanks in Ras Lanuf after they were attacked by the IS group yesterday.
Kerry: IS Will Be 'Seriously Dented' In 2016
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on January 21 that he believed the IS group's military capabilities in Iraq and Syria would be seriously weakened by the end of 2016.
From our news desk:
U.S. Delays Retiring Attack Plane Due To Islamic State, 'Resurgent Russia'
Asenior U.S. military official says the rise of the extremist Islamic State (IS) group and a "resurgent Russia" prompted the U.S. Air Force to reconsider plans to retire a fleet of aging ground-attack jets.
Air Force officials have been trying for the past two years to retire the A-10 Warthog jet fighter, which has been deployed in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, and more recently against IS militants in Syria.
But Air Force Vice Chief of Staff General David Goldfein says plans to shelve the Warthog immediately have been delayed due to the emergence of IS and an emboldened Russia, which annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and has backed armed separatists in eastern Ukraine.
"What happens is that life gets in the way of the perfect plan," Goldfein told Defense News With Vago Muradian in an interview scheduled for broadcast on January 24, the website Defense News reported.
"So when we made the decision on retiring the A-10, we made those decisions prior to ISIL. We were not in Iraq. We were coming out of Afghanistan to a large extent. We didn't have a resurgent Russia," Goldfein added, using an alternate acronym for the Islamic State group.
In use by the U.S. Air Force since 1975, the low-flying Warthog is a heavily armored ground-attack aircraft that is capable of withstanding ground fire for long periods over a battlefield.
Plans to retire the aircraft are aimed at saving money and freeing up personnel for maintenance work on the new F-35 joint strike fighter.
The website Defense One first reported last week about plans to delay the immediate retirement of the Warthogs.
It cited unnamed Pentagon officials as saying that the aircraft would be kept in use due to its effectiveness in combating IS forces.
U.S. Senator John McCain (Republican-Arizona), a vociferous Kremlin critic, welcomed the decision following the Defense One report.
"Today, the A-10 fleet is playing an indispensable role in the fight against ISIL in Iraq and assisting NATO's efforts to deter Russian aggression in Eastern Europe," McCain said in a statement after the report was published.
The U.S. Air Force deployed 12 Warthog aircraft in an April 2015 military exercise in Romania that Air Force General Darryl Roberson said was aimed at reassuring Eastern European countries concerned about Russia's military role in Ukraine and its aggression in the region.