IHS Janes reports that Syrian government territory has expanded by 1.3 percent with Russian air support.
Plunge In Oil Prices Threaten Iraq's Fight Against IS: Abadi
Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi has said that the drop in oil prices means that Iraq needs help from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in order to continue with its fight against the IS group.
"We’ve been anticipating there would be some drop of prices but this has taken us by surprise," said Abadi in an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
"We can defeat [IS] but with this fiscal problem, we need the support [of the IMF]."
At Least 17 Killed In Islamist Al-Shabaab Attack In Mogadishu
At least 17 people have been killed in an attack by five Islamist gunmen in the Somali capital of Mogadishu late on January 21, Somali police have said.
Al-Shabaab, a militant group aligned with Al-Qaeda, said its militants set off two car bombs at a cafe on the popular Lido beach, before starting a gun battle with government troops.
Four of the gunmen were reportedly killed and one captured alive.
Erdogan: Turkey Won't Let Syrian Kurdish PYD Cross West Of Euphrates
Turkey has not and will not allow the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), whose People's Protection Units (YPG) militia is fighting the IS group, to cross west of the Euphrates river, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.
Germany Wants Kurds To Be Part Of Syria Peace Talks
A spokesman for Germany's Foreign Ministry has said that Germany wants Kurdish groups to attend Syrian peace talks planned to start on January 25.
Syria Court Sentences Assad's Cousin For Murder
A court in Syria's Latakia province sentenced a cousin of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to 20 years in prison for the murder of a military officer last summer.
Suleiman al-Assad was convicted of killing Col. Hassan al-Sheikh last summer.
'Environmental Catastrophe' In Ras Lanuf After IS Attacks: Libya's National Oil Corporation
Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) has said that the situation in the Ras Lanuf oil terminal following yesterday's attacks by the IS group is a "real disaster."
NOC made its comments in a statement on its website.
At dawn on Thursday 21 January 2016 the armed clashes in Ras Lanuf area recurred resulting in direct hitting of the tanks at Ras Lanuf Oil Terminal which led to fire break out in the crude oil filled tanks. Consequently, smoke clouds ascended in columns at high altitude and covered the whole area. This also led to the collapse of power towers and lines supplying electicity [sic] to the City and the industrial area.
The situation in Ras Lanuf is a real disaster because of the environmental catastrophe and the escalation of the dense smoke, which will certainly lead to asphyxia cases among the people living in the region. The situation will also create horror and panic among the inhabitants because of the destruction that is being happing.
NOC said that it had attempted to avert the "catastrophe" over the past weeks by removing crude oil from storage tanks at Ras Lanuf but the "rejection and stubbornness of the Oil installations" prevented this move.
This just in from AFP: a suspected Syrian jihadist has been arrested in Germany on suspicion of a "war crime."
British Imams To Wage War Against IS On Social Media
Influential imams in Yorkshire in northern England are set to take to the internet to confront IS propaganda to try to prevent the radicalization of young Muslims.
The imams will meet on January 23 in Bradford to discuss how social media can be used to combat IS.
"Imams are holding this digital summit because they feel passionate about combating extremism and educating youths about authentic peace-loving Islam -- empowering young men and women of their community and raising their aspirations, inspiring them to be active citizens of the digital world, involved in many online and off-line social actions," one of the imams, Qari Asim from Leeds, said.
Turkey 'Closely Watching' Russian Troop Movements Near Its Border
Turkey is "closely watching" Russian troop movements in Syria near its border, a government source in Ankara told AFP this morning.
The comment follows reports by the Britain-based monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that Russia has sent engineers to the Syrian town of Qamishli to strengthen a runway and increase the capacity of an airport.