Violent Clashes Still Taking Place In Northern Latakia: Monitor
Violent clashes between rebels and Syrian government forces are still taking place in several areas of Jabal al-Turkmen and the outskirts of Jabal al-Akrad in northern Latakia province, according to the Britain-based monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
SOHR notes that Russian support has enabled pro-government forces to advance and take control of 36 towns and villages in Latakia in the past two weeks, of which the rebel strongholds of Salma and Rabia are the most important gains.
Hollande: "We Will Strike Against IS Again And Again'
French President Francois Hollande has vowed that France and its allies are prepared to strike against the IS group "again and again."
"[IS] is provoking us on the worst possible way," Hollande said, according to Reuters.
Tajikistan Says Over 1000 Of Its Citizens Are Fighting Alongside IS
The authorities in Tajikistan say that over 1,000 Tajik nationals are fighting alongside the IS group in Syria.
The figure is over double the previous estimate given by the Tajik government for the number of Tajiks fighting in Syria.
Tajik Interior Minister Ramazon Rakhimzoda said that 61 Tajiks had returned from Syria and Iraq and that 148 Tajik citizens had been killed there.
Syrian state news agency SANA has posted this video of government troops in the town of Rabia in Latakia, which it recaptured from rebels on January 24.
Rabia was the last major rebel-held town in Latakia province and its capture was the second strategic victory for Syrian government forces in the province, who retook the rebel stronghold of Salma on January 12.
"In the coming weeks, we will be able to announce that all of Latakia -- city and province -- is free from armed groups," an army commander in Latakia told AFP.
Kyrgyzstan To Recognize Uzbek Militant Group As Terrorist Organization
Prosecutors in Kyrgyzstan have asked a court in the Osh district to rule that an Uzbek-led jihadist group fighting in Syria is a terrorist organization.
The group, known as both Jannat Oshiklari and Tawhid wal-Jihod, is based in Aleppo province and joined Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate the Al-Nusra front last year.
"For the purposes of Kyrgyzstan's national security and in protection of human and civil rights and liberties and foundations of the constitutional order, the regional Prosecutor's Office has filed a petition with the Osh City Court to recognize as terrorist the [Tawhid wal Jihod] group and ban its activities," Osh Region Prosecutor Aibek Turganbayev told Interfax.
Turganbayev said that in late 2015, 16 members of the group were arrested in Kyrgyzstan, including several Kyrgyz nationals who had returned home after fighting in Syria.
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Staffan de Mistura, the UN's Syria Envoy, is to give a press conference at 3p.m. Geneva time (9 a.m. New York time) today on the Syria talks.
Hollande: Threats Won't Weaken France
French President Francois Hollande has said that his country will not allow threats to weaken its resolve against terrorism.
Hollande's comments came hours after the IS group released a video claiming to show the militants who carried out the November 13 attacks in Paris training and carrying out atrocities in IS-controlled territory.
Turkey Arrests 10 Suspected Of Recruiting For IS
Turkish police have detained 10 people on suspicion of recruiting for the IS militant group, the state-run Anadolu Agency is reporting this morning.
The 10 were arrested in raids by anti-terror police early this morning on a street in the capital Ankara, Anadolu said.
From our news desk:
Kerry Seeking 'Clarity' On Scheduled Syrian Peace Talks
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says he hopes to have "clarity" within 24 to 48 hours on Syrian peace talks that are supposed to begin this week.
Speaking to reporters in Laos on January 25, Kerry also said he agreed with the United Nations special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, that invitations for the talks should not be sent out until "all pieces are lined up."
The talks were due to begin on January 25 in Geneva but will almost certainly be delayed because of disagreements with Russia and Iran, which support the Syrian government, over which groups can represent the opposition.
The conflict, which broke out after an uprising in 2011, has killed an estimated 250,000 people and displaced a further 11 million.
Kerry also said that recent statements from Syrian officials that they will make no concessions at the negotiating table and complaints from opposition figures that they are being forced into the talks reflect only "tensions" and "rumors."
From our news desk:
IS Militant Video Purportedly Shows Paris Attackers
The Islamic State (IS) group has released a video purporting to show nine militants behind the November Paris terrorist attacks that killed 130 people.
Posted online, the video shows the nine making threats to countries in the coalition against IS, including Britain.
The militants seen in the video purportedly include four Belgians, three French citizens, and two Iraqis said to be responsible for the Paris attacks.
Filmed in a desert of Iraq or Syria before the Paris attacks, the militants speak in French and Arabic.
The footage includes images of the coordinated Paris attacks as well as security operations by French special forces during the assaults.
It also depicts the nine jihadists carrying out atrocities, including beheadings and shooting people described as hostages.