British Man Who Fought Against IS Says He Was 'Terrified The Whole Way'
The Guardian has spoken to Joe Robinson, a 22-year-old former soldier who returned to the UK two months ago after fighting alongside Kurdish forces in Syria against the IS group.
Since returning to the UK jobless, penniless and homeless, Robinson has found it hard to return to civilian life.
"When you go [to a war zone] with the military you’re getting paid, you’re getting lots of support, you have decompression and stuff like that," he said.
"When I came back, I’d spent every penny I had to get over there, I left my job to get over there. I’ve had nowhere to live. I’ve come back with nothing, no support and nobody to talk to."
Robinson's story highlights some of the uncomfortable truths about Western volunteers who are going to Syria to fight against IS alongside Kurdish and other militias.
When Robinson returned to the UK on November 28, he was arrested by counter-terrorism police in Manchester airport and questioned for 10 hours. He will remain on police bail, unable to leave the country, until March.
Inside A Rebel-Blockaded Government-Held Town In Syria
Syria Direct has spoken -- via two Syrian pro-government journalists -- to residents of al-Fuaa, a Syrian government-held Shi'ite village that together with the neighboring village of al-Kafariya is under siege by rebel forces.
Syria Direct notes that both villages have been encircled by rebels since March, when rebels led by Ahrar al-Sham and Al-Qaeda affiliate the Al-Nusra Front blockaded them during an offensive.
Residents in al-Fuaa say the town's hospital is "almost shut down" because of a lack of medicine and diesel fuel.
"My father was injured in his hand and foot, and he is in a terrible state because of the medicine shortage," says Abu Jawad, a 31-year-old al-Fuaa resident.
Dozens of residents have died of heart attacks, kidney failure and other preventable causes due to a lack of specialists and medication, Saleh [a nurse in al-Fuaa] says. "There are also dozens of illnesses due to cold and malnutrition."
"We have records," the nurse said, adding, "the UN can verify this."
Here's footage posted today and taken on Jan. 23 in central Ramadi in Iraq's Anbar Province. Ramadi was recently recaptured from IS militants but work is ongoing to clear up booby traps and unexploded devices left in buildings by the militants.
The extent of the destruction in Ramadi is visible in this short video.
The pro-opposition SMART news agency has shared this footage of the aftermath of a suicide truck bombing in the Sukari district of Aleppo city today.
The bombing is thought to have been carried out by the IS group and targeted a headquarters belonging to the Islamist rebel group Ahrar al-Sham. SMART report that 16 people were killed, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights put the death toll as at least 23.
Most of those killed are thought to be Ahrar al-Sham members but some civilians are thought to have died as well.
From our news desk:
Putin Says Russian Air Strikes To Continue In Syria As Long As Necessary
Russian President Vladimir Putin has told students in Stavropol that Russian air strikes in Syria will continue for as long as it is necessary to support Syrian forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.
Speaking at the North Caucasus Federal University on January 25, Putin said Moscow's goal is to help Assad's military defeat "terrorists."
Putin said Russia has "no intention of meddling in the state structure, in solving problems faced by Syria and other countries in the region."
He said the only task of Russian forces in Syria is to help "people, help the legitimate leadership of Syria to combat terrorism, and to liquidate terrorists on Syrian soil."
His remarks come a day after suspected Russian air strikes killed at least 63 people, including nine children, in eastern Syria.
The United States and NATO say Russia has been targeting moderates in Syria who have been fighting against Assad's regime since it launched a bloody crackdown on opposition protesters in 2011.
Mother Of 'Jihadi Jack' Says Her Son Is In Syria For Humanitarian Reasons
The mother of a British man dubbed "Jihadi Jack" after reports that he was the first white Briton to join the IS group has said that her son is in Syria to do humanitarian work, according to the Guardian.
"We spoke to him yesterday and he said he had never had a weapon in his life. He went out there for humanitarian purposes to help kids in Syrian refugee camps.
"It is not as if he is hiding anything -- he tells us what he has for breakfast. All this is absolutely ridiculous, it is shocking," she told the Evening Standard.
Russian Warplanes Carried Out 169 Sorties In Three Days: RIA
Russian warplanes in Syria have carried out 169 sorties between Jan. 22-24 against 484 "terrorist infrastructure targets," RIA Novosti is reporting, citing general staff spokesman Lt. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi.
Russia is continuing with a push against rebel positions ahead of Syrian peace talks, which are now set to start on Jan. 29.
Syria Peace Talks Stalled Over Who Represents Opposition
UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura has said that he will be sending out invitations tomorrow -- Jan. 26 -- for the Syria talks which are now scheduled to start on Jan. 29.
The talks will be "proximity talks" and will not have any official opening ceremony -- which means that it does not matter if some groups cannot reach Geneva when talks open on Friday.
Reuters is reporting that the talks -- which were meant to start today -- have stalled, in part, because of disagreements over who should represent the Syrian opposition.
The press conference with UN Syria Envoy Staffan de Mistura is now ended.
UN Syria Envoy Staffan de Mistura is answering questions after a press conference on the Syria peace talks.
De Mistura was asked about the plan for local cease fires in Syria and whether this would be possible when one of the groups involved in the fighting was a terrorist group.
De Mistura: It has been clear to all those attending the Vienna process that the suspension of fighting regarding IS in particular and also the Al-Nusra front is not on the table but there are plenty of other suspensions of fighting that can take place.