Individuals Proposed By Russia Invited To Syria Talks: Reuters
Some of the individuals whom Russia proposed should attend the upcoming Syria peace talks in Geneva have got invitations, two people who got invitations have told Reuters.
"I have been invited, and Haitham Manaa, Saleh Muslim [one of the leaders of the Syrian Kurdish PYD], Ilham Ahmed and Qadri Jamil. We were invited individually," Randa Kassis, president of the Movement of the Pluralistic Society, told Reuters.
However, when asked by Reuters, Muslim said that he had yet to be invited.
IS Shrugging Off U.S. Air Strikes: Iraqi Shi'ite Paramilitary Leader
The IS group is withstanding U.S.-led air strikes in Iraq, Hadi al-Amiri, the leader of a powerful Shi'ite militia group, has told Reuters.
"Many of its leadership have been killed but one should know that Daesh (IS) is still strong," said Amiri, leader of the Badr Organization whose armed wing has been fighting alongside Iraqi security forces to recapture territory seized by IS.
"Their attacks are still daring and swift and their morale is high. They still have money and weapons."
Syrian Army Capture Of Sheikh Miskeen 'Turns Tide Of War' -- Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera has described the capture of the southern Syrian town of Sheikh Miskeen by Syrian army forces as turning the tide of the war.
The fall of Sheikh [Miskeen] on Monday means that government forces will strengthen their hold on [Daraa] province, while cutting off rebel factions from key supply lines.
[Daraa], the scene of the earliest protests against the Syrian government in 2011, contains routes crucial to both the Syrian army and rebel fighters.
"The town is very important for both sides. They have both fought fiercely. Now, by taking it, the regime has cut off the rebels links between eastern and western [Daraa]," said Rami Abdulrahman, head of the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which tracks violence in the country through a wide network of local sources.
Russian Media Lauds Syrian Army Advances -- & Adds A Dash Of Patriotism
Russian pro-Kremlin media is lauding news of Syrian loyalist advances ahead of the Syria talks, which are set to start on Jan. 29.
RIA Novosti has published a series of photographs of Syrian government forces in Darayya, a suburb of Damascus, with the headline "A War For Every Meter."
In a second report, RIA notes how the Syrian "Desert Falcons" have been decorated with an award for bravery during the recapture of rebel-held towns in northern Latakia province.
Naturally, the award ceremony mentioned Oleg Peshkov, the Russian Su-24 pilot killed in Latakia province after Turkish warplanes downed his fighter jet in November.
RIA quotes a Syrian commander, Ayman Jaber, as saying:
"Today we remember that day when the Russian plane was downed. And we remember that Lt. Col. Oleg Peshkov was heroically killed then. Therefore we have taken the best team from the Falcons and given them a task: liberate the Turkmen Mountain and destroy the terrorists who killed the Russian pilot."
Jaber went on to say that the Falcons succeeded thanks to the Russian air force, "who helped us a lot."
Turkey's Foreign Minister says that if the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) is invited to the Syria talks, Turkey will boycott the talks.
From our news desk:
Tbilisi Rejects Lavrov's Claim About IS Training In Pankisi Gorge
Georgian officials have rejected Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's claims that Islamic State (IS) militants are being trained in Georgia's Pankisi Gorge region, near the border with Russia's volatile southern republic of Chechnya.
Zurab Abashidze, an envoy for Georgia's Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, told journalists on January 26 that Lavrov's statements were "tendentious."
Earlier on January 26, Lavrov said in Moscow that the Kremlin has "information that the IS militants go through training, and get rest and additional resources in the Pankisi Gorge."
Abashidze said that as many as 30 men from the Pankisi Gorge had left for Syria and joined Islamic extremists there.
He said that all of them would face charges when they return to Georgia.
Kvirikashvili said earlier on January 26 that Tbilisi "fully controls the situation in the Pankisi Gorge," which is home to Muslims with ethnic ties to Chechens.
New Pictures Of IS Militant 'Jihadi John' Emerge
The SITE Intelligence Group have tweeted these images of Mohammed Emwazi, the IS militant known as "Jihadi John," who was killed in a U.S. drone strike last year.
Turkey Wants Kurds, Not PYD, In Syria Talks
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said his country wants Kurds to attend the Syrian peace talks -- just not the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), or its military wing the People's Protection Units (YPG) Hurriyet is reporting.
“We believe there should be a table where Kurds, Arabs, [Turkomans], Sunnis, Nusayris [Arab Alevis] and Christians are all together. The Kurds’ presence at the table is necessary,” Davutoglu said.
“A table without Kurds will be lacking. However, we are against the [People’s Protection Units] YPG and the PYD, who repress Kurds, being at the table, but not against Kurds."
The YPG is fighting against the IS group in northern Syria.
Libya Lost $68B From Attacks on Oil, Industry Chief Says
Libya has lost $68 billion from attacks on its oil facilities, says Mustafa Sanalla, the head of the state oil company.
AP reports:
Islamic State militants have been attacking Libyan oil facilities since the start of the year.
Sanalla said the group doesn't want to hold the facilities, but disable them. His $68 billion estimate of lost production and exports since 2013 does not include damage and losses from the fire at the big port of Ras Lanuf last week or to any other facilities.
Instead of blaming Islamic State alone, he levelled his most harsh criticisms at the Petroleum Facilities Guard, the force that is meant to protect oil facilities.
Describing the 27,000 member force as more of a hindrance than an asset to keeping such sites secure, he suggested that while they may not be directly allied to Islamic State, they share the same goal: keeping the country destabilized.
So, Will Syria's Saudi-Backed Opposition Attend Peace Talks?
UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura has sent out invitations -- but will the Saudi-backed Syrian opposition actually attend the Syria talks, which are now set to start on Jan. 29 in Geneva?
Opposition groups are meeting right now in Riyadh to talk about whether or not to attend -- and the armed groups are strongly opposed to going to the talks, according to analyst Charles Lister.