Aid convoy heading to besieged Syrian town: ICRC
An aid convoy of 12 trucks carrying food and medicine is heading to the besieged Syrian town of Moadamiyeh southwest of Damascus today, ICRC spokesman Pawel Krzysiek said, AP reports.
The humanitarian situation in Moadamiyeh worsened toward the end of 2015 after government forces blocked the last access point.
IS shelling kills Iraqi soldiers in Ramadi
IS militants killed at least 13 Iraqi soldiers in Ramadi in fresh shelling on the newly-liberated town today, Al Jazeera reports.
IS is engaged in a counter-assault against Iraqi security forces, who retook the town several weeks ago in what was lauded as a significant victory against the militants.
Iraqi military sources told Al Jazeera that at least nine soldiers from the army's 8th Division were killed by shelling in the eastern suburb of Shujirayah -- one of the last strongholds for IS in the city -- while four more were killed in an IS artillery barrage on Abu Risha in the north.
Lebanese army kill two, arrests 27 militants including IS commander
The Lebanese army has killed two militants and arrested at least 27 more including a commander from the IS group in a raid in the town of Arsal near the Syrian border, a security source has told Reuters.
Among those detained was Abu Bakr al-Raqqawi, a local IS commander, the source said.
IS kills 'spies' in Libya's Sirte
The IS group in Libya has carried out execution-style killings of two people it claimed were "spies" from Libya Dawn (Fajr Libya), a group of Islamist militias that took over the Libyan capital Tripoli in 2014.
According to analyst Oded Berkowitz, one of the victims was crucified in Sirte and the other was shot in the head in the desert.
Lavrov: No grounds for ending Syria operation
BBC Russian has more of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's comments on Syria.
Lavrov said that he saw no grounds for Russia to end its air strikes in Syria.
"Russian air strikes will not stop while we have not really defeated the terror organizations IS and the Al-Nusra Front. I don't understand why these air strikes must stop," Lavrov said.
Lavrov added that Moscow was prepared to coordinate its war on terror with the U.S.-led coalition, despite "questions about it legitimacy."
"The only real problem lies in the insufficient legitimacy of the U.S.-led coalition: they have permission from the Iraqi authorities but not from the Syrian authorities," Lavrov said, referring to the fact that the U.S.-led air strikes against IS in Syria are being conducted without permission from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
U.S.-led coalition more effective in Syria after Russian air strikes began: Lavrov
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also claimed that that U.S.-led coalition against the IS group had become more effective in Syria since the start of the Russian air campaign there in late September.
"We showed them an example, the U.S.-led coalition against IS was not very impressive for the previous year and a half. We are glad that with the success of the Russian operation, the coalition's operation started to become much more effective," Lavrov said.
RIA Novosti, which reported Lavrov's remarks, also included an infographic to show the number of coalition air strikes in Syria and Iraq.
'Capricious people' have emerged among Syrian opposition delegation: Lavrov
Lavrov also commented on the Syria peace talks in Geneva, criticizing the Syrian opposition delegation by saying some in that delegation were putting forward conditions that ran contrary to agreements reached earlier.
"Capricious people have also appeared [in the delegation], who are starting to put forward preconditions that have no relation to the fundamental principles and the Geneva communique, and the Vienna documents and the UN Security Council resolution," Lavrov said.
Lavrov: U.S.-led coalition avoiding dialogue with Russia over Syria
The U.S.-led coalition against IS is avoiding dialogue with Russia regarding operations in Syria and prefers instead to put forward groundless accusations against Moscow ,Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said.
"Unfortunately, our partners have preferred for four months now, starting in September, to continue to repeat unfounded allegations and avoid practical dialogue, which we have invited from the very start. Of course, this is suspicious and raises questions about the coalition's real aims," Lavrov said.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has made a number of comments this morning about the Russian air campaign in Syria and the peace talks, which I will summarize in the next few posts.
Canadian who fought IS alongside Kurds detained in Australia
A Canadian man who says he fought the IS group in Syria alongside a Kurdish militia has been detained in Australia and told he will be deported, his father has said, according to Reuters.
Robert Somerville, a Canadian veteran, was detained at Brisbane airport after he told immigration officials he fought alongside the Kurdish YPG against IS last year.
Somerville was traveling to Australia to visit his father, Richard Somerville.
It is illegal for Australians to support any armed group in Syria, according to Reuters.
A number of foreigners including from Europe and North America, have joined the YPG to fight IS but some have faced difficulties after returning home.
Joe Robinson, 22, a British veteran who fought alongside the YPG, was arrested by counter-terrorism police when he returned to the UK, and remains on police bail.