U.S.-led Coalition air strikes more precise than Russia's: coalition spox
A spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition against IS in Syria and Iraq has said that coalition air strikes are more precise than those carried out by Russia.
Georgia 'informed that Russia's FM planned statement on Pankisi Gorge, IS'
Georgia's Defense Minister, Tina Khidasheli, has said that Georgia had been told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov planned to make another statement about the Pankisi Gorge and the IS group.
On Jan. 26, Lavrov said that the IS group had built a training base in the Pankisi Gorge, which is home to a population of ethnic Chechens known as Kists.
Khidasheli said that Georgian reporters had been allowed to visit Pankisi and talk to locals before Lavrov's statement.
"Together with media representatives, we visited each village, we have not given any instructions to them, they were absolutely free when working. Everybody saw nothing dangerous happens there," Khidasheli said.
"We demonstrated this before an apocalypse was declared, as if there are IS camps in Pankisi. We do not plan to confirm anything and justify ourselves but we are responsible for our population to be calm. Our answer is simple -- here is Pankisi, all those who are interested can visit it and see what happens there."
Five on trial in Germany on charges of supporting IS in Syria
Four men and one woman have gone on trial in Germany accused of supporting militant groups in Syria including the IS group.
The defendants are accused of sending funds, vehicles and recruits to Syria to support militant groups.
The main defendant is a 59-year-old German citizen.
Kurds attack Syria air base held by rebels
Kurdish fighters backed by Russian air strikes launched an offensive today to recapture a military air base held by Syrian rebels, according to activists and a rebel commander.
Maj. Yasser Abdul-Rahim, a rebel commander in the northern province of Aleppo, told The Associated Press that fighters from the Kurdish People's Protection Units, known as the YPG, are clashing with rebels near Mannagh air base. He accused the YPG of trying to take Arab villages near Afrin.
"We are fighting on three fronts," he said via Skype, referring to the YPG, Syrian troops and the Islamic State group, which also controls parts of Aleppo province. He warned that Mannagh air base could fall to Kurdish fighters because of the Russian air cover and the intensity of the attack.
French foreign minister resigns with criticism of U.S. 'ambiguous' Syria policy
As French foreign minister Laurent Fabius stepped down from office today, he questioned the United States' commitment to resolving the crisis in Syria.
“There are the ambiguities including among the actors of the coalition … I’m not going to repeat what I’ve said before about the main pilot of the coalition,” Fabius told reporters.
“But we don’t have the feeling that there is a very strong commitment that is there.”
Court finds 3 British men who helped teenager travel to Syria guilty
Three British men who helped a teenager travel to Syria to fight alongside militants have been found guilty of helping in the preparation of an act of terrorism.
Kristen Brekke, 20, Forhad Rahman and Adeel Ulhaq helped Aseel Muthana, 19, join the IS group in February 2014.
Syria rebels demand U.S. action before peace talks
Syrian rebel groups have called on U.S. President Barack Obama to do more to stop Russian bombing in Syria ahead of a new round of peace talks set to start this week.
World powers are meeting in Munich, Germany on Feb. 11 to try to revive stalled peace efforts, though Russia is backing a Syrian government push for complete military victory.
U.S.-led coalition reports 20 strikes against IS in Iraq, Syria on Feb. 9
The United States and its allies carried out 20 strikes against the IS group in Iraq and Syria on Feb. 9, the coalition leading the operations said in a statement on Feb. 10.
Eighteen of the strikes were in Iraq and two were in Syria, destroying two IS fighting positions near Raqqa.
Daghestan resident indicted on charges of fighting in Syria
A resident of the village of Magaramkent in Daghestan has been indicted on terrorism charges including participating in fighting in Syria, the local prosecutor's office has said.
Marik Nurmagamedov, 33, is accused of possessing an explosive device, belonging to an illegal armed group, and of fighting in Syria from March through July 2015.
The announcement by the prosecutor's office does not say to which group Nurmagamedov is alleged to have belonged, nor with which group he is alleged to have fought in Syria.