Lavrov, Kerry To Meet In Zurich Tomorrow To Discuss Syria
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is set to meet U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Zurich on January 20 to discuss Syria.
According to Russia's Ambassador to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin, the meeting could be another step that will help the Syrian peace talks go ahead as planned on January 25.
"Yesterday, [UN envoy to Syria] Staffan de Mistura made it clear, as did other UN Security Council members who are taking part in the talks, they made it clear that in this regard many are waiting for the meeting in Zurich between Sergei Lavrov and John Kerry. It is hoped that this Russo-American meeting at the political level will be another step that will allow the implementation of that plan starting with the talks on January 25," Churkin told the Rossiya 24 TV channel.
Tomorrow's meeting between Lavrov and Kerry was announced by Russia on January 14.
Obama Thanks Australia For 'Steadfast' Alliance In Fight Against IS
U.S. President Barack Obama has thanked Australia for its "steadfast" alliance and key contributions in the fight against the IS group, as he we welcomed Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to the White House for the new leader's first visit to Washington, AP reports.
Four British Schoolgirls Who Ran Away To Syria Married Men Approved By IS
Four schoolgirls from London who ran away to IS-controlled Syria have all married men approved by the IS group, The Guardian reports.
Two became widows within months of arriving in Syria, their families have been told.
Shamima Begum was aged 15, Kadiza Sultana 16 and Amira Abase 15 when they fled last February. Their 15-year-old friend, who has not being named, joined them in December.
IS Confirms Death Of 'Jihadi John' In Drone Strike
A publication associated with the extremist group Islamic State (IS) has confirmed the death of the British militant nicknamed "Jihadi John" who appeared in several videos showing the beheadings of hostages.
The intelligence group SITE, which tracks terrorist activity, said IS published a eulogy for "Jihadi John," whose real name was Mohammed Emwazi, in its English-language propaganda magazine Dabiq.
The extremist group said Emwazi was killed in November "as the car he was in was targeted in a strike by an unmanned drone in the city of Raqa, destroying the car and killing him instantly."
The U.S. military said in November it was "reasonably certain" that Emwazi was killed in a drone strike.
Kuwaiti-born Emwazi had been described by a former hostage as a bloodthirsty psychopath who enjoyed threatening Western hostages.
He appeared in videos showing the murders of several hostages, including U.S. journalists Steven Sotloff and James Foley, British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning, and Japanese journalist Kenji Goto.
Based on reporting by AP, Reuters, and AFP
We are now closing the live blog for today. Join us again tomorrow for our continuing coverage tracking Islamic State.
'Exceptional Circumstances' Force IS To Halve Militants' Salaries
The IS group has announced plans to halve the salaries of its militants in Syria and Iraq, because of "exceptional circumstances," according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on a network of activists, fighters and medics in Syria for information.
"Because of the exceptional circumstances that [IS] is passing through, a decision was taken to cut the salaries of the mujahedin [fighters] in half," the Arabic statement published by SOHR said.
"No one will be exempt from this decision no matter his position, but the distribution of food assistance will continue twice a month as usual."
Amnesty: Kurdish Forces Destroyed Arab Homes In Revenge Campaign
Kurdish Peshmerga militia forces in Iraq have destroyed thousands of Arab homes, apparently in an effort to uproot Arab communities in revenge for their alleged support for the IS group, human rights watchdog Amnesty International has said in a new report.
Yazidi militias have also razed Arab homes, the report claims.
Amnesty says that its claims are supported by satellite imagery that shows widespread destruction by Peshmerga forces and in some cases Yazidi militias as well as Kurdish forces from Syria and Turkey who were fighting alongside the Peshmerga.
The displaced Arab citizens are now living in refugee camps in "desperate conditions," Amnesty said.
A former resident of the village of Tabaj Hamid in the east of Diyala province said that the village had been "flattened" by Peshmerga forces after they recaptured it from IS in August 2014.
"All I know is that when the Peshmerga retook the village the houses were standing. We could not go back but could see it clearly from the distance. And later they bulldozed the village, I don’t know why," the resident, Maher Nubul, said.
Dindar Zebari, the head of KRG's committee to respond to international reports, told Reuters that the destruction documented by Amnesty was the result of fighting between IS and Peshmerga forces.
IS have confiscated the house of a woman from al-Basira, an IS-controlled town in Syria's Deir al-Zor province. The woman, Dr. Fatma al-Abd, is living in Turkey -- IS say she is living in the "land of the infidels," according to pro-opposition citizen journalist group DeirEzzor24.
IS Destroys Oldest Christian Monastery In Iraq
IS militants have destroyed St. Elijah's Monastery of Mosul -- the oldest Christian monastery in Iraq, new satellite photos obtained by AP show.
"I can't describe my sadness," the Rev. Paul Thabit Habib told AP from his office in exile in Irbil, Iraq.
"Our Christian history in Mosul is being barbarically leveled. We see it as an attempt to expel us from Iraq, eliminating and finishing our existence in this land."
Russia Pressing Air Strikes Before Scheduled Syria Peace Talks
Russia is pressing its "air blitz" in Syria days before scheduled peace talks on January 25, AP reports.
Since Russia launched its air campaign in Syria on Sept. 30, its warplanes have flown nearly 6,000 missions. The number is impressive for a compact force comprising just a few dozen warplanes.
The Russian military brought a group of Moscow-based reporters to the base on Wednesday to see the operations. Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Tuesday that over the previous four days Russian warplanes had flown 157 sorties striking 579 targets in six Syrian regions.