Page 6 - Syria

Mass grave of Islamic State victims found in Syria's Palmyra: Report

Syrian authorities found a mass grave in the historic town of Palmyra with bodies of victims of the militant Islamic State group, which controlled the area years ago, Syria's state news agency said Friday. According to the report on SANA, the mass grave was discovered near the second-century Roman amphitheater. The agency said the remains of 12 people buried there have been taken to hospital morgues for identification before they can be handed over to their families. Palmyra is a UNESCO world heritage site and once linked Persia, India, China with the Roman empire and the Mediterranean area. The Islamic State militants controlled the area in two turns in 2015-2016, and killed scores of people there killings often captured in extremist propaganda videos before they were evicted. IS also damaged some of the town's famed archaeological treasures. The brutality and the actions by IS in Palmyra triggered an international outcry. Palmyra was retaken in 2017 by Syrian government forces w

General who led Syrian bombing is new face of Moscow's war in Ukraine

The general carrying out President Vladimir Putin's new military strategy in Ukraine has a reputation for brutality - for bombing civilians in Russia's campaign in Syria. He also played a role in the deaths of three protesters in Moscow during the failed coup against Mikhail Gorbachev in 1991 that hastened the demise of the Soviet Union. Bald and fierce-looking, Gen. Sergei Surovikin was put in charge of Russian forces in Ukraine on October 8 after what has so far been a faltering invasion that has seen a number of chaotic retreats and other setbacks over the nearly eight months of war. Putin put the 56-year-old career military man in command following an apparent truck bombing of the strategic bridge to the Crimean Peninsula that embarrassed the Kremlin and created logistical problems for the Russian forces. Russia responded with a barrage of strikes across Ukraine, which Putin said were aimed at knocking down energy infrastructure and Ukrainian military command centers. Such attac

Germany's Merkel wins UN refugee agency award over welcome of Syrians

The UN refugee agency said on Tuesday it's giving its highest award to former German Chancellor Angela Merkel for her efforts to welcome more than 1 million refugees mostly from Syria into Germany, despite some criticism both at home and abroad. Matthew Saltmarsh, spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, said Merkel had been selected as the latest recipient for the Nansen award, which is handed out annually by the Geneva-based UN agency. Under the then-Federal Chancellor Merkel's leadership, Germany welcomed more than 1.2 million refugees and asylum-seekers in 2015 and 2016, which, as you will remember, was the height of the conflict in Syria, and there was deadly violence in other parts of the world, Saltmarsh told reporters. "Dr. Merkel helped to highlight the plight of refugees globally." Merkel's decision to let in so many migrants boosted the far-right Alternative for Germany party and resulted in protests by a vocal minority. She was also blasted by some ...

Hostilities, deepening health crisis worsen civilian situation in Syria: UN

Hostilities and a deepening economic, health and water crisis have worsened the situation for civilians in northwest Syria, UN humanitarians said

Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon discuss means to boost food security

The Agriculture Ministers of Jordan, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon convened in Amman to discuss means to boost food security.

Israeli killed 27 Syrian soldiers in 25 missile strikes in 2022: Report

Israel has carried out 25 missile strikes inside Syria in 2022, killing 27 government soldiers and injuring 23 civilians, a war monitor reported

Israel launches missile attacks on military sites in Syria's Damascus

Israel launched missile attacks on military sites in the Syrian capital of Damascus, the Syrian national TV reported.

Syrians facing increased suffering, hardships after 10-year war: UN report

Syrians are facing increasing suffering and hardship due to the deadly consequences of over a decade of war, the latest United Nations (UN) report warned.

Over 26 cholera cases reported in Syria; UN says 'serious concern'

A total of 26 cholera cases have been confirmed in Syria, and a UN official expressed "serious concern about the outbreak of the disease"

Russian airstrikes on positions of Nusra Front in Syria kills 120 rebels

Russian airstrikes on positions of the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front in northwestern Syria reportedly killed 120 rebels.

Building collapses in Syria's northern city of Aleppo, kills 9 people

A building collapsed in Syria's northern city of Aleppo, killing at least nine people, including three children, the Syrian state television reported. The TV said the illegally built, five-story building in Aleppo's southern neighbourhood of Fardous collapsed in the evening on Wednesday. It said five women, three children and an elderly man were killed. The report also said two people were injured and seven nearby buildings were evacuated for fear they might collapse as well. Search operations were still ongoing amid the rubble in case more people might be buried under the debris. The cause of the collapse was not immediately known. Fardous was a rebel-held neighbourhood until December 2016, when government forces with the help of Russia and Iran captured eastern parts of the city, which had been held by insurgents for four years. Many buildings in Aleppo were completely destroyed or damaged during Syria's 11-year conflict, which has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced half

Second Israeli airstrike in a week puts Syrian airport out of commission

Israel launched a missile attack on Tuesday targeting the airport in the Syrian city of Aleppo for the second time in a week, this time putting it out of commission, Syrian state media said. The Syrian government did not report any casualties. State media, citing a military source, reported that Syrian anti-missile defense systems fired back at what they said were Israeli missiles. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a U.K.-based opposition war monitor, the airstrikes also destroyed warehouses belonging to Iran-backed militias. Israel launched airstrikes at Aleppo airport last week, damaging its runway and, according to the war monitor, a warehouse that likely stored a shipment of Iranian rockets. Syria's foreign minister last week said the attack completely destroyed the navigation station with its equipment. Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of Syria in recent years, but rarely acknowledges or discusses su

4 killed by explosive war remnants inside an abandoned house in Syria

Four siblings were killed by explosive remnants of war inside an abandoned house in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib, a war monitor reported.

171 killed by explosive war remnants this year in Syria so far, say reports

A total of 171 civilians have so far been killed in 2022 by explosions of landmines and other ordnance left uncovered in previous war zones across Syria, a war monitor reported

Israel carries out missile strikes on Syria's Aleppo international airport

Israel launched a missile attack on Wednesday targeting the airport in the Syrian city of Aleppo, Syrian state media said, citing a military source. The Syrian government did not report any casualties. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a U.K.-based opposition war monitor, said in a statement that Israel fired four missiles targeting a runway at the Aleppo International Airport and warehouses surrounding it. The group claimed that the warehouses likely contained a shipment of Iranian rockets. Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of Syria over recent past years, but rarely acknowledges or discusses such operations. The Israeli military declined to comment on the airstrike targeting Aleppo's airport. Israel has acknowledged, however, that it targets bases of Iran-allied militant groups, such as Lebanon's Hezbollah, which has sent thousands of fighters to support Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces. On Sunday, Israel launch

ISIS bride Shamima Begum was smuggled by Canadian spy, claims book

Shamima Begum, the London-born Bangladeshi-origin woman who fled the UK and joined the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist network as a teenager, was smuggled into Syria by a spy for Canada, a new book has claimed. The Secret History of the Five Eyes' by Richard Kerbaj, to be published on Thursday, claims that Canada privately admitted its involvement and then asked British authorities to cover up its role. The term "Five Eyes" refers to the network of intelligence-sharing between Canada, Britain, the US, Australia and New Zealand. "For seven years now this has been covered up by the Canadians, Kerbaj told the Guardian' and claimed that he interviewed multiple Canadian intelligence officials for the book to confirm the timeline of events. "I think the cover-up is worse than the offence in many ways here because you would expect human intelligence agencies to recruit members of criminal groups and terrorist groups, he said. Begum, referred to as an ISIS bride after marrying a Dutch fight

Erdogan vows to expand incursion in Syria despite international protests

Erdogan had in April warned of a new offensive to drive the US-backed Syrian Kurdish militia the People's Defence Units (YPG) further south

American troops injured in Syrian rocket attacks; retaliate with airstrikes

Three American troops were injured in two rocket attacks in Syria earlier in the day and the United States responded with strikes from attack helicopters

US airstrikes target Iran backed militia-controlled areas in east Syria

The US military said early on Wednesday it carried out airstrikes in eastern Syria that targeted areas used by militias backed by Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. There was no immediate acknowledgment by Syria's state-run media of the strikes hitting Deir Ez-Zor. Iran as well did not acknowledge the attack. The US military's Central Command said the strikes took proportionate, deliberate action intended to limit the risk of escalation and minimize the risk of casualties. It did not identify the targets, nor offer any casualty figures from the strikes, which the military said came at the orders of President Joe Biden. Today's strikes were necessary to protect and defend US personnel," Central Command spokesman Col. Joe Buccino said in a statement. The colonel added the attack was in response to an August 15 attack targeting US forces. That attack saw drones allegedly launched by Iranian-backed militias target the al-Tanf Garrison used by American forces. US Central Command

Syria reports Israeli missile attack on coast, no immediate casualties

Israel launched a missile attack on western Syria Sunday night and explosions were heard in the coastal region of the war-torn country, Syrian state media reported