syria

IS Head Baghdadi Believed Dead After US Strike In Syria

IS Head Baghdadi Believed Dead After US Strike In Syria

October 27, 2019 7:41 am

Jihadist supremo Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the world’s most wanted man, was believed Sunday to have been killed in a US special operation in northwest Syria.

The elusive chief of the Islamic State group was thought to be dead after a US military raid in the Idlib region, US media reported early Sunday.

The White House announced President Donald Trump would make a “major statement” Sunday at 9:00 am (1300 GMT), without providing details.

A war monitor said US helicopters dropped forces in an area of Idlib where “groups linked to the Islamic State group” were present.

The helicopters targeted …

US Troops Exit Syria To Stay ‘Temporarily’ In Iraq - Esper

US Troops Exit Syria To Stay ‘Temporarily’ In Iraq – Esper

October 23, 2019 12:09 pm

The American troops withdrawing from Syria will stay in Iraq “temporarily” before returning to the United States, US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Tuesday.

In an interview with CNN, Esper said the US forces were pulling out in phases and had now moved from the “immediate zone of attack” to a northeastern corridor out of the country.

“Then we’ll have another phase that will draw all the forces out. We will temporarily position in Iraq before bringing the troops home. They will be coming home,” he said.

Dozens of US armored vehicles arrived Monday at a base in Iraqi Kurdistan.…

Turkey Defiant On Syria Operation As US Demands Ceasefire

Turkey Defiant On Syria Operation As US Demands Ceasefire

October 16, 2019 8:33 am

Turkey remained defiant against mounting international pressure to curb its military offensive against Kurdish militants in Syria, raising tensions with Washington as Vice President Mike Pence headed for Ankara on Wednesday to demand a ceasefire.

Battles raged in the key Syrian border town of Ras al-Ain as dawn broke on Wednesday, with Kurdish fighters trying to hold off the onslaught by Turkish-backed forces, now in its second week.

The fighting has triggered a flurry of diplomacy among major powers, with US President Donald Trump dispatching Pence along with his top diplomat Mike Pompeo to Turkey amid the greatest crisis …

Turkey-Syria Offensive: Erdogan Rejects US Ceasefire Call

Turkey-Syria Offensive: Erdogan Rejects US Ceasefire Call

October 16, 2019 2:29 am

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has rejected a US call for an immediate ceasefire in northern Syria.

Mr Erdogan’s comments come ahead of a visit to Turkey by the US vice-president and US secretary of state.

Turkey launched an offensive designed to drive away Kurdish troops after their main ally, the US, pulled out.

Russia, which backs Syria, has said it prevent clashes between Turkish and Syrian forces which have now moved into the area after a deal with the Kurds.

Turkey considers elements of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) a terrorist organisation and want to push them away …

UK Suspends Arms Exports To Turkey Over Syria Offensive

UK Suspends Arms Exports To Turkey Over Syria Offensive

October 15, 2019 11:12 am

Britain on Tuesday said it was suspending military exports to Turkey following its incursion into northeastern Syria, as it carries out a review of arms sales to its NATO ally.

“We will keep our defence exports to Turkey under very careful and continual review,” Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said in a statement to parliament.

“No further export licences to Turkey for items which might be used in military operations in Syria will be granted while we conduct that review.”

Ankara’s assault against Kurdish forces launched last week has prompted a chorus of international condemnation. Raab said it had “seriously undermined …

Turkey-Syria: Syrian Army Heads North After Kurdish Deal

Turkey-Syria: Syrian Army Heads North After Kurdish Deal

October 14, 2019 12:54 pm

Syria’s army has started to reach the north of the country, hours after the government agreed to help Kurdish forces facing Turkey.

State media said government forces, which are backed by Russia, had entered the strategic town of Tal Tamer, 30km (19 miles) south of the Turkish border.

The deal came after the US, the Kurds’ main ally, said it would withdraw its remaining troops from northern Syria.

Turkey’s offensive aims to push Kurdish forces from the border region.

Areas under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) came under heavy bombardment over the weekend, with Turkey making …

Turkey-Syria Offensive: Kurds Reach Deal With Syrian Army

Turkey-Syria Offensive: Kurds Reach Deal With Syrian Army

October 14, 2019 3:26 am

The Kurds in Syria say the Syrian government has agreed to send its army to the northern border to try to halt Turkey’s offensive against them.

Syrian state media earlier reported that government forces had been deployed to the north.

It follows the US decision to pull all its remaining troops from the area over the “untenable” situation there.

The Turkish assault, launched last week, is aimed at forcing Kurdish forces from along the border area.

Areas under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the main US ally in the area, have come under heavy bombardment over …

1,000 US Troops To Withdraw From Northern Syria - Esper

1,000 US Troops To Withdraw From Northern Syria – Esper

October 13, 2019 11:40 am

US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Sunday that President Donald Trump had ordered the withdrawal of up to 1,000 troops from northern Syria, as the number of people fleeing a Turkish assault soared to 130,000.

“I spoke with the president last night after discussions with the rest of the national security team and he directed that we begin a deliberate withdrawal of forces from northern Syria,” Esper told CBS’s Face the Nation.

Esper told Fox News that the number of troops being pulled back totaled “less than a thousand.”

“I can’t give a timeline because it changes hourly. We want …

Islamic State (IS) Families Escape Syria Displacement Camp

Islamic State (IS) Families Escape Syria Displacement Camp

October 13, 2019 10:23 am

Families of Islamic State (IS) group members escaped a displacement camp in northern Syria where a Turkish offensive against Kurdish forces has sparked fierce fighting, Kurdish authorities said Sunday.

“The brutal military assault led by Turkey and its mercenaries are now taking place near a camp in Ain Issa, where there are thousands (of people) from families of IS,” the Kurdish administration said in a statement.

“Some were able to escape after bombardments that targeted” the camp, the statement added.

“More than 100 people, women and children,” fled the camp in Ain Issa, a camp official told AFP, requesting anonymity.…

Turkey Syria War: US Builds Pressure To Halt Incursion

Turkey Syria War: US Builds Pressure To Halt Incursion

October 12, 2019 4:19 am

Pressure is building in the US to stop Turkey from continuing its offensive against Kurdish-held areas in Syria.

Defence Secretary Mark Esper warned of “serious consequences” while Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin held out the prospect of fresh sanctions.

President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw US troops effectively triggered the Turkish incursion.

He has said he would like the US to negotiate a truce between Nato ally Turkey and the Kurds.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, however, says the military operation will continue. Kurdish leaders accuse the US of stabbing them in the back.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon said US forces near …

Syria Border: Trump Threatens To destroy Turkish Economy

Syria Border: Trump Threatens To destroy Turkish Economy

October 7, 2019 3:05 pm

President Donald Trump has threatened to destroy the Turkish economy if the government goes “off-limits” after his decision to pull US forces out of north-eastern Syria.

In a series of tweets, Mr. Trump defended his move that could open the way for Turkey to launch an attack on Kurdish fighters across the border.

The withdrawal was heavily criticised even by Mr. Trump’s Republican allies.

Kurdish forces were key US allies in defeating the Islamic State in Syria.

Mr. Trump’s surprise move – described by the main Kurdish-led group as a “stab in the back” – goes against the advice of …

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𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬, 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐘𝐨𝐫𝐤, is a nonpartisan online news portal founded on the truth to provide you with weekly, insightful articles written with precision and current updates on current events from Africa in particular and the rest of the world in general. All of our reports undergo extensive fact-checking to ensure their veracity, and we adhere strictly to the facts, no matter whose ox is gored.

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