Hundreds Flee SDF Assault on Islamic State-Held Town in Eastern Syria
The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) continued their assault for a fifth day on Baghouz, the last town held by the Islamic State in eastern Syria; nearly a thousand people have fled the town in the past day (Agence France-Presse)
Separately, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed a suspected Israeli drone strike on Monday in southern Syria targeting Syrian forces (Reuters)
Trump Set to Declare Islamic State Caliphate Liberated
U.S. President Donald J. Trump said yesterday that coalition partners and the allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have “liberated virtually” all Syrian and Iraqi territory held by the Islamic State, and is expected to announce next week that “one hundred percent” of the territory has been recaptured (Politico)
Separately, as U.S.-backed forces advance towards eastern Syria, members of the Islamic State and their families are fleeing from their last stronghold and surrendering to U.S.-backed SDF in Baghuz (BBC)
Manbij Attack Raises Concerns Over U.S. Withdrawal
At least fourteen people, including Syrian civilians, U.S. troops, and U.S.-allied forces, were killed yesterday in a suicide bombing in the northern city of Manbij that was claimed by the Islamic State. Four Americans died in the explosion: two soldiers, a military contractor, and a Defense Department civilian employee; three more U.S. servicemembers were wounded (Washington Post)
Prior to yesterday’s attack, only two Americans had been killed in action in Syria since the U.S.-led campaign began in late 2014 (CNN)
Kurdish-Led Forces Reportedly Capture American ISIS Member
The U.S.-supported Syrian Democratic Forces said they have captured a Houston man who sought work as an English teacher for the Islamic State, along with another man they said is from the United States (New York Times)
Trump Declines to Give Timetable for Syria Pullout
President Donald J. Trump said yesterday that U.S. troops stationed in Syria will leave the country “over a period of time” and that the United States will continue to protect allied Kurdish militias there (Al Jazeera)
Kurds Appeal to Syrian Government in Manbij
Syrian government forces entered the northwestern city of Manbij for the first time in years after U.S.-allied Kurdish fighters called on Damascus to help them defend the city from a potential Turkish offensive (Reuters)
Russian Defense Ministry: Israeli Air Strikes in Syria Endangered Civilians
The Russian Defense Ministry said Israeli air strikes near Damascus “directly endangered” two civilian flights on Tuesday and that Syrian air defenses intercepted fourteen of sixteen incoming missiles (Haaretz)
U.S. Military Preparing to Withdraw Troops from Syria
U.S. officials are reportedly preparing an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from northeast Syria (Wall Street Journal)
SDF Capture Final Islamic State-Controlled Town in Syria
After battling for more than three months, U.S.-allied Kurdish fighters from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) captured eastern Syria’s Hajin, the final town controlled by the Islamic State in the country, according to monitors of the conflict (Associated Press)
UN Syria Envoy Working to Create Constitutional Committee
UN envoy Staffan de Mistura said he is still working with Syria’s warring parties and mediators to form a committee by the end of 2018 to rewrite Syria’s constitution. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said he will only consider amendments to the current constitution (Associated Press)
UN Calls on Syria to Account for Missing, Detainees
The head of a UN commission probing abuses in the Syrian war called on President Bashar al-Assad’s regime to provide any information it has on thousands of people who have been detained or gone missing since the start of the conflict (Deutsche Welle)
Workers Continue to Find Mass Graves in Syria’s Raqqa
Recovery teams have exhumed over five hundred bodies from mass graves and are still discovering others graves in the city of Raqqa. The bodies are thought to have been buried towards the end of the campaign to capture Raqqa from the Islamic State (Al Jazeera)
Over One Hundred Poisoned in Gas Attack
Russia and the Syrian government accused rebel groups of a gas attack which poisoned over one hundred people. Rebel officials denied possessing chemical weapons and accused the Syrian government of creating “a malicious charade” as an excuse to attack rebel-held towns (Reuters)
Islamic State Militants Removed From Southeastern Syria
The Syrian army high command said it cleared Islamic State militants from the Tulul al-Safa heights in southeastern Syria (Reuters)
Separately, Kazakhstan’s foreign minister announced that Russia, Turkey, and Iran will hold talks on November 28 and 29 in the Kazakh capital Astana (Al Jazeera)
French Prosecutors Issue Arrest Warrants for Syrian Officials
French prosecutors announced international arrest warrants for three Syrian officials for alleged collusion in war crimes. The warrants stem from a case involving the disappearance of two French-Syrian nationals who were arrested by Syrian Air Force Intelligence in 2013 (Reuters)
U.S. Strikes Second Syrian Mosque in a Week
The United States carried out strikes on two mosques in eastern Syria it claimed militants from the Islamic State were using as shelter while firing on U.S. partner forces. Mosques are generally viewed as protected buildings in conflict areas, but they lost that status due to the militant group’s use of them, the Pentagon said (Voice of America)
Putin: Islamic State Took Hundreds of Hostages in Syria
Russian President Putin said nearly seven hundred hostages, including Americans and Europeans, have been taken by fighters from the self-proclaimed Islamic State near Deir ez-Zor in eastern Syria (Reuters)
The Pentagon said it could not corroborate Putin’s claims
UN Envoy for Syria to Step Down
UN special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura announced he will step down next month after four years in the post (Al Jazeera)
Islamic State Attacks SDF in Eastern Syria
The Islamic State launched a counteroffensive yesterday targeting U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces operating against the militant group in eastern Syria, capturing several dozen hostages according to reports from a UK-based monitoring group (Agence France-Presse)
Syrian President Offers Amnesty to Deserters
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is granting amnesty to men who deserted the military or avoided military service. The offer covers men who are inside or outside of the country, but does not offer amnesty for those who fought against the government (Al Jazeera)
Rebels Withdraw Heavy Weapons from Syria’s Idlib Province
Rockets, mortars, and missiles have been reportedly removed from the frontlines in Idlib to create a demilitarized zone separating rebel and government forces (BBC)
Turkey to Leave Troops in Syria Until Elections Take Place
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday that he will keep troops in Syria until the country holds a general election (Al Jazeera)
Number of U.S. Diplomats in Syria Doubles
During a press conference yesterday, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said that the number of U.S. diplomats in Syria has doubled as the Islamic State nears defeat (Reuters)
Separately, Syrian rebel groups began to withdraw weapons from a planned demilitarized zone (Wall Street Journal)
Russian Death Toll in Syria Reaches 112, Says Lawmaker
One hundred twelve Russian military personnel have been killed over the course of Russia’s three-year intervention in Syria, a senior Russian lawmaker said on Sunday. A UK-based monitoring group reported earlier this year that dozens of Russian private security contractors were killed in eastern Syria (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Iran Fires Missiles at Militants in Southeast Syria
Iran fired missiles and utilized drones to target Islamic State militants in Albu Kamal, reportedly in retaliation for the September 22 attack on a military parade in Iran (Reuters)