The U.S. National Security Council said Russia’s declaration that the Islamic State has been defeated in Syria is “premature.” A Pentagon spokesperson also questioned Russia’s announcement that it will withdraw its troops in Syria, saying the United States has not seen any “meaningful reductions” on the ground (Radio Free Europe)
Russia to Withdraw Some Troops From Syria
President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial withdrawal of Russian troops from Syria during an unannounced visit to a Russian air base in western Syria yesterday, his first such trip. Putin said the pullout is possible since “international terrorists” including the Islamic State have been ousted from the country (BBC)
Islamic State Defeated in Syria, Russia Says
The Russian defense minister said yesterday that there is “not a single village or district” in Syria under the control of the Islamic State, and that Russia’s goal of defeating the militant group “has been accomplished” (Deutsche Welle)
Pentagon Suggests U.S. Troops to Stay in Syria
A Pentagon spokesman said yesterday that U.S. troops in Syria, currently numbering around two thousand, will be there for “some time,” adding that there will be no set timeline to determine the withdrawal of troops (Agence France-Presse)
Syrian Kurds Seize Territory From the Islamic State
The People’s Protection Units, a Syrian Kurdish force, has recaptured territory in Deir ez-Zor from the Islamic State with air support from the U.S.-led coalition and from Russia (Deutsche Welle)
Four Hundred Marines Set to Withdraw from Syria
U.S. Marine units providing artillery support to an alliance of Syrian Kurdish and Arab fighters since March 2017 are set to withdraw from Syria after helping capture the city of Raqqa from the Islamic State last month (BBC)
UN to Push for Constitution, Elections at Syria Talks
A new round of Syria peace talks, the eighth held in Geneva since 2012, is set to begin today despite uncertainty over whether the Syrian government will participate in the negotiations (Deutsche Welle)
A UK-based monitoring group said that ahead of the talks Russian air strikes killed fifty-three civilians, about half of whom were children; Moscow denied the charge (Radio Free Europe)
Trump, Putin Back UN Effort for Peace in Syria
U.S. President Donald J. Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed yesterday to back UN efforts to peacefully resolve Syria’s seven-year civil war. The two leaders said Syrian refugees should be able to return to a stable country “free of malign intervention and terrorist safe havens” (Voice of America)
Military Operations in Syria Coming to End, Says Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that joint military operations by Russian and Syrian government forces to fight terrorism in the Middle Eastern country are “wrapping up” and that a political solution will be the next step (Guardian)
Putin made the comments yesterday while hosting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Sochi: Assad’s last visit to Russia was in 2015, when it began its military intervention to back the Assad regime in Syria’s civil war (BBC)
Russia Vetoes Extension of Chemical Weapons Probe in Syria
Russia vetoed a UN Security Council resolution to extend a probe into chemical weapons attacks in Syria. It is the tenth time Russia has used its veto in favor of the Syrian government since the war’s start (BBC)
Dozens Killed by Airstrikes Inside De-Escalation Zone
More than fifty people in a rebel-held town in Aleppo Province have died in air strikes believed to have been carried out by the Syrian government or Russia. The town is part of a so-called de-escalation zone established by Russia, Iran, and Turkey earlier this year (BBC)
Syrian Military Captures Islamic State Stronghold
The Syrian military said yesterday that it has “fully liberated” the town of Albu Kamal in eastern Syria, the Islamic State’s last urban stronghold (Reuters)
Syrian Forces Say Deir Ez-Zor Recaptured
State media reported today that the military and allied forces have retaken Deir ez-Zour, the last of the self-proclaimed Islamic State’s urban strongholds. The militant group, which had controlled the city since 2014, has lost the vast majority of the territory in its so-called caliphate (New York Times)
Tillerson Says ‘No Role’ for Assad in Syrian Government
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said yesterday that the United States sees the reign of the Assad family in Syria “coming to an end,” but said negotiations on ending the civil war there could take place with President Bashar al-Assad still in power (New York Times)
Russia Blocks Chemical Weapons Inquiry in Syria
Russia vetoed a U.S.-sponsored UN Security Council measure to renew the mandate of a mission to investigate chemical weapons attacks in Syria. It was the ninth time Russia used its veto to block measures regarding Syria’s civil war (BBC)
Monitor: Islamic State Executed Scores of Civilians
The Islamic State executed at least 128 people it accused of collaborating with the Syrian government in the three weeks before forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad retook the town of Al-Qaryatayn in early October, according to a UK-based rights monitor (Al Jazeera)
U.S.-Backed Forces Declare Victory in Syria’s Raqqa
A U.S.-backed coalition of Kurdish and Arab fighters announced that they have fully recaptured the city of Raqqa, the Islamic State’s de facto capital, after a five-month assault. A spokesman for the coalition, the Syrian Democratic Forces, declared fighting over in the city and said operations are now underway to remove landmines and search for sleeper cells of militants (BBC)
Turkey Begins Military Operation in Northern Syria
Turkish soldiers and military vehicles crossed into Syria’s Idlib Province to set up observation posts as part of a de-escalation agreement brokered with Iran and Russia. The move also appears aimed at countering Kurdish YPG militants (Reuters)
U.S.-Backed Forces in Final Stage of Raqqa Battle
A spokesman for the Syrian Democratic Forces, a U.S.-supported alliance of Arab and Kurdish fighters, said yesterday that 90 percent of the city of Raqqa has been liberated from the Islamic State. Raqqa was considered the de facto capital of the extremist group (Al Jazeera)
Suicide Attacks Strike Damascus
Twin suicide bombings targeting a police station in the capital of Damascus killed at least sixteen people yesterday. The city has rarely seen such attacks during the country’s six-year civil war (Voice of America)
Monitor: September Deadliest Month This Year in Syria’s War
More than 3,300 people died as a result of fighting in Syria in September, including 995 civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The UK-based monitoring group said 70 percent of the deaths were caused by Syrian government, Russian, or U.S.-led coalition air strikes (BBC)
Israel Strikes Military Facility, Syria Says
Israeli warplanes fired at a Syrian military facility in the western city of Masyaf from Lebanese airspace, killing two people, the Syrian army said. Israel has not commented on the alleged strike, which reports suggested targeted a chemical weapons plant (Al Jazeera)
Syrian Army Breaks Islamic State Siege
Syrian government troops broke a three-year siege by the Islamic State on a government-held enclave in the eastern city of Deir ez-Zour with the backing of Russian air strikes. Their advance puts them closer to forces from a U.S.-led coalition fighting the militant group (Wall Street Journal)
Syrian Democratic Forces Retake Over Half of Raqqa
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have retaken the old city of Raqqa from the Islamic State. The militant group has been wrested from some 60 percent of its de facto capital since the operation, which was carried out with ground support from U.S. special forces (Wall Street Journal)
U.S. Strikes Convoy of Islamic State Militants in Syria
The United States bombed the route of a convoy evacuating Islamic State militants and their family members through Syria’s Deir ez-Zor province, preventing them from continuing toward the Iraq border. The United States said it carried out two strikes that created a crater to impede the convoy and may have killed suspected militants. Hezbollah militants and the Syrian government had agreed to the evacuation as part of a cease-fire with the Islamic State in an area along the Syria-Lebanon border. A U.S. military spokesman said the coalition against the Islamic State will continue to monitor the convoy and may strike again (Wall Street Journal)