United Nations (United States) (AFP) – The Syrian army attacked the village of Qmenas with chemical weapons in March 2015, UN experts said in a report released Friday. But they were unable to determine who was responsible for two other chemical weapons attacks — against Binnish in Idlib province in March 2015 and Kafr Zita in Hama province in April ...

An international inquiry has found Syrian government forces were responsible for a third toxic gas attack, according to a confidential report submitted to the UN Security Council. The finding sets the stage for a showdown between Russia and western council members over how to respond. The fourth report from the 13-month-long inquiry by the United Nations and the Organisation for ...

Syrian government says security services chief Ali Mamluk agreed coordination with Cairo during first public foreign visit in five years Syrian security services chief Ali Mamluk met Egyptian officials in his first public foreign visit in five years, state media in Damascus said on Monday. State news agency SANA said Mamluk met with Egyptian head of general intelligence Khaled Fawzy ...

After the United Nations security council failed to adopt a resolution for peace in Syria, international talks led by the US and Russia were held in Swiss capital of Lausanne on Saturday to discuss the Syrian crisis. The spokesperson for Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ahmed Abou Zaid said in a statement on Friday that US secretary of state John ...

EDITED BY KALAHAN DENG Turkish-backed Syrian rebels are advancing on Dabiq, a symbolic stronghold of so-called Islamic State. The small town holds great value to IS because of a prophecy of an apocalyptic battle, and features heavily in its propaganda. The operation began as US and Russian envoys met in Switzerland to discuss possible routes to a new ceasefire. No ...

With the prospects of increased U.S. military involvement in Syria, peace activists have been mobilizing across the country. Recognizing the disastrous results of recent U.S. military interventions, the suspicions throughout the region regarding Washington’s motivations, and the lack of any major cohesive democratic armed force to support, there is a widespread understanding within the anti-war left that further militarization of ...

Russian planes have resumed air strikes on rebel-held districts in the city of Aleppo, in what activists say is the heaviest bombardment in days. At least 25 people are reported to have died, including children. The bombardment follows a temporary lull called by the Syrian government, partly to allow civilians to leave rebel areas in the east of the city. ...

EDITED BY KALAHAN DENG A Syrian refugee detained by police in Germany had links to the ISIS militant group and was planning a bomb attack “with Islamist motives,” German officials said Monday. German police discovered 1.5 kg of extremely dangerous explosives in a flat in Chemnitz before detaining 22-year-old Jaber al-Bakr in Leipzig on Sunday, ending a manhunt that lasted ...

WRITTEN BY KALAHAN DENG Why is Russia bombing Syria? Russia says the strikes are to defeat Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil). But most of their first strikes have been against non-Isil groups who are opposed to President Assad’s regime. Why would Russia bomb non-Isil groups? Russia’s spokespeople are sometimes vague – referring to Isil and terrorists in ...

So-called Islamic State (IS) has lost more than a quarter of the territory it once controlled, new data shows. Security and defence analysts IHS say the group’s control has shrunk by 28% since its height in January 2015. In the first nine months of this year, IS’ territory fell from 78,000 sq km (30,115 sq miles) to 65,500 sq km ...