Russia's Foreign Ministry has said that it is "seriously concerned" about reports that the U.S.-led coalition in Syria struck a Syrian army base in Deir Ezzor province on December 6, and that a separate coalition strike had allegedly hit civilians in northeastern Syria.
The coalition has denied accusations by Syria that it struck the army base, while a spokesman for U.S. Central Command said yesterday that the military is investigating allegations that it struck civilians in the northeastern Syrian village of Al-Khan.
In a statement published on its website today, the Foreign Ministry said that "In general, these incidents indicate that the situation on the front lines of the war against the so-called Islamic State in Syria and Iraq is heating up."
Russian Foreign Ministry: Turkish Troop Deployment In Iraq 'Illegal'
Turkey's deployment of troops into Iraqi territory without Baghdad's permission is illegal, Russia's Foreign Ministry has said.
"An additional and very serious source of tension is the illegal presence of Turkish troops on Iraqi territory near the city of Mosul, which were deployed there without the appropriate approach to or approval of the lawful Iraqi government. We consider such presence as unacceptable," the Ministry said in a statement.
The Kululiraq Iraqi news website has more details of the latest developments in the battle against IS in the Ramadi, the capital of Iraq's Anbar province.
The news site quotes a senior military source as saying that Iraqi government forces have liberated the southern Ramadi neighborhood of Tameem.
Iraqi forces have taken large parts of Ramadi city from IS militants, AFP is reporting, citing Iraqi officials.
Ramadi, the capital of Iraq's Anbar province, fell to IS in May.
Russia's Interfax news agency has quoted Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu as saying that Ankara is ready for talks with Russia but will not allow Moscow to impose its will.
"Russia needs to understand one thing, this is a border between Turkey and Syria and those who are on the other side of the border are our brothers. Defending their rights is our obligation, just as defending our citizens is our obligation," Davutoglu told local media today, according to Interfax.
Davutoglu was likely referring to Syrian Turkomans, ethnic Turks living in northern Syria. Turkey accused Russia of bombing Turkoman rebel groups along the Syrian-Turkish border shortly before the November 24 downing by the Turkish air force of a Russian Su-24 jet.
On December 4, Turkish media reported that Russia had begun targeting the Turkoman region of Bayırbucak in northern Syria, with sources telling the Daily Sabah news site that Russia had hit eight different positions around Syria's Mount Turkmen including Karamanlı, Gebere and Kinsibbe villages.
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Turkey Rejects Baghdad's Demand To Withdraw Troops From Northern Iraq
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has told the Iraqi government that Ankara will not withdraw its ground troops from northern Iraq for now.
Cavusoglu made the remarks in a phone call to Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari on December 8, just hours after Baghdad's deadline for a Turkish withdrawal expired.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi has said Turkish troops entered Iraq without permission and warned that Baghdad would seek UN Security Council action if those forces did not start to withdraw by the end of December 7.
Cavusoglu said Ankara sent military forces near the city Mosul on December 3 to protect and replace Turkish soldiers already deployed there.
Turkey says its soldiers are training Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga and Sunni Arab tribal fighters around Mosul ahead of an expected offensive aimed at taking the city back from the Islamic State militants who have occupied the city since the summer of 2014.
On December 7, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told Abadi in a letter that Ankara would halt further deployments into Iraq until Baghdad's "sensitivities" were placated.
Turkey has halted the deployment of troops to northern Iraq for the time being but will not withdraw those already there, Turkey's Foreign Ministry said today, Today's Zaman reports.
Analyst Michael Horowitz has tweeted this image of the Eagles of Death Metal band in front of the Bataclan theater in Paris today, paying their respects to the victims of the November 13 Paris attacks.
Campaign rhetoric in the United States is harming an important U.S. resettlement program for Syrian refugees, the United Nations refugee agency warned today.
Asked about remarks by Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump, who yesterday called for a ban on Muslims entering the United States, UNCHR spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said Trump was "speaking of an entire population but this also impacts the refugee program."
"Our refugee program is religion-blind. Our resettlement program selects the people who are most at need," Fleming told a news briefing in Geneva.
Members of the California rock band Eagles of Death Metal have visited the Paris venue where they survived a terrorist attack by suicide bombers.
The band came today to the Bataclan theater in eastern Paris where 89 people were killed inside on November 13. The band members escaped the massacre by hiding in a dressing room.