Medical Team To Enter Besieged Syrian Town Of Madaya
The Syrian government, whose forces are besieging the Syrian town of Madaya alongside fighters from Hizbullah, have granted permission to the Syrian Arab Red Crescent to enter the town with a mobile clinic.
Australia's Airports Ramp Up Security Checks For Returning Militants
Australia's international airports have stepped up security checks to focus on foreign fighters returning from the war zone in Syria and Iraq, as well as checks for those potentially traveling to join the IS group there.
Paris Attacker Chakib Akrouh Identified Via DNA From Body Parts
French investigators have confirmed that a Belgian-Moroccan man, Chakib Akrouh, who blew himself up when his safe house in Paris was raided by police on November 18, was one of three attackers who killed dozens of cafe-goers in attacks on November 13.
Akrouh, 25, was identified using DNA samples taken from body parts recovered from the St. Denis apartment where he exploded a suicide vest during a police raid.
Paris Attacks Suspect Traveled To Syria In 2013
A Belgian-Moroccan suspect in the November 13 attacks in Paris left for Syria in 2013 and joined militant groups there, Belgian prosecutors say.
Chakib Akrouh blew himself up during a police raid on an apartment in Paris on November 18. He has been identified in photographs taken in the Paris metro on the night of attacks as the person next to suspected ringleader Abdelhamid Abaaoud.
As Starving Madaya Hits Headlines, Russia Starts 'Humanitarian Operations' In Syria
Russian military forces in Syria have begun a humanitarian operation, Lt.-Gen. Sergei Rudskoi, a department chief at Russia's Defense Ministry, has said.
Rudskoi said that most of the aid delivered by international organizations was being delivered to areas controlled by militants where "much of this aid falls into the hands of militants."
Russia's first aid consignment has been delivered to Deir al-Zor city, Rudskoi said.
Rudskoi's comments appear intended to counter criticism of Moscow's ally, the Bashar al-Assad government, ahead of peace talks on January 25. They come as news of the dire humanitarian situation in the rebel-held town of Madaya has hit headlines this week, with the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon calling the use of starvation there a "war crime."
Madaya has been besieged by government forces since July.
The Syrian government has attempted to downplay the situation in Madaya, with Syria's UN Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari denying that anyone in the town was starving.
Like Rudskoi, Ja'afari blamed "armed terrorist groups" for stealing humanitarian aid.
Russia's General Staff says that Russian air strikes in Syria are forcing "terrorists" to operate with a shortage of fuel, ammunition and provisions, RIA Novosti reports.
Russia Says 'Over 10,000' Fighting In 'Democratic Opposition' In Syria
A Russian Defense Ministry spokesman says that there are over 10,000 fighters in the "democratic Syrian opposition" and that these forces are fighting alongside government troops.
"The democratic Syrian opposition is playing a greater and greater role in the war on terrorism in Syria, operating alongside government troops. Right now the total number of these troops is over 10,500 men," Sergei Rudskoi said.
Rudskoi did not name any of the groups within the "democratic Syrian opposition."
However, Rudskoi went on to say that the "Syrian democratic army" had advanced 108 kilometers and liberated four towns.
Russia To Inform Public About U.S.-led Air Strikes In Syria -- Ministry
Russia's Defense Ministry says that it intends to provide information about U.S.-led air strikes in Syria, in order to "avoid falsification," RIA Novosti reports.
"As as result of our colleagues' silence about the results of their strikes in Syria, we will have to inform the public ourselves about these facts," Defense Ministry official Sergei Rudskoi said.
RFE/RL's Radio Azadi reports that 50 IS militants have been killed in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province in the past 24 hours, including IS leader Hafez Saeed Khan.
Iraq's Top Shi'ite Cleric Slams IS Bombings, Revenge Attacks
Iraq's leading Shi'ite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, has condemned bombings by the IS group this week as well as "revenge" attacks on Sunni mosques in Muqdadiya in eastern Iraq.