Dutch Ex-Soldier Arrested On Suspicion Of Killing IS Militants In Syria
Police in the Netherlands have arrested a former Dutch soldier on suspicion of killing IS militants while fighting as a volunteer alongside a Kurdish militia in Syria.
The man, 47, was detained in Arnhem on January 13 but later released after agreeing to surrender his passport. Prosecutors say that killing IS militants could lead to murder charges.
Foreign fighters from a number of Western countries have traveled to Syria to join the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) in their fight against the IS group, causing concern.
Russia Accuses Western Media Of 'Stove Piping' Over Russian Air Strikes In Syria (Again)
Russia's Defense Ministry has -- yet again -- accused the Western media of "stove piping," or presenting information without context, with regard to Russian air strikes in Syria.
Western media, according to Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashekov, were acting on behalf of "so-called Syrian rights defenders" who live in Western countries.
"The first stove piping about the alleged victims of Russian air strikes appeared on social media and on independent Western media from the very start of the operation in Syria," said Konashenkov at a press briefing earlier today in Moscow.
"The sending of the claims of these fake rights defenders, about whom no one had heard before IS militants overran Syrian territory, is being carried out by the same foreign media outlets."
The most active of these rights defenders, according to Konashenkov, is the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
"In actual fact, this is just one man named Asam Ali Suleyman, who came to Britain in 2000 after serving several prison terms in Syria," Konashenkov said.
Ironically, anti-Assad activists have also slammed SOHR, accusing it of having ties to the Syrian government.
Russia To Seek Extradition Of Citizen Arrested In Turkey Over IS Ties
Russia intends to pursue the extradition of a Russian national from Tatarstan, Aydar Suleymanov, who was arrested in Turkey on suspicion of having links to the IS group, a source "familiar with the situation" has told Interfax.
The source said that Russia was negotiating with Turkey via Interpol over Suleymanov, who is on an international wanted list.
Life Under IS Rule In Raqqa Was 'Hell...Horrible,' British Mother Says
A British mother standing trial in the UK accused of taking her toddler to Syria to join the IS group has described life in IS-controlled Syria as "hell" and "horrible," according to local media reports.
Tareena Shakil allegedly spent three months beginning October 2014 in IS's stronghold of Raqqa.
Photographs allegedly show Shakil posing with an AK-47 assault rifle. A senior security analyst reportedly told the court that only women from IS's all-female al-Khansa brigade were allowed access to weapons in IS-controlled areas.
U.S. Military Discloses 8 Civilian Deaths In Air Strikes In Iraq, Syria
The United States military has said that eight civilians were killed and three others wounded in five air strikes against IS targets in Iraq and Syria between April 12 and July 4, 2015.
IS Funded Jakarta Attacks Through 'Intellectual Jihadi,' Police Say
Indonesia's national police chief General Badrodin Haiti has said that yesterday's deadly attacks militants in Jakarta were funded by the IS group and that the funds were driven through Bahrun Naim, a militant arrested in 2011 for illegal arms possession.
"The planners, financiers and supporters that provide [explosive] materials, assemble the bombs, facilitate accommodations and vehicles, etc…of course this is the work of a team that could be big or small," Haiti said.
"This obviously was not conducted by five men, this takes teamwork."
Jakarta Attacks May Have Not Gone To Plan...
Yesterday's deadly attacks in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta may not have gone completely to plan, Reuters suggests.
The attacks, which appear to have been modeled on the November 13 Paris attacks -- for which the IS group also claimed responsibility -- were apparently designed to take many lives.
But of the seven people killed in the attacks, five were the attackers themselves.
In interviews with witnesses and authorities, as well as video obtained by Reuters, a picture emerges of a calculated attack that swiftly fizzled out due to the militants' lack of sophisticated weaponry and amateurish execution.
Full Transcript, Video of U.S.-led Coalition Spokesman's Briefing
The U.S. Department of State has now published a full transcript of a briefing yesterday by U.S.-led coalition spokesman Army Col. Steve Warren on the current situation regarding operations against the IS group in Syria and Iraq.
A video of the complete briefing has also been published today.
The official Twitter account for the U.S.-led coalition against the IS group in Syria and Iraq tweeted this photo of an Australian Army trainer leading Iraqi forces at the start of a bayonet course.
Severe Malnutrition Confirmed In Syria's Madaya
UNICEF has confirmed cases of severe malnutrition among children in the besieged rebel-controlled town of Madaya.
Local aid workers reported 32 deaths from starvation there within the past month.
The Syrian Arab Red Crescent has despatched a mobile clinic and medical team after the government approved an urgent request. The World Health Organization said a vaccination campaign will go ahead in Madaya next week.