Saudi-Backed Syrian Opposition Reiterates Demands In Letter To UN Chief
The Saudi-backed Syrian opposition has sent a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon demanding a halt to the bombing of civilian areas and a lifting of sieges on towns and villages before the peace talks can begin, Reuters reports.
Syrian Kurdish PYD Could Join Talks Later: Russia
The Syrian Kurdish PYD may be able to take part in a later stage of the Syrian peace talks in Geneva, but have not been invited to the first round of talks set to start on Jan. 29, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov has said.
Yazidi Survivors Of IS Rape & Violence Desperately Need Mental Health Care
Yazidi survivors of the Islamic State group's abductions, forced exile, rape and violence are getting some treatment but desperately need mental health care, says Dr. Ali Muthanna, the Iraqi regional director of the Amar International Charitable Foundation.
Yazidi women and girls who escaped IS captivity are suffering from complex post traumatic stress disorder. Children suffer frequent nightmares and struggle to communicate.
Describing a visit to the Khanke Camp, half an hour from Dohuk in northern Iraq, where 18,500 displaced Yazidis are living, Muthanna writes:
The lives of these gentle people were destroyed virtually overnight. Loved ones, friends and neighbors were killed or disappeared. More than 5,000 young girls were kidnapped, sold on as sex slaves and horribly abused.
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The 500 or so girls who have managed to escape are not doing well. On top of the horrors of war and sexual enslavement, they now live an uncomfortable and difficult life in exile -- far from their homes, in unfamiliar surroundings and without the traditional support structures of their local communities.
IS, Al-Qaeda Taking Advantage Of Libya's Chaos: Report
Both the IS group and Al-Qaeda are flourishing in Libya, taking advantage of the chaos since the overthrow of Muammar Qaddafi to seize territory and parts of the economy, a report released today by the security consulting firm The Soufan Group says.
The so-called Islamic State actively holds territory in and around the central coastal city of Sirte, and is aggressively seeking to expand. The group has integrated itself in the growing black market networks in the country, drawing revenue from taxes on smugglers. [IS] has a particular interest in the oil and gas infrastructure within Libya, and has launched several assaults on key extraction and refinery hubs in attempts to gain control of the valuable resource. The Libyan territory is so valuable to [IS] that it has sent members of its core leadership from Iraq and Syria to Libya to oversee the expansion of the Wilayat. Some [IS] recruitment materials have even begun instructing aspiring foreign fighters to travel to Libya, rather than to the group’s besieged core positions in Iraq and Syria.
Al-Qaeda has also exploited the insecurity in Libya, using its historical ties to integrate itself into both the political and economic networks within the country.
Syrian Opposition Waiting For UN Response Before Decision On Talks
A Saudi-backed Syrian opposition council is waiting for a response from the United Nations on key issues regarding the implementation of steps outlined in a UN Security Council resolution before deciding whether it will attend talks.
The issues include the lifting of sieges and a release of arbitrarily detained people.
Iran Admits Training Volunteer 'Advisers' To 'Guard Shrines' In Syria
General Mohsen Kazemeini, a senior commander in Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has said that Iran is training "advisers" to serve alongside Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces.
Iran feels an "obligation" to send "military advisers" to Syria to protect Shi'ite shrines, Kazemeini said in comments published on an official IRGC website today, according to AP.
Iran has denied that it has sent combat troops to Syria.
Independent Syrian Dissident Jihad Makdissi Says He Won't Attend Peace Talks
Independent Syrian dissident Jihad Makdissi has said in a post on his Facebook account that he has received an invitation to the Syria peace talks in Geneva but will not attend the first round.
Makdissi posted an open letter to UN Syria Envoy Staffan de Mistura thanking him for the invitation but saying that he will not be attending.
He wrote that the "process of the formation of the Syrian opposition delegations has been marred by problems between various Syrian opposition groups as well as bickering at the level of the countries involved in the Syrian crisis, which eventually led to the rapid formation of delegations that are not in harmony."
Makdissi, a member of Syria's Christian minority, was the Foreign Ministry spokesman for the Syrian government from 1998 until 2013 when he defected to one Dubai.
Bomb Causes Damage, No Casualties In Syria's Homs
Syrian state news agency SANA has more on the earlier reports that a bomb had gone off this morning in the city of Homs.
SANA reports that the bomb near the Um al-Banin school in the al-Hamra neighborhood caused material damage but no casualties.
This morning's explosion followed two suicide bombing attacks in Homs on Jan. 26 that left 24 people killed and over 100 injured, according to SANA.
FSB In Krasnodar Krai Seeking North Caucasians Suspected Of Helping IS
The Federal Security Service (FSB) in Russia's Krasnodar Krai are seeking a group of individuals from the North Caucasus suspected of helping people join the IS group in Syria, according to Russian media reports.
The number of suspects has not been disclosed, nor has the specific North Caucasian republics the suspects are from.
The FSB's press service said in a statement that the wanted individuals are suspected of providing information to help others travel to IS-controlled territory in Syria.
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