World powers to hold Syria ceasefire talks in Geneva
Military officials from 17 countries are to meet in Geneva to discuss how to secure a cessation of hostilities in Syria, as a deadline they set expires, the BBC reports.
Representatives of the United States and Russia, which back opposing sides in the conflict, held talks earlier in an effort to agree a joint position.
But a truce looks increasingly unlikely as fighting continues onon the ground in Syria.
Notorious Australian IS militant 'worked in accounts in Mosul'
Australian media is reporting today that notorious Australian IS militant Neil Prakash -- AKA Abu Khalid al-Cambodi -- was not a frontline fighter, but worked instead in a desk job in admin and finance for the extremist group in Mosul, Iraq before he was killed in a US-led airstrike last month.
Prakash's death has not been confirmed, but the senior security adviser to the Iraqi government has said that he was almost certain the Australian died when a bank building was struck in a U.S.-led airstrike in January.
Fighting in Syria rages on despite hoped for cessation of hostilities
Fighting continues to rage in Syria today, despite hopes that a cessation of hostilities agreed by world powers in Munich last week would materialize, AFP report.
Meanwhile, Turkey intensified it's shelling of Kurdish-led forces and UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura said that a February 25 date for the resumption of peace talks was no longer possible.
Turkey's Erdogan to warn Obama over Syria Kurdish fighters: AFP
American warplanes struck IS training camp in Libya: AP
The Associated Press has this update on the reports of strikes against Islamic State targets in Libya.
WFP delivers food to besieged city of Moadamiya
Aircraft strike IS militants in Libya's Sabratha city, 40 killed
Strikes against Islamic State mittens in Sabratha, Libya have killed at least 30 people, the BBC are reporting.
The New York Times newspaper cited an anonymous official as saying that US planes had carried out the strikes.
According to the New York Times, the target with a top Tunisian jihadist link to two terror attacks last year.
Kurdish forces push back IS in northeastern Syria: SOHR
Kurdish-led forces backed by international airstrikes have advanced to within five kilometers of the IS stronghold of Al-Shadadi in Syria's Hasakah province, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The advance comes on the third day of a major offensive by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters.
The SDF have also taken the Kibabeh oil field northeast of Al-Shadadi, after heavy fighting backed by U.S.-led air strikes.
Putin, Saudi king discuss Syria peace process: RIA
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud have discussed the Syria crisis in a telephone call, RIA Novosti reports.
"A mutual intention was expressed to further increase Russian-Saudi cooperation in all areas. An interest was shown in resolving the crisis in Syria and ensuring stability and security in the entire region of the Middle East and North Africa," the Kremlin press service said in a statement.
Syria envoy says peace talks won't resume next week
UN special envoy for Syrian Staffan de Mistura has said that peace talks will not resume next week in Geneva as he had hoped, AP report.
The talks were set to restart on Feb. 25.
De Mistura told Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet that he cannot "realistically" get the parties in the Syrian conflict back to the table by then, "but we intend to do so soon."