Lavrov: Those questioning Russian-U.S. Syria agreements are 'calling for war'
Those who cast doubt on the agreements between Russia and the United States regarding a Syria ceasefire are calling for war, not for peace, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said, TASS reports.
"Today there are many people who want to prevent the normal development of cooperation between Russia and the United States. There are even those who are trying to undermine the opportunities to promote the Russian-U.S. agreements and boost our cooperation on the most pressing issues of our time," Lavrov said.
"Literally on the day when Russia and the United States approved the joint initiative on the ceasefire in Syria, voices could be heard from the capitals of the U.S. allies and from Washington which questioned the viability of this agreement. We want to say frankly that these voices are a call for war rather than for peace."
Damascus says determined to keep Syria together - Reuters
The Syrian government has said that it is "determined more than ever" to preserve Syria's unity after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said it would be hard to hold the country together if the fighting did not stop, Reuters report.
Tajik sentenced to 6 years for incitement to join IS
A court in Tajikistan has sentenced a 25-year-old man to six years in prison for incitement to join the IS group.
RFE/RL's Tajik service reports that the court reached its verdict at the end of January.
The defendant, Sobron Abdulloev from the village of Dakhana in the Kulob district of Tajikistan, was arrested in August 2015 and allegedly intended to travel to Syria.
More from Turkey's Erdogan on his calls for the U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, which is fighting the IS group in northern Syria, to be excluded from the Syria ceasefire:
Turkey's Erdogan: Exclude Kurds from Syria ceasefire
Turkish President Erdogan has said that the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia should be excluded from the Syria ceasefire set to start at the weekend.
German national killed fighting IS alongside Kurdish YPG miltia
A German man, Gunter Helsten, has been killed fighting the IS group in Syria alongside the Kurdish YPG militia, the YPG have said.
Helsten, who was born in 1960, was killed in clashes near the town of Al-Shadadi on Feb. 23 and is the seventh foreign fighter to be killed fighting alongside the YPG in Syria.
The YPG released a video in tribute to Helsten, which shows footage of him in Syria.
Main aim of Syria ceasefire is to prevent bloodshed: Kremlin spokesman
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has made several comments about the Syrian crisis in his daily press briefing this morning.
These are summarized below, based on reporting by RIA Novosti. All quotes are Peskov's statements:
-- "Obviously, let's put it this way, cooperation on one level or another, this way or another, obviously, leads to an increase in the level of mutual trust. Also, and let me say this again, in this case the main aim [of the ceasefire] is to stop the bloodshed in Syria and establish the grounds for a political solution, this is the main aim."
-- "Those countries who are participating in the settlement in Syria are using their influence on all parties to the conflict and are now making very intensive contacts."
-- "Once again, in his speech, President Putin said that Russia has in mind to work closely with Damascus, with the legitimate authorities in Syria, but he hopes that our American partners will carry out their part and use their influence with regard to the groups that they support."
-- "Despite all the differences, all the same, the emergence of political and other will allows Moscow and Washington to achieve very important results, just as with the chemical weapons."
In phone call, Putin, Assad stressed importance of fight against IS, Nusra
Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad by telephone this morning about the upcoming ceasefire in Syria, Russian news agencies are reporting, citing the Kremlin website.
Putin and Assad "underscored the importance of continuing the uncompromising fight against the IS group and the Al-Nusra Front, and "other terrorist groups including on the UN Security Council list," RIA Novosti reports.
Rescued Swedish girl says life under Islamic State 'really hard'
A Swedish teenager rescued from IS militants in Iraq has said life in IS-controlled territory was "really hard" and that she was duped into going there by her boyfriend.
According to Reuters, the 16-year old told a Kurdish TV channel she had met her boyfriend in mid-2014 after dropping out of school in Sweden.
"First we were good but then he started to look at ISIS videos and speak about them and stuff like that," she told Kurdistan 24 in a brief interview, using another name for the Islamic State group.
"Then he said he wanted to go to ISIS and I said ok, no problem, because I didn't know what ISIS means, what Islam is -- nothing," said the girl.
The couple crossed into Syria from Turkey and IS militants then took them with other men and women to the Iraqi city of Mosul.
Although IS provided the woman and her boyfriend with a house, there was no electricity or running water and she did not have any money. She managed to contact her mother as soon as she had access to a phone.
Has Syria's President Assad won the war, the BBC asks
Ahead of a planned ceasefire to take hold Feb. 27, the BBC asks three experts this morning whether Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has won the almost five-year long war in Syria.
The full article is here, but here is a short excerpt from commentary by Syrian-born analyst Hassan Hassan:
"Bashar al-Assad can get things done. And that's what drives people to stick with him - people who are part of his loyalist base or in Tehran or Moscow. They think that no-one else can replace him. Not because he's some sort of genius, but because psychologically, he represents the old order.
"He has won in a sense that his strategic goal of staying in power has been achieved to a large degree, unless things change. The war is not over."