Russia denies striking hospital in Aleppo, says U.S. bombed the city
Russia's Defense Ministry has denied that it carried out air strikes that hit a hospital in Syria's Aleppo province, instead alleging that U.S.-led coalition aircraft had bombed targets in the city on Feb. 10.
A Pentagon spokesman on Feb. 10 accused Russian and Syria government forces of destroying Aleppo's two main hospitals with air strikes, though he did not specify when the strikes were alleged to have happened.
Russia's Defense Ministry tweeted spokesman Igor Konashenkov's denial of the claims, and his suggestion that U.S.-led forces had bombed Aleppo on Feb.10.
U.S.-led coalition responds to Russia's claims U.S. bombed Aleppo yesterday
U.S. Army Col. Steve Warren, the spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition against the IS group in Syria and Iraq, has tweeted a response to the Russian Defense Ministry's earlier claims that U.S.-led aircraft were operating over Aleppo and that Russian planes did not bomb a hospital in the city on Feb. 10.
Warren said that the strikes that hit the Aleppo hospital did not occur on Feb. 10 and that only Russian and Syrian government planes were operating over Aleppo.
U.S.-led coalition spox calls Russian bombing 'reckless & indiscriminate'
U.S. Army Col. Steve Warren, the spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition against IS, has published a series of tweets hitting back at Russian claims that U.S.-led aircraft bombed Aleppo on Feb. 10.
Warren said that Russia's bombing campaign in Syria is "reckless and indiscriminate and their efforts are strategically short-sighted."
More from U.S. Army Col. Steve Warren, the U.S.-led coalition spokesman, who has slammed Russia's claims that the coalition bombed Aleppo yesterday.
Warren also criticized the Russian bombing campaign.
AFP to publish interview with Syrian President Assad on Feb. 12
The AFP news agency says it will publish an interview with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad tomorrow -- his first in two months. Assad is now in a far stronger position than two months ago, thanks to Russian air strikes, which have helped his forces make gains against armed opposition groups.
It is likely that Assad will have been asked about the Russian-backed government offensive in Aleppo, calls for a cease fire, the Syria peace talks and sieges against civilian areas.
Situation in Syria's Aleppo 'grotesque': UN Human Rights chief
The UN Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein has described the situation around Aleppo as "grotesque."
"The warring parties in Syria are constantly sinking to new depths, without apparently caring in the slightest about the death and destruction they are wreaking across the country," Zeid said according to AP.
IS militants head south in Libya, threatening Sahel
IS militants are leaving their bases in Libya fearing Western air strikes and are heading south towards Africa's Sahel region, posing a threat to countries like Niger and Chad, officials and intelligence sources say according to Reuters.
"ISIS (the IS group) are moving towards southern Libya to avoid the likely air strikes from the European coalition," said Colonel Mahamane Laminou Sani, director of documentation and military intelligence for Niger's armed forces.
"If something like that happens, the whole Sahel is (affected)," he added on the sidelines of the annual U.S.-led 'Flintlock' counter-terrorism exercises in Senegal.
John Kerry wants 'all or nothing' Syria truce
A Western diplomat told Reuters that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry wants an immediate ceasefire in Syria -- "All or nothing" -- although the Russians have proposed a truce from the beginning of next month.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at the start of talks between major powers today in Munich that Moscow had submitted a proposal for a ceasefire and was waiting for a response.