ISIS Takes Key Syrian Towns, Oil Field
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria seized towns, villages and Syria’s largest largest oil field as it marchednear the Iraqi border Thursday.
“The extremist group — which controls large parts of northern Syria and captured vast swaths of northern and western Iraq last month — is now in almost full control of a corridor stretching from the Syrian border town of Boukamal to the government-controlled provincial capital of Deir el-Zour to the northwest,” the AP reports.
The gains come after ISIS declared a caliphate earlier this week, a move that will “effectively and consolidate areas held by the group — which has shorted its name to the Islamic State — in territory straddling the border between the two conflict-ridden countries.
“The majority of significant Syrian rebel groups that have been fighting to overthrow President Bashar Assad have rejected Baghdadi’s declaration. The rebel groups, including the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, have fought the extremist group since the beginning of the year. However, Nusra Front appears to be losing the war within a war in Syria as fighters allied with powerful tribes in eastern Syria defect to al-Baghdadi’s group.”
Syria Aid Access Talks Widen to Full U.N. Security Council
Reuters reports that “Australia, Luxembourg and Jordan circulated a draft resolution to the 15-member U.N. Security Council on Thursday that seeks to boost cross-border humanitarian access in Syria but it was not immediately clear if Russia and China would support the move.”
The resolution “threatens measures, such as sanctions, against any Syrian party who does not comply with the council’s demands for the immediate and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance throughout the country,” the wire says.
“After more than a month of negotiations with the permanent veto-wielding council members – the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China – the draft text will now be discussed with the remaining elected members next week, diplomats said.
Western members have tried to reach a compromise with Russia – a close ally of Assad – and China by using language in the draft similar to that used in a unanimously adopted resolution on Syria’s chemical weapons.”
But “Russia, supported by China, has already vetoed four resolutions threatening any action against Assad’s government.”
UK Planned to Train and Equip 100,000 Rebels
The BBC reports that the UK “drew up plans to train and equip a 100,000-strong Syrian rebel army to defeat President Bashar al-Assad. The secret initiative, put forward two years ago, was the brainchild of the then most senior UK military officer, General Sir David Richards. It was considered by the PM and the National Security Council, as well as US officials, but was deemed too risky.”
The channel says that Lord Richards “believed his proposal could stem the civilian bloodshed in Syria as rebels fought troops loyal to Assad. The idea was considered by David Cameron and Dominic Grieve, the attorney general, and sent to the National Security Council, Whitehall sources said.”
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