ISIS Militants Capture Air Base From Syrian Government Forces

Ben Hubbard of the New York Times reports that on Sunday, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) took a military base in northern Syria from forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, further solidifying their control there.

“The fall of the Tabqa air base followed the group’s seizing of two other Syrian military bases and gave it effective control of Raqqa Province, which abuts the Turkish border and whose capital city, Raqqa, has long served as the group’s de facto headquarters.

“Syrian rebel groups that formed to fight Mr. Assad’s government never managed to take the air base, and while Mr. Assad’s forces have been bombing ISIS from the air and killing its fighters, they lack the ground troops necessary to challenge the group’s hold on terrain.”

U.S. Officials Say Strikes in Syria Against ISIS Would Be Hindered by Intelligence Gaps

The Washington Post reports that a U.S. offensive in Syria against ISIS “would likely be constrained by persistent intelligence gaps and an inability to rely on fleets of armed drones that have served as the Obama administration’s signature weapon against terrorist networks elsewhere.”

U.S. officials said the Pentagon has been conducting daily surveillance flights along Iraq’s border with Syria, “as part of a push to bolster U.S. intelligence on the Islamic State without crossing into Syrian airspace and risking the loss of aircraft to that nation’s air defenses.

“The CIA has also expanded its network of informants inside Syria, largely by recruiting and vetting rebel fighters who have been trained and equipped at clandestine agency bases in Jordan over the past two years.” Still, officials said that spy agencies are not yet ready to target ISIS leaders and provide reliable-enough intelligence to sustain an air campaign.

American Hostage Released by Jabhat al-Nusra

Peter Theo Curtis, an American held by Jabhat al-Nusra for two years, was released into the care of U.N. officials this weekend by the extremist group, al-Qaida’s Syrian wing. The release was negotiated in part by the governments of the U.S. and Qatar.

Al Jazeera reports that Curtis “was handed over to U.N. peacekeepers in the village of al-Rafid, Quneitra, on Sunday. He has since been turned over to representatives from the U.S. government after undergoing medical check-up.

“According to a statement from his family, Curtis was captured in October 2012 and was reportedly held by the al-Nusra Front or by splinter groups allied with the al-Qaida-affiliated group. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said he was relieved Curtis was returning home, before laying blame on al-Nusra Front for the kidnapping. Kerry also said the U.S. was using ‘every diplomatic, intelligence, and military tool’ available to release other Americans held hostage.”

Qatar’s foreign ministry said that it had “exerted relentless efforts to release the American journalist, out of Qatar’s belief in the principles of humanity and its keenness on the lives of individuals and their right to freedom and dignity.”

Suggested Reads from Our Editorial Team

NY Times: Academics and Archaeologists Fight to Save Syria’s Artifacts

Guardian: Iraq: On the Frontline with Shia Fighters Taking the War to ISIS