Syrian Regime Steps up Strikes on ISIS-Held Territory

At least 45 civilians were killed and some 175 wounded when government helicopters and war planes dropped barrel bombs on a northern Syrian city controlled by Islamic State, the BBC reports. The city of al-Bab, northeast of Aleppo, has been a target for regime strikes since the launch of U.S.-led coalition strikes against the Islamic State in late September.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the civilians were killed in “more than 470 air strikes … in the last 72 hours.”

“There have been unprecedented air raids across Syria in the last three days where the regime seeks to make gains on the ground to improve its negotiating stance in future political talks,” Rami Abdul Rahman, head of the Observatory, told Reuters.

The U.N. and human rights groups have repeatedly accused Syria of deploying crudely formed barrel bombs against civilian areas.

Syrian Government Willing to Participate in Russian-led Peace Talks, Opposition Dismisses the Offer

Syria said on Saturday it is willing to take part in “preliminary consultations” in Russia to seek a way to end the conflict in Syria, but the Western-backed opposition dismissed the initiative, AFP reports.

“Syria is ready to participate in preliminary consultations in Moscow in order to meet the aspirations of Syrians to find a way out of crisis,” the foreign ministry official said, as cited by the state news agency SANA.

But the head of the Syrian National Coalition, Hadi al-Bahra, downplayed Russia’s move.

“Russia does not have a clear initiative, and what is called for by Russia is just a meeting and dialogue in Moscow, with no specific paper or initiative,” said al-Bahra, after meeting Egyptian foreign minister Sameh Shoukri in Cairo.

Previous peace talks held in Geneva almost a year ago failed to produce results or ongoing momentum. Opposition leaders demanded Assad’s departure, while the regime insisted that the focus of the negotiation should be on countering “terrorism,” its term for armed resistance to its rule.

Russia has been trying to re-launch peace talks that would include meetings between the regime and the opposition. There is no consensus between the regime and the opposition on who would attend the meetings in Moscow.

“Members of Assad’s government say the opposition in exile is not representative of Syrians and instead says a small group of opposition figures who live in Damascus, and are less vocal against the president, should represent the opposition,” Reuters reports.

Mr. al-Bahra said that his group had not received any formal invitation to talks in Moscow.

ISIS Executes Nearly 2,000 People in Six Months

ISIS has executed almost 2,000 people in six months, the vast majority of them civilians, Reuters reports.

ISIS executed 1,878 people in Syria over the past six months, “including 930 members of a Sunni Muslim tribe from eastern Syria,” said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

ISIS executed an estimated 120 people within its own ranks. All but four of them were fighters trying to leave and go home.

ISIS, which is now in control of one-third of Syria, “regards breaches of strict Islamic law as punishable by death,” and has frequently used beheadings and torture for those who oppose its strict interpretation of Sharia law.

Recommended Reads

The New York Times: As Syria’s Revolution Sputters, a Chaotic Stalemate Time: ISIS Executed Almost 2,000 People in Syria Over the Past Six Months Agence France Presse:ISIS Loses Ground to Kurds in Syria’s Kobane The Wall Street Journal: Outlook Darkens for Syria Refugees in Turkey Agence France Presse:Children Among the Dead in Syria Bombing Al Monitor: Syria Threatened by Food Insecurity The New York Times:For Children in Turkey’s Refugee Camps, School’s Out Agence France Presse: Shortages Kill at Least 300 in Syria in 2014 The Washington Post: Syria Turns to Harsh Recruitment Measures The Daily Star: Cairo Talks Focus on Bold Plan for Syria

Photo Courtesy of AP Images