Hundreds of Heavily Armed Marines Sent to Syria

Several hundred U.S. Marines have been deployed to Syria as part of the offensive against the so-called Islamic State in Raqqa, Al Jazeera reported.

The Marines, equipped with artillery guns, are to assist local Syrian forces fighting the extremists in their de facto capital. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a U.S.-backed alliance of Kurdish and Arab military, has been fighting to isolate ISIS in Raqqa since November.

Another 1,000 troops are preparing to head for Kuwait as backup, according to the Pentagon. The military can have a maximum of 500 personnel in Syria, under limits put in place by the Obama administration, but temporary additions such as the latest deployment do not count.

Airstrikes on Raqqa Countryside Kill Six Children

At least 14 people were killed in airstrikes in the eastern Raqqa countryside on Thursday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) monitoring group.

Six children and four women were among those killed in the airstrikes, and the death toll is expected to rise, with several injured people in a critical condition. The airstrikes are believed to have been carried out by the U.S.-led international coalition fighting the so-called Islamic State, according to SOHR.

Islamic State captured Raqqa in January 2014, naming the city its capital. The SDF are fighting the militants and recently cut off the last main road out of Raqqa.

U.S. Ambassador Says Iran Must Leave Syria

Iran and its proxies need to leave Syria, U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley said on Wednesday, Reuters reported.

Iran is the key military backer of the Syrian government, alongside Russia.

Haley did not clarify the U.S. stance on whether Syrian president Bashar al-Assad should remain or step down, but said the U.S. supports the U.N.-led Geneva peace talks between the opposing parties, which ended last week.

The comments came after the U.N.’s Syria mediator Staffan de Mistura had recounted the talks, which ended last week, to the Security Council.

“The United States absolutely supports Staffan de Mistura and the work that he’s doing, we support the U.N. process, we support the talks in Geneva, we want to see them continue,” Haley said.

“This is very much about a political solution now … and that basically means that Syria can no longer be a safe haven for terrorists, we’ve got to make sure we get Iran and their proxies out, we’ve got to make sure that, as we move forward, we’re securing the borders for our allies as well,” she said.

RECOMMENDED READS:

• IRIN: Rebuilding Syria’s Rubble as the Cannons Roar
• The Daily Star Lebanon: Opposition Optimism Over Syria Talks Misplaced
• Reliefweb: Shattered Lives: Protecting Civilians in War-Torn Syria – a Shared Responsibility
• Syria Direct: Syrian Army Builds on Advances in East Aleppo Countryside After Securing Main Water-Pumping Station
• Associated Press: ‘Cries From Syria’ Is an Unsparing, Must-See Documentary