U.S.-Led Coalition Airdrops Forces Fighting ISIS Near Raqqa

Fighters from an alliance of Kurdish and Arab forces were airdropped by U.S.-led coalition aircraft near Raqqa on Wednesday, BBC News reported.

Troops of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were dropped close to the Tabqa dam, west of Raqqa, according to the Pentagon.

The dam is reportedly a base for the so-called Islamic State, and a town, military airfield and prison run by the militants are nearby.

The U.S. is “ready to grow stronger and stay aggressive in this battle,” said U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

Turkey Summons Russian Diplomat After Soldier Killed in Kurdish-Held Syria, Ankara Says

Turkey summoned the Russian charge d’affaires in Ankara after a sniper in an area of Kurdish-held Syria killed a Turkish soldier, Reuters reported.

Turkey wanted to express its unease, the Turkish foreign ministry spokesman said.

Russia is reportedly training U.S.-allied Kurds in Syria, and is building a base in Afrin in northern Syria, according to a spokesman for the Kurdish People’s Protection Units militia (YPG), the Telegraph reported.

The Turkish military targeted YPG-controlled Afrin on Wednesday. Turkey views the YPG as an extension to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a Turkish Kurdish group that has been fighting for autonomy since the 1980s. Ankara and Moscow are recent allies in the six-year Syrian war, despite backing opposing parties.

Peace Talks Start in Geneva Without de Mistura

Peace negotiations between government and opposition delegations resume today in Geneva, without U.N. special envoy Staffan de Mistura, the Associated Press reported.

This round of talks will focus on governance, constitutional issues, elections, counterterrorism, security and confidence-building measures, according to U.N. spokeswoman Alessandra Vellucci. De Mistura’s deputy, Ramzy Ramzy, will “engage the parties bilaterally,” Velluci said.

De Mistura is traveling to Ankara and Moscow and will join the talks later.

RECOMMENDED READS:

• Carnegie: I, the Supreme
• The New York Times: Resurgent Syrian Rebels Surprise Damascus With New Assaults
• The Associated Press: Argentina Welcomes Syrian Migrants After Trump Slams Door
• Al Jazeera: Syria’s Green Buses: Symbol of a Seismic Shift
• The Financial Times: Israeli Air Raids in Syria Raise Fears of Wider Conflict