War • Page 434 of 451 • The Defense Post

Jan- 2018 -

15 January

4

Abadi calls for elimination of ISIS ‘sleeper cells’ after Baghdad twin suicide bombings kill 31

Iraq's Prime Minister Abadi called for the elimination of jihadist "sleeper cells" after a twin suicide bombing killed 31 people in Baghdad

15 January

Joanne Stocker

3

Erdogan: Turkey will ‘kill’ Syrian border security force

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the U.S.-led Coalition decision to form a Syrian border security force under the leadership of the SDF, and vowed to squash the new force.

14 January

Ibrahim Kalin, Presidential Spokesperson and Special Adviser to the President of Turkey

Fergus Kelly

1

Turkey slams “unacceptable” Coalition plan to build Syrian Border Security Force

Turkish presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin heavily criticised the United States and the Coalition, saying that the Syrian Border Security Force is "legitimizing the PKK."

13 January

An instructor with the Syrian Democratic Forces observes a Syrian Arab trainee clear his rifle during small arms training in Northern Syria,

Joanne Stocker

1

Coalition retraining 15,000 veteran SDF fighters to serve as Syrian border force

The US-led Coalition against ISIS and Syrian Democratic Forces are training a 30,000-strong Syrian border security force made of Kurds and Arabs

13 January

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of Turkey

Fergus Kelly

4

Syria: Erdogan warns of Turkey military operation in Efrin and Manbij ‘in about a week’

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan strongly signalled an imminent military operation against Manbij and Efrin in northern Syria

12 January

Russian strike on drone factory, Idlib, Syria

Fergus Kelly

0

Russia destroys drone factory and kills militants its says shelled Hmeimim air base

The Russian military destroyed a drone assembly facility and killed militants it said attacked its Hmeimim air base in Syria on December 31 in separate strikes

12 January