Syria

There are no Italian troops in Syria, defense ministry says

Italian troops are not in Syria, a spokesperson for the Italian Ministry of Defense said, refuting Turkish media reports that Italian forces were deployed to Deir Ezzor province

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US gave guarantees to protect Manbij after Turkey deal, MMC spokesperson says

Shervan Derwish says the US and Coalition gave Manbij Military Council assurance that Manbij would not be attacked

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Biji Manbij? US and Turkey plan for the Syrian city’s future without the YPG

After months of talks and threats of military action against the strongest force fighting ISIS in Syria, the U.S. and Turkey agreed to a ‘roadmap’ that would see the YPG leave Manbij

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YPG to leave Syria’s Manbij after US-Turkey deal

The People's Protection Units (YPG) announced that it would withdraw advisors from the Syrian city of Manbij, a day after the United States and Turkey agreed to a roadmap

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Explosion reported near Coalition base in Ayn Issa, Syria

An explosion was reported near a military base near Ayn Issa in Syria's Raqqa governorate, where U.S. and French troops fighting ISIS are believed to be posted

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Russian soldiers killed by Syrian ‘militant fire’ in Deir Ezzor

Four Russian soldiers were killed in Syria's Deir Ezzor governorate when a group of militants attacked a Syrian military position, the Russian Ministry of Defence said.

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SDF captures prominent French ISIS member Adrien Guihal in Syria

Another French jihadist allegedly involved in attacks in France, Adrien Guihal, was arrested by a special unit of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in northern Syria

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Israel claims world’s first F-35 airstrikes

Israel has used its F-35 fighter jets to carry out airstrikes in the region, IAF commander Major General Amikam Norkin said, the first acknowledgement of the plane's operational use.

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Syrian army says Damascus ‘completely secure’ after taking Yarmouk camp from ISIS

Syria’s army said it was in full control of the capital Damascus and its outskirts after ousting Islamic State, marking a major milestone in the seven-year war. “The Syrian army announces today that Damascus, its outskirts and surrounding towns are completely secure,” it said in a statement carried by state media network SANA on Monday, May 21. The development came after troops had captured a key southern portion of Damascus from IS, the statement said, including the Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk and the adjacent district of Hajar al-Aswad. “The wheel of our progress on the battlefield will not stop until all Syrian land is purified,” it added. Russian-langauge Russkaya Vesna posted video of Syrian Arab Army troops raising the national flag in the Yarmouk camp, which had been under siege for years. Syria’s war erupted in 2011 with protests against President Bashar al-Assad, including in the capital. The following year, the government began losing control of parts of Damascus and placed a crippling siege around Yarmouk, which lies in the capital’s south. The army’s announcement came hours after a tenuous evacuation deal saw hundreds of ISIS fighters and their relatives quit Yarmouk, according to reports. Videos posted on social media on Sunday …

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US troops unlikely to withdraw from Syria after ISIS defeat in Deir Ezzor

US troops are unlikely to leave Syria after defeating ISIS in Deir Ezzor despite tough talk from President Trump and Turkey's calls for the SDF to leave Manbij, Wladimir Van Wilgenburg reports

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