Misery and Migration for Syrian Refugees

Shaun Keating News Feather Story 2015, Syria

After 4 years of civil war in Syria that has left 4 million people homeless and killed over 300,000, the Syrian government has said it is ready to talk to "real opponents."

Syria Wants to Talk

Shaun Keating News Feather Story 2015, Syria

Syrian government ready to negotiate with opposition. “We want to end this conflict yesterday,” – Syrian Government In 2011, 15 children were arrested in Syria for graffiti. The kids were beaten and tortured in prison. Syrians protested the arrests of the kids (they were freed). Meanwhile, Arab Spring protests spread across the Middle East. Syrian forces responded by shooting protesters. …

An ISIS operative used an ice truck loaded with 1 ton of explosives to kill 120 people at the end of Ramadan.

ISIS Ice Truck Bomb

Shaun Keating ISIS, News Feather Story 2015

ISIS kills 120, wounds 140 with holiday bomb. People used vegetable boxes to collect children’s body parts. Ramadan is an important Islamic holiday & lasts for 1 month. Muslims don’t eat or drink from sunrise to sunset that month. Ramadan marks the first revelation of the Quran to Muhammad. A huge festival called Eid al-Fitr celebrates the end of Ramadan. …

4 Million Syrian Refugees

Shaun Keating News Feather Story 2014

Over half of Syria’s population is now homeless. Source article on CNN.com The 2011 Arab Spring saw riots & protests erupt in Middle East. In Syria, protests exploded against President Bashar al-Assad. Syrian government forces responded with brutal violence. The protests eventually turned into outright civil war. Chemical weapons have been used repeatedly during the war. Estimates in April 2015 …

More Troops in Iraq

Shaun Keating Iran, Iraq, ISIS, Islam, News Feather Story 2015

President Obama sends 450 more troops to Iraq. Source article on CNN.com 3,050 US troops are in Iraq advising & training Iraqi troops. 450 more troops will go train Sunni tribe soldiers to fight ISIS. Sunni Muslims used to thrive under Saddam Hussein. They have been marginalized since his overthrow. Which is why some Sunnis view ISIS (also Sunni) as …

ISIS Wins on 2 Fronts

Shaun Keating Iraq, ISIS, Islam, News Feather Story 2015, Syria

ISIS has won 2 major victories in the last week. Source article from CNN.com (opens in new tab) ISIS captured 2 cities this week: one in Iraq and one in Syria. In Iraq, ISIS took control of Ramadi, capital of Anbar province. Ramadi is just 75 miles east of Baghdad. In Syria, ISIS took the city of Palmyra on Thursday. …

ISIS Captures Ramadi

Shaun Keating Iraq, ISIS, Islam, News Feather Story 2015

Strategic city falls to ISIS after months of fighting. Ramadi is in central Iraq. It has a population of ~200,000. ISIS and Iraqi forces have been fighting over it for months. Thursday night, ISIS launched a massive offensive. It included suicide bombers in cars with explosives. The fighting continued through the night and into Friday. ISIS’s black flag has been …

The Garland Attack

Shaun Keating ISIS, News Feather Story 2015

2 gunmen attempt attack on anti-Muslim event in Texas. American Freedom Defense Initiative is an anti-Muslim group. Last week, they held a contest to draw the Prophet Muhammad. Creating an image of Muhammad is very offensive to Muslims. Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi intended to attack the event. They drove from Arizona to Texas with body armor and rifles. The …

ISIS Kills More Christians

Shaun Keating ISIS, News Feather Story 2015

New video shows ISIS kill 2 groups of Christians. New video from ISIS shows execution of 2 groups of people. The first group of 16 people are beheaded on a beach in Libya. The second group of 12 people are shot in a desert in Libya. Both groups are believed to be Ethiopian Christians. A narrator in the video says the …

Enter Europe or Die

Shaun Keating Immigration, News Feather Story 2015

African & Middle Eastern immigrants flee to Italy. Immigrants from Middle East & West Africa are fleeing to Italy. The rise of Islamic extremists push people to leave home. 10,000 immigrants arrived in Italy just last weekend. Thousands more make the 310-mile journey every week. They pay human traffickers ~$700 for the trip. They’re crammed into makeshift vessels that often …