Syria Wants to Talk
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. …
4 Million Syrian Refugees
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 …
ISIS Wins on 2 Fronts
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
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 …
ISIS Takes Iraqi Base
Jihadist group loots base then burns it down ISIL captured the city of Heet in Iraq’s Anbar province. Heet holds the 3rd largest Iraqi military base. The Iraqi Army “tactically withdrew” to defend Al Asad Airbase. ISIL took supplies, munitions, armored vehicles, and tanks. U.N. says ~180,000 people have been displaced fleeing Heet. Heet lies on a strategic route, giving …
ISIS Taking More Ground
Terror group closes on Baghdad The fight against ISIS in Iraq and Syria is not going well. The US is conducting airstrikes but ISIS is still advancing. ISIS came within 15.5 miles (25 km) of Baghdad airport. Iraqi forces are threatening to flee unless US intervenes. But Iraq officials say they don’t want US ground forces. In Kobani, a key …
Obama Isis Speech
The President lays out US strategy Check out our summary of what’s going on in Syria. Click here. US is currently conducting airstrikes against ISIS in Iraq. Obama says the US will now go on the offensive in Syria. US troops won’t be used except for 1,600 “military advisors”. Action will include air strikes and training rebels against ISIS. The …