Tag: Syria

Four Canadian Men Held in Syrian Camps Entitled to Repatriation by Ottawa: Judge

OTTAWA—A judge has declared that four Canadian men being held in Syrian camps are entitled to the federal government’s help to return home. In a ruling Friday, Federal Court Justice Henry Brown effectively directed Ottawa to request repatriation of the men as soon as reasonably possible and provide them with passports or emergency travel documents….


Top Turkish Diplomat’s Washington Visit Highlights Complex Relationship

A visit to Washington on Jan. 18 by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, during which he met U.S. counterpart Antony Blinken, served to highlight the complex relationship between the NATO allies. At the meeting, both men reaffirmed their “longstanding commitment to collective defense as [NATO] allies,” according to a joint statement released afterward. While both…


Damascus Tells Turkey Restored Ties Requires End of ‘Occupation’

The restoration of ties between Damascus and Ankara is contingent upon the latter ending its military presence in northern Syria, Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad has said. Since 2016, Turkey has staged three ground offensives into northern Syria, where it still maintains thousands of troops. On Jan. 14, Mekdad called for an end to the…


Anthony Furey: Concern Over Canada’s Immigration Targets Becomes Mainstream

Commentary One of the first major pledges of the Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau upon forming government in 2015 was to bring in a large number of Syrian refugees within a short period of time. There was both political and public will to see this happen, as Canadians watched with concern as war…


Quebec Woman Returned From ISIS Detention Camp in Northeastern Syria Granted Bail

A Quebec woman facing terrorism charges after returning from a detention camp in northeastern Syria last October has been granted bail. The details of Oumaima Chouay’s bail hearing or the reasons for her release today by a Quebec court judge are under a publication ban. Chouay, 27, is charged with leaving Canada to participate in…


Rockets Hit US Base in Eastern Syria, No Casualties Reported

BEIRUT—Two rockets struck a base housing American troops in eastern Syria on Wednesday without causing any human or material losses, the U.S. military said. The morning attack on Mission Support Site Conoco came as Iran and its allies in the region marked the third anniversary of the killing of Iran’s leading general and chief of…


Syria Says Israel Strike Puts Damascus Airport Briefly out of Service

AMMAN—The Syrian army said on Monday an Israeli missile strike had briefly put the Damascus International Airport out of service, the latest in a string of strikes targeting Iran-linked assets. A volley of air-launched missiles had hit the airport at 2 a.m., the army said in a statement. They had come from the direction of…


Attack Kills 10 in Syria, Kurdish Forces Arrest 52 Terrorists

BEIRUT—A rocket attack in eastern Syria on Friday targeted a bus with oil industry employees, killing at least 10, the government said. To the north, Syrian Kurdish-led forces announced they arrested 52 terrorists in an operation against ISIS’s sleeper cells. According to Syria’s petroleum ministry, the rocket struck in the Al-Taym gas field in eastern…


Moscow Hosts Regional Defense Chiefs in Fresh Sign of Turkey-Syria Thaw 

Top Turkish defense and intelligence officials met their Syrian counterparts this week in Moscow at meetings also attended by Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu. Held on Dec. 28, it was the first meeting between Turkish and Syrian defense ministers in more than a decade. The gathering, which wasn’t announced in advance, is expected to pave…


US Forces Detain 6 ISIS Terrorists in Syria

BEIRUT—American forces conducted three raids in eastern Syria and arrested six ISIS terrorist group extremists, U.S. Central Command said Tuesday. In their statement, U.S. Central Command said the raids were conducted over the preceeding 48 hours, and identified one of the detained terrorists as “al-Zubaydi,” a “Syria Province Senior Official” of the group who they say…