Former ISIS Commanders Rehabilitated as Traffic Cops in Raqqa Suburbs Under US Watch

The rehabilitated ISIS fighters are reportedly “imposing bribes” and royalties on vehicles, “not to mention the shameful acts against the pedestrians in the streets and the harassment of the citizen women.”

Alexander Rubinstein
By Alexander Rubinstein
Raqqah, Syria

EIN ISSA, SYRIA -- Locals of Ein Issa, a Syrian town just north of the city of Raqqa are reportedly fed up with former ISIS members and commanders who have been rehabilitated by U.S. proxy forces as traffic cops. “Reliable sources” told the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) that former Daesh militants have been converted into “security

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US Delivers Weapons & Ammo To Kurds Ahead of Syria Withdrawal

Ahead of the imminent US troop withdrawal, the US is sending large shipments of weapons to Kurdish rebel groups who have recently requested a no-fly zone be established over parts of Syria.

Alexander Rubinstein
By Alexander Rubinstein
SDF weapons | Syria

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw US troops from Syria last month has been met with no shortage of condemnation over the perception that America would be abandoning its Kurdish partners on the ground in the country. The move would open them up to an incursion from NATO ally Turkey, which has no love lost for the US

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Report: Russia May Soon Attack US Military Base in Occupied Syria

Russia has warned the U.S. that the Russian and Syrian militaries are prepared to launch an offensive on the U.S.-controlled Al-Tanf military base in Syria.

Whitney Webb
By Whitney Webb
A U.S.-backed anti-government fighter mans a heavy automatic machine gun, left, next to an American soldier as they take their positions at Tanf, a border crossing between Syria and Iraq (Hammurabi’s Justice News/AP)

DAMASCUS, SYRIA -- As things in Syria seem poised to heat up dramatically in the coming weeks, CNN has reported that Russia has warned the U.S. that the Russian and Syrian militaries are prepared to launch an offensive on the Al-Tanf military base in Syria, an installation that has been controlled by the U.S. military since 2016. According to

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Lindsey Graham Warns U.S. Withdrawal from Syria Would Be “Terrible” During Surprise Visit to Manbij

It remains to be seen how Graham plans to walk the fine line between his recently voiced support for Kurdish fighters and his desire to maintain a strong relationship with Turkey.

Whitney Webb
By Whitney Webb
Senator Lindsey Graham visits U.S.-trained and funded Kurdish SDF militia members in Manjib, Syria.  YouTube | Screenshot

MANBIJ, SYRIA – After meeting with Turkish leadership over the weekend, Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) made a “surprise visit” on Monday to Manbij, where they met with members of Manbij Military Council (MMC), a Kurdish militia that operates as part of the umbrella group, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). After

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Is the US-Kurdish Alliance Over? New Agreement Between Kurds and Assad Could Spell End for U.S. Role in Syria

The agreement came as a result of recent negotiations between Kurdish and Syrian government officials in both Damascus and Qamishli.

Whitney Webb
By Whitney Webb
Fighters from Kurdish popular defense units YPJ (women) and YPG (men) gather during a short break before heading out to fight for new positions in Syria. According to Amnesty International, U.S.-backed Kurdish forces have forcefully displaced thousands of Syrian civilians, mostly Arabs, and demolished villages in northern Syria, often in retaliation for the residents' perceived sympathies for ISIS and other militants, Oct. 13, 2015. (AP/Jake Simkin)

DAMASCUS, SYRIA -- For over a year, much of northeastern Syria has found itself under de facto occupation by the United States and its military proxy, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The occupied territory, accounting for nearly a third of Syria’s total landmass and including large portions of the al-Hasakah, al-Raqqa and Deir Ez-Zor regions,

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Amnesty: US-Led Coalition Committed War Crimes In Raqqa, Syria

“Everyone we spoke to in Raqqa agreed that Isis had to be defeated. But they asked why their families had to be killed and their city destroyed in the process.”

Elliott Gabriel
By Elliott Gabriel
Massacre of Raqqa

LONDON -- Last year’s Washington-led coalition effort against the Islamic State (ISIS) group in the Syrian city of Raqqa included numerous “disproportionate or indiscriminate” attacks on the city, showing little regard for civilian lives and constituting potential war crimes, a new report by Amnesty International stated Tuesday. The campaign to

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