Syria

Read recent Syrian news stories and current events on Newser.com

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US Thinks It Took Out ISIS Chief in Raid

Baghdadi believed killed in coalition raid in northern Syria; president will make announcement at 9am

(Newser) - Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the shadowy leader of the Islamic State who presided over its global jihad and became arguably the world's most wanted man, is believed dead after being targeted by a US military raid in Syria. A US official told the AP late Saturday that al-Baghdadi was targeted...

US Military Rolls Back Into Syria
US Military Rolls Back Into Syria
Oct 26, 2019 4:50 PM CDT

US Military Rolls Back Into Syria

Washington hopes to secure oil fields from ISIS

(Newser) - Syria, we just can't quit you: As planned , US troops rolled back into the war-torn nation Saturday to help protect oil fields from ISIS, the Washington Post reports. Roughly a dozen Army vehicles with big American flags entered the Deir ez-Zor region to team up with Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic...

Report: Trump Now Plans to Send Tanks, More Troops to Syria

He says Kurds should 'head to oil region'

(Newser) - America will never desert Syria's oil, President Trump promised Thursday—and he suggested that if the Kurds want protection, they should move closer to the oil. Syria's oil fields "were held by ISIS until the United States took them over with the help of the Kurds,"...

Trump's Syria Envoy Points to Alleged 'War Crimes'

James Jeffrey talks to Capitol Hill lawmakers

(Newser) - President Trump hailed a "big success" in Syria and lifted sanctions against Turkey on Wednesday as his Syria envoy said war crimes had likely been committed there, USA Today reports. "We haven't seen widespread evidence of ethnic cleansing," said the Syria representative, James Jeffrey, per Reuters...

Trump Orders All Sanctions on Turkey Lifted

Says the ceasefire is permanent

(Newser) - The Turkish ceasefire in Syria that was agreed upon last Thursday is a permanent one, said President Trump Wednesday, and so sanctions against Turkey will be lifted—although he allowed that "you will also define permanent in that part of the world as somewhat questionable," reports CNBC . CNN...

McConnell Introduces Resolution Opposing Syria Withdrawal

But stops short of suggesting sanctions on Turkey

(Newser) - Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell introduced legislation Tuesday denouncing Turkey's invasion of northern Syria and gently prodding President Trump to halt his withdrawal of US troops from the embattled country, the AP reports. But McConnell said lawmakers should refrain from imposing sanctions on Turkey for now, saying, "We...

New Syria Proposal: Internationally Controlled 'Security Zone'

Ceasefire is set to expire

(Newser) - Germany's defense minister proposed Tuesday the establishment of an internationally controlled security zone in Syria, hours before a five-day ceasefire between Turkish troops and Syrian Kurdish fighters was set to expire in the war-torn country. Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer told German news agency dpa that "the creation of an internationally...

As US Troops Depart, Residents Pelt Them

'Like rats, America is running away,' says one man in Kurdish-dominated city

(Newser) - Angry over the US withdrawal, residents of a Kurdish-dominated Syrian city hurled potatoes at departing American military vehicles as they drove by on Monday, the AP reports. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said a small residual US military force will stay in eastern Syria to protect Kurdish-held oil fields for at...

Lindsey Graham Talks Impeachment
Lindsey Graham
Talks Impeachment
the rundown
Oct 21, 2019 8:33 AM CDT

Lindsey Graham Talks Impeachment

Senator backs Trump, but opens the door a crack to changing his mind

(Newser) - An interview between Axios and Lindsey Graham is causing a stir, though there's some different interpretations over his comments on the topic of President Trump's impeachment. The upshot is that Graham says he still hasn't seen evidence of an impeachable offense, but he's open to changing...

'Error-Ridden' Trump Tweet Draws Derision

For one thing, he called the defense secretary 'Mark Esperanto'

(Newser) - President Trump wrote an "error-ridden" tweet Sunday that inspired reporters to take it apart pretty much word by word, Newsweek reports. Now deleted—after thousands of shares—the tweet referred to Secretary of Defense Mark Esper as "Mark Esperanto" and made claims that raised a few eyebrows: "...

US Troops Leaving Syria Will Head to Iraq

In Kabul, Defense Secretary Mark Esper says troops will not be coming home

(Newser) - Defense Secretary Mark Esper says that all US troops leaving Syria will go to western Iraq and the American military will continue operations against the Islamic State to prevent its resurgence. Esper, who arrived in Kabul on Sunday, did not rule out the idea that US forces would conduct counterterrorism...

Fighting in Northern Syria Continues Despite Ceasefire

Kurdish-held Syrian town was shelled

(Newser) - Fighting continued Friday morning in a northeast Syrian border town at the center of the fight between Turkey and Kurdish forces, despite a US-brokered ceasefire that went into effect overnight. Shelling and gunfire could be heard in and around Ras al-Ayn as smoke billowed from locations near the border with...

Pence: We've Managed to Cut a Deal in Turkey

The vice president and Mike Pompeo went to Ankara to negotiate

(Newser) - Looks like Turkey's invasion of Syria may be short-lived, ABC News reports. The country's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, agreed Thursday to halt the invasion for five days while Kurdish fighters leave a safe zone in northern Syria: "It will be a pause in military operation for 120...

'Don't Be a Fool,' Trump Said in Strange Letter to Erdogan

'Let's work out a good deal!' he says

(Newser) - A letter from President Trump to his Turkish counterpart surfaced Wednesday—and it was so unusual that many commentators initially had trouble believing it was real. Trump begins the letter to Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which was first obtained by Fox , by saying "Let's work out a good a...

Pelosi: Trump Had 'Meltdown' During Syria Meeting

But House Republicans say it was Pelosi's behavior that was 'unbecoming'

(Newser) - Shortly after the House on Wednesday overwhelmingly voted to condemn President Trump's withdrawal of US forces from Syria, Congressional leaders were at the White House for a meeting with Trump on the matter—a meeting that did not end well. Nancy Pelosi, who said she believed Trump was "...

Turkey Rejects Calls for Syria Ceasefire

Turkish leader says he's 'not concerned' by US sanctions

(Newser) - Russia said it was working to prevent a conflict between advancing Turkish and Syrian government forces on Wednesday, as Turkey's president defied growing pressure and sanctions from Western allies for a ceasefire in northern Syria. Russia moved quickly to further entrench its leadership role in the region after President...

Russian Troops Quickly Move to Fill US Void

Kremlin says units now patrolling in northern Syria

(Newser) - Russia isn't wasting much time getting troops on the ground in the part of Syria vacated by American forces. On Tuesday, the Kremlin announced that Russian troops were on patrol between Syrian and Turkish troops near the northern town of Manbij. The Washington Post and the New York Times ...

ABC Airs Fake Video of Syria Bombing

Trump calls it a 'big scandal'

(Newser) - With the headline "Slaughter in Syria," ABC aired footage of what it said was a Turkish attack on a Syrian border town on Sunday and Monday. One problem: The video was actually of a popular military gun demonstration in Kentucky, Mediaite reports. ABC apologized after the video was...

Trump Authorizes Tariffs, Sanctions on Turkey

As US scrambles for Syria exit

(Newser) - Targeting Turkey's economy, President Trump announced sanctions Monday aimed at restraining the Turks' assault against Kurdish fighters and civilians in Syria—an assault Turkey began after Trump announced he was moving US troops out of the way. Meanwhile, the Americans were scrambling for Syria's exits, a move criticized...

One More Wrinkle in Turkey Chaos: 50 US Nukes

Pentagon reportedly rethinking whether it's still safe to keep them there

(Newser) - The military situation near the Turkish border in Syria remains in flux, with allegiances shifting quickly amid uncertainty of how everything will shake out. But the fast-moving developments also have drawn attention to a lesser-known fact of US foreign policy: The Pentagon has about 50 tactical nuclear weapons stored in...

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