Russian Warships Reportedly Headed to Syria

Russian warships allegedly on route to Syria were sighted off the coast of Britain, the Telegraph reported.

British Royal Navy vessels monitored the passage of a Russian aircraft carrier, a battle cruiser and other support vessels through the English Channel on Friday morning, as they headed toward the eastern Mediterranean.

Russia, a key ally of the Syrian government, sent its deployment as British prime minister Theresa May condemned Moscow’s role in the Syrian war, accusing Russian president Vladimir Putin of “sickening atrocities.” On Thursday, May called for a “robust and united European stance in the face of Russian aggression” at a summit in Brussels.

The Russian and Syrian air forces have targeted rebel-held districts in Aleppo with intense bombing campaigns since a cease-fire fell apart last month. Earlier this week, Russia and Syria announced a temporary humanitarian pause in Aleppo, halting their bombardment.

Russia’s only aircraft carrier headed to the eastern Mediterranean does not “inspire confidence” that the country is committed to finding a political solution for the Syrian conflict, NATO said.

ISIS Militants Fleeing Mosul Move Yazidi Captives to Syria

Dozens of Yazidi women kidnapped by the so-called Islamic State in Iraq have been moved to Syria, CNN reported.

As Iraqi forces lead the offensive to liberate the Iraqi city of Mosul from ISIS, militants are fleeing to their stronghold in Syria, taking dozens of Yazidi women they enslaved in 2014 with them, according to the United Kingdom-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

Dozens of ISIS fighters and their families have already arrived in the militants’ de facto capital in Raqqa, northeastern Syria, SOHR reported.

The militants have displaced and killed hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Yazidis, and still hold nearly 3,500 slaves according to a U.N. report in June.

As the assault to oust ISIS from Mosul continues, the U.N.’s refugee agency (UNHCR) estimates that up to 100,000 Iraqis may flee to Syria and Turkey, Reuters reported. Approximately 26,000 Iraqi refugees currently live in Syria, UNHCR said, and efforts are being made to accommodate more.

Iraqis fleeing Mosul are expected to enter Syria near Hassakeh province, with ISIS threatening to use chemical weapons against Iraqi civilians or use them as human shields.

Turkish Airstrikes Continue Raids on Kurdish Positions, as Damascus Says It Will Shoot Them Down

Turkish warplanes continued to target Kurdish fighters in northern Syria on Thursday, the Associated Press reported.

Nearly 200 Kurdish fighters were killed in the raids on northern Aleppo province according to Turkish state media, but a commander from the main Syrian-based militia, the YPG, placed the fighters’ death toll at 10. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 14 were killed.

The Syrian defense ministry accused Turkey of “flagrant aggression,” warning that, “Any attempt to once again breach Syrian airspace by Turkish war planes will be dealt with and they will be brought down by all means available … these irresponsible acts will have dire consequences that will threaten the region’s stability and security.”

Syrian Kurdish forces are at the forefront of the fight against the so-called Islamic State, and a key U.S. ally. Turkey, a NATO member, launched an operation in Syria two months ago to target both ISIS militants and Kurdish fighters, whom it sees as an extension of its own Kurdish insurgency.

Washington must “put a stop and take a clear and direct position regarding this Turkish aggression. Otherwise, the project of combating terrorism may be delayed or totally fail in Syria,” Ilham Ahmed, a senior Syrian Kurdish official, told the AP.

Recommended Reads:

• Human Rights Watch: Q&A: First Cracks to Impunity in Syria, Iraq
• The Washington Post: Washington’s Foreign Policy Elite Breaks With Obama Over Syrian Bloodshed
• The National: Plan for Rebels and Civilians to Escape Eastern Aleppo Collapses as Soon as It Begins
• The Los Angeles Times: Turkey Has Further Complicated the Syrian War by Attacking the United States’ Kurdish Allies
• TIME: European Union Leaders Denounce Syrian Atrocities but Won’t Sanction Russia