PHOTO: Fighters of the Kurdish militia YPG

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“Out-of-Sight” Killing and Abuse of Detainees by Assad Regime — UN
US to Opposition — Drop Conditions for Talks, Such as Ceasefires

Taking advantage of Russian airstrikes and a nearby regime-Hezbollah-Iranian offensive, Kurdish forces have taken rebel territory in northwest Syria.

The Kurdish militia YPG and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces moved into the town of Deir Jamal, in northern Syria on the Turkish border, and neighboring villages on Monday.

While it is unclear if the Kurdish operations have been discussed with the Russians, who began their bombing of opposition areas from September 30, the advance is close to the offensive that has put pressure on rebels north of Aleppo city.

Deir Jamal is south of the key border town of Azaz, west of the rebel frontline at Mare’ against the Islamic State, and north of Mayer and the regime of al-Zahraa, captured last week by the foreign-led offensive.

The Russian militiary and Kurdish officials established contact inside in early February in northeastern Syria, where the Kurds have pushed back the Islamic State, as Russia moved into an airbase near Qamishli.

Representatives of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Party (PYD) are also opening an office in Moscow this week.

Some Kurdish factions are seeking territorial links between the Afrin canton in northwest Syria and the Kobani and Cezire cantons in the northeast.

The Turkish Government has warned the PYD — which it believes is dominated by the Turkish Kurdish insurgency PKK — against an advance near the border. On Sunday, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told the US that it must choose between alliance with Ankara and support of the PYD.

Since last autumn, the US has cut support to Syrian rebels and has backed the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, created in October. Washington has provided weapons, ammunition, and US special forces for the Kurdish offensive across northeast Syria.

The US officially lists the PKK as “terrorist”; however, State Department spokesman John Kirby said on Monday, “We do not recognize the PYD as a terrorist organization. We recognize Turks do.”

Kirby said consultations between the US and Turkey continue:

Look, even friends don’t agree on everything. And we’re friends and we’re not going to always agree on everything in this particular fight. And it’s a complicated struggle. We recognize that….

We are allies with Turkey and we’re going to continue to be so – no question about that at all.

Video: Russian Airstrike Hits Displaced Persons Camp in Aleppo Province, Kills 5

Footage of a Russian airstrike on a displaced persons’ camp in northern Aleppo Province:

The White Helmets civil defense organization says five people were killed and nine wounded.

Another Hospital Hit by Airstrike, 3 Killed

Médecins Sans Frontières says yet another Syrian hospital has been hit by an airstrike.

The latest attack was on February 5 on the Tafas field hospital in Daraa Province in southern Syria, about 12 km (7 miles) from the Jordanian border. Three people were killed and at least six were wounded.

The hospital building was damaged, and the ambulance service was disabled.

Since the start of Russian airstrikes on September 30, more than a dozen hospitals and clinics have been damaged.

State Media: 3 Killed by Damascus Car Bomb

State news agency SANA says three people were killed by a car bomb in the Masaken Barzeh neighborhood of Damascus on Tuesday.

Interior Minister Mohammad al-Shaar said the attack targeted families staying at the nearby Police Club. He said 14 people were wounded.

DAMASCUS BOMB 09-02-16

On January 31, an Islamic State double bombing killed more than 60 people near the shrine of Sayyeda Zeinab in southern Damascus.

Opposition-Rebel Negotiator Alloush: Russians and Regime Sabotaged Geneva Talks

In an interview with Germany’s DPA, the lead negotiator of the opposition-rebel bloc has denied that it pulled out of last week’s Geneva talks, prompting their suspension.

Mohammad Alloush rejected accusations by the Assad regime’s representative, Ambassador to the UN Bashar al-Ja’afari, that the bloc had intended to withdraw from the start of the short-lived process in Geneva.

Instead, Alloush said that Russian bombing had undermined the discussions:

We committed ourselves and we were serious….We presented a paper with humanitarian demands to stop the bombing, release prisoners, and lift the sieges….

But on the second day, we saw the intense Russian bombardment of Aleppo. We evaluated that the climate was not favorable for a negotiations because of a lack of procedures for humanity. The regime wants to evade these conditions always, and therefore it is solely responsible for the sabotage of the talks before they started.

Iran Again Warns Against Saudi Troops in Syria

The Iranian regime has again warned Saudi Arabia not to send ground troops into Syria.

The Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani, said the deployment would be a “very dangerous” step:

Although claims made by these countries are by no means proportionate to their military capabilities, the potential presence of ground troops without the legitimate consent or request of the Syrian government amounts to an interventionist and highly dangerous decision with unfathomable security repercussions for all the regional countries as well as Europe.

In a photo opportunity with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in Tehran, Shamkhani repeated the Iranian line, “There is no military solution to Syria’s crisis; and the establishment of calm and stability in this country is only possible through inter-Syrian dialog as a means of realizing the Syrian people’s will and demands.”

Human Rights Watch: Russia and Regime Using Cluster Bombs in Attacks

Human Rights Watch has issued another report documenting the use of cluster bombs by Russia and regime air forces in attacks on rebels and civilian areas in opposition-held areas across Syria.

Interviewing witnesses, HRW documented at least 14 attacks since January 26 across Aleppo, Idlib, Damascus, Homs, and Hama Provinces. At least 37 civilians, including nine children, were killed, and scores were injured.

Seven of the attacks occurred during the “peace talks” in Geneva from January 29 to February 3.

Local activists reported at least eight additional attacks since January 26, supporting the claims with photographs and videos, but Human Rights Watch was not able to contact witnesses.

In December, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov, denied the reports of cluster bombs: “Russian aviation does not use them….There are no such weapons at the Russian air base in Syria.”

However, analysts have documented the dropping of the munitions.

“We can confirm Russia indeed uses cluster bombs, specifically RBK-500 Shoab-05, RBK-500 AO-2,5RTM and RBK-500 SPBE,” Kirill Mikhailov of the Conflict Intelligence Team said.

“They all have been photographed and filmed both at the Hmeymim airbase in Latakia. The munitions were shown to be either attached to Russian jets, placed on the ground, and in some cases found in residential areas,” he explained.

Turkey PM Davutoglu to Russia: Syrian Intervention Will End Like Afghanistan Failure

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has warned Russia that its military intervention in Syria will end in failure like the Soviet Union’s operations in Afghanistan from 1979.

Davutoğlu told a Parliamentary meeting of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP):

Do not worry at all, the tyrants who turned Syria, my precious Aleppo and Bayırbucak into a lake of blood will one day definitely pay the price for what they have done.

Nobody should forget how the Soviet forces, which were a mighty, super force during the Cold War and entered into Afghanistan, left Afghanistan in a servile situation. Those who have entered Syria today will also leave Syria in a servile way.

Soviet forces entered Afghanistan to prop up the regime, left in 1988 amid the continuing insurgency and a political and economic crisis in Moscow.

Davutoğlu accused the Russians of attacking opposition-held areas and civilian sites, rather than its declared target of the Islamic State:

Russia is continuing to mercilessly bomb civilian targets which don’t have anything to do with terror. We have information on the locations of each bomb dropped by Russia, one by one. Ninety percent of more than 6,000 sorties targeted civilians and moderate opposition and only 10% Daesh [Islamic State].

On Monday, Davutoğlu and visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed the crisis of displaced civilians caused by the Russian airstrikes in support of a regime-Hezbollah-Iranian offensive in Aleppo Province.

The two leaders agreed to seek NATO’s involvement in curbing the refugee flow to Europe, and to press for fulfillment of UN resolutions for ceasefires as well as a halt to Russian bombing.

Aid Worker in Aleppo Province: “Full-Scale Russian Invasion”

Aid worker Tauqir Tox Sharif writes from Aleppo Province, “The last 5 days in a row I thought to myself, ‘That’s it, my time’s up!’ Certainly death is written for me today.”

Sharif said that he has “witnessed a full-scale RUSSIAN INVASION” with cluster bombs being used on civilians. He said that, delivering an ambulance to a hospital in Aleppo, aid personnel were injured and the convoy’s camera was stolen:

The ambulance didn’t reach its destination but we did help many of the Syrians who were fleeing the intense bombing. Inshallah, we are going back in the next few days with a new camera undeterred and bi’iznillah we will deliver the amanah to where it is most needed!

Keep us in your duas [prayers].

Saudi Foreign Minister Meets US Secretary of State Kerry in Low-Profile Meeting

Saudi Foreign Minister Ahmed al-Jubeir flew to Washington for an unscheduled, discreet meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday.

Jubeir’s visit came amid a widening gap between Saudi Arabia and the Americans over the position towards Syria’s opposition and the response to the regime-Russian-Hezbollah-Iranian offensives, including in northern Aleppo Province.

The Saudi Embassy merely said that the two men discussed “regional issues, including the conflict in Syria, joint counterterrorism efforts, and the Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen”, and that “Jubeir reiterated that Saudi Arabia is a force for peace and security throughout the region”.

The Foreign Minister added, “We are determined to … work with our American friends in trying to find solutions to these areas in a way that promotes peace and security for all people of the region as well as people of the world.”

State Department spokesman John Kirby said on Monday that the US welcomed announcements by both Saudi Arabia and the UAE that they would provide ground forces to the US-led coalition’s efforts against the Islamic State. However, he implicitly cautioned that this must be the goal, rather than support of Syrian rebels:

We still just need to get a better sense of, obviously, what they envision this would entail, and make sure that it matches up with coalition efforts and coalition needs.

But again, no equivocation, we welcome the announcement and we welcome the support that they’re willing to provide, given that it is going after Daesh [the Islamic State].

Opposition Warns of “Imminent Massacre” in Darayya, Near Damascus

The opposition Syrian National Coalition has warned of an “imminent massacre” as regime forces, supported by Russian airstrikes, try to move into the town of Darayya.

The Coalition said it would hold the UN Security Council responsible for any crimes against almost 12,000 civilians in Darayya, southwest of Damascus.

Darayya has been held by the opposition since 2012, but the Syrian military has stepped up pressure on it and nearby Moadamiya this winter, with Russian and regime aircraft carrying out daily attacks.

Last week, regime forces succeeded in cutting the road between the two towns, not only threatening Darayya but also tightening the siege on Moadamiya that was imposed in late 2012.

The Coalition said, “Those around the world who can in any way, shape or form make a difference have a moral responsibility to act now to stop the atrocities in Syria and put an end to this tragic chapter of world history.”

Residents & Rebels Call for Military Unity in Aleppo

Civilians and fighters in opposition-held areas of Aleppo city have called for unity of rebel forces in the face of the regime-Russian-Hezbollah-Iranian offensive threatening to cut off their areas.

Protesters took to the streets on Sunday, demanding an “Army of Aleppo”. Several commanders and troops of the Levant Front and the Thuwar al-Sharqiya Brigades participated.

On Saturday, activists in Aleppo Province issued gave 15 military factions a deadline of 72 hours to unite.

ALEPPO DEMO 02-16

Video: Journalist Malouf Interviews Captured Hezbollah Soldiers

Journalist Carol Malouf has interviewed two Hezbollah soldiers, captured by the jihadists of Jabhat al-Nusra in southern Syria:

Lebanon’s MTV showed part of the footage last week, but it cut the broadcast from 30 minutes to 7, reportedly after calls from Hezbollah officials.

The full 58-minute interview was posted on YouTube on Sunday.

Hassan Nazih Taha and Mohammad Mehdi Shuaib, both communication specialists assisting fighters, were taken prisoner in November on the frontline of southwest Aleppo city when they lost their way after setting up radio antennas. They said they had received little military training, and they criticized the command:

We were truly surprised. How had they sent us when the area still wasn’t secure? There were mistakes. There were mistakes. Even the big mistake—that we lost our way—[was partly our fault] but why hadn’t they set up a checkpoint?….They hadn’t closed the road.

The two men said that all Hezbollah units have moved from the south to fronts in northwest Syria.

In the lengthy interview, they spoke of sectarian rhetoric from Hezbollah to motivate recruits: “They are coming to demolish our shrines, they are going to take our women prisoner.” They said that they believed “mercenary” Sunni fighters battling the Assad regime wanted to destroy the Sayyeda Zeinab shrine near Damascus, an important site for Shia Muslims.