LATEST: Claims — Islamic State Burns Captured Jordanian Pilot al-Kasasbeh to Death

The Revolutionary Forces of Syria post a map claiming that at least 1136 civilians were killed by regime attacks in January:

The highest tolls are north of Aleppo, where the regime is trying to cut off insurgent areas in Syria’s largest city, and in the south, where the Syrian military is trying to hold back opposition advances.

The Syrian Network for Human Right’s report for January documents 883 civilians killed by regime forces, including 207 children. It says women and children are now 30% of the casualties, “a clear indication of the purposed targeting of civilians by governmental forces”.

The SNHR also claims the killing of 54 civilians by the Islamic State, 13 by Kurdish forces, and five by the Islamist group Jabhat al-Nusra.

The Local Coordination Committees document 63 people killed on Monday. Among the dead were at least 20 in Daraa Province, including civilians slain in Jassim by regime bombs as the Syrian military tries to push back against recent insurgent gains.

Civil defense workers also said that dozens were killed and injured in Khan Sheikhoun in southern Idlib Province in northwest Syria.

A source with the local medical office said 11 people were killed and 86 injured, six critically, in the insurgent-held Damascus suburb of Douma.

Claims: Islamic State Burns Captured Jordanian Pilot al-Kasasbeh to Death

Claims are racing across social media that the Islamic State has released a video showing the burning to death of captured Jordanian pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh.

The video shows al-Kasabeh in an orange jumpsuit standing upright in a cage, as a burning torch is held to a trail of oil.

[Editor’s Note: We have seen stills from the video, but the images are so graphic that we are not posting hyperlinks. There are questions as to whether al-Kasasbeh’s execution was today or up to a month ago.]

Kasasbeh was captured by the jihadists on December 24 when his plane was downed in Syria as it was carrying out an airstrike for the US-led coalition.

The execution would be the third in two weeks by the Islamic State, following the killings of Japanese hostages Haruna Yakawa and Kenji Goto. Seven other foreign hostages have been executed since August, all by beheading.

The Jordanian Government had said it would be willing to meet the jihadist condition of a swap of al-Kasasbeh for Sajida al-Rishawi, an Iraqi woman on Death Row in Jordan since 2005 for an attempted suicide bombing in Amman.

Vigil for al-Kasasbeh after his capture:

AL-KASASBEH VIGIL

Insurgents: We Will Trade Captured Iranian For Women in Syrian Prisons

The Levant (Sham) Front said on Monday that they will trade a captured Iranian fighter for women held in Syrian regime prisons.

Abu Ahmad of the Front said the 30-year-old Iranian, from the holy city of Qom, was captured as he fought alongside regime forces during an insurgent advance in Daraa Province in southern Syria. The man was captured as the opposition took over a power station near Sheikh Maskin on the main highway from Damascus to the Jordanian border.

“We are questioning him on how Iranians operate in Syria. Our priority right now is a swap for our prisoners. We have so many women in government prisons and we want to swap him for [some of] them,” Abu Ahmed said.

An “Iranian informed source” told the Iranian Student News Agency, “The report is absolutely unfounded.”

Insurgents Take Important Hill North of Aleppo

Pushing back farther against the regime’s months-long effort to cut off opposition-held Aleppo, insurgents have taken an important hill next to al-Bureij. They claim that they have killed 35 regime troops and captured at least 14, as well as destroying two tanks and seizing another.

Destruction a T-72 tank with an anti-tank guided missile:

Captured regime troops:

Two weeks ago, the insurgents took al-Bureij, between the town of Handarat on the main route into Aleppo and the Sheikh Najjar industrial area (see map).

The latest operation took the al-Miasat hlll, overlooking a key roundabout. The advance was led by the Levant (Sham) Front, including the prominent factions Ahrar al-Sham and Jaish al-Islam, and also involved units of the Free Syrian Army and the Islamist group Jabhat al-Nusra.

Russia FM Lavrov: “More Opposition Figures Want to Be in Our Next ‘Peace’ Talks”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov maintained on Monday that last week’s opening round of “peace” talks between an Assad delegation and members of the Syrian opposition had been a success, despite the absence of most oppposition groups and leaders.

Lavrov asserted that said that “a number of opposition figures who did not participate in the meeting voiced their interest in taking part in the next [one]”.

No date has been set for the follow-up discussion.

The Russians presented 10 “Principles”, backing up their position that President Assad should remain in power, but there was no agreement among those who did come to the conference table.