More than 50 child soldiers recruited by Daesh in Syria have been killed since the beginning of the year, a monitoring group said Wednesday.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it had documented the deaths of 52 child soldiers, all under the age of 16, who had been part of Daesh "Cubs of the Caliphate" programm The programme provides intense military and religious training to children throughout the Daesh's of control in Syria, the Britain-based Observatory said.As many as 31 were killed in July alone, in explosions, clashes and air strikes by Syria's regime and US-led coalition.The child soldiers are used to man checkpoints or gather intelligence from areas outside Daesh control, but Daesh has been increasingly using them to execute prisoners or conduct suicide attacks. (...) [The Observatory head Rami Abdul Rahman said to the French news agency AFP]: "When a child reaches the point of becoming a suicide bomber, this means that he has been completely brainwashed" (...)The Observatory said it had received informations on dozens more children killed, but that could not confirm their deaths. Since the beginning of 2015, Daesh has recruited more than 1,100 children. (...)
David Cameron was today accused of authorising British involvement in airstrikes in Syria 'by stealth' after it emerged RAF pilots were bombing ISIS targets. Downing Street said the Prime Minister knew the British aircrew were embedded with US and Canadian forces carrying out strikes and 'what they were doing'(...) Parliament has only authorised UK forces to attack ISIS targets in Iraq, where they are operating at the invitation of the government of Bagdad (..)
The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, expressed deep concern at the plight of civilians in Zabadani, in the wake of credible reports that overnight a large number of barrel bombs were dropped on this north-western (Syrian) city. (...) Mr de Mistura asserted that the bombs had caused "unprecedented levels of destruction and many deaths among the civilian population" in the town, which is near the border between Syria and Lebanon. Armed opposition forces known as "The Army of Conquest" retaliated by firing rockets and heavy mortar shells on two villages near Idlib, Al Foua and Kefraya, where a substantial number of civilians were trapped. "In both cases, civilians are tragically caught in the middle of the fight", Mr de Mistura said. The Special Envoy called on all parties to uphold the principle of protecting civilians and once again called on the Syrian Government "to halt the use of crude and indiscriminate weapons, such as barrel bombs, on its own cities"
Rebels that include Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate announced a fierce offensive on the major southern city of Daraa, saying their aim was to "purify" the area. Operation "Storm the Truth" was announced by Twitter by the Southern Front, an alliance of rebel groups "to purify the province of Daraa from the filth of the gangs of (President Basher al-) Assad". Al Qaeda affiliate Al Nusra Front and other Islamist militias are taking part in the fighting, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights' director Rami Abdel Rahman. "The violent attack began this morning on regime-held parts of Daraa city, with both sides exchanging shellfire", he told AFP. Regime aircraft have conducted at least 21 air raids and dropped 32 barrel bombs on rebel positions. (...) Syria's regime has already lost two provincial capitals - Idlib in the northwest which is held by a rebel alliance including Al Nusra, and Raqa in the Euphrates valley, which is held by the Islamic State group. (...) At least 230,000 people have been killed since Syria's conflict erupted in Daraa in 2011.
O governo turco confirmou que caças do país atacaram alvos do Estado Islâmico do lado sírio da fronteira entre os dois países.Uma nota oficial do governo diz que três caças F-16 decolaram da base área de Diyarbakir, no sudeste da Turquia, na madrugada de hoje, para atacar três alvos pontos identificados com o Estado Islâmico na província síria de Kilis.A decisão pela operação foi tomada em uma reunião de segurança realizada ontem, após militantes do grupo extremista terem atacado, a partir da Síria, um posto militar turco, matando um soldado.A televisão estatal TRT afirmou que os caças turcos não violaram o espaço aéreo sírio.
