The Latest: Russian military says Syrian opposition helps it
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Version 0 of 1. MOSCOW — The latest news on developments in the Syrian conflict. All times local: 9:15 p.m. Russia’s military says it has cooperated with Syrian opposition forces in the fight against the Islamic State group. Col.-Gen. Sergei Rudskoi of the General Staff of the Russian military said Tuesday that more than 150 Syrian opposition units totaling some 5,000 fighters have cooperated with the Syrian army and Russian airforce to fight the IS. Rudskoi said in televised remarks that members of the “patriotic” Syrian opposition are pinpointing the IS targets for Russian warplanes. Rudskoi said that Russian aircraft have destroyed more than 1,200 oil tanker trucks operated by the IS. Rudskoi’s statement followed President Vladimir Putin’s claim that Russia is giving air cover to some units of the Free Syrian Army, a Western-backed opposition group, and is also providing them with weapons, ammunition and supplies. FSA’s chief of staff has denied receiving Russian weapons. ___ 8:15 p.m. Europol’s director estimates the number of European nationals that have trained as foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq at between 5,000 and 7,000. Rob Wainwright, speaking at a conference for Balkan police chiefs on Tuesday, called them “a very dangerous threat,” saying that an undetermined number “have returned to European society with the intention, if not the capability, to carry out the kind of attacks we have seen.” Italy’s top security official, Interior Minister Angelino Alfano, said the Balkan nations “can be the modern route for foreign fighters” and arms trafficking. Wainright said priorities for fighting terrorism include stronger police cooperation, improved information sharing, better control of firearms moving through the criminal world and monitoring of terrorism funding through the banking system. ___ 6:20 p.m. Saudi Arabia says a new Islamic military alliance would consider requests for assistance from members on a “case-by-case basis.” Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told reporters in Paris on Tuesday that “there is no limit in terms of where the assistance would be provided, or to whom it would be provided.” Saudi Arabia announced the 34-nation alliance earlier in the day, saying it would unify efforts to fight terrorism across the Muslim world. The alliance does not include Shiite-majority Iran or Iraq, both of which are battling the Islamic State group. It also leaves out Syria, a key ally of Tehran. Saudi Arabia and Iran are regional rivals that back opposite sides in the civil wars in Syria and Yemen. ___ 5:30 p.m. U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter says he is looking forward to learning more about what Saudi Arabia has in mind for the creation of a new 34-nation counterterrorism alliance based in Riyadh. Carter told reporters on Tuesday during a visit to Incirlik Air Base in Turkey, that he would like to talk to the Saudis and learn more specifics of the plan. “In general, at least, it appears that it’s very much aligned with something that we’ve been urging for quite some time, which is greater involvement in the campaign to combat ISIL by Sunni Arab countries,” he said, using an acronym for the Islamic State group. A senior defense official said the U.S. did not know in advance about the formation of an Islamic military alliance to fight terrorism, but officials were working to find out the details. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. —Lolita C. Baldor in Incirlik Air Base, Turkey ___ 4:00 p.m. Lebanese Prime Minister Tammam Salam is welcoming the formation of a 34-nation, Saudi-led military coalition and says Lebanon has agreed to be part of it because the country “is on the front lines” of the fight against terrorism. A statement issued by the premier’s office Tuesday hailed the alliance as a step in the interest of all Islamic countries which have a “historic responsibility to confront extremism which uses Islam to cover up its crimes.” Salam said Lebanon will not hesitate to endorse any action “that aims to mobilize resources and close ranks against this scourge” which he said constitutes the most significant challenge to the security and stability of the region. Lebanon has seen frequent spillovers from Syria’s civil war next door, as well as sectarian clashes and militant attacks. ___ 3:30 p.m. Syrian opposition monitoring groups say airstrikes on a fuel market in a rebel-held village in northern Syria have killed and wounded dozens. The Local Coordination Committees say Tuesday’s airstrikes on Maaret al-Naasan were carried out by Russian warplanes and that they killed and wounded dozens of people. Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the airstrikes killed and wounded at least 35 people. He said the warplanes were believed to have been Russian. The market is mostly sells diesel fuel brought from areas under the control of the Islamic State group. The airstrikes are likely part of a campaign to target the oil industry that is a major source of income for IS. Demand for diesel has been on the rise in northern Syria for heating. ___ 11:40 a.m. Turkey has welcomed the formation in Saudi Arabia of a 34-nation military coalition to fight terrorism. The kingdom announced the new “Islamic military alliance” just hours earlier, saying it will have a joint operations center based in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu called it the “best response to those who are trying to associate terror and Islam” and said it was a “step in the right direction.” Davutoglu said Tuesday that “Turkey is prepared to make every contribution possible to any meeting related to the fight against terrorism, regardless of where it is organized or by whom it is organized.” ___ 11:30 a.m. Germany’s defense minister has rebuffed a call from the United States for her country to make a greater contribution to the military effort to fight the Islamic State group. Ursula von der Leyen says Germany is already involved on several military fronts combating extremist groups, including in Mali and Afghanistan. Asked Tuesday about the U.S. request, von der Leyen told public broadcaster ARD that “I’m going to write back and say, of course, we’re on your side, you know that, in the fight against the Islamic State.” Germany would keep supporting the Kurdish peshmerga in northern Iraq, which she described as “the most effective ground troops” fighting IS. Von der Leyen also noted that Germany was sending surveillance jets “to Syria with very modern technology, that’s urgently needed ___ 10:20 a.m. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has opened talks in Moscow with Russia’s foreign minister to try to narrow broad gaps on ways to end Syria’s civil war and restore stability in eastern Ukraine. Kerry was meeting his counterpart Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday before seeing Russian President Vladimir Putin in what are expected to be difficult discussions over the ways ahead in each crisis. Russia and the U.S. are at odds over the mechanics of a political transition aimed at halting the war in Syria as well as the military approach to fighting the Islamic State group. On Ukraine, the two countries are split over the implementation of a February agreement meant to end hostilities between the Kiev government and Russian-backed separatists in the east. Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |