Will Russia turn to Syrian mercenaries for its Ukraine fight?

Evidence is emerging that the Syrian government and its Russian military partners are recruiting Syrian fighters for potential deployment to the former Soviet state.

Syria

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham fights opponents on social media

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham has created an electronic group whose mission is to track down and close social media accounts sharing posts against it.

Syria

Culture

Against all odds, Yazidi girl outlives her top-ranking Islamic State captors

Sipan Ajo, a 22-year-old Yazidi survivor from Kocho, emerged six months ago from seven years of captivity in Syria and has described her ordeal in detail to a journalist for the first time.

Iraq

Syrian opposition backs Ukraine in stand against Russian army

Jihadis in Syria want to exploit the Syrian regime’s preoccupation with Russia’s war on Ukraine to open new fronts, while the Syrian opposition cheers for Ukraine.

Syria

Family ties fuel Islamic State to rebel pipeline in northern Syria

The stories of fighters who turned from the Islamic State to Syria's rebel opposition forces show the how kinship ties, regionalism, and material concerns often trump ideology in the Syrian war.

Syria

White Helmets chief reflects on Syria’s lessons for Ukraine

Raed al-Saleh, who leads the volunteer rescue group in Syria, offered advice to Ukrainians seeking to document Russia's potential war crimes in real time.

Syria

Infighting between Islamist, Turkish-backed armed groups continues in north Syria

Infighting between Turkish-backed factions in north Syria continues despite pleas by civilians, with most recently dozens of members of the civilian police resigning in response to a shootout with the military police that left two of its members wounded.

Syria

Syrian jihadi group escalates campaign against foreign fighters in Idlib

While some believe that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is tightening the noose around foreign fighters in Idlib with the ultimate goal to expel them, others consider that it serves the interest of civilians in the city of Idlib.

Syria

Idlib weighs cashless economy to address hardship

A research and studies department in a local investment company affiliated with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Idlib suggested turning Idlib into a cashless society, as a solution to price increases and inflation.

Syria

Jihadi group takes on Salafist opponents in Idlib

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham cracks down and arrests Salafists who support anti-HTS protests.

Syria

Yazidis react to killing of Islamic State leader

The death of Islamic State leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, who committed war crimes against the Yazidi community in Sinjar and supervised the Sinjar genocide in which thousands of Yazidis were killed, sparked varied reactions among Yazidis.

Syria

Syrian jihadi group tightens noose on Arab, foreign fighters in Idlib

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is pressuring foreign jihadis in Idlib and giving them two choices: Leave, or integrate into the local community.

Syria