TheRepublic.com - Civil wars News

Kerry: US, allies ready to step up aid to rebels

Wed, 22 May 2013 16:59:52 -0400

AMMAN, Jordan - The U.S. and several key allies looked again Wednesday for a strategy to end Syria's civil war, their united efforts unable at the moment to stem the Assad regime's military gains and Washington still unwilling to join those providing the rebels with lethal military aid.

Israeli air force chief warns of Syrian attacks

Wed, 22 May 2013 14:17:12 -0400

JERUSALEM - Israel's air force chief warned Wednesday that tensions with Syria could escalate into a "surprise war" and that Israel needs to be ready.

Syrian opposition urges rebels to join key battle

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:46:51 -0400

BEIRUT - Syria's main opposition alliance on Wednesday urged fighters from around the country to reinforce a rebel-held town under attack by President Bashar Assad's troops and their allies from the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group.

Iraqi premier orders army shake-up after attacks

Wed, 22 May 2013 10:14:20 -0400

BAGHDAD - Iraq's prime minister has ordered a shake-up of his military command after a weeklong spike of militant attacks that has killed nearly 300 people, by far the highest toll since the U.S. withdrew its forces in late 2011, an official said Wednesday.

Senate panel approves weapons for Syrian rebels

Tue, 21 May 2013 17:25:54 -0400

WASHINGTON - A Senate panel voted on Tuesday to provide weapons to rebels battling the forces of Syrian President Bashar Assad, the first time lawmakers have endorsed the aggressive U.S. military step of arming the opposition in the 2-year-old civil war.

Car bomb, other attacks kill 20 in Iraq

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:21:34 -0400

BAGHDAD - A car bomb exploded as Sunni worshippers were leaving a mosque after evening prayers Tuesday in Baghdad, the deadliest in a string of attacks that killed at least 20 people nationwide in a week of the most sustained sectarian violence in the country since U.S. troops withdrew more than a year ago.

Spain backs sending defensive arms to Syria rebels

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:01:16 -0400

MADRID - Spain favors a partial lifting of sanctions against Syria that would allow the delivery of "defense material" to rebel groups to help protect the population, its foreign minister said Tuesday.

Israeli military chief warns Syrian regime

Tue, 21 May 2013 10:58:12 -0400

JERUSALEM - Israel's military chief issued a stern warning to Bashar Assad on Tuesday, saying the Syrian leader would "bear the consequences" of any more attacks on Israeli forces near the Syrian border.

Rights group criticizes Sri Lanka's rights record

Mon, 20 May 2013 08:01:07 -0400

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - An international human rights group said Monday that respect for basic rights and liberties has declined in Sri Lanka in the four years since the government defeated separatist Tamil rebels to end a civil war.

US slams Russian anti-ship missiles going to Syria

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:38:34 -0400

WASHINGTON - The Obama administration denounced Russia on Friday for providing Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime with anti-ship missiles, saying the weapons would only worsen a war that Washington and Moscow have been promising to work together on stopping.

Official: 10 killed in explosion in Turkey

Fri, 17 May 2013 11:46:52 -0400

ANKARA, Turkey - Officials say a container of fuel being smuggled into Turkey from Syria has exploded, killing 10 people.

Rights groups: Syria holds thousands incommunicado

Fri, 17 May 2013 11:46:44 -0400

BEIRUT - About 30 security agents showed up just after midnight, breaking down the door to an apartment in the town of Daraya near the Syrian capital of Damascus. They grabbed a 24-year-old university student and drove off.

Syria ex-minister leads rebuilding plan

Fri, 17 May 2013 02:20:37 -0400

BEIRUT - A six-member U.N. team led by a former Syrian planning minister is drawing up a comprehensive postwar reconstruction plan even as the country's civil war rages on with no apparent end in sight.

Syrian troops flush out rebels from prison

Thu, 16 May 2013 18:35:29 -0400

BEIRUT - Syrian government troops on Thursday flushed out rebels who had stormed a prison compound in the northern city of Aleppo in a bid to free hundreds of political prisoners inside.

Turkish PM talks Syria with Obama at White House

Thu, 16 May 2013 15:33:17 -0400

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama said Thursday that the U.S. and Turkey will keep ramping up pressure to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad from power, but there's "no magic formula" to stop his violence.

Attacks against Lebanese Alawites deepen fears

Tue, 14 May 2013 16:06:06 -0400

TRIPOLI, Lebanon - Lebanese members of the Syrian leader's Alawite sect fear their tiny community will be a casualty of the civil war raging in the neighboring country.

13 detained in Turkish bombings, death toll to 51

Tue, 14 May 2013 14:49:21 -0400

ANKARA, Turkey - Four more people have been detained in connection with two car bomb attacks that killed dozens in a Turkish town near the Syrian border, bringing the number of suspects in custody to 13, Turkey's prime minister said Tuesday.

Attacks on Sunni mosques fuel fears in Iraq

Mon, 13 May 2013 16:20:40 -0400

BAGHDAD - A sharp rise in attacks on Sunni holy sites in Iraq is feeding fears that the country could spiral into a new round of sectarian violence similar to the bloodletting that brought Iraq to its knees in 2006 and 2007.

Putin and Netanyahu to discuss Syrian conflict

Mon, 13 May 2013 14:27:54 -0400

MOSCOW - President Vladimir Putin's talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Russia on Tuesday will focus on the situation in Syria, the Kremlin said, amid growing concerns that Moscow may soon provide Damascus with an advanced anti-aircraft weapon.

Politics commandeer stage in Mideast TV contest

Sun, 12 May 2013 14:33:04 -0400

BEIRUT - TV singing contests around the world tend to serve up light, glitzy entertainment with a dash of emotional drama. But in the Middle East's version of "American Idol," it's the region's troubles that often take center stage.

Syria-linked group blamed in Turkey blasts; 43 die

Sat, 11 May 2013 19:11:13 -0400

REYHANLI, Turkey - In one of the deadliest attacks in Turkey in recent years, two car bombs exploded near the border with Syria on Saturday, killing 43 and wounding 140 others. Turkish officials blamed the attack on a group linked to Syria, and a deputy prime minister called the neighboring country's intelligence service and military "the usual suspects."

Turkey testing Syrians for chemical weapon wounds

Thu, 09 May 2013 12:11:40 -0400

ANKARA, Turkey - Turkey is testing injured Syrians seeking treatment across the border for chemical weapon wounds, the foreign minister said Thursday.

Analysis: Syria has limited response options

Tue, 07 May 2013 17:21:41 -0400

BEIRUT - The Syrian regime on Tuesday dispatched an obscure proxy, a Damascus-based Palestinian militant group, to threaten retaliation for two Israeli airstrikes over the weekend.

Corker: US moving closer to arming Syrian rebels

Tue, 07 May 2013 08:25:08 -0400

WASHINGTON - A Republican member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is predicting the U.S. will soon be "arming the rebels" seeking to overthrow Syria's Bashar Assad.

Ind. Sen. Donnelly returns from Middle East trip

Tue, 07 May 2013 06:39:21 -0400

INDIANAPOLIS - Indiana Sen. Joe Donnelly says Syrian opposition leaders he met with last week told him they don't want American troops involved in their civil war against President Bashar Assad's forces.