'If Assad wants peace in Syria, he should lift sieges'
Dr Ahmad Tarakji, President of the Syrian American Medical Society, writes in The Independent this morning that if the Syrian government wants peace, it must lift blockades on rebel-held towns and villages.
Whoever wants peace within the regime should start by lifting the siege on every town from suburban Damascus to suburban Idleb. Going forward and to enforce peace, the UN Security Council should create and enforce an accountability mechanism based on the violations reported by the UN agencies. Besides that, the international community might be able to force ceasefires, but not peace.
Otherwise, if the government sieges are left in place, ceasefire agreements with rebels in besieged towns will be a result of "starving communities to death followed by forceful displacement of civilians," Tarakji writes.
The main Syrian opposition group, the Saudi-backed High Negotiations Committee, has called on the UN to enforce a Security Resolution that called for an end to the sieges as well as bombardments.
More criticism of Russia's actions in Syria tweeted by Gareth Bayley, the UK's Special Representative for Syria.
The deadly cost of speaking out against IS
Sobering analysis from The Soufan Group in the wake of the January 31 murder of Yemeni cleric Samahan Abdel-Aziz in Aden, two days after he delivered a speech denouncing the IS group and Al-Qaeda.
One of the reasons behind the absence of popular uprisings against the Islamic State is that the group extinguishes potential flames of opposition by quickly killing anyone who could provide the necessary spark. From activists to aid workers to clerics, the Islamic State and like-minded groups ensure that credible voices of opposition are not heard for long.
The Soufan Group notes that IS has carried out execution-style killings -- often public and always brutal -- of its opponents in various areas under its control, including in Mosul and Ramadi in Iraq and in Libya.
The Free Syrian Army in Aleppo are calling on the Saudi-backed opposition High Negotiations Committee to insist on a halt to bombardments or withdraw from talks, according to Charles Lister.
In case you missed it yesterday, here is the full briefing by Operation Inherent Resolve (the U.S.-led campaign against IS) Commanding General Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland on the anti-IS operations in Syria and Iraq.
International community needs to intervene to stop Russian bombings:HNC
The main Syrian opposition delegation to the Syria peace talks in Geneva has said that the international community needs to intervene to stop Russian air strikes in Syria.
Russia's air strikes have helped the Syrian government make gains against rebels in various parts of Syria, although Russia has said that it is targeting the IS group and Al-Qaeda. Opposition groups say that the Russian strikes have caused high civilian casualties.
U.S. to increase anti-IS funds by 50 percent: Pentagon
AFP has reported the breaking news that the United States is to increase funding for the campaign against the IS group by 50 percent, to $7.5 billion.
No, Syria talks haven't properly begun, government says
The Syrian government has rejected reports that the Syrian peace talks have properly begun, AFP reports. Instead, the head of the Syrian government delegation, Bashar al-Jaafari, said that the negotiations were in a "preparatory phase" and the opposition was "not serious."
"We still don't know who the opposition delegation is," al-Jaafari told reporters after a meeting with UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura.