Russia proposes March 1 ceasefire in Syria; US wants it now

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Source: AP

MUNICH (AP) -- U.S. officials say Russia has proposed a March 1 ceasefire in Syria, but the United States believes the fighting must stop immediately.

One official says the U.S. believes the Russians are giving themselves and the Syrian military on the ground three weeks to launch harsher attacks on opposition forces.

And the U.S. is worried that the opposition could suffer irreversible losses in northern and southern Syria.

The officials weren't authorized to discuss the matter publicly and demanded anonymity.

Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_UNITED_STATES_SYRIA_POLICY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-02-10-16-19-01

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1. U.N. Security Council members push Russia to stop Aleppo bombing

Several United Nations Security Council members pressed Russia on Wednesday to stop bombing around Syria's Aleppo in support of a Syrian military offensive and allow humanitarian access ahead of a crucial meeting of major powers in Germany on the conflict.

The 15-member Security Council met behind closed doors to discuss the situation after the U.N. warned that hundreds of thousands of civilians could be cut off from food if Syrian government forces encircle rebel-held parts of Aleppo.

"Russia's air strikes have been a direct cause of this crisis around Aleppo," New Zealand's U.N. Ambassador Gerard van Bohemen told reporters after a briefing by U.N. aid chief Stephen O'Brien. New Zealand and Spain requested the meeting.

International powers, including Russia, the United States, Saudi Arabia and Iran, are due to meet on Thursday in Munich in a bid to resurrect Syrian peace talks. But diplomats have little hope for negotiations as long as the Russian-backed offensive continues. Rebels say they will not attend unless the bombing stops.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-un-idUSKCN0VJ2H6?rpc=401

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2. Besieged Syrian Rebels Want Weapons, Not Food

Faced with a looming siege in Aleppo province, activists and opposition fighters inside Syria’s largest city are rejecting calls for humanitarian assistance. “We don’t want food or drinks,” said Abu Teen al-Halabi, a photographer and activist opposed to President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, which has made substantial gains in recent weeks with the help of Russia and Iran. “We need anti-aircraft missiles, nothing more.”

More than 500 have been killed since the Russian-backed air offensive began striking Aleppo earlier this month, according to reports. Tens of thousands have fled their homes. Yet in multiple interviews with Vocativ by phone and over social media, Syrian rebels pleaded for arms over aid, insisting that advanced weapons capable of taking down Russian fighter planes would be the only way to survive the battle ahead.

They shouldn’t count on either from the U.S. or other members of the international community.

For months, the Obama administration and its allies have refused to supply rebel groups with heavy firepower. Even as a humanitarian crisis consumes Aleppo and rebel factions struggle to hold on to the eastern part of the city, the U.S. won’t budge. Asked whether there were any plans to assist U.S.-backed forces in Aleppo, Col. Patrick Ryder, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command, told Reuters: “Our fight right now is against [ISIS] in Iraq and Syria. We are continuing to stay focused on that operation.”

http://www.vocativ.com/news/282403/besieged-syrian-rebels-want-weapons-not-food/

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3. American tanks and weapons used by pro-Assad Iraqi militias

An Iranian-backed Iraqi militia that actively supports the Syrian government is fighting with American tanks and equipment, according to reports and a video released by the group.

A video posted this week on Youtube shows the flag of the Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada (KSS) flying from the back of an M1 Abrams, the US military's main battle tank.

The KSS forms part of the umbrella group Hashd al-Shaabi, or Popular Mobilisation Units. The PMU was formed in 2014 on the orders of Ali al-Sistani, the spiritual leader of Iraqi Shias, and which has since been funded by the Baghdad government.

The KSS has fought the Islamic State (IS) group in Iraq but has also sent forces to support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and defend the Zaynab Shrine south of Damascus, which has been the target of repeated attacks by IS.

http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/iran-backed-militias-using-american-tanks-battle-809449820

[RobertEarl]

6. They stole that tank!!

It was left in Iraq who gave it to ISIS and then Iran stole it?

FUBAR.

War. What is it good for? Thieves.

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7. Well, let's say it is not under control. nt

[NickB79]

8. VICE: ISIS Stole Some Shiny New Weapons From the Iraqi Army

http://www.vice.com/read/isis-stole-some-shiny-new-weapons-from-the-iraqi-army-989

According to Michael Knights, a fellow at the Washington Institute and specialist on ISF and the insurgency, roughly a quarter of the Iraqi Security Forces' (ISF) combat units collapsed within the first few days of fighting. ISIS has captured hundreds of US supplied upgraded Humvees, pickup trucks, tanks and armored vehicles, artillery pieces, and even reportedly a number of helicopters, not to mention huge stocks of ammunition and artillery shells. From the sheer quantity of captured equipment, Knights noted "ISIS has probably three sets of captured M16 rifles and body armor for every one of its fighters."

So yeah, I wouldn't be surprised at all to see US hardware in action over there.

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4. Syria: Kurds occupy two villages in Aleppo province at request of Arab residents

ALEPPO, Syria, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Kurdish rebels in Syria's Aleppo province have occupied two villages at the request of local Arabs seeking refuge from Russian and Syrian airstrikes, according to activists.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported Tuesday forces with the Kurdish People's Protection Units, or YPG, occupied the villages of Deir Jamal and Mar'anaz.

The villages are located in the northern Aleppo province, where an offensive by the Syrian military and Russian warplanes has prompted thousands of refugees to flee toward the Turkish border.

SOHR, a Britain-based monitoring group, said the residents of both villages asked for the Kurdish occupation in a bid to avoid constant air attacks.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2016/02/10/Syria-Kurds-occupy-two-villages-in-Aleppo-province-at-request-of-Arab-residents/9611455058656/?spt=sec&or=tn

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5. . nt

[killbotfactory]

9. The rebels should have seriously pursued peace talks before Russia got involved. nt