US Attacks Continue Against ISIS
WASHINGTON – Syrian unrest which has spilled over into Iraq now threatens the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Israel’s northern frontier. Al Qaeda offshoot group, al Nusra Front has reportedly seized control of the border crossing into Israel from Syrian government troops.
During the fight, a misfired mortar struck and wounded an Israeli soldier.
UN observers could be seen patrolling the Golan Heights on Wednesday as Israel returned fire, attacking two Syrian military locations.
Mass Atrocities Noted in Syria by UN
Mass atrocities by Government forces and non-State armed groups continue to take place in Syria, causing immeasurable suffering to civilians and contributing to a spillover of violence affecting international peace and stability, a United Nations-appointed panel said today.
The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria emphasized that with the continuous influx of foreign fighters and the success of extremist groups, “risks of the conflict spreading further are palpable.”
The Commission’s latest report, based on 480 interviews and a wealth of documentary material, chronicles the human cost of the Syrian conflict that began in March 2011. The impact has been particularly grave for women and children, whose most basic rights are being violated every day.
Hundreds of Civilians Dying Each Day
“Hundreds of civilians are dying each day as the fighting goes on with no regard to law or to conscience,” said Paulo Pinheiro, Chair of the Commission.
Women being Lashed by ISIS Forces
Women have been lashed for not abiding by the dress code decreed by the group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), according to a news release on the Commission’s report. In Ar-Raqqah, children as young as 10 are being recruited and trained at ISIS camps. The group has also forcibly displaced Kurdish communities in northern Syria. Journalists and other media workers are systematically targeted.
These weren’t the only bases where President Bashar al Assad’s forces were attacked.
In Tabqa, to the east, fighters from Islamic State claimed they had taken over another installation. The militants posed on top of jets and showed off weapons and ammunition they say they seized from the army. They also reportedly executed their Syrian army prisoners.
U.S. military forces today continued to attack ISIL terrorists in support of Iraqi security force operations, using fighter, attack, and remotely piloted aircraft to conduct three airstrikes in the vicinity of Irbil and the Mosul Dam.
The strikes destroyed an ISIL Humvee, a supply truck, three armored vehicles, and severely damaged an ISIL building. All aircraft exited the strike areas safely.
The strikes were conducted under authority to support Iraqi security force and Kurdish defense force operations, as well as to protect critical infrastructure, U.S. personnel and facilities, and support humanitarian efforts.Since Aug. 8, U.S. Central Command has conducted a total of 101 airstrikes across Iraq.
