The Islamic State has been largely driven out of Iraq, but Turkey and Iran both remain intensely interested in certain areas.
A joint statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump that there is no military solution in Syria infuriated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Syrian Kurdish leaders voiced support on Wednesday for a longer-term role for U.S. forces in Syria once Islamic State is defeated, after the United States signalled it would not pull out before there was progress towards a political solution. - Reuters
The Syrian army backed by Russian jets on Wednesday stepped up shelling and air strikes on a besieged rebel-held enclave in Damascus a day after rebels stormed an army base in the area, rebels, a war monitor and residents said. - Reuters
Six Russian long-range bombers struck Islamic State targets near the town of Albu Kamal in Syria’s Deir al-Zor Province on Wednesday, the Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement. - Reuters
East Libyan forces said they launched air strikes against suspected Islamic State militants on Wednesday south of the jihadist group’s former stronghold of Sirte. - Reuters
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has held talks with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Doha. - Al Jazeera
Turkish intelligence services have detained and are questioning Col. Talal Silo, the senior spokesman for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a close US ally in northern Syria, Turkish media reported today. Turkey considers the SDF's People’s Protection Units (YPG) to be a terrorist group. It remains unclear whether Silo surrendered to Turkish officials or was captured. Silo, a Turkmen, was a colonel in the Syrian national army before the civil war. He was the founder of the Turkmen-majority Seljuk Brigade, which joined the SDF in 2105. Read More
The Syrian army stepped up its shelling of a besieged opposition-held enclave in Damascus on Wednesday after rebels stormed an army base in the area on Tuesday. The army’s offensive was supported by Russian airstrikes. Rebel groups, led by the Islamist faction Ahrar al-Sham, attacked a Syrian army complex in Eastern Ghouta, catching Damascus and Moscow by surprise and triggering the bombardment of the besieged area, which is located inside one of the agreed-upon de-escalation zones. Also on Wednesday, Russian long-range bombers delivered a series of strikes on Islamic State targets in the town of Abu Kamal in eastern Deir ez-Zor province. Read More
A group of armed men cut off water supplies to the Libyan capital Tripoli, which indicates the fragility of resources in a country plagued by chaos.
Iran is taking steps to export liquefied natural gas after having previous ambitions to do so scuttled by sanctions.