[Published here on March 2, 2017]
Beirut (AFP) – Syrian troops backed by Russian jets completed the recapture of the historic city of Palmyra from the Islamic State group Thursday, the Kremlin and the army said, in another blow to the jihadists.
AFP
Where does Syria’s opposition stand ahead of new talks? | AFP
[Published here on February 21, 2017]
Beirut (AFP) – Syrian opposition figures will return to Geneva on Thursday for new UN-sponsored talks with President Bashar al-Assad’s regime on their country’s six-year conflict.
Balloon, camera, action: mapping a Palestinian camp in Lebanon | AFP
[Published here on February 19, 2017]
Burj al-Shamali (Lebanon) (AFP) – Equipped with an inexpensive camera and a big red balloon, Firas Ismail — a 20-year-old Palestinian refugee in southern Lebanon — is not your typical urban planner.
Three-way bid to boost Syria truce after Astana talks | AFP
[Published here on January 24, 2017]
Astana (Kazakhstan) (AFP) – Russia, Iran and Turkey agreed Tuesday to bolster a fragile truce in Syria but rebels and Damascus made no progress towards a broader settlement to end the war after two days of talks.
No sign of breakthrough on first day of Syria talks | AFP
[Published here on January 23, 2017]
Astana (Kazakhstan) (AFP) – Peace talks with Syrian rebels and the war-torn country’s government got off to a rocky start Monday, while Washington said President Donald Trump was open to joint operations with Russia against Islamic State jihadists in Syria.
Syria regime, rebels set for first face-to-face at Astana | AFP
[Published here on January 21, 2017]
Syria’s government and rebel fighters will on Monday sit down at the negotiating table for the first time in nearly six years of war, the latest diplomatic push to end the hostilities.
Mosul battle leaving legacy of environmental damage | AFP
[Published here on December 12, 2016]
Qayyarah, Iraq // The battle to retake Mosul from ISIL is leaving a legacy of environmental damage and health risks that will pose dangers to people for years to come.
Iraqi firefighters battle to tame IS oil well fires | AFP
[Published here on November 20, 2016]
Clad in red helmets and surgical masks, the firefighters emerged exhausted from the massive column of smoke streaming almost incessantly out of an oil well in northern Iraq.
Informants and interrogations crucial to Mosul advance | AFP
[Published here on November 19, 2016]
Identification cards and cell phones in hand, dozens of Iraqi men and boys trudge down a dusty road in eastern Mosul towards intelligence officials waiting apprehensively outside the neighbourhood mosque.
Mosul mechanics fight IS with wrenches | AFP
[Published here on November 18, 2016]
They are armed with wrenches instead of rifles and are rarely found on the front lines, but Mosul’s mechanics say they are indispensable to the fight against the Islamic State group.
MAYA GEBEILY 