Analysis How ISIS brides held by Syria’s Kurds are smuggled to suitors in Europe The women are finding their prospective husbands on the internet using smuggled mobile phones. By Amberin Zaman In London, reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Did US pressure force Turkey to let Syrian-Kurdish earthquake aid into rebel-held northwest? Ankara relents, allowing the first humanitarian aid and disaster relief to enter devastated northwest Syria from the country's Kurdish-run northeast. Syria
Already displaced by war, Syrians search earthquake rubble for loved ones Residents of northwest Syria, most of whom found refuge in the area after fleeing the bombing in their hometowns during the war, found themselves facing a new catastrophe following Monday's magnitude 7.8 earthquake. Syria
Is Turkey using HTS to strengthen its hand in Syria? Amid Ankara’s overtures to Damascus, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham — the radical group controlling Idlib — has seized Afrin and is seeking a deal to expand its control further into territories held by factions allied with Turkey. Turkey
Who benefits from attacks on Turkish forces in Idlib? Repeated attacks on Turkish posts and soldiers in Idlib are obstructing Turkish efforts to reopen the M4 international highway and cement the cease-fire, raising questions about the parties behind the attacks. Syria
Flooding renders thousands of displaced Syrians homeless in northwest Weeks of heavy rains have created immense hardship for Idlib residents, who are already contending with the war between rebel groups and the government. Syria
Is Al-Qaeda affiliate expanding attacks beyond Syrian town of Idlib? Hurras al-Din, affiliated with al-Qaeda in Syria, claimed responsibility for an attack against a Russian base in northern Raqqa and pledged to expand operations outside its areas of deployment in Idlib. Syria
Humanitarian disaster looms over camps during winter The lives of thousands of Syrian families in the Idlib camps lives turn into hell every year with the start of winter amid the lack of heating and rainwater drainage. Syria
Some Syrians prefer Idlib over areas under control of Turkish-backed armed groups While security chaos is deemed limited in Idlib, areas under the control of Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army factions are suffering from poor security conditions amid frequent assassinations and bombings targeting civilians and military personnel. Syria
US drone strike kills two suspected al-Qaeda officials in Idlib The strike is believed to have killed a former member of Huras al-Din's Shura Council and a security official. Syria
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham arrests US citizen Bilal Abdul Kareem in Syria’s Idlib The State Department has yet to publicly acknowledge the activist's disappearance Syria
Full-fledged military escalation looms large in Idlib Developments in southern Idlib suggest that a five-month truce could soon come to an end with a fresh regime offensive to capture Syria’s last rebel stronghold. Syria
First confirmed COVID-19 case detected in northwest Syria The first case of the coronavirus in Idlib follows a veto at the UN Security Council today of a resolution that would have allowed aid to reach the embattled area via Turkey. Syria
Is Hayat Tahrir al-Sham doing Turkey’s job in Idlib? Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the rebel group dominating Idlib, is turning up pressure on radical jihadis, facing accusations of acting at the behest of Turkey. Syria
British charity worker detained by HTS in Idlib Tauqir Sharif was kidnapped by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham on Monday, according to a statement from his aid organization in northwest Syria. Syria
US kills two al-Qaeda affiliates in northwest Syria A US drone struck a vehicle carrying two senior commanders of Huras al-Din, one a Jordanian leader and the other a Yemeni leader of the al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group. Syria
