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
The not-so-sacred profit bonanza of Syria's jihadi groups Economic gains have been at the core of clashes between rebel groups in Syria’s Idlib and Turkish-controlled regions that Syrian rebels describe as “liberated” areas. Syria
Intel: US Syria envoy says Turkey must put pressure on Idlib militants Turkey should keep up the pressure on the hard-line Islamist group in control of Syria’s embattled Idlib province, the US special envoy for Syria said today. Syria
Turkey plays extra time in Idlib game with new ‘army’ plan Turkey is reportedly planning to forge a unified militia army in Idlib, but discord among armed groups and the clout of jihadi factions stand out as major stumbling blocks in the way of the new game plan. Syria
Syrian camps brace for potential COVID-19 outbreak Doctors are deeply concerned about the devastation likely to occur if the coronavirus spreads into northwest Syria, particularly the camps for the displaced. Syria
Intel: What’s next for Russia-Turkey cooperation after Erdogan, Putin call? On April 1, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss potential cooperation in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, the next steps in joint efforts in Syria as well as the developments in Libya. Syria
Is Turkey ready to take on jihadis in Syria’s Idlib? While Turkey and Russia seek to maintain a cease-fire in Idlib, the Syrian government and jihadi groups want to resume battles. Syria
Does Turkey have the will to take on jihadis in Idlib? Turkey and Russia will continue to be at odds in Syria's Idlib due to radical groups like Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. Syria
Intel: Turkey targeted by both sides in northern Syria conflict The Turkish troops in northern Syria have become a target of all warring parties in the area in less than a month, after a rocket attack by a radical group killed two Turkish soldiers and wounded one in the region yesterday. Syria
Doctors in northwest Syria brace for ‘devastating’ coronavirus Medical personnel in Syria contacted by Al-Monitor worry that Idlib's crippled health infrastructure will not be able to handle a coronavirus outbreak. Syria
Turkey’s geostrategic orientation at crossroads amid Idlib tangle Confusion prevails in Ankara on how to resolve the entangled Idlib crisis and the choices it will ultimately make could bear on its geostrategic orientations in the coming years. Syria
Mission impossible 2.0: Idlib plan stumbles at outset The latest Russian-Turkish deal in Syria’s rebel bastion of Idlib is off to a shaky start amid threats by armed groups to respond violently to attempts to open the critical M4 highway. Syria
Syrian opposition split over Russia-Turkey patrols in Idlib The joint military patrols mandated by the Russia-Turkey cease-fire are in effect, sparking protests and dividing the Syrian opposition. Syria
