Syria

World News

Syria's Regime And Rebel Group Agree To Truce That Will Begin Saturday

10:34am February 23, 2016

by Bill Chappell

Despite its potential landmark status, the "cessation of hostilities" agreement is being met with skepticism, in part because it doesn't include two powerful jihadist groups.

Syrian President Bashar Assad speaks during a Dec. 11, 2015, interview in Damascus with the Spanish news agency EFE. In his latest interview, he blames foreign powers and

World News

Syrian President Says He Would Pursue 'Terrorists,' Even With A Truce

5:06pm February 22, 2016

by Lauren Frayer

Bashar Assad claims more than 80 countries are supporting extremists in his country. He says he would welcome a pause in the fighting, but would still attack groups like ISIS.

Damaged vehicles are seen at the site of a double car bomb attack in the Zahraa neighborhood of Homs in central Syria. The city is almost completely controlled by the Syrian government, and has regularly been targeted by attacks.

World News

Dozens Killed In Blasts In 2 Syrian Cities; ISIS Claims Responsibility

8:54pm February 21, 2016

by Bill Chappell

At least four explosions hit a suburb of Damascus, and earlier in the day, two car bombs struck Homs. The attacks come on the same day negotiators reported progress in Syrian cease-fire talks.

The U.N.'s envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, says he can't "realistically" hold peace talks on Syria next week.

World News

U.N. Mediator For Syria Says He'll Delay Peace Talks

11:46am February 19, 2016

by Bill Chappell

"We need real talks about peace, not just talks about talks," says U.N. Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura.

A convoy of vehicles carrying humanitarian aid sent by the United Nations moves toward the villages of Fua and Kafraya in Syria's Idlib province.

World News

Aid Arrives In 5 Besieged Syrian Areas Ahead Of Planned 'Cessation Of Hostilities'

3:54pm February 18, 2016

by Merrit Kennedy

The "cessation of hostilities" was supposed to take hold Friday but doesn't appear imminent as consultations continue. But badly needed humanitarian aid has arrived for some 80,000 people.

Turkish forensic teams inspect the scene of Wednesday's explosion in Ankara, after a car bombing that targeted military vehicles. Turkey says a Syrian national carried out the attack.

World News

Turkey Arrests 14 Over Ankara Bombing; Leaders Blame Kurdish Groups

10:56am February 18, 2016

by Bill Chappell

"I'm sure that the number will be more than 14," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says. "It has been revealed that the extensions of this attack are both inside- and outside-linked."

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A man passes a baby through the fence at the Serbia/Hungary border in Röszke, Hungary, 28 August 2015.

Haunting Photo Of Migrants Takes World Press Photo's Top Prize

10:49am February 18, 2016

by Merrit Kennedy

The winning image, taken by Australian photographer Warren Richardson, shows a man passing a baby through a razor-wire fence at the Hungarian-Serbian border.

A hospital in Idlib province was destroyed Monday in what Massimiliano Rebaudengo, MSF's head of mission in Syria, calls "a deliberate attack on a health structure."

World News

Airstrikes Hit 2 Hospitals In Syria, Killing At Least 50

7:10pm February 15, 2016

by Bill Chappell

One attack reportedly hit a children's hospital; another hit a facility supported by Doctors Without Borders.

Sacks of food and clothes collected by Zeynap Kurmus Hurbas (left) and her volunteer group at a neighborhood refugee center in a poor Istanbul neighborhood.

World News

Ordinary Turks Quietly Volunteer To Help Syrian Refugees

4:00pm February 15, 2016

by Peter Kenyon

While the Turkish government is under fire for not letting more Syrians in, many Turks are bringing aid to refugees. One took to social media to help find others looking to share more than sympathy.

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From Turkish side of the Syrian border, Turkish army howitzers shell Kurdish targets in Syria on Sunday.

World News

Fighting In Syria Intensifies Ahead Of Proposed Truce

1:47pm February 14, 2016

by Camila Domonoske

Turkey is shelling Kurdish forces in Syria. Russia is waging air strikes to bolster an advance by Bashar Assad's government. Prospects for a truce aren't looking good.