ISIS Taking Ransom Bids for Norwegian, Chinese Hostages

The Islamic State claims to have kidnapped a Norwegian citizen and a Chinese citizen – ostensibly from Syria – in the latest issue of Dabiq, its English-language magazine.

ISIS has also said in the magazine that it is open to freeing Ole Johan Grimsgaard-Ofstad, a 48-year-old from Oslo, and Fan Jinghui, a 50-year-old from Beijing, in exchange for a ransom, saying that the men are “for sale.”

The militant group didn’t mention when or where the men were kidnapped, reports VICE News. Back in January, however, Grimsgaard-Ofstad posted an update on his Facebook from Idlib, a province near Syria’s Turkish border.

“We cannot and will not give in to pressure from terrorists and criminals,” Norwegian prime minister Erna Solberg said on Wednesday. “Norway does not pay ransoms.”

Iran to Provide Airspace for Russia as Bulgaria Blocks Passage

Iran has agreed to provide Russia with access to its airspace for planes en route to Syria, where the Russian military has sent hundreds of military advisers to support the Syrian government as fighting intensifies across the country.

Earlier this week, Bulgaria halted Russian use of its airspace at the request of the U.S., the Associated Press reports. The U.S. requested Greece to do the same, although that country has yet to make an official response.

The U.S. has warned that greater Russian involvement will “lead to greater violence and even more instability” in Syria, according to State Department spokesperson John Kirby.

David Cameron: Assad and ISIS ‘Have to Go’

U.K. prime minister David Cameron has said that both Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and ISIS “have to go” and that removing them will require “hard military force.”

Cameron’s comments came days after he announced that the U.K. assassinated Reyaad Khan, a 21-year-old ISIS member in Syria. Khan, who was a U.K. citizen, had planned “terror attacks” against British targets, alleged Cameron.

Cameron has also come under sharp criticism for his position on Syrian refugees seeking asylum in the U.K. Although the country will absorb some 20,000 Syrians by 2020, opposition politician Harriet Harman called on him to do more.

Top photo: Locals took shelter while fighting intensified between Kurdish groups and ISIS in Kobani back in November 2014. (Associated Press/Jake Simkin)

Recommended Reads

• CBC: Should We Cry or Rejoice as Russia Steps Up in Syria?
• Al-Monitor: Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Reasserts Leadership on Syria, Confidence in Hezbollah
• The Independent: President Bashar al-Assad Should Have Role in Fight Against ISIS, Says Austrian Foreign Minister