Peace Talks Delayed Indefinitely, Declares Russia

Peace talks in Syria have been delayed indefinitely due to a Western failure to restrain violent Islamists, according to Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu on Tuesday, Reuters reported.

Russia, a key ally of the Syrian government, reportedly suspended airstrikes on besieged rebel-held neighborhoods in Syria’s largest city, Aleppo, on October 18. The U.S. and France had called for a war crimes investigations into Moscow’s actions in Syria, saying Russian airstrikes had killed hundreds of civilians in Aleppo, which Russia denied.

Armed opposition groups, some of them backed by the U.S. or its allies, launched an offensive on government-held parts of Aleppo last week, killing up to 48 people.

“Is this an opposition with which we can achieve agreements?” said Shoigu. “It is time for our Western colleagues to determine who they are fighting against: terrorists or Russia.”

A U.S.- and Russian-brokered cease-fire lasted less than a week in September, and was followed by an intense Syrian and Russian aerial campaign against Aleppo. Rebel-held areas in Aleppo have been under siege since July.

“In order to destroy terrorists in Syria it is necessary to act together, and not put a spanner in the works of partners. Because the rebels exploit that in their own interests,” Shoigu said.

Rebel Offensive in Aleppo Slows Down

A rebel offensive in Aleppo was set back on Monday, decreasing the intensity of clashes, Al Jazeera reported.

Rebel forces launched an offensive on Friday in an attempt to break a siege encircling nearly 275,000 people in the city’s eastern districts. Some 48 civilians and 61 government troops were killed in rebel fire on government-held areas, backed by car bombs and rockets. Government resistance on Monday slowed down the rebel assault, according to the United Kingdom-based monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

“Since Sunday, the regime has been taking the initiative and the clashes are less intense,” said Rami Abdulrahman, head of SOHR.

The rebels’ only gain, he added, was to establish partial control over Dahiyet al-Assad, a neighborhood on Aleppo’s western outskirts.

Government Forces Storm Coastal City’s Central Prison to End Protests

Syrian government forces stormed a central prison in Tartous city following a three-day riot, news website Zaman al-Wasl reported.

The prison uprising reportedly started three days ago, with inmates protesting the execution of a political prisoner. The inmates took control of the facility, located in the coastal city of Tartous. There are 800 detainees reportedly held in the prison, and among them are nearly 400 imprisoned on political grounds.

Detainees demanded an end to death sentences, improvement of detention conditions and to not be referred to military field trials. Government security forces broke into the prison on Monday, reportedly wounding dozens of inmates.

More than 117,000 were arrested and detained in Syria between March 2011 and December 2015, according to the Syrian Network for Human Rights. At least 17,723 people were killed in custody, many under torture, during the same time period, according to a report by the human rights organization Amnesty International in August 2016.

Recommended Reads:

• The Los Angeles Times: In Syria’s Capital, the Civil War Suddenly Seems Far Away
• Voice of America: Activists: Release of Detainees in Syria Crucial to Peace Process
• Foreign Policy: How to Turn Things Around in Syria
• NPR: For Foreign Journalists, a Rare Invitation to Damascus
• The Washington Post: ‘We’re Not in Perfect Control’: U.S. Plans Operation Against Islamic State in Syria Despite Obstacles