The Jaysh al-Islam militants' leader Muhammad Allush reportedly expressed indignation of the US-led strikes via Twitter and called it a "farce."

The strikes were launched in response to the alleged chemical attack in Douma, a city located in the Eastern Ghouta anclave near Damascus, which the West blamed on the Syrian government even prior to the launch of a probe into the incident. Damascus has strongly rejected the allegations of the use of chemical weapons and emphasized that the claims are being used in order to justify aggression against the government.

READ MORE: Hezbollah Lauds Damascus for Downing Missiles, Accuses US of 'Waging War'

According to the Syrian General Staff, the country's air defense systems were able to shoot down most of the missiles launched by the US, the UK and France. Syrian President Bashar Assad stated that the attack had only united the Syrian people in their fight against terrorism even more.

Earlier, Jaysh al-Islam militants started leaving Douma under the framework of an evacuation agreement were forced to give up their weapons. Militants have also agreed to give up their heavy weapons.</s>Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) The pro-Iraqi government paramilitary troops have shelled Islamic State members gathering inside Syrian lands, the media service of the forces announced on Thursday.

In a statement, al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces) said, “information from intelligence department showed that Islamic State members were gathering in Syria and that they were planning for an attack against the 29th brigade of the troops in Tal Sufuk, taking advantage of the bad weather.”

The troops, according to the statement, “fired missiles to shell the militants, leaving many of them killed and injured.”

Islamic State continues to launch sporadic attacks across Iraq against troops. Security reports indicate that the militant group still poses threat against stability in the country.

On Wednesday, Saad al-Hadithi, spokesperson for the Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi, was quoted as saying that Iraqi troops at the northern borders of Iraq have been on high alert to confront any attacks that could come from Syria.

On the same day, U.S. President Donald Trump warned Russia of imminent military action in Syria, lambasting Russia for supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

During a speech on Tuesday, Abadi stressed that measures have been taken to protect borders with Syria, saying that Islamic State will not be able to penetrate into Iraq once again.

The Iraqi-Syrian borders are under the control of joint troops of military and border guards.





</s>As US politicians and foreign leaders from Israel to Canada applauded the US-led airstrikes in Syria, reports emerged Saturday that the attack was far less effective than the Pentagon has claimed.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, most of the missiles launched by the US, UK and France had been intercepted by Syria's air defenses. Employing Soviet-made S-125 and S-200 air defense systems as well as Buk and Kvadrat units, Syria reportedly shot down 71 of the 103 cruise missiles. These included 12 cruise missiles which had been headed toward the Dumeir military airfield - which was completely spared, thanks to the Syrian counterstrike.

The US target list included the following:
• 4 missiles were launched targeting the area of the Damascus International Airport. All these missiles were intercepted.
• 12 missiles were launched targeting the Al-Dumayr Military Airport. All these missiles were intercepted.
• 18 missiles were launched targeting the Bley Military Airport. All these missiles were intercepted.
• 12 missiles were launched targeting the Shayarat Military Airport. All these missiles were intercepted.
• 9 missiles were launched targeting the Mezzeh Military Airport. Five of them were intercepted.
• 16 missiles were launched targeting the Homs Military Airport. 13 of them were intercepted.
• 30 missiles were launched targeting targets in the areas of Barzah and Jaramani. Seven missiles were intercepted.

A spokesperson for the Russian general staff confirmed that no Russian defense systems were used to repel the attack, adding that Russia had declined to supply Syria with more advanced weapons - a decision it said it would reconsider.

"The Syrian air defense system has been conducting an anti-air fight," a spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Defense said. Furthermore, it confirmed that the Syrian military repelled the attack using weapons manufactured in the USSR more than 30 years ago.

The MoD added that, while the facilities in the areas of Barzah and Jaramani were partly destroyed, these facilities had been for a long time abandoned and had not been involved in the production of chemical weapons in contrary to the claims of the US-led coalition.

Syrian state media reported that only three people were injured as a result of the strikes, and that no Syrian or Russian military of civilian personnel were wounded.

Syria’s regime, which has repeatedly denied any use of chemical weapons, immediately denounced the strikes as "brutal, barbaric aggression" that was "doomed to fail".

Meanwhile, soldiers took to the streets to celebrate the intercepts.

Predictably, the US offered a very different account of the airstrikes: During an early morning press conference, Lt. Gen Kenneth McKenzie said all of the missiles fired by the US and its partners landed.

"We are confident all our missiles reached their targets," McKenzie said.

McKenzie added that the Syrian government responded by recklessly firing 40 missiles, none of which struck military targets or intercepted the coalition's missiles. "The Syrian response was ineffective in all domains," he said. Not only was the Syrian counterattack ineffective, the US said the regime actually endangered its own people by firing the missiles blindly.

"When you shoot iron into the air without guidance, it's going to come down somewhere," McKenzie said.

Amusingly, the Pentagon added that it documented a 2,000% increase in disinformation by Russian troll farms over the past 24 hours, in response to a reporter question why the Pentagon has failed to provide any of the evidence it has that Assad was behind the chemical attacks.

As a reminder, the US said it has "proof" the Syrian regime had orchestrated the attack, though investigators from the OPCW have only just started their investigation and are not even in Syria.

Late Friday night, US Defense Secretary James Mattis said that US airstrikes on Syria were a "one-time shot," while Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford told reporters that the US wasn't planning any further attacks.

Though these claims were apparently undercut by President Trump, who tweeted "Mission Accomplished" Saturday morning - echoing a statement made by President Bush to celebrate the "end" of the US's mission in Iraq. Yet that announcement was, in reality, the beginning of a conflict that continues in some form even today.</s>BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) - The Syrian regime, which declared on Saturday (April 14) that all rebel fighters forces had left the Eastern Ghouta enclave on the eastern edge of Damascus, will now likely turn its attention to militants in the capital's southern districts.

Where are the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) fighters and how did they get there?

Damascus witnessed its first anti-government protests in 2011. As the demonstrations spiralled into an armed uprising, rebels seized areas east and south of the capital.

But through a combination of intensive aerial bombardment, siege and evacuation deals, most of these areas have now been depleted of opposition fighters.

With the regime in full control of Eastern Ghouta, east of Damascus, its next task will be to rid itself of another foe on its southern doorstep: ISIS.

ISIS has been expelled from most of Syria since it declared a "caliphate" across large swathes of the country and neighbouring Iraq in 2014.

But it retains a presence in eastern desert holdouts - and on the edge of Damascus.

Since 2015, it has controlled large parts of the Palestinian camp of Yarmuk and parts of the neighbouring Hajar al-Aswad and Tadamun districts, all in the capital's south.

Last month, ISIS overran the adjacent Qadam neighbourhood, taking advantage as regime troops focused on a blistering campaign to expel rebels from Eastern Ghouta.

Once a thriving district home to some 160,000 Syrians and Palestinians, Yarmuk has been devastated since late 2012.

After fighting broke out between regime and rebels that year, 140,000 Palestinians fled the district.

When rebels took control, the government imposed a devastating siege on it, triggering months of hunger and deprivation for the thousands trapped inside.

In 2015, ISIS overran most of the district, expelling the armed opposition and causing a second wave of fleeing civilians to rebel-held areas nearby.

Al-Qaeda's former Syrian affiliate maintained a small presence in Yarmuk until it withdrew a few weeks ago.

Another small pocket is controlled by the regime and allied Palestinian fighters.

The regime has sent pro-government reinforcements to the area near Yarmuk, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Britain-based monitor, which relies on a wide network of sources inside Syria for its information, says Palestinian fighters are likely to spearhead any assault on the camp.

Expelling ISIS from the area would place President Bashar al-Assad's regime back in control of the entirety of Damascus for the first time since 2012.</s>US Air Force aircraft have allegedly been spotted evacuating non-Syrian Daesh commanders with their family members from al-Hasakah province and transferring them to an unknown destination, according to the SANA news agency. The news emerged a day after US President Trump threatened Syria with a possible strike.US military helicopters reportedly evacuated several Daesh (ISIS/ISIL) commanders from the al-Hasakah province, Syria's SANA news agency has reported on April 10, citing local sources.The media outlet specified that the Americans conducted yet another operation rescuingalong with their family members from Tal al-Shayer region 20 kilometers southeast of the Syrian city of al-Shadadi in Hasakah. The evacuees were transferred to an unknown location.It was also reported that in the course of the evacuation, US troops organized a staged clash on the ground that resulted in the death of one civilian while several others were injured.It is not the first time that US military aircraft have been spotted transferring Daesh fighters from embattled regions.In December 2017 the media outlet revealed that a number of Daesh militants had been evacuated from several locations across the Deir ez-Zor province to the al-Hasakah region, under the control of Syrian Kurdish and US forces.Over the past several months, the Syrian government has repeatedly voiced its concerns over US efforts aimed at providing support to extremist groups on the ground in Syria.The first signs of the alleged assistance emerged in September 2017, when a diplomatic source told Sputnik that US Air Force helicopters had transferred Daesh field commanders from Deir ez-Zor to northern Syria in late August amid the successful advance of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA).</s>WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. and Arab allies launched what leaders declared would be a long and sustained military assault against Islamic State strongholds in Syria and Iraq, and the U.S. simultaneously targeted an al-Qaida cell said to be plotting imminent attacks on American and other Western interests, the Pentagon said Tuesday.

Hours after the barrage of airstrikes began, Lt. Gen. William Mayville said the attacks took out key Islamic State training camps and facilities. But he said it was too early to tell if they were able to disrupt a terrorist attack being planned by al-Qaida militants, known as the Khorasan Group. He said the group was “nearing the execution phase” of an attack against Europe or the U.S.

President Barack Obama said that Arab support for the airstrikes “makes it clear to the world this is not America’s fight alone.”

“We’re going to do what’s necessary to take the fight to this terrorist group, for the security of the country and the region and for the entire world,” Obama said as he left Washington for meetings of the U.N. General Assembly in New York.

Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, the top American military official, said the U.S. and its Arab allies achieved their aim of showing the extremists that their attacks will not go unanswered.

The U.S. and five Arab nations attacked the Islamic State group’s headquarters in eastern Syria in nighttime raids Monday using land- and sea-based U.S. aircraft as well as Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from two Navy ships in the Red Sea and the northern Persian Gulf.

Gen. Mayville, director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at the Pentagon that the U.S. carried out the vast majority of the strikes in an operation against the Islamic State group that he said would continue and likely last “in terms of years.” But he declined to provide details on what the Arab nations did. He said the strikes included Islamic State militants’ financial centers in order to disrupt the well-funded group’s activities.

In Syria, activists said the trikes hit targets in and around the city of Raqqa and the province with the same name. Raqqa is the Islamic State group’s self-declared capital in Syria. Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told The Associated Press, “There is confirmed information that there are casualties among Islamic State group members.”

In all, America and its Arab allies launched more than 200 airstrikes against roughly a dozen militant targets in Syria during the assault that began Monday night, a U.S. official said. A majority of the missiles fired from Navy ships targeted the Khorasan Group, said the official, who was not authorized to provide mission details so spoke on only condition of anonymity

The strikes weren’t coordinated with the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad, Mayville said, but Syrian and U.S. officials said that the U.S. informed Syria’s envoy to the U.N. ahead of time.

Mayville said the Syrian government did not interfere with the operation. He said the strikes did not specifically target Islamic State group leaders, and that he was unaware of any civilian casualties.

Apparently trying to position his government on the side of the airstrikes, Assad said Tuesday that he supported any international effort against terrorism. He spoke during a meeting with Faleh al-Fayadh, an envoy of Iraq’s prime minister.

American warplanes also carried out eight airstrikes to disrupt what the military described as “imminent attack plotting against the United States and Western interests” by the shadowy Khorasan Group, a network of al-Qaida veterans working with the Yemeni branch of al-Qaida, known as Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, to get foreign fighters with Western passports and explosives to target U.S. aviation.

Obama said the U.S. was “proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder” with Arab partners, and he called the roll: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Bahrain and Qatar. All but Qatar actually launched airstrikes. Qatar played a supporting role.

Dempsey called the strikes an unprecedented coalition with Arab states and said the partnering had set the stage for a broader international campaign against the extremists.

“We wanted to make sure that ISIL knew they have no safe haven, and we certainly achieved that,” Dempsey told reporters as he flew to Washington after a weeklong trip to Europe. ISIL is an alternate name for the Islamic State group whose fighters swept across much of Iraq this summer.

Dempsey said the five Arab nations’ agreement to join in the airstrikes came together quickly. “Once we had one of them on board, the others followed quickly thereafter,” he said, adding that the partnership came together over the past three days.

Secretary of State John Kerry, speaking in New York at a counterterrorism forum, said Turkey, too, has joined the coalition and “will be very engaged on the front lines of this effort.”

The president got swift bipartisan backing from Congress. Republican House Speaker John Boehner called the airstrikes “just one step in what must be a larger effort to destroy and defeat” the Islamic State group. Sen. Carl Levin, the Michigan Democrat who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the Arab partners’ involvement was “especially significant.”

Dempsey said the timing was influenced by a concern that word of strikes in eastern Syria could prompt the Khorasan Group to disperse.

Central Command said the bombing mission against that group was undertaken solely by U.S. aircraft and took place west of the Syrian city of Aleppo. It said targets included training camps, an explosives and munitions production facility, a communication building and command and control facilities.

The airstrikes were part of the expanded military campaign that Obama authorized nearly two weeks ago in order to disrupt and destroy the Islamic State militants, who have slaughtered thousands of people, beheaded Westerners – including two American journalists – and captured large swaths of Syria and northern and western Iraq.

The strikes began around 8:30 p.m. EDT. Central Command said the U.S. fired 47 Tomahawk cruise missiles from aboard the USS Arleigh Burke and USS Philippine Sea, operating from international waters in the Red Sea and the northern Persian Gulf. U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps fighter jets, drones and bombers also participated.

A key ally of Assad, Russia’s foreign ministry warned Tuesday that what it called “unilateral” air strikes would destabilize the region. “The fight against terrorists in the Middle East and northern Africa requires coordinated efforts of the entire global community under the auspices of the U.N.,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.

In New York for the U.N. meetings, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that Iran condemns the Islamic State group and stands ready to help fight terrorism. But he said the U.S. policy is confused because it simultaneously opposes the militants while also trying to undermine the government of Syria’s Assad.

Dempsey said Arab participation needs to extend beyond direct military roles to assisting in an international effort to undercut finances, recruiting and ideological support for the Islamic State group.

“What we’re talking about now is the beginning of an air campaign,” he said, adding that it must lead to what he called “the other air campaign” – an effort to fill public airwaves across the Muslim world with arguments for why the extremists must be defeated.

The Pentagon released photos and video showing planes taking off and missiles being launched but was not allowing journalists access to the ships and bases involved in the operation.

The U.S. military has been launching targeted airstrikes in Iraq since August, focusing specifically on attacks to protect U.S. interests and personnel, assist Iraqi refugees and secure critical infrastructure. Last week, as part of the newly expanded campaign, the U.S. began going after militant targets across Iraq, including enemy fighters, outposts, equipment and weapons.

To date, U.S. fighter aircraft, bombers and drones have launched about 190 airstrikes within Iraq.

Urged on by the White House and U.S. defense and military officials, Congress passed legislation late last week authorizing the military to arm and train moderate Syrian rebels. Obama signed the bill into law Friday, providing $500 million for the U.S. to train about 5,000 rebels over the next year.
An al-Hashd al-Shaabi statement claims the group launched missiles over the Syrian border at Islamic State militants preparing to launch an international assault, killing and injuring dozens of militants.