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WORLD NEWS 9
                                                                                                                    Thursday 15 October 2015

Iran sends fighters to Syria, escalating its involvement 

ZEINA KARAM                     but Western officials and        opening the way for reb-       on condition of anonymity      servatory for Human Rights
SARAH EL DEEB                   Syrian rebels say most of        els to threaten his Alawite    because he was not au-         also reported Wednesday
Associated Press                the strikes have focused on      heartland in the coastal       thorized to discuss military   that Iranian troops were ar-
BEIRUT (AP) — Hundreds          central and northern Syria,      province of Latakia. The       affairs. He said the Russian   riving and being transport-
of Iranian troops are be-       where the extremist group        official suggested the Syr-    “tsunami wave” has given       ed to a military base in the
ing deployed in northern        does not have a strong
and central Syria, dramati-     presence.                        A Hezbollah fighter looks toward Syria while standing in the fields of the Lebanese border village
cally escalating Tehran’s       The official, who has deep       of Brital, Lebanon. Hundreds of Iranian troops are being deployed in northern and central Syria,
involvement in the civil war    knowledge of operational         dramatically escalating Tehran’s involvement in the civil war as they join allied Hezbollah
as they join allied Hezbol-     details in Syria, said the Ira-  fighters in an ambitious offensive to wrest key areas from rebels amid Russian airstrikes.
lah fighters in an ambitious    nian Revolutionary Guards
offensive to wrest key ar-      — currently numbering                                                                                                                   (AP Photo/Bassem Mroue)
eas from rebels amid Rus-       around 1,500 — began
sian airstrikes.                arriving about two weeks         ian army’s alarmingly tena-    allies such as Iran the cover  coastal town of Latakia, in
Their arrival, a regional of-   ago, after the Russian air-      cious position around that     to operate more freely in      the town of Jableh outside
ficial and Syrian activists     strikes began, and have          time is what persuaded         Syria.                         the provincial capital.
said Wednesday, highlights      accelerated recently. The        the Russians to join the fray  His account of Iranian         At least two senior Iranian
the far-reaching goals of       Iranian-backed group Hez-        and begin airstrikes two       troops arriving ties in with   commanders were killed in
Russia’s military involve-      bollah has also sent a fresh     weeks ago.                     reports from Syrian oppo-      Syria in recent days, includ-
ment in Syria. It suggests      wave of fighters to Syria, he    The Syrian government and      sition activists, who report-  ing Gen. Hossein Hamed-
that, for now, taking on        told The Associated Press.       Iran had been asking Rus-      ed a troop buildup in the      ani, a senior Revolutionary
Islamic State extremists in     Iranian and Syrian officials     sia to intervene for a year,   northern provinces of Idlib    Guard commander, who
eastern Syria seems a sec-      have long acknowledged           the official said, speaking    and Aleppo. The Syrian Ob-     died Oct. 8 near Aleppo.q
ondary priority to propping     Iran has advisers and mili-
up President Bashar Assad.      tary experts in Syria, but
The development is almost       denied there were any
certain to increase pres-       ground troops. Wednes-
sure on Western-backed          day’s statements were the
rebels, who are battling        first confirmation of Iranian
multiple foes, and push         fighters taking part in com-
more civilians out of the ar-   bat operations in Syria.
eas of fighting, potentially    The main goal is to secure
creating a fresh wave of        the strategic Hama-Alep-
refugees.                       po highway and seize the
Russia began its air cam-       key rebel-held town of Jisr
paign Sept. 30, and Syrian      al-Shughour in Idlib prov-
troops and allied militia-      ince, which Assad’s forces
men launched a ground           lost in April to insurgents
offensive against rebels in     that included al-Qaida’s
central Syria a week later.     Nusra Front.
Russia says its airstrikes are  The loss of Jisr al-Shughour,
meant to weaken the Is-         followed by the fall of the
lamic State group and           entire province, was a re-
other “terrorists” in Syria,    sounding defeat for Assad,

Turkey warns US, Russia over support to Syria Kurds 

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) —           the hands of the Kurdistan       fighting the Islamic State     ed by air or over land. The    “Turkey cannot accept
Turkey has complained to        Workers’ Party, or PKK, and      group in northern Syria.       U.S. military did not confirm  any kind of cooperation
the U.S. ambassador about       be used against Turkey.          A local Kurdish official in    the delivery of weapons or     with terror organizations
possible weapons aid to         A Foreign Ministry official      the northern Syrian city       ammunition to Syrian Kurds     that have declared war
Syrian Kurdish forces and       said Turkey summoned the         of Kobani said the U.S.        in the last week.              against Turkey.”
has also warned Russia not      U.S. and Russian ambas-          had provided 120 tons of       “No one can guarantee          Turkey and its allies, includ-
to support the militia group    sadors separately on Tues-       weapons and ammunition         that arms given to the PYD     ing the United States, have
that is affiliated with Tur-    day to convey Turkey’s           to the main Kurdish militia    today, won’t tomorrow          labeled the PKK a terror-
key’s Kurdish rebels, Turkish   concerns.                        fighting the Islamic State     fall in the hands of the PKK   ist organization. The Syrian
Prime Minister Ahmet Da-        The U.S. military said Mon-      group in that area. The of-    and used against Turkey,”      Kurdish militias however,
vutoglu said Wednesday.         day that cargo planes had        ficial, Mustafa Bali, said he  Davutoglu said, referring      have become a key U.S.
Davutoglu said that the         dropped small arms am-           did not know whether the       to the Syrian Kurdish group    ally, in the fight against the
weapons could fall into         munition to Arab groups          supplies had been provid-      Democratic Union Party.        Islamic State extremists.q
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