Syria News

A Syrian rebel group calling itself the Free Qalamoun Brigades has taken responsibility for the kidnapping of several nuns after Syrian rebels captured the historical Christian town of Maaloula.

Destroying Syrian chemical weapons on land is creating difficult diplomatic security and environmental problems. The U.S. government is now exploring the use of a government ship to dispose of the weapons at sea in international waters.

Geneva - The long-promised peace conference aimed at resolving the Syrian crisis has been given a start date of January 22. The conference will be held in Geneva and will be the first talks to include representatives of the regime and the opposition.

Idlib - The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has been attracting a great deal of attention in the press as of late, and not for reasons the jihadist group would hope.

Several of Syria's most powerful Islamic brigades have merged into one group, calling themselves the Islamic Front, with the intent of creating an Islamic state.

Syrian troops have managed to capture the strategic village of Qara, after three days of heavy fighting with rebels over the town.

The Syrian military launched a fresh offensive against Syrian rebels in the Qalamoun region, sending thousands of refugees across the border and into Lebanon.

A major Syrian rebel commander belonging to an Islamic faction was killed after a government airstrike. As well as killing the commander, the airstrike left two other high ranking members of the organisation wounded.

Sydney - In arguably the sickest twist yet to “terrorism as we know it”, private money is funding jihadists in Syria. The money comes through many different sources, and if money isn’t everyone’s idea of idealism, it is a way of sending a message.

The global initiative to see polio eradicated by the year 2018 has received a punishing blow. The wild strain of the polio virus seen in Syria can infect someone without their becoming ill, making "silent transmission" a devastating possibility.