South China Sea- Warships Sailing by Islands Not Threat to China- U.S. C...

http://www.newsbharati.com/ South China Sea- Warships Sailing by Islands Not Threat to China- U.S. Commander.

Adm. Harry B. Harris, Jr., U.S. Navy Commander, U.S. Pacific Command, left, is shown the way by China's General Fang Fenghui, PLA Chief of Staff, second right, as they proceed to their meeting at the Bayi Building in Beijing, China, Tuesday

U.S. commander says US warships sailing by Chinese islands not a threat



"I agree with many of my Chinese counterparts who have emphasized cooperation over confrontation," Harris said.



The U.S. Navy’s challenge last week to China’s sovereignty claims in the South China Sea was not designed as a military threat, the head of U.S. Pacific military forces said on Tuesday in a mostly upbeat speech about prospects for preventing U.S.-China disputes from escalating to conflict.



Speaking in the Chinese capital, Adm. Harry B. Harris Jr. cited a recent statement by U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter that the international order “faces challenges from Russia and, in a different way, from China, with its ambiguous maritime claims,” including Beijing’s claim to nearly all of the South China Sea.



“I truly believe that these routine operations should never be construed as a threat to any nation,” Adm. Harris said, according to his prepared remarks. “These operations serve to protect the rights, freedoms and lawful uses of the sea and airspace guaranteed to all nations under international law.”



China protested the Lassen patrol, calling it a “deliberate provocation,” and sent two warships to shadow the U.S. vessel and issue warnings. Although China labelled the action illegal, international law allows warships to transit other countries’ territorial seas under the principle of “innocent passage.”



The U.S. does not recognize the man-made features, including Subi Reef, as legitimate islands entitled to territorial seas, and U.S. officials say they plan to patrol nearby them on a regular basis to enforce that view. China has reclaimed approximately 2,000 acres (809 hectares) of land in the Spratly island chain since last year, and is now adding harbours, housing and airstrips.



In his remarks, the admiral was mostly upbeat in his assessment of prospects for improving relations with China, saying he did not subscribe to the pessimistic view that a conflict was inevitable. While saying that as a military commander he is required to “look through a darker lens and drink through a glass half-empty,” he emphasized areas of mutual U.S.-China interest and ways in which the two countries are cooperating.



“I agree with many of my Chinese counterparts who have emphasized cooperation over confrontation,” Harris said, according to a copy of his prepared remarks provided to reporters travelling with Defense Secretary Ash Carter in Malaysia.



“I continue to have personal and candid conversations with Chinese military leaders, which is why I’m in China this week,” he added.



Although mistrust remains on both sides, engagement is increasing. Along with recent agreements meant to prevent unintended incidents between their ships and planes, the two militaries have ratcheted up exchanges and dialogue at bilateral and multilateral forums.



Last month, a 27-member U.S. Navy delegation toured China’s sole aircraft carrier at dock and visited a Chinese navy submarine training academy. That was in return for a weeklong visit by 29 Chinese naval officers to the U.S. in February, the first time China had sent a large delegation.

South China Sea- US, Japan Insisting Dispute Reference in Defence Forum ...

http://www.newsbharati.com/ South China Sea- US, Japan Insisting Dispute Reference in Defence Forum Statement, Malysia.



US, Japan Stressed to Mention of South China Sea in Defence Forum Statement in Maleshia



The United States and Japan are pushing to get concerns about the South China Sea included in a statement to be issued after regional defence talks in Malaysia despite Chinese objections to any mention of the disputed waterway, officials said.



A senior US defence official said Beijing had made clear as early as February that it didn't want the South China Sea discussed at the meeting between Southeast Asian defence ministers and their counterparts from across the Asia-Pacific in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday.



"We've been very clear along with many other like minded countries that South China Sea language should be included but there are members who feel differently," said the US defence official, adding China was the main obstacle.



A draft of the concluding statement being prepared by host Malaysia makes no mention of the South China Sea, said a separate source familiar with the discussions, focusing instead on terrorism and regional security cooperation.



Wednesday's gathering brings together the 10 defence ministers from the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) along with ministers from countries such as the United States, Japan, China, India and Australia.



The meeting, first held in 2006, is a platform to promote regional peace and stability.



It is taking place a week after a US warship challenged territorial limits around one of Beijing's man-made islands in the Spratly archipelago with a so-called freedom-of-navigation patrol.



That prompted China's naval chief to warn that a minor incident could spark war in the South China Sea if Washington didn't stop its "provocative acts".



The source familiar with the talks said Japan had requested Malaysia "improve" the draft and make note of the South China Sea.



Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has in the past been critical of China's actions in the waterway.



China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion in global trade passes every year. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan have rival claims.



Struggling for Unity



ASEAN meetings routinely become a venue for countries such as the Philippines and Vietnam to argue for the grouping to take a stronger stance against China's territorial ambitions.



Countries like Cambodia are pro-China while Malaysia has sought to steer a more neutral path, even though it's a claimant and only last month its armed forces chief called China's island-building an "unwarranted provocation".



In his opening remarks to a separate meeting of ASEAN defence ministers on Tuesday, Malaysian Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein made no mention of the South China Sea.



China says the seven man-made islands in the Spratlys will have mostly civilian purposes as well as undefined defence uses.



The US Navy plans to conduct patrols within 12 nautical miles of the islands about twice a quarter to remind China and other countries about US rights under international law, a separate US defence official said on Monday.



"That's the right amount to make it regular but not a constant poke in the eye," the official said.



The USS Lassen's patrol last Tuesday was the most significant US challenge yet to the 12-nautical-mile territorial limit China claims around the artificial islands.



Defense Secretary Ash Carter may also visit a US Navy ship during his visit to Asia, but is not expected to be on board during any Navy freedom-of-navigation operations, the official said.



"I think this meeting will be very important for ASEAN partners to politely signal that they support freedom of navigation, and I think some will ... but at the same time to emphasise that this is not an anti-China issue," said Rory Medcalf, head of the National Security College at the Australian National University.

Russia in Syria- Air Force Struck 237 ISIS Targets in Syria Within 2 Days

http://www.newsbharati.com/ Russia in Syria- Air Force Struck 237 ISIS Targets in Syria Within 2 Days.

Russian News Agency

Russia’s air group in Syria over the past two days attacked 237 terrorist targets in Syria. Russian warplanes flew 131 sorties, the Defense Ministry’s spokesman, Igor Konashenkov, told the media.

"Over the past two days a total of 131 sorties have been carried out from the Hmeimim airbase and 237 terrorist targets were hit in Hama, Latakia, Homs, Damascus, Aleppo and Raqqah provinces," Konashenkov said.

Islamic State air defense positions hit by Russian warplanes

Konashenkov said Russian aircraft hit underground shelters and air defense artillery positions of the Islamic State militants in Syria’s Homs province.

"In the Tadmor district, Homs province a Sukhoi-fighter-bomber hit an Islamic State stronghold. Direct hits destroyed fortified facilities, underground shelters and air defence artillery positions armed with two ZSU-23 systems," Konashenkov said.

"Their full elimination has been confirmed by objective data," Konashenkov said.

IS underground arms depot destroyed near Syria’s Damascus

Accorsing to the defense ministry a group of Russian military aircraft destroyed an underground arms depot belonging to the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization near the Syrian capital of Damascus.

"Storage of IS terrorists’ arms was destroyed near the residential settlement of Harasta-al-Katara, in the Damascus province," Gen. Maj. Konashenkov told journalists. "The underground facility contining artillery shells was completely destroyed after it was hit by a guided missile."



Russian aircraft destroy militant communication hub capable of suppressing Syrian army’s radio communication

Russian aircraft destroyed a control center and a communications hub of the Jabhat al-Nursra terrorist group capable of suppressing Syrian army’s radio communication, the spokesman also noted.

"In the area of Salma settlement, Latakia province, a command center with a communication hub of the Jabhat al-Nusra group located on top of a tactically important height has been destroyed ," Konashenkov said.

According to him, militants’ actions were controlled from this center. "The power of the transmitters at the communication hub located on this tactical height made it possible to suppress radio communication of the Syrian army units," he added.

Terrorist training camp destroyed near Aleppo

A Sukhoi Su-34 bomber of Russia’s Aerospace Force grouping has destroyed training camp of militants in the suburbs of the Syrian city of Aleppo.

"A Su-34 bomber delivered a strike in the suburbs of Aleppo hitting a camp intended for training of militants coming from other countries," Konashenkov said. "Delivered bombs destroyed completely an arms depot and all training infrastructure for preparations of terrorists."

Russian attack aircraft destroys fortified militants post

A Russian Sukhoi Su-25 attack aircraft has destroyed a fortified militant post in Syria’s Hama.

"Sukhoi-25 attack aircraft delivered an air strike near Kafer Naboodah settlement, Hama province, at a militants’ fortified post, which had two armored vehicles and two off-roaders with ZU-23 anti-aircraft systems mounted on them," Konashenkov said.

Russian Aerospace Forces grouping in Syria

He said that the delivered bomb hit an arms depot, which exploded and the armored vehicles and the off-roaders burnt down after the explosion.

On September 30, Russia’s Aerospace Force started delivering the first pinpointed air strikes against the militants’ positions at the request of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The Russian aviation grouping comprises more than 50 aircraft and helicopters, including the Sukhoi Su-34 and Su-24M bombers, Su-25 attack aircraft, Su-30SM fighters and Mil Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters.

Also, overnight to October 7, the Caspian Flotilla ships delivered a massive strike on the IS objectives in Syria, using Kalibr NK shipborne cruise missiles.

The Russian authorities have said on many occasions that Russia’s military forces would not take part in any ground operation in Syria.

Russia in Syria- Airstrikes on ISIS Positions in Hama

http://www.newsbharati.com/ Russia in Syria-  Airstrikes on ISIS Positions in Hama.



U.S. Troop Deployment To Syria Draws Criticism

BY JUSTIN SALHANI

After years of denying that American troops will deploy to Syria, President Obama has changed course and decided to send troops to help in the fight against ISIS, also known as ISIL or the Islamic State.

The plan is for the Special Operations troops to train and advise Kurdish and Arab militias attempting to scale back ISIS’ control in Raqqa — ISIS’ self-declared caliphate’s capital. Less than 50 Special Operations troops will be deployed. White House Spokesman Josh Earnest said on Friday that the deployment would not be a “combat mission” but that notion was challenged by military experts, according to CNN.

Complicated from the start, the rivalries in Syria have grown increasingly intricate as Russia began an airstrike campaign in late September. The Obama administration’s strategy in Syria to date has wielded lackluster results. Training was scheduled for 5,400 rebels in 2015 but only about 50 had received such training by late July. The plan was scrapped last month while debates over a potential no-fly zone or safe-zone have gone nowhere.

The latest planned deployment of American troops is facing skepticism from across the political spectrum. Some have said that deploying troops should require congressional approval.

“The administration’s announcement that it will deploy special operations forces into Syria to combat ISIL marks a major shift in U.S. policy,” Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI), a member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, said in a statement. “This shift in policy is a strategic mistake. Regardless of my views, the War Powers Resolution requires Congress to debate and authorize the escalation of U.S. military involvement in Syria.”

Some Republicans believe Obama’s latest action is a step in the right direction but more needs to be done.

“The president has the right goal, and he has since last year when he finally realized the Islamic State is not the JV team,” Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AZ), told CNN. “But he’s consistently not given the means needed to achieve the goal of destroying the Islamic State.”

Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), the House Armed Services Chairman, said, “these steps may prove to be too little too late.”

Most Democrats though worry about the prospect of getting involved in the four-year quagmire that is the Syrian Civil War.

“I continue to believe that we must not commit ground combat forces to the fight in Syria or Iraq,” Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), told CNN. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) meanwhile urged for “a comprehensive strategy” that would see the conclusion to the wars in Iraq and Syria. Regional experts have been saying for some time though that the Syrian war looks set to continue unabated.

UPDATE NOV 2, 2015 3:36 PM

An earlier version of this post said Sen. Brian Schatz was a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee instead of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.

Russia in Syria- Sukhoi-34 Struck ISIS Factory of IED in Aleppo

Syria hospitals Russia accused of bombing don’t exist – Defense Ministry

Published time: 2 Nov, 2015 14:22

Edited time: 2 Nov, 2015 19:30

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© Aleksandr Astafiev

© Aleksandr Astafiev / RIA Novosti

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The Russian Defense Ministry has denied media reports its aircraft hit hospitals in Syria, saying the medical facilities mentioned by Western media don’t actually exist.

The Defense Ministry has checked the data presented in recent media reports, which blamed Russian aviation for hitting several hospitals in Syria, Major-General Igor Konashenkov, the ministry spokesman said in a press briefing on Monday.



Konashenkov denied the accusations, which he said were "traditionally made without any proof, without any factual backing.”



Out of six hospitals that were mentioned in the reports, only one medical facility actually exists in real life, he added.



"We’ve checked this information. It turned out that, a hospital is only present in the village Sarmin,” the spokesman said, adding that there are no hospitals and no medical workers in the other five villages named in media reports.



The Defense Ministry presented a photo of the Sarmin hospital, which was taken on October 31 after the reports emerged.



The image showed the building was intact, disproving claims it had been completely destroyed and 12 people killed.



READ MORE: US cites ‘press reports’ & secret ‘operational data’ as proof of Russia striking Syrian hospitals



Reports in several Western media outlets on October 21-23 claimed that 12 people, including doctors, were killed in a Russian airstrike on the village of Sarmin in Syria’s Idlib province. They also said medical facilities were hit in al-Eis, al-Hadher, Khan Tuman, Latamna and al-Zarba.



The Russian Air Force has performed 131 sorties over the last two days, hitting 237 terrorist targets in various Syrian provinces, Konashenkov said.





“131 sorties were carried out from the Hmeimim airbase, during which 237 terrorist targets in Hama, Latakia, Homs, Damascus Aleppo and Raqqa provinces were hit,” Konashenkov said.



In Homs, Russian warplanes have destroyed underground shelters and anti-aircraft artillery positions of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL).



“In Tadmor district of the Homs province, an Su-25 attack aircraft struck an IS fortified area. As a result of the direct hit, fortifications, underground shelters and terrorist anti-aircraft artillery positions, which hosted two ZSU-23 systems, were destroyed,” Konashenkov said.



According to the spokesman, another Russian airstrike wiped out a Jabhat al-Nusra command center in Latakia province, which the jihadists used to suppressed radio communications by Syrian government forces.



"In the suburbs of the city of Aleppo, an Su-34 bomber struck a camp used for training militants arriving from foreign countries. The air bombs completely destroyed an arms depot as well as the terrorists’ training infrastructure,” Konashenkov said.





Russia began a large-scale air campaign against Islamic State, Jabhat al-Nusra and other the terrorist groups in Syria on September 20. Dozens of sorties are carried out by Russian warplanes every day at the official request of the Syrian government.



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Russia in Syria- Sukhoi-25 Fighters Strikes ISIS in Hama

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The U.S. continues its scattered approach to Syria



By Editorial Board November 2 at 8:08 PM

WHEN HE was asked why the Obama administration announced the dispatch of a contingent of Special Operations forces to Syria on the same day a multinational conference was discussing diplomatic solutions to the country’s civil war, Secretary of State John F. Kerry responded that it was a “coincidence.” The remark was more revealing than he intended. A flurry of U.S. actions on Syria in recent days not only failed to add up to a coherent strategy, but also did not even support one another.



Mr. Kerry was in Vienna trying to win agreement on a plan for a political transition in Syria that would include the creation of a transition government, the drafting of a constitution and U.N.-supervised free elections. That broad idea won support, but Mr. Kerry’s proposal for a timeline under which Syrian President Bashar al-Assad would be removed in four to six months and elections held in 18 months was flatly rejected by Russia and Iran, according to the Wall Street Journal. That means the cease-fire the diplomats called for is unlikely to happen, since rebels will not accept an end to the war that leaves the blood-drenched dictator in power.



Mr. Kerry rightly insisted that the removal of Mr. Assad is necessary to end the civil war and defeat the Islamic State. But he also acknowledged that the military measures announced Friday by the White House, which will send 50 or fewer Special Operations troops to northern Syria and increase air assets in Turkey, will not advance that aim. “It is not an action or a choice focused on Assad,” he said Saturday. Instead, the measure is aimed at weakening the Islamic State by supporting an alliance of Syrian Kurds and Arabs that intends to capture territory and supply routes near the Islamic State capital of Raqqa.



Any action that increases U.S. military pressure on the terrorist entity is welcome, but the steps Mr. Obama approved are incremental and underpowered. By the account of U.S. officials, they are not consequential enough to lead to the fall of Raqqa anytime soon. And Mr. Obama set aside other plans developed by the Pentagon, such as one to back Iraqi forces with Apache helicopters and front-line advisers to enable advances against the Islamic State from the east as well as the north.



On Saturday, the administration announced $100 million in new nonlethal aid to the Syrian opposition. But the Syrian forces receiving the new U.S. military support not only are not fighting the Assad regime but also do not necessarily share the political goal endorsed by the Vienna conference of reuniting the country while leaving “state institutions . . . intact.” Syrian Kurds, who have a de facto truce with the regime, are attempting to carve out their own autonomous territory.



Russia and Iran are using military forces they have dispatched to Syria to back their political goal, which is to keep the Assad regime in power indefinitely. Because Mr. Obama refuses to endorse steps that would place more pressure on Mr. Assad, Mr. Kerry lacks the leverage to reject that agenda. U.S. military force meanwhile is being applied to a tactical objective that, if achieved, might do as much to help the Russo-Iranian cause as it would to achieve U.S. political aims. Given the disconnect between U.S. military and diplomatic efforts, it will not be surprising if both are failures.



Read more on this issue:



Charles Krauthammer: Obama’s Syria debacle



Fred Hiatt: Obama’s Syria achievement



Michael Gerson: The horrific results of Obama’s failure in Syria

Russia in Syria- Airstrike on Garage in East Guta district With Car Bombs

http://www.newsbharati.com/ Russia in Syria- Airstrike on Garage in East Guta district With Car Bombs



BEIRUT (AP) — Suspected Russian warplanes bombed the outskirts of Islamic State-held Palmyra on Monday, sending smoke rising out of an area that includes a historic castle overlooking the Syrian city's Roman ruins, activists said.



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An activist in Palmyra who goes by the name Nasser al-Thaer said at least eight airstrikes struck the area of the Islamic-era castle, sending smoke and clouds of dust rising from the hill where the castle is located. An earlier round of airstrikes on Sunday hit behind the castle, al-Thaer told The Associated Press in a series of telephone messages.



He said it was difficult to assess damage because of the ongoing airstrikes.



The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 10 suspected Russian airstrikes targeted the castle area in Palmyra, causing damage. The group, which relies on a network of activists inside Syria, did not provide further details.



Palmyra, seized by the IS group in May, is home to world-famous Roman ruins and was one of Syria's most attractive tourist destinations. The Islamic State group has destroyed a number of its renowned sites, including the Temple of Bel and the iconic Arc of Triumph, because it believes ancient artifacts promote idolatry.



Activists also reported suspected Russian airstrikes on a nearby town, Qaryatain, which was seized by IS fighters in August. The Observatory said at least 10 people were killed in the central town. The Local Coordination Committees, another monitoring group, said at least 15 civilians were killed after the airstrikes hit a bread distribution center.



View galleryThis photo made from the footage taken from Russian …

This photo made from the footage taken from Russian Defense Ministry official web site on Monday, No …

There was no immediate comment from Russian officials. In comments to the Syrian state news agency SANA, a military official said the Russian Air Force, in cooperation with the Syrian Air Force, carried out 131 sorties which resulted in destroying 237 terrorist targets during the past 48 hours, including "destroying fortified bases, shelters, and a heavy machinegun sites used by (IS) in the surroundings of Palmyra."



The airstrikes come a day after Islamic State fighters expanded their presence in the central Homs province. IS fighters seized the town of Mahin, east of Qaryatain, on Sunday, and attacked the majority-Christian town of Sadad. The new expansion brings the IS group closer to a highway linking Damascus to the central Homs province, threatening to endanger government supply routes.



IS strongholds lie in the northern Aleppo province and the eastern Raqqa, Deir el-Zour and Hassakeh provinces. Beyond its presence in central Palmyra, a city that in ancient times served as a caravan route between the Roman Empire and South Asia, the group has a limited presence in the central Hama province and on the outskirts of the capital Damascus.



Russia has said its air campaign is aimed at helping the Syrian government defeat the IS group and other "terrorists," but many of its airstrikes have hit Syrian rebel groups and areas where IS is not present.



Also on Monday, the IS group claimed responsibility for last week's slaying of two Syrian activists in Turkey.



Ibrahim Abdul-Qadir and Fares Hamadi were found dead in an apartment in the Turkish city of Sanliurfa on Friday. Abdul-Qadir was a founding member of "Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently," a collective of activists who document the Islamic State group's atrocities in its de facto Syrian capital. Both men are from Raqqa.



A video posted on social media warns "apostates" that "the arm of the Islamic State will reach you, wherever you are." The video shows Hamadi's body, with his throat slit, in a dark room. Abdul-Qadir was not shown. The video does not make clear whether it was shot in Sanliurfa. It's unclear when the two were killed.



_________________



Associated Press writer Zeina Karam in Beirut contributed to this report.

Russia in Syria- Air Strikes on ISIS outpost at ALEPPO

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Iran Says It May Quit Talks on Syria Over Saudis’ Role

By RICK GLADSTONE and DAVID E. SANGER



Iran suggested on Monday that it might withdraw from the new peace talks on Syria because of what Iranian officials described as the unconstructive role of Saudi Arabia, Iran’s rival for dominance in the Middle East.



It was unclear whether the suggestion, carried via state-run news media, was serious or more akin to diplomatic posturing, since Iran would have much to lose if it were to leave talks it has long sought to attend.



The Iranian warning came three days after representatives from Iran and Saudi Arabia sat in the same room for the first time at a formal diplomatic meeting in Vienna of nearly 20 countries, including Russia and the United States, aimed at finding a way to end the Syrian civil war, now in its fifth year.



Little was decided at that meeting except that Syria’s territorial integrity must remain intact and that participants would reconvene within a few weeks.

Russia in Syria- Air Strikes on Ammo Dump on Hama & Aleppo Road

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New U.S.-Backed Alliance to Counter ISIS in Syria Falters

A Kurdish militia fighter rested last week on the eastern banks of the Euphrates River. Islamic State militants fire on Kurdish bases from across the river. Credit Tyler Hicks/The New York Times

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EIN EISSA, Syria — Weeks after the Obama administration canceled a failed Pentagon program to train and arm Syrian rebels to combat the Islamic State, American officials announced a new effort to equip newly named ground forces in Syria to fight the jihadists.

But 10 days of interviews and front-line visits across northern Syria with many of the forces in the alliance made clear that so far it exists in name only, and that the political and logistical challenges it faces are daunting.

One Arab commander, sitting near the earthen wall that separates this deserted town in Syria from the Islamic State’s front line, bitterly recalled being chased from his Syrian hometown by the jihadists and said he would do anything to reclaim that territory. But then he detailed a list of things his forces needed: ammunition, radios, heavy weapons and more American airstrikes.

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“This is the state of our fighters: trying to fight ISIS with simple means,” he said, pointing to a fighter in broken boots, tattered fatigues and a dirty sweatshirt that read “Skateboarding ruined by life.”



The Sanadeed Forces are an Arab tribal militia that has allied with Kurds to fight the Islamic State. Credit Tyler Hicks/The New York Times

Beyond the early logistical factors, the new alliance faces what is perhaps a more serious challenge in the long term: Though it is intended to begin clawing back territory from the Islamic State in mostly Arab areas, nearly all of the group’s fighting power comes from ethnic Kurdish militias.



That demographic reality is likely to further alarm Turkey, a vital American ally that considers Kurdish autonomy near its southern border a security threat. It also limits the forces’ ability to strike the jihadists in predominantly Arab communities — Kurdish fighters have less motivation to fight for those areas, and could deeply anger residents by doing so.



“The backbone of these forces are the Kurdish groups because of their experience fighting ISIS and their numbers,” said Redur Xelil, a spokesman for Syria’s dominant Kurdish force, the Y.P.G. But he talked about how that could be a limiting factor in fighting for cities like Raqqa, the Islamic State’s headquarters in Syria: “We have to be realistic that the Y.P.G. can’t go by itself into Raqqa, or people will say, ‘What are you doing there?’ ”



A newly appointed spokesman for the alliance briefed reporters in Syria beneath a yellow banner bearing its name in Kurdish, Arabic and Assyrian. But the meeting took place inside a Kurdish militia facility because the alliance does not have its own bases yet, nor flags to put on its cars or a defined command structure, said the spokesman, Talal Sillu.