Half a dozen Turkish troops and at least 13 Syrians died Monday in the Syrian border province of Idlib. The spasm of violence between the bitter neighbors also threatens to ensnare Syrian ally Russia.
The measure, known as the Caesar Syrian Civilian Protection Act, authorizes sanctions for war crimes. It is included in the newly passed 2019 Pentagon budget.
A Syrian man says his arm was blown off and two friends were killed by U.S. helicopter fire during the assault on ISIS's leader. A defense official said the military will review what happened.
Many U.S. special operators have been ordered out of Kurdish-controlled areas of Syria, but other troops have arrived to guard oil installations. The Pentagon says the mission is still to fight ISIS.
What happens to the country's resources — once a revenue stream for ISIS — will be important not to world oil markets but to the future of Syria itself, write Roger Diwan and Daniel Yergin.
The Islamic State named Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Quraishi as its new leader days after ISIS founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi killed himself during a U.S. raid on his compound in northwest Syria.
President Trump is leaving some U.S. troops in Syria, with the goal of controlling Syria's oil fields. But legal experts say exploiting the oil could amount to pillaging — a war crime.
The president is renewing his push for U.S. control of Syrian oil. Experts say the limited oil there belongs to Syria, but it may provide a pretext for a continued U.S. presence in the country.
Turkey says U.S. officials should not meet with Syrian Democratic Forces chief Mazloum Abdi, whom Ankara considers a terrorist. In Syria, U.S. forces are preparing to protect the eastern oil fields.
Turkey's invasion of Syria this month has displaced 80,000 children who are "really in deep distress," UNICEF's Fran Equiza tells NPR. "The price children pay is absolutely disproportionate."
President Trump defended his decision to pull some U.S. troops from Syria, arguing that it is time for the U.S. to end its involvement in Middle East conflicts.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to jointly patrol an area in northern Syria previously controlled by Kurdish forces with U.S. support.
Other U.S. troops will pivot to fighting ISIS in Iraq rather than immediately heading home. Some 300,000 people have reportedly been displaced since Turkey's offensive began.
More than 2,000 refugees have crossed into Iraq since Turkey began its assault on northeastern Syria last week. Aid groups are bracing for as many as 50,000 refugee arrivals.
The vice president led a delegation to try to persuade the Turkish president to stop the military push and enact a cease-fire. The Turkish foreign minister says the deal brokered is not a cease-fire.
Here is what it was like in the northern part of the country as the Syrian military started advancing to retake territory after the U.S. made way for Turkey's incursion against the Kurdish forces.
President Trump had initially seemed to acquiesce to Turkey's attack on U.S.-allied Kurdish fighters. With the pullback, Russia now says its military is acting as a buffer on the border.
Kurdish forces in northern Syria relied on American troops to help them maintain control of the region. Now, they are aligning themselves with Syrian forces that are backed by Russia.
The U.S. will pull hundreds of troops amid air strikes and gunfire from Turkish-backed forces. "We're preparing, waiting for the order," a U.S. official close to the troops on the ground told NPR.
Heading into a fourth day of military attacks on northern Syria, Turkish officials say forces have captured Ras al-Ayn and several surrounding villages. But reports indicate fighting continues.
