Syria
Control of Syrian Oil Fuels War Between Kurds and Islamic State
Impoverished families in northeast Syria refine oil distributed by the warring sides to buy loyalty—or face the consequences. AL-YAROUBIYAH, Syria—Plumes of black smoke billow on the horizon of this border town in northeast Syria, a thumb-shaped corner of the country that pokes into neighboring Turkey and Iraq. The smoke isn’t from war, but it rises . . .
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Kurds Fight Islamic State to Claim a Piece of Syria
A Kurdish paramilitary group will help the U.S. expel Islamic militants in exchange for a stretch of northern Syria to build its vision of utopia RAS AL-AIN, Syria—A billboard of a 19-year-old Kurdish fighter brandishing a machine gun covers part of a bullet-marked building that once housed Syrian government offices. The building is abandoned and . . .
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Syrian Regime Chokes Off Food to Town That Was Gassed
Siege of Moadhamiya Raises Concerns of a Fresh Humanitarian Crisis DAMASCUS, Syria—Government forces are tightening the noose around one of the suburbs gassed by chemical weapons in August, raising concerns of a fresh humanitarian crisis as residents forage for olives, grapevine leaves and other basic foods. Pro-regime fighters have encircled about 12,000 people, mostly civilians . . .
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Syria’s Alawite Force Turned Tide for Assad
National Defense Force Helped Regain Territory From Rebels HOMS, Syria—Mounir and Samir Fandi, twin brothers from this central Syrian city, had ordinary lives before the start of civil war more than two years ago. Mounir worked as a technician at the country’s telephone company. Samir was a traffic cop.
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In Syria, Signs of Civilian Massacre
Residents in Bayda Say Toll Hit Hundreds, Including Children; Damascus Says It Killed Only Terrorists BAYDA, Syria—The chain of events that led to one of the Syrian war’s worst mass killings started when government forces came to this village and arrested Hassan Othman on charges of instigating rebellion. Mr. Othman, a 31-year-old with a wife . . .
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Assad’s Not-So-Secret Weapon: Loyal Syrian Businessmen
DAMASCUS—When Syrian businessman Mohammed Jaber held a dinner at a luxury hotel here for his associates recently, there was little doubt where they stood on the country’s embattled president, Bashar al-Assad. “Bashar, we are your soldiers in the millions, no matter what,” they chanted as toasts were exchanged.
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