Latest Syria News

Italian coast guard recovers 12 more bodies of shipwreck victims in the Ionian Sea

Jun. 20, 2024 15:22 PM EDT

MILAN (AP) — The Italian coast guard on Thursday recovered 12 more bodies from a weekend shipwreck in the Ionian Sea off the southern Italian coastline, bringing to 20 the number of known victims from the sinking. Dozens more are missing and presumed dead. The bodies, including...

Swedish court acquits former Syrian army general accused of role in war crimes

Jun. 20, 2024 09:59 AM EDT

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A Swedish judge on Thursday acquitted a former Syrian army general of indiscriminate attacks on civilians in his home country more than a decade ago, saying prosecutors failed to provide evidence of his involvement in the war crimes. Brig. Gen. Mohammed...

As the number of displaced people surges, an 'Inflatable Refugee' in Barcelona sparks questions

Jun. 14, 2024 10:46 AM EDT

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Hugging his knees and clad in a bright orange life vest, the giant “Inflatable Refugee” looks vulnerable as he sits alone in a sea of empty red velvet chairs. Belgian visual artists Schellekens & Peleman, who created the figure in 2015 following the refugee crisis...

Minnesota man who joined Islamic State group is sentenced to 10 years in prison

Jun. 13, 2024 18:05 PM EDT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minnesota man who once fought for the Islamic State group in Syria after becoming radicalized expressed remorse and wept in open court Thursday as he was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison. Abelhamid Al-Madioum, 27, cooperated with federal authorities...

Kentucky man convicted of training with Islamic State group in Syria

Jun. 12, 2024 17:15 PM EDT

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky man has been convicted in federal court of leaving the U.S. to train and fight with the Islamic State group in Syria a decade ago. A jury in Bowling Green convicted Mirsad Hariz Adem Ramic, 34, of multiple counts of supporting and receiving...

7 EU members say conditions in Syria should be reassessed to allow voluntary refugee returns

Jun. 07, 2024 13:01 PM EDT

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — The governments of seven European Union member states said Friday the situation in Syria should be re-evaluated to allow for the voluntary return of Syrian refugees back to their homeland. In a joint statement, officials from Austria, the Czech Republic,...

At least 7 people die when a school bus plunges into a river in northwest Syria

Jun. 06, 2024 15:39 PM EDT

DARKUSH, Syria (AP) — At least seven people drowned and 20 were injured, most of them children, when a school bus skidded off the road and plunged into a river in northwestern Syria on Thursday, emergency responders said. The accident happened near the town of Darkush, west of the...

German chancellor vows to deport criminals following brutal attack by Afghan migrant

Jun. 06, 2024 05:43 AM EDT

BERLIN (AP) — Chancellor Olaf Scholz vowed Thursday that Germany will start deporting criminals from Afghanistan and Syria again after a knife attack by an Afghan immigrant last week left one police officer dead and four more people injured. The brutal attack in Mannheim, which...

Gunman captured after shootout outside US Embassy in Lebanon

Jun. 05, 2024 17:23 PM EDT

AUKAR, Lebanon (AP) — A gunman who attacked the U.S. embassy near Beirut was shot and captured by Lebanese soldiers after a Wednesday morning shootout that injured an embassy security guard, the military and embassy officials said. The attack took place as tensions simmered in the...

Syria says no dialogue with Turkey before Ankara announces plans to withdraw its troops

Jun. 04, 2024 09:02 AM EDT

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syria’s foreign minister said Tuesday that any dialogue between Syria and Turkey should only take place after Ankara announces that it will withdraw its troops from all Syrian territories it controls. Faisal Mekdad made the comments during a joint news...