BEWARE!! WILL THIS BE THE FUTURE OF EUROPE? The Saudi Arabia-Yemen War of 2015

 

 

 

BEWARE!! WILL THIS BE THE FUTURE OF EUROPE?

Refugees were moved from illegal camps around Austerlitz station and by the town hall in the 18th arrondissement The migrants were offered 'temporary accommodation' at refugee centres and their shelters were destroyed France has already agreed to take thousands of mainly Syrian migrants into the country over the coming months But the destruction of the camps today has raised questions about where the French intend to put the refugees  Two of the biggest illegal refugee camps in Paris have been evacuated and by police as France steps up its efforts to deal with Europe's worst migrant crisis since the Second World War. UK-bound migrants from Eritrea and Sudan were among those moved on from the tents and other shelters around Austerlitz station, and by the town hall in the 18th arrondissement. The destruction of the camps has raised questions about where the French intend to put the thousands of refugees from war-torn countries such as Syria that it has pledged to look after. +16 On their way: UK-bound migrants from Eritrea and Sudan were among those moved on from the tents and other shelters around Austerlitz station, and by the town hall in the 18th arrondissement +16 While the 500 made homeless today have been offered 'temporary accommodation', it is only guaranteed for a short period +16 Resting: French authorities evacuate more than 500 migrants from tent camps in and around the capital Paris +16 Dismantled: The destruction of the camps has raised questions about where the French intend to put the thousands of refugees +16 France has agreed The destruction of the camps has raised questions about where the French intend to put the thousands of refugees from war-torn countries such as Syria that it has pledged to look after. +16 A migrant is seen holding a spare pair of shoes as he waits to board a bus evacuating him from one of the illegal tent camps While the 500 made homeless today have been offered 'temporary accommodation', it is only guaranteed for a short period. A city hall official said: 'Buses were laid on for all refugees. They will be taken to designated social care centres, where they can stay for a month or so.' Despite such offers, many of the migrants could be seen moving on to other illegal camps around Paris. Many of the care centres are well away from the city centre, and unsuitable for refugees who want to get to the UK, where they will claim asylum or disappear into the illegal economy. The razing of camps is commonplace in France, with judges happy to grant destruction orders. Today's combined operations started around 6am, with social workers helping the police. +16 Migrants wait in line near their tents during the evacuation from a camp under the Charles de Gaulle bridge near the Austerlitz train station Croatia is the new route of choice for western Europe-bound refugees after Hungary sealed its Serbian border Migrants continue to stream in to Croatia from Serbia amid reports more than 14,000 have arrived in just two days Hungary announces plans to finish construction on a giant fence along the border with Croatia by the end of the day There were violent scenes at  Beli Manastir railway station in the north of Croatia as hundreds tried to board a train Bloody violence has broken out between Syrian and Afghan migrants this afternoon after they were seen fighting to board trains across Croatia. Rocks, smashed glass bottles and sticks were used as violence broke out at the Beli Manastir train station in the northeast of the country. A number of migrants were injured during the clashes while police officers used batons as they tried to break up the fight, which started at the ticket office. The chaotic scenes unfolded as Hungary continued to build a giant fence along the Croatian border - just days after sealing off access from Serbia with a 100 mile razor-wire barrier. Prime Minister Viktor Orban said a 'fast-solution' fence will be finished on a 26 mile stretch of the border - where the two countries are not divided by a river - by the end of today. Hundreds of Hungarian troops are being called in to help build the barrier just days after the country erected a huge fence along its border with Serbia. Scroll down for video +62 A police officer uses a baton as he tries to intervene after violence broke out among Syrian and Afghan migrants at Beli Manastir train station in Croatia +62 A man with a head injury is carried by another migrant after violence has broken out between Syrians and Afghans this afternoon +62 Tensions boiled over among some migrants in the Croatian town of Beli Manastir, just over the border from Hungary this afternppm +62 Tensions boiled over as huge groups of migrants waited to board trains at Beli Manastir in Croatia his afternoon. Police are pictured running for cover +62 Many were left with injuries amid reports broken bottles, rocks and sticks were used in clashes involving Syrians and Afghans +62 Flash point: Trouble is said to have started after a dispute at the ticket office sparking violent scenes at the train station +62 One woman was left with a badly bruised right eye as fighting broke out. Hundreds gathered at the station in the hope of travelling across Croatia +62 Croatia's Prime Minister said today that his country will redirect migrants to Hungary and Slovenia - an announcement the Hungarian government described as 'totally unacceptable' Migrants continued to stream in from Serbia in to Croatia this morning, walking through fields around one of seven road border crossings that Zagreb closed after an influx of more than 14,000 people in just two days. Croatia's Prime Minister said today that border guards will redirect migrants to Hungary and Slovenia - an announcement the Hungarian government described as 'totally unacceptable' as a war of words erupted this afternoon. There have been reports that Croatia has already started transporting thousands of migrants and refugees to its northeastern frontier with Hungary, with at least two coachloads crossing the frontier. Some 22 buses arrived at the border opposite the Hungarian village Beremend, each carrying around 60 people. There they were met by around 200 Hungarian police and 50 soldiers, who allowed two of the buses to cross the frontier, witnesses said. After crossing, the passengers disembarked and were transferred into Hungarian buses which set off for an unknown destination. It comes as the UN refugee agency warned of a 'buildup' of migrants and refugees in Serbia as its neighbors tighten their borders to the influx. Tensions boiled over among some migrants in the Croatian town of Beli Manastir, just over the border from Hungary, angry groups of Afghan and Syrian migrants, waiting for trains to Zagreb, fought with rocks and sticks at a ticket office. Rocks, smashed bottles and broken sticks littered the ground while a handful of police in ordinary uniforms tried to restore control. At the Tovarnik railway station, around 3,000 migrants waited for buses and trains in the heat, women and children searching for shade under sparse trees. Announcing the construction of the a razor wire fence along part of the Croatian border, Orban said this morning: 'During the night work already began on building the technical border closure... It seems we can rely on help from no one.    +62 An injured man lies on the ground after clashes at Beli Manastir train station. On his back is a large scar that suggests he has undergone a kidney transplant. Many migrants have resorted to desperate measures to fund their journey +62 Violence: A migrant lies on the ground after being injured during bloody clashes between Afghan and Syrian refugees this afternoon +62 There were chaotic scenes as migrants tried to scramble onboard one of the few trains leaving Beli Manastir station this afternoon +62 Migrants battle to get into a ticket office before trouble flared at the station this afternoon. A number of migrants were injured during the clashes while police officers used batons as they tried to break up the fight, which started at the ticket office +62 Migrant numbers in Europe will build up in coming days and their flows may fragment further into new routes, the UN refugee agency said today +62 Migrants reach out of the window of a train at Beli Manastir in Croatia as others pass a tiny child up to them. The European Union has been urged to grasp a last chance to resolve the refugee crisis next week +62 A man lifts a girl through the open window of a train in the Croatian town of Beli Manastir, just over the border from Hungary +62 Afghans and Syrians bundle onto a packed train in Beli Manastir in Croatia in a bid to reach the country's capital city this afternoon +62 A child is lifted through the window of a train in Beli Manastir, Croatia, as migrants tried to reach the capital of Zagreb earlier today +62 A crying child is carried onto a train Beli Manastir as bloody violence broke out between Syrian and Afghan migrants this afternoon +62 Rocks, smashed glass bottles and sticks were used as violence broke out at the Beli Manastir train station in the northeast of Croatia 'The western Balkans route is still there. The fact the Hungarian-Serbian border is now closed has not stopped the flow.' Adrian Edwards of UNHCR says 'the crisis is growing and being pushed from one country to another' as roughly 4,000 migrants and refugees pour into Greece each day and head north. He says stricter border controls first by Hungary and more recently Croatia threaten a bottleneck in Serbia, 'which is not a country with a robust asylum system.' The crisis is growing and being pushed from one country to another Adrian Edwards of UNHCR Edwards said: 'You aren't going to solve these problems by closing borders.' UNHCR says more than 442,440 people have crossed the Mediterranean this year, and 2,921 have died trying. But the International Organization for Migration puts those figures at 473,887 and 2,812, respectively. In Turkey, several hundred migrants who have been blocked by police in the northwest from crossing overland into Greece drew closer to the border today after the authorities briefly opened the route. From their makeshift camp on the outskirts of the border city of Edirne the migrants - mostly Syrian refugees - began walking in the direction of the city centre, beyond which lies the road to Greece. But less than two hours later they came to a halt, after the police erected a new cordon just outside Edirne. Encouraged by the #Crossingnomore social media campaign, which called for migrants to be allowed to travel safely overland to Greece rather than risk their lives at sea, up to 1,000 refugees had flocked to the city since Monday. But on Tuesday police sealed off the main road into the city from the east and sealed off access to the bus station, preventing migrants arriving from other Turkish cities by bus from continuing their journey westwards. +62 Making a point: Placard waving migrants staged a protest as they waited at the Tovarnik railway station in Croatia this morning. More than 13,000 have come to the country in just days +62 Police officers watch on as migrants sit on the windows of a train at a railway station near the Slovenian-Croatian border in Dobova, Brezice +62 Refugees are making increasingly desperate attempts to cross Europe. A group of migrants are pictured trying to cross the river Sutla near Senkovec, Croatia on their way to Slovenia +62 Migrants have continued to stream through fields from Serbia into the European Union this morning, it has been reported +62 Struggling to cope: Croatia's Prime Minister said today that his country will redirect migrants to Hungary and Slovenia +62 Hundreds of migrants walk up the side of a busy road near Edirne, Turkey, carrying huge bags of belongings as they walk towards towards the Greek border +62 New figures from the International Organization for Migration have shown that nearly 474,000 people have so far this year braved perilous trips across the Mediterranean to reach Europe +62 Migrants take time out from walking towards the Greek border as they stop to pray on a highway near Edirne in Turkey In Croatia, officials last night announced it had shut almost all road crossings from Serbia, saying it could not take in any more migrants. But the flow continued unabated this morning as migrants arrived by bus in the Serbian border town of Sid and walked through cornfields to cross the border, joining huge crowds controlled by Croatian police. Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic said this morning that the country will redirect people toward Hungary and Slovenia and further toward Western Europe. Milanovic said that Croatia's capacities are full and that the authorities no longer can register people in accordance with EU rules. He said the country will let them pass through and suggested it will transfer them to its borders, primarily the Hungarian border. He said: 'What else can we do? You are welcome in Croatia and you can pass through Croatia. But, go on. Not because we don't like you but because this is not your final destination.' It comes as the European statistics agency said 213,200 people had applied for asylum in the European Union in the second quarter of 2015, with Germany receiving more than a third of the new arrivals. +62 Hungary has announced plans to build a giant fence along the Croatian border - just days after sealing off access from Serbia with a 100 mile razor-wire barrier (pictured) +62 Hungary has announced it is constructing a new fence along a stretch of its border with Croatia (shown in yellow) - just days after erecting a barrier along its frontier with Serbia (shown in red) +62 Human barrier: Croatian policemen line up as migrants look on from a packed train at the Tovarnik railway station in Croatia +62 Climbing aboard: Migrants were pictured clambering on to a packed train at the ovarnik railway station, Croatia. The country has closed many of its borders +62 Migrant families are pictured resting in a train in Beli Manastir, northeast Croatia, near the Hungarian border this morning +62 A young child walks down the tracks flanked by two Croatian guards as protesters gather in the background at Tovarnik railway station +62 Migrants continued to stream in to Croatia from Serbia this morning, walking through fields around one of seven road border crossings that Zagreb closed after an influx of some 11,000 people in two days. Refugees are pictured sitting on the tracks in north eastern Croatia +62 Hundreds of Hungarian troops are being called in to help build a fence along its border with Croatia just days after the country erected a huge fence along its border with Serbia. Migrants are pictured sleeping on a train in Croatia +62 Two children are pictured sleeping on a platform in Beli Manastir, Croatia, near the border with Hungary. Migrants are continuing to stream in to Croatia from Serbia Eurostat says the number of people seeking refuge was 85 percent higher than a year earlier, and up 15 percent on the first three months of the year. Croatia has become the route of choice for those hoping to reach western Europe, but it has struggled to cope - and Ranko Ostojic, Croatia's interior minister, warned those still planning on making the trip that it was not the easy route to places like Germany and Sweden. 'Don't come here anymore. Stay in refugee centers in Serbia and Macedonia and Greece,' Ostojic said yesterday. 'This is not the road to Europe. Buses can't take you there. It's a lie.' MIGRANT ELECTROCUTED AT CHANNEL TUNNEL ENTRANCE IN FRANCE AS HE TRIED TO CLIMB ON TO TRAIN'S ROOF A migrant was electrocuted late Thursday near the entrance to the Channel Tunnel in France as he tried to climb on to the roof of a train to make his way to England, an official said. 'The individual died after he was electrocuted trying to climb on to the freight car,' a spokesman for the local authorities in northern France said. The migrant, thought to be a Syrian, was found dead shortly before midnight Thursday. Officials said it was the 10th death of a migrant in or near the tunnel since late June. A spokeswoman for Eurotunnel, which operates the cross-Channel link, said: 'We deplore this event which proves once again that any attempt to cross the Channel illegally carries considerable risks.' In July, Eurotunnel said 2,000 attempts a night were being made to get into the tunnel, but new fences erected around the tracks have greatly reduced the number of intrusions. Eurostar said passenger train services were unaffected by the latest incident at a time when thousands of French supporters are making their way to London for the start of the Rugby World Cup. Meanwhile, German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel has warned this morning that countries that do not share European values of 'human sympathy and solidarity' cannot count on receiving money from the bloc. Renewing a threat issued this week by his cabinet colleague, Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere, Gabriel said that while Germany was opening gymnasiums, barracks and homes to refugee families, other countries were 'laying barbed wire on their borders and closing the gates'. But this afternoon, a top EU official said that Balkan nations were not a 'parking lot' for migrants and pledged to fully defend their interests. +62 Policemen control refugees at the border between Austria and Germany, in Freilassing, southern Germany this morning +62 Migrants are pictured staging a protest at the Tovarnik railway station in Croatia this morning. Many were carrying placards with messages begging border police to let them through +62 Refugees sit under a bridge at the border between Austria and Germany, in Freilassing, southern Germany this morning +62 German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel has warned this morning that countries that do not share European values of 'human sympathy and solidarity' cannot count on receiving money from the bloc +62 Refugees warm themselves around a fire at the railway station in Beli Manastir, north-eastern Croatia while others camp in tents next to a train +62 Hungarian police detain migrants after they were caught crossing the Serbia-Hungary border in the region of Morahalom, across the Serbian border town of Horgos +62 Refugees and migrants walk towards the Serbia-Croatia border on a road near Bezdan, north-western Serbia as the sun rises 'You are not a parking lot for refugees, you are also victims of the situation and we won't leave you,' European Union Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn told the Macedonian parliament. 'All the countries of the EU are targets of the refugee stream and have the task to protect the external borders,' he said. Hahn said the EU was 'fully committed to defend you (Macedonia), but also Serbia and other countries from the Western Balkans.'  Tens of thousands of migrants have been pouring into Balkan countries in a bid to cross into the EU's visa-free travel zone and go on to Germany, which has opened its doors to Syrian refugees. Roads leading to the Croatian border crossing were closed last night and only one, linking Belgrade and Zagreb, appeared to still be open. +62 A man uses crutches as he joins other migrants crossing the border between Greece and Macedonia near the city of Gevgelija, Macedonia +62 Hungary says it will finish building a barrier on a stretch of its border with Croatia by the end of the day. Migrants are seen walking over the border at Gevgelija in Macedonia +62 A refugee woman carries a child at a train station in Beli Manastir, near the Hungarian border in northeastern Croatia this morning +62 Refugees have been forced to camp out in the open as they wait to cross Europe's borders. Syrian migrants are pictured resting at a petrol station in northeastern Croatia This morning, Slovenia suspended all rail traffic with Croatia until at least the evening and said that only those 'meeting EU requirements' would be allowed to enter the country, as it braced itself for the arrival of migrants from its neighbours. Tents and shelters were being prepared in several parts of Slovenia, a member of the European Union and, unlike Croatia, of the passport-free Schengen Zone. The small country of two million people also borders Austria and Italy as well as Hungary. Prime Minister Miro Cerar said late last night on state television that Slovenia would implement Schengen rules and that 'only those meeting the EU's requirements can be allowed to cross the border.' The government also called an emergency meeting of its National Security Council on Friday to discuss the next steps. The first larger group of some 150 migrants arrived on Thursday evening, crossing the Croatia-Slovenia border by train and were stopped just over the border in Dobova. Local police initially planned to send them back to Croatia but despite hours of talks Croatia refused to accept them. Slovenian authorities then moved the migrants to a centre in the west of the country 'while a procedure for their return to Croatia is agreed,' Slovenian police said. Overnight another 100 migrants were intercepted attempting to crossing the border near the main border crossing of Obrezje, police spokeswoman Alenka Drenik said. +62 Having been blocked from crossing into Hungary, many migrants have headed west to make the crossing into Croatia, where they hope to register at camps before being taken across the country in buses laid on by officials   +62 One man lifts a crying baby as he waits to board a bus heading for a reception centre for migrants in Croatia's capital of Zagreb Slovenian media had reported late on Thursday that a group of around 600 migrants had left a refugee camp near Zagreb and marched towards the Obrezje border crossing, some 12.5 miles to the west of the Croatian capital. At the Obrezje border crossing, the main road towards Croatia, the situation remained calm this morning with an increased number of police deployed on both sides although small groups of migrants could be seen arriving. Yesterday, helmeted riot police tried to control growing crowds of refugees at the Croatian border town of Tovarnik, as thousands of migrants jostled to board buses after crossing into the country from neighbouring Serbia. But most of the migrants and refugees are not planning to stay in the EU's newest member state. Already, many of those have reached the borders with Slovenia and Hungary, which are both part of the passport-free Schengen zone, leading to harsh words from Hungarian ministers. Meanwhile, Czech police and military will conduct a joint drill to be ready to deal with a possible increased numbers of migrants. The drill will be conducted along the country's borders and will include hundreds of service members with planes and helicopters. Interior Minister Milan Cjovanec says its goal is 'to test the ability of the forces to cooperate in crisis situations.' Friday's announcement comes three days after Prime Minster Bohuslav Sobotka said his government is ready to deploy the armed forces to protect the country's borders against migrants. Czech police already boosted its presence on the Austrian-Czech border on Sunday in response to Germany's decision to renew border controls along its border with Austria. But the Czechs haven't renewed border checks yet. In Slovenia police stopped a train with some 200 refugees on board - the largest number to attempt to enter the country in one go, according to police. +62 Here to help: A Croatian policeman lifts a young boy on to a bus in the crisis-hit town of Tovarnik earlier this afternoon +62 Chaos: Over the past 24 hours more than 6,000 new arrivals have entered EU member state Croatia via its eastern border with Serbia The Swiss government is offering to take in up to 1,500 refugees under a European Union plan to redistribute 40,000 people around the continent. Meanwhile, close to 1,000 migrants arrived on a single train in Beli Manastir, on the Hungarian border, where 20 police officers were on hand to encourage them to spend the night in a disused military base. Long queues formed for buses bound for migrant reception centres elsewhere in Croatia yesterday, stretching the country's infrastructure to breaking point. Over 100 riot police officers were deployed to control the crowds and keep them back from railway tracks. One man is said to have suffered a heart attack. In the capital Zagreb, riot officers surrounded a hotel housing hundreds of refugees after they began chanting 'Freedom! Freedom!' and throwing rolls of toilet paper from balconies and windows. Thanks to its close proximity to the Serbia, thousands of migrants are expected to pass over the Croatia-Hungary border in the coming days, despite the fact it was heavily mined during the Balkans War in the 1990s and remains incredibly dangerous. The news comes as Hungary faces worldwide condemnation for using tear gas to disperse crowds at its border, with Serbia's prime minister Aleksandar Vucic accusing the country of 'brutal' and 'non-European' behaviour towards migrants and warning it not to fire tear gas onto its territory again. Croatian Foreign Minister Vesna Pusic said late last night that the country was prepared for the arrival of migrants but could not cope if the numbers increased dramatically. +62 Exhausted: A Syrian girl is seen sitting in front of heavily armed Hungarian riot police at the Serbian border yesterday afternoon +62 Bloodied: Yesterday hundreds of refugees smashed through razor-wire fences into Hungary after chaos at the country's border. Hungarian riot police hit back with tear gas and water cannon, leaving many refugees injured - even those not taking part in the protests +62 Attack: Hungary faces worldwide condemnation for using tear gas to disperse crowds at its border, with Serbia's prime minister Aleksandar Vucic accusing the country of 'brutal' and 'non-European' behaviour 'We are ready to (provide) asylum to a few thousand people and we can handle that, but we are not ready for tens of thousands,' Pusic told HRT. 'We do not have capacities' for such an influx, she added. Yesterday around 4,000-5,000 migrants attempted to board trains to the Croatian capital Zagreb from the small town of Tovarnik after crossing the border with Serbia, the UN refugee agency said. 'There are between 4,000 and 5,000 people here,' Jan Kapic, a UNHCR spokesman, said from Tovarnik station in eastern Croatia. 'Trains are coming but they can't take all these people.' EU BACKS PLAN TO RELOCATE 120,000 REFUGEES TO EASE PRESSURE ON HUNGARY GREECE, AND ITALY The European Parliament has backed plans to relocate 120,000 refugees around the EU to help the frontline states of Greece, Hungary and Italy, in a move that hiked pressure on ministers to adopt the proposals next week. In an emergency vote called after EU interior ministers failed to back the scheme on Monday, lawmakers approved the plans by the European Commission - the EU's executive - by 372 votes to 124 with 54 absentions. The ministers meet again next Tuesday to discuss the plans with a possible summit of EU leaders also on the cards. Parliament had to approve the plans but would normally have done so after EU states had backed the plan. 'We are very grateful to the European Parliament for understanding the urgency of this matter,' European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans said before the vote in Brussels. Timmermans said the vote meant that both the Commission and parliament 'can say to the Council that the moment to act is now.' He was referring to the European Council, the 28-nation bloc's minister-level body. Up to 5,000 people arrived at the tiny train station overnight. The station was overwhelmed as people slept all along the side of the tracks, with only a handful of Red Cross workers on hand to give out food and provisions for the hundreds of babies and children there. More help was on the way, said Kapic, including medical assistance and toilets, the first of which we're being delivered around 9 am. 'For now we have enough but more will be needed and is on the way...It is very hard to say if this will become the next transit camp. It is down to the Croatian government how it deals with this,' he added. Kapic also said that the migrants were now coming straight to the train station without going to the police station for registration, with police overwhelmed by the numbers. It is unclear where the migrants would go from Croatia, which borders Slovenia, Austria and Hungary, all of which are members of the passport-free Schengen zone, unlike Croatia. +62 Route: New arrivals are entering Croatia via its eastern border, which has become the route of choice for those hoping to reach western Europe. Thanks to its close proximity to the Serbia, thousands of migrants are expected to pass over the Croatia-Hungary border in the coming days, despite the fact it was heavily mined during the Balkans War in the 1990s and remains incredibly dangerous Refugees make the journey from Croatia to Serbia   +62 Divided: Around 200 frustrated refugees blocked on the Serbian side of the border yesterday, throwing plastic water bottles at rows of helmeted riot police and chanting demands that the border be re-opened +62 Blast: Hungarian police are pictured firing tear gas and water cannon at refugees across the border in Serbia yesterday +62 Camp: Refugees are seen camping outside a railway station near the official border crossing between Serbia and Croatia yesterday +62 Restricted: Even those wanting to avoid the landmine-packed Croatia-Hungary border are now likely to see the country as the best route into the hallowed Schengen Area - the European countries that have removed passport controls and allow people to pass in and out of member states without restriction. As the inset map shows, Croatia's border with Hungary and Serbia is littered with vast minefields Migrants & police suffer injuries in Hungary-Serbia clashes Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic was due to hold talks in Zagreb with his Austrian counterpart, Chancellor Werner Faymann. Faymann would then travel to Ljubljana to meet Slovenian premier Miro Cerar, his office said. Milanovic had vowed that his country would allow free passage of migrants across its territory. A crisis meeting of Croatia's top security body, the National Security Council, was set tot take place today. There will be an emergency summit of EU member leaders in Brussels next week to find a solution. European Commission plans to spread 160,000 refugees among member states are already being overhauled. When asked to defend its ‘shambolic’ handling of the crisis, commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said: ‘Shambles or not, that’s how the EU works.’ MORE THAN 5,000 APPLY FOR ASYLUM IN SWEDEN IN A WEEK Sweden - one of the countries of choice for those trying to start a new life in Europe - has reported more than 1,000 new arrivals daily, with 5,214 people applying for asylum in the seven days to Tuesday. Most are from Syria, but the numbers from Afghanistan and Iraq are also growing. There has also been a surge in unaccompanied minors seeking asylum, with 923 such cases registered in the seven-day period. Croatia, a former Yugoslav republic, has some 6,000 border police deployed. Since the start of the crisis the Croatian authorities have urged solidarity with migrants, recalling its own role in accommodating hundreds of thousands of refugees during the 1990s Balkans wars. Croatian authorities say they are forming a special body to deal with the influx. Interior Minister Ranko Ostojic said the country has the situation under control. But he warned that 'if huge waves start coming through Serbia we must consider different moves.' Croatia represents a longer and more arduous route into Europe for the asylum-seekers from Syria and elsewhere who have been fleeing into Europe in the past months. But they have little choice after Hungary sealed off its southern border with Serbia on Tuesday and began arresting anyone caught trying to enter the country illegally. The result of the decision to arrest those breaking the border was plain to see, with the number of people intercepted falling to just 367 yesterday from a record 9,380 the day before. Hungary is understood to have a further 1,000 prison spaces ready to be allocated to those breaking through the border. Overnight, Hungarian authorities positioned barbed wire and a new gate at the border where the clashes occurred, which was at one of two border crossings near the Serbian village of Horgos. Early yesterday hundreds of migrants remained at the two border crossings, but their numbers dwindled as many of them headed toward the Croatian border. Serbian state TV reported that 70 buses transported people overnight to the border with Croatia. Overnight Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban reinforced his view that by blocking the predominately Syrian and Afghan refugees, the border police are defending 'Europe's Christian culture' from being overrun by Muslims. Yesterday David Miliband, the chief of the International Rescue Committee and brother of former Labour leader Ed, said events on the Serbia-Hungarian border revealed the 'dark side of the European character'. 'Anyone with an ounce of morality feels appalled by what's happening in parts of Europe,' he added in an interview with the Associated Press. Anyone with an ounce of morality feels appalled by what's happening in parts of Europe...[it is] a dark side of the European character. - David Miliband While lauding German leadership in tackling Europe's migrant crisis, the former British foreign secretary said that Hungary's decision to erect a razor-wire fence to stop the influx of migrants was 'misguided and short-sighted, and when it's combined with bullyboy tactics it's obviously appalling.' Serbian doctors say two people were seriously injured and up to 300 have sought medical help after Hungarian police used tear gas and water cannons to stop migrants from entering Hungary. In the last few months, Hungary has become a main entry point and bottleneck into the European Union for migrants, many of them war refugees from Syria, Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East. More than 200,000 migrants have entered Hungary so far in 2015, nearly all by walking across the southern border with Serbia, as they make their way to Germany or other wealthy Western European nations. Miliband's comments came two days after the 28-nation EU failed to come up with a united immigration policy at a contentious meeting in Brussels. Ministers did agree to share responsibility for 40,000 people seeking refuge in overwhelmed Italy and Greece and spoke hopefully of reaching an eventual deal on which EU nations would take 120,000 more refugees, including some from Hungary. The IRC boss called the EU failure 'disappointing in all kinds of ways,' but said Europe has no choice but to find another solution. 'Kicking this can down the road, kicking these people down the road is obviously no answer,' Miliband said. +62 A Hungarian police officer guards the Horgos 2 crossing yesterday. This photograph was taken on the Serbian side of the border +62 Hungarian PM Viktor Orban has praised the guards for defending 'Europe's Christian culture' by blocking the mainly Muslim refugees +62 A young man looks through Hungary's closed border gate as refugees wait at a makeshift camp on the Serbian side of the crossing GERMANY COULD SPEND UP TO €25 BILLION ON MIGRANT INTAKE Germany's lead in housing hundreds of thousands of migrants heading to Europe from a war-torn Middle East could cost its Treasury tens of billions of euros over the next two years, according to early private estimates. The Japanese investment bank Mizuho was one of the first to put a number on it on yesterday, saying that accepting up to one million refugees a year over the next two years could cost Berlin €25 billion euros. That is derived from a basic calculation of €12,500 per migrant, according to Peter Chatwell, senior rates strategist at Mizuho. Part of the extra spending may have to be met by extra borrowing. Over half a dozen banks contacted by Reuters broadly agreed with Mizuho's calculations. During yesterday's clashes at the Hungary-Serbia border, 29 people were detained - including a man identified by officials as a 'terrorist'. Hungary's decision this week to shut the EU's external border with Serbia was the most forceful attempt yet by a European country to reduce the flood of refugees and economic migrants overwhelming the bloc. As thousands of migrants scattered across the Balkan peninsula tried to reach the EU, Hungary's prime minister said his country planned to put up a fence along parts of its border with Croatia and on the frontier with Romania to stem the flow. Helmeted riot police backed by armoured vehicles took up positions at the barricaded border crossing with Serbia, where male migrant youths pelted them with stones, demanding entry. Three Hungarian military Humvees, mounted with guns, also arrived at the border. Hungary said it detained a 'terrorist' among 29 migrants held during the clashes. At least 20 policemen and two children were injured, a Hungarian security official said. 'Police also captured an identified terrorist,' Gyorgy Bakondi, a security adviser to the Hungarian Prime Minister told state television M1. A government spokesman said the man was 'in the database of security services'. 'It is getting very ugly there,' said Ahmad, 58, a shopkeeper from Baghdad who went to the official border crossing at Sid in Serbia but realised he may have a better chance of entering the EU via Serbia's border with Croatia. 'As soon as we heard about a route to Croatia we did not wait long. I want to go to Sweden to meet the rest of my family. I hope we will be treated better in Croatia,' he said.     +16 Soon to disappear: The razing of camps is commonplace in France, with judges happy to grant destruction orders +16 Migrants carrying their belongings leave their tent camp in Paris after being evacuated by police officers earlier this morning +16 Waiting to leave: Migrants carrying their belongings line up as they leave their tent camp in Paris +16 A refugee loads his belongings into the luggage hold of a coach taking migrants to specialist housing centres +16 Evacuated: Migrants carry their belongings as they leave their tent camp in Paris earlier this morning Many of the migrants involved already had their bags packed following warnings that the authorities would be arriving. Anne Hidalgo, the Mayor of Paris, played down claims that everything was being done for newly arrived Syrian refugees, while migrants camped out in France for months were being badly treated. Mrs Hidalgo said: 'It would be abhorrent to say those who arrive will be dealt with quickly, while others will be left outside. I want to reassure them.' Many of the displaced Paris migrants end up in Calais, where a vast illegal camp nicknamed 'The Jungle' remains in place. A legal centre for the migrants will soon be established, with critics arguing that it will become a magnet for thousands who want to enter Britain. +16 Several hundred migrants who occupied makeshift camps near the Gare d'Austerlitz in Paris were evacuated earlier this morning +16 Migrants carry their belongings during the evacuation of a regfugee camp under Charles de Gaulle bridge near Austerlitz train station +16 Migrants carrying their belongings leave their tent camp in Paris after being evacuated by police officers earlier this morning +16 A migrant carrying several suitcases holding all of his worldly belongings leaves his tent camp in Paris this morning The European Parliament today backed plans to relocate 120,000 refugees around the EU to help the frontline states of Greece, Hungary and Italy, in a move that hiked pressure on ministers to adopt the proposals next week. In an emergency vote called after EU interior ministers failed to back the scheme on Monday, lawmakers approved the plans by the European Commission - the EU's executive - by 372 votes to 124 with 54 absentions. The ministers meet again next Tuesday to discuss the plans with a possible summit of EU leaders also on the cards. Parliament had to approve the plans but would normally have done so after EU states had backed the plan. 'We are very grateful to the European Parliament for understanding the urgency of this matter,' European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans said before the vote in Brussels. Timmermans said the vote meant that both the Commission and parliament 'can say to the Council that the moment to act is now.' He was referring to the European Council, the 28-nation bloc's minister-level body.       The leader of the whole anti-Christ and overthrow of Europe by those coming in is Erdogan the revival of the Persian Empire…supplying them with bogus papers. The goal is to over throw the western Christian world and Obama is going to let them migrate over here as well, be very careful what you wish for….Iran will push this movement from their end….stonehillady The European  crisis will not stop until it copies tough stance on people-smugglers Tony Abbott insists tough line on migrants is the only way to stop deaths Said army should be deployed to prevent asylum seekers arriving on land He has ordered Australian military to turn back boats carrying migrants Controversial move has seen near-daily arrivals fall significantly, with no reported deaths at sea off the coast of Australia so far this year Europe has been urged to copy Australia's military-led 'stop the boats' policy to avoid migrant tragedies in the Mediterranean. Australian PM Tony Abbott – who sends naval gunboats to turn back asylum seekers before they reach Australia – said the EU should 'urgently' follow his lead. His hardline policy has proved controversial but Mr Abbott said it was the only way to prevent disasters such as the loss of 900 lives when a fishing boat capsized on Saturday night. +11 Hardline: Tony Abbott, whose conservative government introduced a military-led operation to turn back boats carrying asylum-seekers before they reach Australia, said harsh measures are the only way to stop deaths A woman kneels and grimaces as she is lashed with a cane for having unmarried sex in an Indonesian province which is ruled under Sharia law in newly released photographs.  The images show women dressed in white and sitting with their heads bowed as they wait their turn to be punished in Banda Aceh, Indonesia. In one photo, a woman can be seen kneeling on a red platform as her back is whipped with a cane in front of guards and members of the public. +15 Punishment: Pictures have emerged of a woman being whipped in a square in Banda Aceh, Indonesia +15 An Indonesian Sharia policeman whips a woman arrested for having unmarried sex during a public caning ceremony outside a mosque in Banda Aceh +15 Indonesian women are shown waiting their turn to be whipped in front of a baying crowd - for having unmarried sex +15 The woman was pictured being led on to the platform by guards before she was given her punishment Aceh is the only province in the world's most populous Muslim-majority country that is allowed to implement Islamic Sharia law. Although public whipping is a common punishment in the province, it is rare for women to be caned. Further images show men also being punished after being accused of violating Sharia law. Three women and 14 men arrested for sexual offences and gambling were caned in front of a mosque following Friday prayer. Gay sex, gambling and drinking alcohol are already punishable by caning in Aceh which began implementing Sharia law after being granted special autonomy in 2001, an effort by the central government in Jakarta to quell a long-running separatist insurgency. +15 Further images show men also being punished after being accused of violating Sharia law +15 Aceh is the only province in the world's most populous Muslim-majority country that is allowed to implement Islamic Sharia law +15 A man dressed in white bows his head as he prepares to be whipped for breaking Sharia laws. Although public whipping is a common punishment in the province, it is rare for women to be caned +15 A flurry of new Islamic laws have been introduced in Aceh in recent years, drawing howls of protest from rights groups A flurry of new Islamic laws have been introduced in Aceh in recent years, drawing howls of protest from rights groups. Earlier this year, Banda Aceh banned women from entertainment venues after 11pm unless they are accompanied by a husband or male family member. Aceh district has also banned unmarried men and women from riding together on motorbikes. More than 90 percent of Indonesians describe themselves as Muslim, but the vast majority practise a moderate form of the faith. +15 Three women and 14 men arrested for sexual offences and gambling were caned in front of a mosque following Friday prayer +15 A flurry of new Islamic laws have been introduced in Aceh in recent years, drawing howls of protest from rights groups   A Sharia policeman takes aim as a man is whipped in front of a baying crowd (left) while a woman kneels as she is lashed with a cane In June, pictures emerged of three couples being publicly caned after the unmarried university students were caught spending time alone together. On that occasion, a crowd of about a thousand spectators shouted as the three men and three women, aged between 18 and 23, were lashed several times each with a rattan cane in a square in Banda Aceh. A fourth woman, aged in her 40s, was also publicly caned for committing adultery. One of the women fainted after being caned four times and had to be carried off by officials. +15 Brital: A total of 14 men were punished in front of a mosque following Friday prayer +15 A man winces with pain as he he repeatedly whipped in front of members of the public today +15 ceh is the only province of Indonesia that is enforcing Islamic Sharia law and violators are punished by public caning     Syria Army Clears Hasakah of ISIL Terrorists Syria Army Clears Hasakah of ISIL Terrorists The Syrian army announced on Saturday that it has full control over the eastern city of Hasakah after eliminating the last remnants of terrorists from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) who infiltrated into the city’s neighborhoods on June 25, Al-Alam News Network reports. The Syrian army, air force, and the paramilitary National Defense Force on Saturday conducted a number of operations against ISIL terrorists in different provinces of the Arab country. Field sources told SANA reporter in Hasakah Saturday that last night and early morning Saturday, an army unit conducted intensive operations against ISIL positions in Al-Zohour neighborhood on the southern outskirts of the city, which resulted in killing and injuring dozens of terrorists. During last month, ISIL terrorists perpetrated massacres and crimes against the civilians of the province, destroyed a number of their houses and burnt SADCOP Company’s oil tanks which caused the loss of 16,200,000 liters of diesel. Syria has been gripped by civil war since March 2011 with ISIL Takfiri terrorists currently controlling parts of it, mostly in the east. The terrorist group claims as an independent state the territory of Iraq and Syria, with implied future claims intended over more of the Levant, including Lebanon, occupied Palestine, Jordan, Cyprus, and Southern Turkey. The US and its regional allies have been supporting the militants operating inside Syria for more than four years. Syrian Army establishes control over Hasaka, areas in Hama, kills terrorists Provinces, SANA, The army, air force, and national backing forces conducted Saturday a number of operations against terrorists in different provinces in the contry, establishing control over some, clear others, and destroy terrorists’ vehicles and dens. Hasaka The Syrian Arab Army, in cooperation with national supporting forces, established full control over the eastern city of Hasaka after eliminating the last gatherings of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria “ISIS” terrorists who infiltrated into the  city’s neighborhoods on June 25th. Field sources told SANA reporter in Hasaka Saturday that an army unit conducted, last night  and early morning Saturday, intensive operations against ISIS dens in the Faculties of  Economy and Civil Engineering to the east of Al- Zohour neighborhood on the southern  outskirts of the city, which resulted in killing and injuring tens of terrorists. The army units, backed national forces, checked and cleared the two faculties from explosive devices which ISIS terrorists planted in the facilities of the both faculties. ISIS terrorists sabotaged and destroyed the infrastructure of both faculties and looted  equipments and teaching devices, the reporter said. ISIS terrorists perpetrated, during last month massacres and crimes against the civilians of  the province, destroyed a number of their houses and burnt SADCOP Company’s oil tanks which  caused the loss of 16,200,000 litres of diesel. Daraa Units of the army and the armed forces on Saturday destroyed dens and hotbeds  of the Takfiri terrorist  organizations in the southern Daraa province. A military source told SANA that all members of a terrorist group were killed and their arms and ammunition were destroyed in a special operation carried out by an army unit on Friday night to the northwest of Tal al-Za’atar, 8 km from Daraa city. The source added that many terrorists were also killed, most of them from Jabhat al-Nusra,  in an operation carried out by a unit of the army against their hotbeds in the surroundings  of al-Banin School in Daraa al-Balad neighborhood. Meanwhile, the Takfiri terrorist organizations admitted on their pages on the social networking websites that a number of their members were killed. On Friday, army units killed more than a hundred terrorists during operations against their dens and gatherings in Daraa city, al-Meleiha al- Gharbiya and the eastern outskirts of the city, Quneitra A number of terrorists were killed and their military equipment destroyed in operations carried out by the army units against their dens in al-Hamidyia village in the southern Quneitra province. The source added that an army unit also destroyed arms and ammunition belonging to the Takfiri terrorists, killing scores of them in Jibbat al-Khashab village. An army unit also carried out intensive bombardments against positions of the terrorist organizations in Ovania village, inflicting heavy losses upon them personnel and equipment. Aleppo The army air force destroyed the supply routes of Jabhat al-Nusra and other terrorist organizations in the countryside of the northern Aleppo province. A military source told SANA that the army air force carried out intensive airstrikes against positions and supply routes of the Takfiri terrorist organizations on the direction of Bshantara –Kafr Dael in the western countryside of the province. The source added that a convoy of terrorists’ vehicles was destroyed in the strikes and all terrorists onboard were killed, some of the vehicles were equipped with heavy machineguns. Lattakia 50 Terrorists killed, most of them of non- Syrian nationalities, in strikes by the Army air force against dens and gatherings of terrorist organizations in Dweirshan, al-rawda, al-wadi and al-Durra in the northern countryside of Lattakia. Hama Units of the army establish control over Zaizoun station in the north western countryside of Hama after killing a number of terrorists and destroying their arms and ammunition. On Friday, the army units established  control over Ziyadia and Zayzoun towns in the countryside of Hama province after inflicting heavy losses among terrorists in personnel and weapons. Field sources told SANA today that a unit of the army destroyed a gathering for terrorists in al-Madeq citadel town to the north-west of Hama. The sources added that scores of terrorists were killed in the operation, among them leader of a terrorist group nicknamed as “Abu al-Dardar.” Turkish warplanes kill civilians in Kurdish region’s Qandil ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Turkish fighter jets launched a fresh attack against Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) on Saturday, killing 10  civilians and injuring 11 others in the Qandil Mountains of the Kurdistan region, a Rudaw reporter at the scene said. “We were all sleeping when the Turkish fighter jets bombarded our village,” Ismail Abdula Ghader, one of the injured civilians,said by phone this morning. The bombing targeted Zargali village in Rawanduz district, which is on the outskirt of the Qandil Mountains. The PKK was used the area as a stronghold for many years. Ghader said the fighter jets dropped bombs over the civilians’ houses and killed six civilians instantly and injured seven others. The Hurriyet Daily News reported Friday an intelligence source saying that 30 F-16 warplanes shelled 130 targets in the Qandil Mountains both inside the Turkey and in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. The source also claimed that Turkish airstrikes have killed 190 PKK guerrillas and injured at least 300 others. The PKK has previously confirmed the death of four members because of the recent aerial attacks in Qandil. Turkey claims its attacks are “in retaliation” for the killings of two Turkish police officers last week, for which the PKK claimed responsibility. The latest conflict has possibly brought to a halt a peace agreement reached between Ankara and the PKK two years ago. Since July 24, Turkish air force jets and artillery have kept up a wave of attacks against the PKK, including five rounds of airstrikes on Saturday that targeted the Qandil Mountains.   Syrian Army foils a terrorist attack at Tha’ala air port, establishes control over town in Hama, kills terrorists in other areas   Provinces, SANA- The army and armed forces units continued Friday combating terrorism in different areas of the country, killing and injuring scores of them and destroy their vehicles and weaponry. Sweida A Syrian Arab Army unit foiled a terrorist group’s attempt to infiltrate into the vicinity of al-Tha’ala airport in the countryside of Sweida province. A military source told SANA that the clashes resulted in killing and injuring all of the assailants and destroying their vehicles and weaponry. Another army unit prevented an infiltration attempt by terrorists from the direction of Tal Saad and the dump towards Tal Bouthaina, located around 35km northeast of Sweida city, killing many terrorists and destroying their weapons and ammo. Daraa More than a 100 terrorist killed in Daraa Army units killed more than a hundred terrorist during operations against their dens and gatherings in Daraa city, al-Meleiha al-Gharbiya and the eastern outskirts of the city, after the units launched intensive strikes against terrorists’ gatherings south of Syriatel Buliding and the area surrounding Electricity Company in Daraa al-Balad in Daraa province, killing many of terrorists and destroying their ammo and weaponry. The Army destroyed dens of “Jabhat al-Nusra” and” al-Muthanna Islamic Movement” in the southeastern part of al-Mliha al-Gharbia in the northeast countryside of Daraa. A number of terrorists were killed, others were injured and their weapons and ammunition were destroyed during the operation. An army unit eliminated many terrorists and destroyed their weapons in the area surrounding Tal al-Sheikh Hussein northeast of Daraa. To the north of Daraa city, the army targeted with intensive strikes terrorists’ convoys in Ibta’a town and destroyed their vehicles, some of them equipped with machineguns. Another army unit killed a number of terrorists and destroyed their weapons and ammunition during accurate strikes against “Saudi Palace” on Daraa Taffas road in the northern countryside. The Army also killed many terrorists, injured many others and destroyed their weapons in the area surrounding Zimrin village to the northwest of Daraa city. Army units killed members of “Jabhat al-Nusra” and” al-Muthanna Islamic Movement” and destroyed many of their vehicles during intensive strikes against their dens in Ataman town, east of al-Qassr al-Abyad rest stop and in Daraa neighborhood. Quneitra A number of terrorists were killed and others were injured during army operation against their dens and gatherings in Mashara village to the north of Tal al-Harra in Quneitra. Lattakia Meanwhile, other army units killed a number of terrorists in the villages of al-Kabir, al-Helweh and al-Durra in the northern countryside of Lattakia province. An Army unit destroyed a mortar launcher and killed all its staff during intensive strikes against their gatherings in al-Kabir village in the northern countryside of the province. Mohamed al-Sheikh Ali and Rajab al-Haj Jom’a were among those killed. Homs In central Syria,Army units eliminated several terrorists in Unk al-Hawa, Rahoom, al-Shandkhania al-Shamalia and al-Rastan in Homs countryside. Aleppo A military source said that army units destroy terrorist hideouts around the Air Force Academy and the Scientific Research center and in al-Rashidin, al-Mansoura, New Aleppo, al-Lairamoun, and Khan al-Assal in Aleppo and its countryside. The source added that the army also prevented infiltration attempts by terrorists from in the directions of Khanasser, al-Safira, and Family House in the province. Idleb The Army’s Air Force eliminated a number of terrorists and destroyed their vehicles in Abu al-Duhour, Ariha, Jisr al-Shughour, Tal al-Sahn, Jannet al-Qura, al-Hamidiye, and Marj al-Zuhour in Idleb and its countryside, a military source said. Hama Army establishes control over Ziyadia and Zayzoun towns Army units established control over Ziyadia and Zayzoun towns in the countryside of Hama province after inflicting heavy losses among terrorists in personnel and weapons, the military source affirmed. Earlier on the day, army units eliminated large numbers of terrorists and destroyed their vehicles in Zeizoun, the Zeizoun station housing area, and al-Madiq Citadel in Hama countryside. Syria: Dozens of Militants Killed in Failed Terror Attack TEHRAN (FNA)- A failed terror attack on a makeshift army base outside the Syrian city of Aleppo has left at least 25 militants dead, reports said Saturday. Three senior militant commanders were among 25 terrorists killed late Friday, said the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Syria has been grappling with a deadly crisis since March 2011. The violence fuelled by Takfiri groups has so far claimed the lives of over 230,000 people, according to reports. New figures show that over 76,000 people, including thousands of children, lost their lives in Syria last year. Over 3.8 million Syrians have left their country since the beginning of the crisis. According to reports, more than seven million Syrians have become internally displaced. Syrian Army Retakes 2 Towns in Hama TEHRAN (FNA)- Syrian army retook 2 towns in the countryside of Hama from the foreign-backed Takfiri militants. The army regained control over the towns of Ziyadia and Zayzoun, and inflicted heavy losses on the terrorists, a military source said Friday. Earlier, the army forces killed large numbers of terrorists, and destroyed their vehicles in Zayzoun, the Zayzoun station housing area, and al-Madiq Citadel in Hama countryside. Syria has been grappling with a deadly crisis since March 2011. The violence fuelled by Takfiri groups has so far claimed the lives of over 230,000 people, according to reports. New figures show that over 76,000 people, including thousands of children, lost their lives in Syria last year. Over 3.8 million Syrians have left their country since the beginning of the crisis. According to reports, more than seven million Syrians have become internally displaced. Syria in Last 24 Hours: Army Repels Terrorists’ Attack on Strategic Airport in Sweida TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian army thwarted an attempt by the terrorist groups to take control of a strategic military airport in the province of Sweida. The foreign-backed terrorists were pushed back from the surrounding areas of al-Tha’ala Military Airport in Sweida. Tens of terrorists were killed and dozens more were injured in heavy clashes with the army over the control of the airport. Also in the past 24 hours, the Syrian army made new gains in the countryside of Hama by winning back three strategic regions. The army units seized back al-Masoura and Kharba al-Qanous towns as well as Savame al-Hoboub area in Sahl Dasht region in Hama countryside. The Syrian army started fresh military operations against the Takfiri terrorists in Hama countryside on Thursday evening. Meanwhile, army units destroyed the terrorists’ strongholds in Qastoun, al-Ankawi, Kafar Zeta in Hama countryside. Also the local sources said that the army killed the so-called leader of Al-Nusra Front named Hassan al-Mohammad in al-Madiq Citadel in the Eastern parts of Hama. Elsewhere, the Syrian Army gained the upper hand against the militants of al-Nusra Front and the ISIL in some parts of the Southern province of Dara’a. Informed sources said that the Syrian soldiers’ operations against Takfiri terrorists of the ISIL in the nearby areas of Atman town in the Northern countryside of Dara’a province resulted in the killing and injuring of a number of them. The army also inflicted heavy losses upon al-Nusra Front terrorists in the Eastern countryside of Dara’a city. Abdel Qader Abdel Rahman al-Sharif, a senior rebel commander, was among the killed terrorists in the battlefield. Meantime, informed military sources in the Southwestern province of Quneitra said that the Syrian Army cut the supply route of al-Nusra Front in the Northern parts of the province. The sources said that the Syrian army has intensified its operations against strongholds of al-Nusra fighters in Quneitra and hit one of their main logistic routs near Taranja village. The source added that the army also destroyed terrorists’ positions in the town of Mas’hara in the Eastern side of the province. Also, the Syrian Army and popular forces, in joint operations, stormed the positions of al-Nusra Front across the costal province of Lattakia, and killed or wounded several fighters, the military sources announced. The sources said that the country’s soldiers and popular forces pushed back Nusra militants from the nearby areas of al-Furolouq forests and Tal al-Araz in the Northern countryside of Lattakia and killed scores of them. Elsewhere, scores of al-Nusra Front rebels were killed or injured in the joint operations of the Syrian Army and Lebanese Hezbollah Resistance Movement in Zabadani. The military sources said that the Syrian and Hezbollah forces seized control over Barada mosque and a number of buildings in the Southern edge of the city, killing a number of terrorists in the battlefront. The army and Lebanese resistance advanced towards al-Shalah region into the direction of Za’atout street near al- Mahata and tightened the grip on the terrorist organizations. The army operations ended up with the killing of a number of al-Nusra terrorists, including Mohammad Dalati, Mohamad Shahada and Osama Ali Hamdan. Syria has been grappling with a deadly crisis since March 2011. The violence fuelled by Takfiri groups has so far claimed the lives of over 230,000 people, according to reports. New figures show that over 76,000 people, including thousands of children, lost their lives in Syria last year. Over 3.8 million Syrians have left their country since the beginning of the crisis. According to reports, more than seven million Syrians have become internally displaced.

The Saudi Arabia-Yemen War of 2015   The recent civil war in Yemen prompted neighboring Saudi Arabia to intervene militarily six weeks ago, launching airstrikes, bombing targets from border stations, shelling from the sea, and establishing a blockade. Rebels recently overran the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, and forced the Western-backed president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, to flee the country. To halt the uprising, the Saudi government formed a coalition of Arab nations including Egypt, Jordan, Sudan, and Bahrain, with the support of the United States in the form of weapons, intelligence, and naval blockade enforcement. For months now, numerous groups have been battling each other inside Yemen, including factions of ISIS and Al Qaeda, but the main belligerents are the Iran-allied Houthi movement, fighting the Hadi government, backed by Saudi Arabia and the United States. In Yemen, loyalties are mixed, even among government soldiers, and the situation on the ground is chaotic and bleak. Refugees are fleeing by the thousands, as the U.N. reports that nearly 650 civilians have been killed in hundreds of airstrikes in the past month.  Today, Saudi Arabia proposed a five-day ceasefire to allow the distribution of humanitarian aid, on condition that fighting across Yemen stops, while the Houthis demand a complete end to the airstrikes as a condition for UN-sponsored talks. A Saudi soldier fires a mortar towards Houthi positions, at the Saudi border with Yemen on April 21, 2015. #     The sky over Sanaa, Yemen, is illuminated by anti-aircraft fire during a Saudi-led airstrike on April 17, 2015. #   Explosions at a military site after it was hit by an air strike on the Faj Attan mountain of Sanaa on March 30, 2015. #   Smoke billows on the horizon as supporters of exiled Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi block a road in al-Mansura, east of the southern Yemeni city of Aden, as they try to make advances on the Khor Maskar area of the city held by Shiite-Houthi rebels on April 29, 2015. #   People stand around a crater near the site of houses destroyed by Saudi-led airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen, on May 1, 2015. #     A Yemeni man grabs a child by his clothes as he searches for survivors under the rubble in houses destroyed by an overnight Saudi-led air strike on a residential area in Sanaa on May 1, 2015. #   Smoke billows during an airstrike on the Republican Palace in Yemen's southwestern city of Taiz on April 17, 2015. #   Armed militiamen, allied to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, clash with opponents and Houthi rebels in the port city of Aden's Dar Saad suburb, on April 22, 2015. #   The body of a militiaman loyal to Yemen's President Abderabbo Mansour Hadi lies in the middle of a street, during reported clashes with Houthi rebels in the port city of Aden's Dar Saad suburb on April 25, 2015. #     A Southern Popular Resistance fighter fires a weapon mounted on a truck during clashes with Houthi fighters in Yemen's southern city of Aden on May 3, 2015. Between 40-50 Arab special forces soldiers arrived in Aden on Sunday and deployed alongside local fighters against the Houthi militia, a spokesman for the Southern Popular Resistance said. #   Men on a motorbike rush a man, who was injured in crossfire between tribal fighters and Shiite rebels, to a hospital, in Taiz, Yemen, on April 26, 2015. #   Smoke billows as supporters of exiled Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi continue to clash with Shiite Houthi rebels in the Khor Maksar neighborhood of Aden on May 3, 2015. #   A picture taken on May 5, 2015, shows the wreckage of a Yemeni air force military transport aircraft on the tarmac of the rebel-controlled international airport of Sanaa, a day after it was destroyed by an air strike of the Saudi-led coalition. #     Displaced Yemenis shelter in a man-made underground water tunnel after their houses were destroyed by air strikes carried out by the Saudi-led alliance, in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, on April 29, 2015. #   A Yemeni man who was wounded in an airstrike rests in an underground water tunnel where he is taking shelter with his family after their houses were destroyed by air strikes carried out by the Saudi-led alliance in Sanaa, on April 30, 2015. #   A girl rests next to her mother (not pictured) inside an underground water tunnel with other displaced Yemeni families, after they were forced to flee their home due to ongoing airstrikes in Sanaa on May 2, 2015. #   Saudi soldiers look toward the border with Yemen, at a military structure in Najran, Saudi Arabia, on April 21, 2015. A cross-border attack on Saudi Arabia by Yemeni rebel forces resulted in late-night clashes on April 30, 2015 that left three Saudi soldiers and "dozens" of Yemeni rebels dead, according to the Saudi Defense Ministry. #     A Saudi sniper takes up a position at the Saudi border with Yemen on April 13, 2015. #   Supporters of the Shiite Houthi movement brandish their weapons as they take part in a demonstration in the capital Sanaa on May 1, 2015, against the Saudi-led air campaign targeting Houthi rebels and their allies in Yemen. #   A stadium, destroyed by an air strike in Yemen's central city of Ibb, on April 13, 2015. #   A man holds a projectile fragment after a Saudi-led airstrike against Houthi rebels hit a weapons cache in Yemen's capital on April 20, 2015. #     Loyalists of exiled Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi gather next to tanks on a road on the outskirts of the southern city of Aden, on April 30, 2015. #   A boy looks out of the window of a Yemen Red Crescent vehicle as he leaves an underground water tunnel with other displaced people, after they were forced to flee their homes due to ongoing airstrikes in Sanaa on May 2, 2015. #   Smoke rises during an airstrike on an army weapons depot on a mountain overlooking Yemen's capital Sanaa on April 20, 2015. #   A Houthi militant holds his rifle at the yard of the residence of the military commander of the Houthi militant group, Abdullah Yahya al Hakim, after an airstrike destroyed it in Sanaa on April 28, 2015. #     A boy searches rubble in a damaged a street after an April 20 airstrike that hit a nearby weapons depot, in Sanaa, on April 21, 2015. #   Walaa Hussien al-Hutroum, 9, sits in a hospital where she is being treated for injuries she sustained in an airstrike in Sanaa, Yemen, on April 25, 2015. The girl was hit with shrapnel from a missile that struck a nearby checkpoint on a road she and her family were travelling on as they were fleeing their home in Yemen's northwestern province of Saada a week ago, medics said. #   A member of the Popular Resistance Committee cries as another closes the eyes of a comrade who died at a hospital of injuries he sustained during clashes with Houthi fighters in Yemen's southwestern city of Taiz on April 27, 2015. #   A man walks toward a house that was damaged during an airstrike carried out by the Saudi-led coalition in Faj Attan village, Sanaa, Yemen, on May 7, 2015. The air strikes in this part of Sanaa have forced the village's population to flee their homes. #     A worker throws a stuffed toy to another as they move furniture from a house damaged after an airstrike struck a nearby missile base, in Yemen's capital Sanaa, on April 23, 2015. #   A member of the airport security force walks in front of a destroyed Felix Airways plane, after it was hit in an airstrike, at the international airport of Yemen's capital, Sanaa, on April 29, 2015. Coalition warplanes destroyed the runway at Sanaa's rebel-held airport after an Iranian plane "defied" a blockade on Yemeni airspace, the spokesman for the Saudi-led alliance said. A man walks past writing on a wall along a street damaged by an airstrike in Sanaa on April 21, 2015. The writing reads, "Death to Al-Saud", referring to Saudi Arabia's royal family. #   A girl sits inside her house which was damaged by a shell which landed from a nearby missile base after the base was struck by a Saudi-led coalition air strike, near Sanaa, on April 23, 2015. #     Saudi army artillery fires shells towards Houthi movement positions at the Saudi border with Yemen on April 15, 2015. #   A boy holds up a weapon as he joins followers of the Houthi group demonstrating against the Saudi-led air strikes in Sanaa on April 22, 2015. #   Smoke rises after a Saudi-led airstrike hit a site where many believe the largest weapons cache in Yemen's capital, Sanaa, was located on April 20, 2015. Powerful explosions rocked the Yemeni capital early Monday morning during the strike, shattering windows and waking residents. #   Southern Popular Resistance fighters react as one of their tanks fire at a Houthi position during fighting in Yemen's southern city of Aden on May 7, 2015. #     A doctor examines a bullet wound on the head of Farah Abdallah, seven-year-old Yemeni refugee, at a hospital in Djibouti on May 5, 2015. Farah was shot in the head by a sniper in Aden before fleeing with her mother by boat to Djibouti. Farah has been offered financial assistance from a Yemeni benefactor to pay for her flights for critical brain surgery but no country will currently accept her. Doctors say she is at risk of death any day. #   People use a tug boat to flee Yemen's southern port city of Aden amid fighting between Houthi fighters and the Southern Popular Resistance Committees on May 5, 2015. #   A man carries an elderly woman from a ship carrying people fleeing violence in Yemen, at the port of Bosasso in Somalia's Puntland region, on April 16, 2015.   Putin Issues Ultimatum, Threatens War Over Erdogan’s Support of ISIS Gordon Duff, Senior Editor on August 4, 2015 Putin issues an ultimatum to Turkey, "End all military support for ISIS"   Russian President Vladimir Putin in a meeting with the Turkish Ambassador issued a verbal ultimatum calling for an immediate end to Turkey’s support for ISIS and violations of Syria’s sovereignty.  In doing to, Putin has drawn a red line over Syria, after weeks of escalating NATO moves against that beleaguered nation. In a startling move, Russian President Vladimir Putin castigated Turkish President Recep Erdogan, calling him a “dictator” and threatening to sever diplomatic ties with Turkey over what Putin claims is Erdogan’s continued support of the ISIS terror organization. It is believed that this is in response to Erdogan’s claim, pasted across the western press yesterday, that Putin had told him Russia was no longer going to support Syria in their war against al Qaeda, ISIS and their western backed sister organizations. Putin summoned Turkish Ambassador to Moscow, Umit Yardim to the Kremlin for what turned out to be a two hour diatribe by Putin with fiery accusations returned by the Turkish Ambassador.  This is the best translation of key statements made by Putin: “Tell your dictator Erdogan to go to hell and that unless he stops well established and easily proven support for ISIS, Russia will sever diplomatic relations.  We are  prepared to turn Syria into a big Stalingrad for Turkey and her Saudi allies and their vicious little gang of Hitlers. Your little dictator is a hypocrite, attacking the military coup in Egypt while, at the same time, he is trying to overthrow the elected government of Syria. As it stands, China, Iran and Russia will guarantee the survival of Syria.” In an article by the Moscow Times, a publication controlled by CIA contractor Booz Allen Hamilton, a different version is given with Ambassador Yardim shouting down Putin and blaming Russia for all of Syria’s ills. The meeting is said to have lasted over two hours and to have been behind closed doors.  The version we have of statements made were leaked by sources close to President Putin. We believe the statements quoted above are to be considered an ultimatum Yesterday, President Obama announced that the United States would provide air support for US trained jihadists fighting inside Syria.  The White House statement may well have been misquoted by the Murdoch owned Wall Street Journal.  The Journal, in another case of “mission creep,” quoted spurious anonymous sources in the Pentagon embellishing the president’s statement to include air attacks on Assad forces. It is very possible that the White Houses’ failure to demand a retraction for the WSJ story until early this morning Washington time may have been a contributing factor to Putin’s rage.  To a large extent, the Wall Street Journal has become an organ of Netanyahu’s schemes since Murdoch bought the publication  in 2011. Netanyahu has long seen himself as the ultimate winner in any military confrontation between Russia, China and NATO and Japan. The Plot Thickens One other possible contributing factor in Putin’s attack on Erdogan is the issue of the downing of MH17, the Malaysian Airlines flight shot down over Ukraine.  Last week, Russia vetoed a move in the United Nations Security Council to set up an unprecedented investigative tribunal to adjudicate the issue based on the yet to be released results of the Dutch (NATO) investigation. Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov made it clear that he has no confidence in a NATO run investigation and that Russia sees this as an attempt by the west to spin what Russia sees as a Kiev backed false flag terror attack into a propaganda victory against Russia. Russia sees the continued attempt to blame the downing of MH17 on a Russian BUK missile when no evidence whatsoever exists supporting that scenario, one the western press has adhered to unflinchingly. Russia has tried to present evidence, backed by German based forensic investigators, that MH17 was shot down by a Kiev based SU25 seen by multiple radars closing in on the Boeing 777 aircraft immediately prior to its downing. The west has refused to consider this evidence much as the west had refused to accept evidence of Turkey’s use of chemical weapons against civilians inside Syria. In 2012, Russian investigators attempted to present scientific evidence of the use of Turkish sarin gas by al Nusra forces near Aleppo.  The west refused to look at the evidence even when Turkish prosecutors had ordered the arrest of both Turkish nationals and foreign backed terrorists who were operating sarin production facilities inside Turkey. It wasn’t until the possibility of military confrontation between the US and Russia became a reality that President Obama accepted the Syrian version of events.  Investigative journalist Seymour Hersh outlines this confrontation and Erdogan’s role in the use of sarin gas against Syrian civilians in his book, The Red Line and the Rat Line. In June 2015, Erdogan failed to win a majority in a national election, one swayed from Erdogan by a large Kurdish opposition vote.  Erdogan has continued to rule without forming a government giving credibility to President Putin’s claim of Erdogan’s dictatorial rule. It is estimated that a minimum of 25,000 ISIS fighters have transited Turkey into both Syria and Iraq since 2011. In the last 18 months, a number of Turkish officers have been killed or captured inside Syria.  Additionally, most ISIS and al Nusra fighters captured by Syrian, Kurdish and Iraqi forces have told of Turkey’s full complicity in their terror operations. It should be noted that the terror attack of June 20, 2015, purportedly by ISIS against Erdogan’s Kurdish political opponents in the town of Suruc, was used to provide a rationale for the Turkish air assault on Syria and Iraq.  Turkey has flown hundreds of sorties against Kurdish villages along with providing air support for ISIS terrorists fighting against Kurdish forces of the YPG and PKK. Another major factor involves a sea change in Saudi relations in the Middle East.  In an article today from the Fars News Agency in Tehran, we read the following: “In the context of the Russian initiative to sustain the Saudi-Syrian rapprochement, KSA Intelligence Chief may visit Damascus by the end of August, according to well-informed sources. More than 200 Saudi are arrested by the Syrian authorities over their terrorist activities as 700 others have joined the militant groups which are fighting the Army, Al-Manar reported. The sources added that the Russian side has managed to convince the Saudi leaders that battling ISIL and all the terrorist groups is of a great importance for all the regional countries. Russia considers that preserving the Saudi-Syrian-Egyptian triangle will preserve the political and security situation in the Middle East and that if the terrorist groups manage to destroy this formula, terrorism will invade the whole region and reach Europe, according to the sources. The sources note that the Saudi-Syrian convergence is expected to reach fruitful results yet that it needs time for KSA to arrange its internal files in preparation for a strategic change.” Erdogan’s Fail With NATO moves in the region, including air defense weapons for Latvia, the militarization of Poland and America’s silence on Kiev’s continued violation of the Minsk peace accords, Putin may well have chosen Erdogan as the “weak underbelly” of NATO.  With Erdogan’s domestic political problems and his possible complicity in staged false flag terror attacks against political rivals, civil war in Turkey is a very real possibility. With NATO voting last week to back Turkey’s moves against Iraq and Syria “without question,” Putin may well be extracting payment from the United States for 14 years of unreasoning bellicosity.   Saudi Arabia to buy 600 Patriot missiles for $5.4 billion By Jim W. Dean, Managing Editor on July 30, 2015 This is really an economic war where the US is fully committed to using its military to win … from Russia Today,  Moscow Advancing missile technology is major arms race now [ Editors Note:  I did an interview with Press TV this morning to try to point out that these defensive Patriot missile sales are to replace older models. Obama is playing this card now, trying to take the wind out of the Congressional NeoCons’ new spin that once Iran becomes the economic power in the region, it will arm itself to the teeth and attack westward. This is a ridiculous ploy with not a shred of proof behind it, what we call “fear porn.” The main modern combat record the West has with Iran is the one million casualties inflicted on it by America’s proxy at the time, having Saddam engage in the long war with them. American chemical weapons were illegally field-tested on both the Kurds and the Iranians during that war. So who the real WMD threat has been in the region is part of history. That did not work out too well then, nor did it when we invaded Iraq versus seeking a diplomatic solution. Our methods have destabilized most of the region, impoverished large numbers of Americans, destroyed veterans’ families, and enriched some special interests. This is really an economic war where the US is fully committed to using its military to help win, and to economically subjugate the rest of the world so the special interests behind the scenes can continue their concentration of wealth. Americans have become cannon fodder in this plan, but a notch above the throw-away jihadis that are being used for cheap “boots on the ground” substitutes… no VA benefits, no college, no disability payments, no pensions. Rumsfeld would love all this. The rest of Americans or their children look forward to a reduced standard of living, but have yet to focus on who is really behind it. More should read VT…Jim W. Dean ] ________________________ –  First published  …  July 29,  2015  – Washington is set to approve a $5.4 billion sale of 600 advanced Patriot missiles to Saudi Arabia. More such sales are expected in the coming months, defense analysts say, as Gulf nations react to the Iran nuclear deal by buying US weapons systems. According to a notice sent to Congress by the Pentagon on Wednesday, the State Department has approved a request by Saudi Arabia to purchase $5.4 billion worth of PAC-3 missiles. “The proposed sale will modernize and replenish Saudi Arabia’s current Patriot missile stockpile, which is becoming obsolete and difficult to sustain due to age and limited availability of repair parts,” said the Pentagon’s notice to Congress. “The purchase of the PAC-3 missiles will support current and future defense missions and promote stability within the region.” PAC-3 stands for the third generation of the Patriot Advanced Capability missile, the interceptor famously deployed during the first Iraq War. Made by Lockheed Martin Corp, the PAC-3, is advertised as the “the world’s most effective air and missile defense interceptor” against aircraft, cruise missiles and tactical ballistic missiles. “Lockheed Martin is supporting the US government and the kingdom of Saudi Arabia as they discuss the potential sale of additional PAC-3 Missiles as part of the upgrade of the Royal Saudi Air Defense Force,” the company said in a statement. Saudi Arabia already bought a $2 billion shipment of Patriots in April, while the Pentagon purchased $1.5 billion worth of Patriots intended for Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Taiwan, South Korea and the Saudis just last week, according to Defense One. Gulf Arab states are eager to purchase US counter-missiles, as embargoes on conventional weapons and missiles against Iran are expected to be lifted in the next five to eight years under the terms of a nuclear deal reached in Vienna on July 14. “We’re going to see more of this,” Thomas Karako, a missile defense expert with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington told Defense One.  “So long as the Iranian missile threat exists, GCC and other countries in the region are going to have to invest in counters, offensive and defensive.” The GCC consists of six Persian Gulf nations: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. At a summit with GCC envoys in May, President Barack Obama assured his Arab allies that the US would “stand by our GCC partners against external attacks.” A joint statement adopted at the summit committed the US and the GCC to work towards increased security cooperation, particularly “on fast-tracking arms transfers… counter terrorism, maritime security, cybersecurity and ballistic missile defense.” The United Arab Emirates have already acquired a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, with a greater reach than the Patriot’s. Saudi Arabia and Qatar have also expressed interest in the THAAD, while Qatar is now likely to proceed with the purchase of a missile-tracking radar system.   Moscow ready to supply weapons to Iraq to help fight ISIS By Jim W. Dean, Managing Editor on May 24, 2015 ISIS Shock and Awe tactics open doors for East and West arms ISIS Shock and Awe tactics open doors for East and West arms … from Russia Today,  Moscow Ramadi will divert any attack on Mosul for some time [ Editor’s Note: There is something not right in Iraq on this Ramadi story. Troops usually break and run when the officers take off — and take off they do in most third world fighting, where leadership medals are given out for everything but actual fighting, where dying in combat is considered a display of poor judgment. The news in the last paragraph below, that ISIL used 30 suicide car bombers in their takeover  of Ramadi was the shock and awe. Manning a checkpoint is no fun when it is raining suicide bombers. Add to this is the US, after its Wednesday announcement of 1000 anti-tank missiles being sent to combat these attacks, doubled the number on Thursday to 2000. I assume this was to not let the Russians help scoop the US’ “good help press” the day before. But the wild card for me is that the last time I looked, 50 cals and twin 20mm cannon tore a car bomber up in short order. They have the range and punch. All I can think of is that the gunners can’t hit anything, as they have been used to mainly put spray-patter fire on a position. When mounted on a Toyota, the suspension is bouncing around like a circus ride, quite detrimental to one’s aim. But for a head on attack with decreasing range, I would rather be the gunner than the bomber. But the Baghdad Bob award for the week goes to Marine Brig. Gen. Thomas D. Weidley for his comment about ISIS losing and on the run. If this were true, they never could have taken Ramadi…   Coalition airstrikes seem to be missing a lot of these convoys –  First published …  May 21,  2015  – Moscow and Baghdad have been expanding military cooperation, President Vladimir Putin said, and Russia is ready to supply weapons to Iraq to aid the fight against Islamic State militants’ advance in the region, said Russia’s FM Sergey Lavrov. “We will make all efforts to meet [Iraq’s] possible requests, to ensure it has the defense capability and the ability to drive out of its territories Islamic State [formerly ISIS, or ISIL] and other terrorists,” Lavrov told reporters, speaking ahead of talks in Moscow between Putin and Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi on Thursday. “We have very close and tight military-technical cooperation [with Iraq],”he said. “Unlike some other countries, we are ready to supply weapons to Iraq without preconditions, based on the fact that Iraq, Syria and Egypt are on the forefront of the struggle against terrorism.” Iraq has been Russia’s longtime partner and over the past two years bilateral trade turnover has grown 10-fold, Putin said at the meeting with Iraq’s PM on Thursday. “Iraq has been our longtime and reliable partner in the region. Despite all the hardships in the world economy and difficulties in the region, our relations have been developing successfully,” Putin said. Putin said that Russia has been implementing major projects in Iraq and Russian investments there are estimated at billions of dollars. He added that Moscow will continue civilian, military and technical cooperation with Iraq. Meanwhile, in a major setback, Iraqi forces have retreated from a compound they used as a command center in Ramadi, losing control of Anbar’s provincial capital to Islamic State militants. Local security officials said that the militants carried out mass killings of Iraqi security forces and civilians, AP reported Monday. The two days of fighting in Ramadi this weekend had displaced around 8,000 people according to the International Organization for Migration. On Wednesday, IS militants captured Syria’s historic city of Palmyra, a UNESCO landmark, after gaining full control over the city. The group already controls wide areas in Syria’s north and east. This was the first time the jihadists have taken a large population center directly from Syrian pro-government forces. Despite the IS advance in Iraq and Syria, the Pentagon has until recently continued to insist that the US-led air campaign is working. “We believe across Iraq and Syria that Daesh [the Arabic acronym for the militant group] is losing and remains on the defensive,” said Marine Brig. Gen. Thomas D. Weidley, chief of staff for Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve on Friday. The US began its bombing campaign in Iraq in August 2014 and in Syria the following month. Syrian President Bashar Assad repeatedly pointed out that the bombardments are an illegal intervention unauthorized by a UN Security Council resolution, and so violate the sovereignty of Syria. He also said that the Syrian army has been conducting ground operations as well as airstrikes against terrorists which are larger than that those launched by the alliance. In a separate development, the Pentagon said Thursday that the US will deliver 2,000 AT-4 anti-tank rockets to Iraq as soon as next week. This is double the number announced on Wednesday and is intended to help the beleaguered Iraqi army combat suicide car bombings used by Islamic State. The Islamic State carried out about 30 suicide car bombings in taking the Iraqi city of Ramadi last weekend. Spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said that the anti-tank rockets would help the Iraqi army stop approaching suicide bombers, driving vehicles packed with explosives, from a distance. Relying on small arms fire to accomplish the same task requires killing the driver or taking out the engine.