18 Fighters Killed in North Syria Clash, Airstrikes

Russian airstrikes target ISIS

In NE Syria, at least 18 fighters have been killed in the past 24 hours, with the toll expected to rise from many badly wounded in airstrikes.

ISIS was involved in both incidents, first getting into a fight in Deir Ezzor and killing nine people allied with the pro Kurdish forces in the area.

Later, ISIS targets in the deserts of Hama and Raqqa were targeted by Russian airstrikes. Nine ISIS were killed and 22 others were wounded, some gravely.

Big ISIS operations in January have many on edge, and more airstrikes are likely as Russia and others try to keep them from rebounding.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.