Russia proposes March 1 ceasefire in Syria
Kurdish fighters capture military air base in northern Syria
Russia says US planes bombed Syria’s Aleppo on Wednesday
NATO warships ordered to Aegean to help with migrant crisis
Turkey’s Erdogan warns patience will run out on Syria

Russia proposes March 1 ceasefire in Syria
World powers pressed Russia on Wednesday to stop bombing around Aleppo in support of a Syrian government offensive to recapture the city. Secretary of State John Kerry is pushing for a ceasefire and more aid access to Aleppo, where rebel-held areas are being cut off and the United Nations has warned a new humanitarian disaster could be on the way. Aid workers said on Wednesday the water supply to Aleppo, still home to 2 million people, was no longer functioning. Russia has proposed a March 1 ceasefire in Syria, US officials say, but Washington believes Moscow is giving itself and the Syrian government three weeks to try to crush moderate rebel groups. The United States has countered with demands for the fighting to stop immediately. [AP, AFP, Reuters, Al Arabiya, 2/11/2016]

Kurdish fighters capture military air base in northern Syria
Kurdish fighters and their allies captured a military air base from rebels in northern Syria under the cover of Russian air strikes. Abdul-Jabbar Abu Thabet, a local rebel commander in the Aleppo province, said Thursday that Mannagh air base fell to the People’s Protection Units (YPG) and their allies after fierce battles. Russian Ministry of Defense Spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said that since February 4, Russian warplanes have carried out 510 combat missions and destroyed 888 “terrorist facilities” in several Syrian provinces including Aleppo, Deraa, and Latakia where the government offensive is concentrated. “We have not witnessed such bombardment since the revolution began,” said Abu Thabet referring to the start of the uprising in March 2011. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said the air base and a nearby village, also called Mannagh, fell late Wednesday. [AP, AFP, Reuters, 2/11/2016]

Russia says US planes bombed Syria’s Aleppo on Wednesday
On Thursday, the Pentagon said Moscow’s air strikes had destroyed two hospitals in the city though he did not specify when the strikes were alleged to have taken place. Moscow furiously denied the US claim, charging in return that Washington had sent ground-attack planes to bombard Aleppo. The US State Department dismissed these allegations and said, “claims made by Russian officials of US air strikes in Aleppo are false.” Russia’s Defense Ministry said that Russian planes had not been operating in the area on February 10. The Syrian army has made rapid advances near Aleppo in recent weeks with the help of Russian air strikes. Defense Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a statement that “only aviation of the anti-ISIS coalition flew over the city yesterday.” [Reuters, AFP, 2/11/2016]

NATO warships ordered to Aegean to help with migrant crisis
On Thursday, NATO’s European commander ordered three warships to move immediately to the Aegean Sea to help end the deadly smuggling of migrants between Turkey and Greece. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the warships, now under German command, will conduct reconnaissance and surveillance to help end Europe’s gravest migrant crisis since World War II. Ships from NATO Standing Maritime Group 2 “will start to move now” on orders from NATO Supreme Commander in Europe US Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove, Stoltenberg said. “This is about helping Greece, Turkey, and the European Union with stemming the flow of migrants and refugees and coping with a very demanding situation,” he said, calling the situation a “human tragedy.” [AP, Guardian, 2/11/2016]

Turkey’s Erdogan warns patience will run out on Syria
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has renewed a call for the establishment of a safe zone in northern Syria, saying it is the only way to deal with the influx of migrants and refugees. The proposal has so far gained little traction with Washington or NATO allies who fear it would require an internationally patrolled no-fly zone which could put them in direct confrontation with Assad and his allies. Erdogan on Thursday also pressed ahead with his verbal attack on the United Nations, which has demanded that it open its border to a new wave of Syrian refugees. Erdogan said the world body should be focusing on ending an “ethnic cleansing” unfolding around the Syrian city of Aleppo instead of making demands on Turkey. The president has stated that patience is running out on an end to the fighting in Syria and that Turkey may be forced to take action. Rumors of Turkey and Saudi Arabia deploying ground troops to Syria, however, have been met with skepticism by Western officials. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated Wednesday that he did not believe the US-led coalition would allow a military invasion. [Reuters, Hurriyet, Al Arabiya, Financial Times, Today’s Zaman, 2/11/2016]