– US Defense Secretary Carter in Iraq to seek new ways to battle ISIS
– Syrian troops capture strategic mountain in coastal province; humanitarian aid reaches Homs
– German air force runs first refueling mission over Syria
– Over 30 civilians dead in suspected Russian raids on Syrian markets; Russia confirms talks on Friday
– Amnesty reports mistreatment of refugees in Turkey
– Turkey steps up security operations in southeast, nine killed

US Defense Secretary Carter in Iraq to seek new ways to battle ISIS
Defense Secretary Ash Carter met with Iraqi leaders and his commanders Wednesday on an unannounced war zone visit aimed at broadening US assistance to Iraq to defeat the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL). At a meeting with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, Carter said the United States wants to help Iraq as it fights against ISIS in Ramadi and then later in Mosul. “Everything we do…here is subject to the approval of the sovereign Iraqi government,” Carter said. “And I also wanted to emphasize to you, the respect for sovereignty and for Iraq’s territorial sovereignty is a principle that the United States strongly supports in every context.” Abadi said he believes Iraqi forces are making progress. “I think we are on the verge of breaking the back of Daesh [ISIS],” he said, using an Arabic acronym for ISIS. The Pentagon has also offered to send Apache helicopters to help the fight in Ramadi if Iraqi leaders request the aid. [AP, 12/16/2015]

Syrian troops capture strategic mountain in coastal province; humanitarian aid reaches Homs
Syrian government forces captured a strategic mountain in the country’s northwest coastal province of Latakia on Wednesday. An unnamed Syrian military official said that Syrian troops and pro-government gunmen captured the Noba Mountain in Latakia early on Wednesday, “after destroying the terrorists’ positions and fortifications.” The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said the capture of Noba Mountain opens a path for government forces toward the rebel-stronghold of Salma. SOHR said government troops were backed by fighters from Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group. Meanwhile in Homs, a convoy of eighteen trucks carrying food, medical supplies, and construction materials began entering the rebel-held neighborhood of Waer, according to International Committee of the Red Cross spokesman Pawel Krzysiek. [AP, AFP, 12/16/2015]

German air force runs first refueling mission over Syria
Germany’s military staged its first aerial refueling mission of allied fighter jets targeting Syria’s Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL), the armed forces said Wednesday. The A310 MRTT refueled two combat aircraft Tuesday before returning from its five-hour mission to the Turkish military base at Incirlik, a Bundeswehr spokesman said. The tanker aircraft is part of Berlin’s deployment to aid the anti-ISIS coalition, which also includes six German Tornado surveillance jets, a frigate helping protect the French Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, and up to 1,200 troops. Unlike France, the United States, and Britain, Germany is not conducting bombing missions. [AFP, 12/16/2015]

Over 30 civilians dead in suspected Russian raids on Syrian markets; Russia confirms talks on Friday
At least 34 civilians were killed on Tuesday in suspected Russian air strikes on two markets in northern Syria, SOHR said. According to SOHR, the raids killed 16 civilians at a market for fuel in Idlib province. Another 18 civilians, including four women, were killed after strikes on a market in a village held by ISIS in the northern Aleppo province. SOHR said both tolls were likely to rise as many people were critically wounded. During Secretary John Kerry’s three-hour meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday, Lavrov confirmed the Russian support for a meeting in New York on December 18. [AFP, 12/16/2015]

Amnesty reports mistreatment of refugees in Turkey
Amnesty International says Turkey has rounded up scores of refugees and asylum-seekers since September and transported them to detention centers where some were mistreated or forcibly returned to Syria and Iraq. In a report released Wednesday, Amnesty said the mistreatment occurred “in parallel” with Turkish-EU migration talks and warned the European Union that it risks being “complicit in serious human rights violations.” Turkey hosts the world’s largest number of refugees, including 2.2 million Syrians. Turkey denied that Syrians were being forced back and claim all returnees are interviewed by UN staff. [AP, 12/16/2015]

Turkey steps up security operations in southeast, nine killed
Turkish security forces stepped up operations targeting Kurdish militants in southeastern towns on Wednesday, security sources said, as pro-government media detailed plans for a 10,000-strong force to restore state control in the region. One person was killed in a clash in Cizre near the Syrian border, which was placed under curfew on Monday evening, state officials said. Kurdish Firat news agency described an 11-year-old boy as being shot dead. Turkish military also said eight Kurdish militants were killed in Cizre on Tuesday after they shot at the soldiers during an operation. Residents of Silopi near the Iraqi border said explosions rocked the town early on Wednesday. Deputies from the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) said security forces had begun raiding houses. HDP co-leader Figen Yuksekdag told deputies from the party in Diyarbakir on Tuesday that 200,000 people had been displaced in the southeast in recent months as a result of conflict hitting areas under curfew where some 1.3 million people live. [Reuters, 12/16/2015]