ISIS frees 270 civilians captured in eastern Syria
The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said on Tuesday that the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) released 270 people it captured during intense fighting with Syrian government forces in Deir Ezzor. The SOHR said on Wednesday that ISIS is still holding 50 additional civilians. The freed civilians were released to the village of al-Baghalieh, north of Deir Ezzor. ISIS tightened its siege on Deir Ezzor after a deadly assault on the city, killing over 100 people. ISIS jihadists overran al-Baghaliyeh, one of the last agricultural areas on the city’s outskirts known for producing food. The extremists now control 60 percent of Deir Ezzor. [AP, AFP, 1/20/2016]

Kerry and Lavrov try to settle differences over Syria talks
Differences over which Syrian opposition groups should be labeled terrorists and barred from the negotiations have threatened to delay the talks, the first step in a proposed 18-month political transition for Syria. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met on Wednesday in hopes of resolving differences before UN-mediated peace talks for Syria begin next Monday. Kerry will travel to the Swiss resort town of Davos for the World Economic Forum and speak with the UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, who plans to convene the Syria talks in Geneva. [AP, AFP, 1/20/2016]

Syria’s opposition says cannot attend talks if third party joins
A Syrian opposition council backed by Saudi Arabia said on Wednesday it will not attend next week’s peace negotiations with the government if a third group takes part, a reference to a Russian bid to widen the opposition’s team. Riad Hijab, who heads the council formed in Riyadh last month, accused Russia of hindering negotiations and told a news conference in Riyadh that the opposition could not negotiate while Syrians were dying from blockades and bombardment. In his statement, Hijab announced the names of opposition figures that would negotiate on behalf of the council in any talks. which included Mohamed Alloush, a political figure in the Jaysh al-Islam rebel group that is deemed a terrorist group by Damascus and Moscow. “The opposition delegation is now ready,” George Sabra, an opposition politician also named as a negotiator, told opposition channel Orient TV. Asaad al-Zoubi was named the head of the negotiating team. [Reuters, 1/20/2016]

Russian shows military might, air strikes in Syria kill 3,000 people since September
Russian warplanes were taking off on Wednesday from their base on Syria’s coast, which was bustling with activity. Helicopter gunships were sweeping in the province of Latakia to prevent any possible attack. Since Russia launched its air campaign in Syria on September 30, its warplanes have flown nearly 6,000 missions despite a compact force comprising just a few dozen warplanes. Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Tuesday that Russian warplanes had flown 157 sorties striking 579 targets in six Syrian regions over four days and the pace showed no sign of letting up Wednesday. At least 3,000 people, including more than 1,000 civilians, have been killed in Russian airstrikes in Syria since September 30, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) on Wednesday. The SOHR said that 893 ISIS members were among those killed in the strikes. [Reuters, AFP, 1/20/2016]

According to Amnesty report, Kurds waging campaign to uproot Arabs in north Iraq
Peshmerga forces from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and Kurdish militias in northern Iraq have bulldozed, blown up, and burned down thousands of homes in an apparent effort to uproot Arab communities in revenge for their perceived support for ISIS, said Amnesty International in a new report published on Tuesday. The report is based on field investigation in 13 villages and towns and testimony gathered from more than 100 eyewitnesses and victims of forced displacement. It is corroborated by satellite imagery revealing evidence of widespread destruction carried out by Peshmerga forces, or in some cases Yazidi militias and Kurdish armed groups from Syria and Turkey operating in coordination with the Peshmerga. Arab residents who fled their homes are also barred by KRG forces from returning to recaptured areas. [BBC, Reuters, Al Jazeera English, 1/20/2016]

Americans missing in Baghdad kidnapped by Iran-backed militia
Three US citizens who disappeared last week in Baghdad were kidnapped and are being held by an Iranian-backed Shia militia, according to two Iraqi intelligence and two US government sources. The US sources said Washington had no reason to believe Tehran was involved in the kidnapping and did not believe the trio was being held in Iran. “They were abducted because they are Americans, not for personal or financial reasons,” one of the Iraqi sources in Baghdad said. The three men are employed by a small company that is doing work for General Dynamics Corp, under a larger contract with the US Army, according to a source familiar with the matter. [Reuters, Rudaw, 1/20/2016]

Turkish Prime Minister calls for decisive influence over upcoming Syria peace talks
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who is visiting London for talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron, claims Turkey has the right to influence the Syrian peace talks due to start next week in Geneva. He said, “No country has more to say on these peace talks than Turkey because 2.5 million Syrians are in Turkey. It is for us now a domestic issue if there is no well-established peace in Syria.” The prime minister pointed out that the EUR3 billion promised by the European Union in October to cover the cost of keeping the Syrian refugees and discouraging them from travelling to Europe had yet been provided. Davutoglu also insisted that the Kurdish Democratic Unionist Party (PYD) could not join the opposition delegation at the talks, claiming it was complicit with the Assad regime despite Russian calls for the Kurds to be represented. Davutoglu’s presence provoked a strong protest in Whitehall, with Kurds breaking through police lines and trapping some cabinet ministers for up to 30 minutes. [Guardian, 1/19/2016]