– US says air strike likely killed a top ISIS military commander in Syria
– UN sees no halt in Syria truce, talks to run to March 24
– US military said to need a boost in fight against ISIS, requests restart of train and equip
– Turkey ends sweep in Kurdish town of Idil, says 114 militants killed

US says air strike likely killed a top ISIS military commander in Syria
The equivalent of a defense minister to the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) is believed to have been killed in a US air strike in northeastern Syria according to a US official. The Pentagon said Tuesday the target of the March 4 attack was Omar al-Shishani, a red-bearded Georgian fighting with the group in Syria, cautioning that results of the operation were still being assessed. One official speaking on condition of anonymity later said Shishani “likely died” in the assault by waves of US warplanes and drones, along with 12 other ISIS fighters. Al-Shishani is the nom de guerre of Tarkhan Batirashvili, who ranked among the most wanted under a US program with a $5 million bounty on his head. [AFP, Reuters, BBC, WSJ, 3/9/2016]

UN sees no halt in Syria truce, talks to run to March 24
Syria’s cessation of hostilities is open-ended in the view of the United Nations and the major powers, UN Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said Wednesday, brushing off a widespread perception that the truce needed renewing after two weeks. De Mistura plans to launch “substantive, deeper” talks on Monday between the Syrian government and opposition representatives, though they will still be “proximity” rather than direct talks. The talks will focus on the core issues of governance, elections within 18 months, and a new constitution, not to run beyond March 24 when there would be a break before resuming. Secretary of State John Kerry and his French, German, British, and Italian counterparts will meet Sunday in Paris to discuss the Syrian crisis ahead of the planned talks in Geneva. According to French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, the five diplomats will examine the status of the ceasefire in effect since February 27 and “if everything is going forward as we hope … encourage the opposition to return to the negotiating table.” [Reuters, AFP, 3/9/2016]

US military said to need a boost in fight against ISIS, requests restart of train and equip
The head of US armed forces in the Middle East Gen. Lloyd Austin told Congress on Tuesday that the United States will need to employ more military resources to take back key areas of Iraq and Syria, adding he recently made recommendations for that phase of the fight against ISIS. “As we look towards Raqqa [in Syria] and Mosul [in Iraq], clearly there will be things that we will want to do to increase the capability a bit, to be able to increase the pace of operations, and that will require some additional capability,” Austin said. Austin also said the US military has requested permission from the administration to restart a halted program to train and equip moderate Syrian rebels, stating, “I’ve asked for permission to restart the effort by using a different approach.” Head of Special Operations Command General Joseph Votel said the broad strategy to work with local ground forces to isolate ISIS in Raqqa does not yet amount to a plan to storm the city. [WSJ, 3/9/2016]

Turkey ends sweep in Kurdish town of Idil, says 114 militants killed
A counterterrorism operation by Turkish security forces in the southeastern district of Idil came to an end Tuesday, a security source said. The 20-day operation in the district in Sirnak province resulted in the killing of 114 PKK terrorists and the seizure of weapons including rocket launchers, hand grenades, and long-barreled weapons. Meanwhile, security sources said three new police stations will be constructed in Idil as part of new measures to prevent the creation of barricades and trenches by PKK militants in the future. Three new checkpoints will also be built in the district’s entries and exits, with around 750 riot and counterterrorism police forces to be deployed at checkpoints and police stations in the area. A blanket curfew, which went into effect on February 16, remains in place in the neighborhoods of Idil. [AP, Hurriyet, Anadolu Agency, 3/9/2016]