US to send special operation forces to Syria
Forty dead as Syrian government rockets hit Damascus suburb
United States backs off hard line on Assad’s future; Iran backs Syria ‘transition’ period
Residents stranded in Syria’s Aleppo cut off by ISIS advance
Anti-ISIS Syrian activists killed in southeastern Turkey
Turkey coordinating to address refugee crisis and security concerns
Turkey’s Erdogan says he will respect November 1 result
Kerry responds to attack on refugee camp in Iraq

US to send special operation forces to Syria
The United States is set to deploy U.S. troops on the ground in Syria for the first time to advise and assist rebel forces combating ISIS, multiple officials said. [CNN, 10/30/2015]

Forty dead as Syrian government rockets hit Damascus suburb
Dozens of civilians have been killed by a purported regime surface-to-surface missile attack on Douma. Forty people were killed on Friday when rockets fired by Syrian government forces crashed into a market in a rebel-held area outside Damascus, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said. “There were forty people killed and at least 100 wounded in the center of Douma,” a town on the eastern edges of the Syrian capital, according to SOHR. “There is still heavy fire now, with both rockets and mortars,” he said, adding that the toll was expected to rise as people were still being pulled out of damaged buildings. Rebel-held Douma lies in Eastern Ghouta, the largest opposition stronghold in Damascus province. [NOW, AFP, 10/30/2015]

United States backs off hard line on Assad’s future; Iran backs Syria ‘transition’ period
The Obama administration entered a crucial round of international talks on Syria’s war prepared to accept a deal that leaves President Bashar al-Assad in place for several months or more during the transition to a new government. In advance of negotiations, administration officials discussed a resolution with US allies that would allow Assad to remain in place after a ceasefire. The resolution the United States is seeking would include a ceasefire and “not prejudge the Assad question,” a senior administration official said. Additionally, Iran also favored a six-month transition period in Syria followed by elections to decide the fate of Assad. “Iran does not insist on keeping Assad in power forever,” said Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian. [WSJ, 10/30/2015]

Residents stranded in Syria’s Aleppo cut off by ISIS advance
Hundreds of thousands of Aleppo residents are stranded and prices for basic goods are soaring after an Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) advance cut the sole route to regime-held areas. The extremist group last week severed a road south of the city that formed part of the only remaining way out for residents of the government-held territory west of Aleppo. With the route cut, the cost of everything from tomatoes to petrol has skyrocketed before the eyes of residents. “There are hardly any fruits and vegetables in the city and there are no cars in the streets because the petrol stations are closed,” said Salaheddin, a real estate agent from the Saif al-Dawla neighborhood. [The National, 10/29/2015]

Anti-ISIS Syrian activists killed in southeastern Turkey
The Raqqa-based activist collective “Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently” blamed ISIS for the killing of two of its activists in the city of Sanliurfa. Syrian Ayn Vatan newspaper’s managing editor İbrahim Abdulkadir and reporter Firaz Hamadi had fled the conflict in Syria for Sanliurfa, where they shared a flat. [AP, Hurriyet, 10/30/2015]

Turkey coordinating to address refugee crisis and security concerns
The Turkish Coast Guard rescued 340 refugees over a twenty-four hour period, the military said Thursday. The refugees were found on boats off the Turkey’s western coast of Izmir, Aydin, Izmir, Mersin, and Mugla provinces. Also on Thursday, the US State Department approved a $70 million sale of defense equipment to Turkey. The sale of Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) guidance kits converts unguided bombs into all-weather “smart” munitions and uses a GPS system to find targets if bombs are unguided, which will be used by Turkey to support military operations. [Anadolu Agency, Daily Sabah, 10/29/2015]

Turkey’s Erdogan says he will respect November 1 result
Days ahead of the November 1 snap elections, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan voiced his preference for having a “single-party government” elected to rule the country. “We will all together respect the result that emerges from the ballot boxes. But when we look at societies in the world where stability and confidence exist, we don’t tend to see coalition governments; rather, we see single-party governments, whether it is one party or another,” Erdoğan said on October 29. When asked whether he would feel offended if the results of the election necessitate the formation of a coalition government, he replied, “No, there is no place for disappointment and resentment in politics.” [Hurriyet, 10/30/2015]

Kerry responds to attack on refugee camp in Iraq
In a press statement delivered on Thursday, Secretary of State John Kerry expressed US condemnation of the terrorist attack on Camp Hurriya that killed and injured camp residents. He said, “No matter the circumstances, on this point we remain absolute: the United States remains committed to assisting the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in the relocation of all Camp Hurriya residents to a permanent and safe location outside of Iraq.” On Thursday, a barrage of rockets slammed into a former military base near the Baghdad International Airport that houses an Iranian refugee group, killing three Iraqi soldiers, officials said. The Iranian exiles said at least twenty of their people died in the attack. Iraqi police said at least sixteen soldiers guarding the camp were also wounded while the Iranian group, known as MEK, said dozens of Iranian refugees were also wounded. [US Department of State, US News, 10/29/2015]

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