US to deploy special forces to advise Syrian rebels
The Obama administration, in response to Russian actions, is sending 20-30 advisers to Syria. It is not yet clear which rebel groups will host the SF advisers or if they will direct airstrikes. The ongoing Russian/Iranian-backed offensive isn’t gong very well.
ISIL recruits from Russian Caucasus region
About fifteen percent of Russia’s population is Muslim, most of them in the Caucasus region of Chechnya and Dagestan. ISIL and AQ recruit from there and this worries Russian president Putin. The recruits are learning the techniques of war and many will return home to put them into practice against Russian rule.
ISIL begins schooling in Mosul
The Islamic State is making the transition to administering the localities it has conquered. That means, among other things, running schools. The curriculum of course entails ISIL propaganda, including math questions involving the numbers of “ISIL heroes.”
French presidential hopeful courts Russia
Former president Nicolas Sarkozy hopes to return to office and thinks courting Russia will help. He is blasting President Hollande’s opposition to Russian policies in the Ukraine and Syria, and calling for Franco-Russian cooperation in Syria. This is likely pure politics and will not win much support for Sarkozy.