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Drone Attack Targets Iraq Base Hosting US Troops

US army forces supervise during a training session at the Taji camp, north of Baghdad . AFP file photo
US army forces supervise during a training session at the Taji camp, north of Baghdad . AFP file photo
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Drone Attack Targets Iraq Base Hosting US Troops

US army forces supervise during a training session at the Taji camp, north of Baghdad . AFP file photo
US army forces supervise during a training session at the Taji camp, north of Baghdad . AFP file photo

A drone attack has been carried out on a military base in Iraqi Kurdistan that hosts American troops, without causing any casualties, the US-led coalition said Saturday.

The attack comes with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhemi expected to meet US President Joe Biden in Washington on Monday to discuss a possible full US troop withdrawal from his country.

“An unmanned aerial system impacted a coalition base in Kurdistan” in the early hours of Friday, coalition spokesman US Colonel Wayne Marotto said in a statement reported by AFP.

“There were no casualties and no damage as a result of the attack,” he said, adding “the United States and coalition forces will stay vigilant and maintain the inherent right to self-defense.”

Iraqi Kurdish media outlets said the attack targeted a base at Al-Harir, 70 kilometres (45 miles) northeast of Erbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdistan region.

It was the latest in a spate of attacks on US military and diplomatic facilities in Iraq, blamed on pro-Iranian armed groups within a state-sponsored paramilitary force.

The United States still has around 2,500 troops deployed in Iraq, out of 3,500 men in the international coalition set up in 2014 to fight ISIS.

Their departure is demanded by the pro-Iranian factions, which have been blamed for some 50 attacks against US interests in Iraq since the beginning of the year.

The Iraqi Resistance Coordination Committee on Friday threatened to continue the attacks unless the US withdraws all its forces and ends the “occupation.”

Most of the US troops deployed in the coalition, which helped defeat ISIS in Iraq in 2017, were withdrawn under former US president Donald Trump.

Those that remain are officially classed as advisers and trainers for Iraq’s army and counter-terrorism units.

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Arab World

Lebanon PM Says International Force Needed After UNIFIL

France's President Emmanuel Macron (R) wearing sunglasses shakes hands with Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam prior to their meeting at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris, on January 23, 2026. (AFP)
France's President Emmanuel Macron (R) wearing sunglasses shakes hands with Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam prior to their meeting at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris, on January 23, 2026. (AFP)
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Lebanon PM Says International Force Needed After UNIFIL

France's President Emmanuel Macron (R) wearing sunglasses shakes hands with Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam prior to their meeting at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris, on January 23, 2026. (AFP)
France's President Emmanuel Macron (R) wearing sunglasses shakes hands with Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam prior to their meeting at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris, on January 23, 2026. (AFP)

Lebanon will need some sort of international force after the withdrawal of the United Nations's UNIFIL mission scheduled for 2027, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said during a visit to Paris Saturday.

Some 10,800 UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeepers have manned a buffer zone between Israel and Lebanon since March 1978, but they will have one year to leave Lebanon starting 31 December, under a resolution passed last August under pressure from the United States and Israel.

"We will always need an international presence in the south, and preferably a UN presence, given the impartiality and neutrality that only the UN can provide," Nawaf Salam said the day after a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.

The force would need a mix of observers and peacekeepers, largely because of a "history of hostility" with Israel, he added.

UN peacekeepers current operate in southern Lebanon in cooperation with the Lebanese army, part of a ceasefire between Israel and the pro-Iranian Hezbollah in place since November 2024.

While Israel was supposed to withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon, it has maintained them in five areas it considers strategic.

It regularly conducts airstrikes in the country on what it claims are Hezbollah sites and members, whom it accuses of rearming.

Questioned about Hezbollah's promised disarmament, Salam said Phase 2 of this process had begun "two weeks ago".

The Lebanese army says it has completed the first phase, which calls for disarming Hezbollah south of the Litani River.

The second phase will involve disarmament between the Litani and the Awali River, an area further north that has significant Hezbollah influence.

"I can clearly see that Phase 2 has different requirements than Phase 1," said Salam, adding that Hezbollah's rhetoric had been "rather harsh".

"But let me be clear, we will not back down," he added.

Arab World

Syria Frees 126 Minors After Taking Prison from Kurdish Forces

Relatives of detainees who were set free from al-Aqtan prison gather, following the control of the prison by the Syrian government, in Raqqa, Syria January 24, 2026. (Reuters)
Relatives of detainees who were set free from al-Aqtan prison gather, following the control of the prison by the Syrian government, in Raqqa, Syria January 24, 2026. (Reuters)
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Syria Frees 126 Minors After Taking Prison from Kurdish Forces

Relatives of detainees who were set free from al-Aqtan prison gather, following the control of the prison by the Syrian government, in Raqqa, Syria January 24, 2026. (Reuters)
Relatives of detainees who were set free from al-Aqtan prison gather, following the control of the prison by the Syrian government, in Raqqa, Syria January 24, 2026. (Reuters)

Syria's government freed at least 126 minors being held in a northern prison on Saturday, state media reported, after taking over the facility from Kurdish forces as part of an agreement.

Footage on state television showed crowds gathered to welcome the released minors, while Syria's official SANA news agency published the names of the remaining detainees, allowing people to look for them online.

State television reported "the release... of 126 detainees under the age of 18 from Al-Aqtan prison" in Raqqa province, which has been used to hold ISIS group detainees.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Under military pressure from Damascus, which is seeking to extend its control across the country, the SDF has relinquished swathes of territory in recent days and withdrawn to parts of Hasakeh province in the far northeast.

On Sunday, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa announced a deal with SDF chief Mazloum Abdi that included a ceasefire and the integration of the Kurds' de facto autonomous administration into the state, which will take responsibility for ISIS prisoners.

Kurdish fighters were transferred from the prison on Friday to the Kurdish-held city of Ain al-Arab, also known as Kobane, in Aleppo province on the northern border with Türkiye.

The same day, SANA quoted the army as saying the Al-Aqtan transfer was "the first step in implementing the January 18 agreement under which the interior ministry will take over administration of the prison".

Arab World

Syria, Kurds Extend Truce to Allow Transfer of ISIS Detainees

Syrian security force members ride in the back of a pickup truck in the town of Ain Issa, northeastern Syria, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (AP)
Syrian security force members ride in the back of a pickup truck in the town of Ain Issa, northeastern Syria, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (AP)
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Syria, Kurds Extend Truce to Allow Transfer of ISIS Detainees

Syrian security force members ride in the back of a pickup truck in the town of Ain Issa, northeastern Syria, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (AP)
Syrian security force members ride in the back of a pickup truck in the town of Ain Issa, northeastern Syria, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (AP)

Syria's government and Kurdish forces on Saturday extended their truce by 15 days, with Damascus saying it was to support the US transfer of ISIS group detainees from Syria to Iraq.

Several sources had earlier told AFP the truce would be prolonged, with a Syrian official in Damascus citing the same reason.

In a statement, the Syrian defense ministry said the 15-day extension would take effect at 11pm (2000 GMT) on Saturday.

"The extension of the ceasefire comes in support of the American operation to transfer ISIS detainees from SDF prisons to Iraq," the statement added, referring to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

The SDF also confirmed the extension, saying it was reached "through international mediation, while dialogue with Damascus continues".

"Our forces affirm their commitment to the agreement and their dedication to respecting it, which contributes to de-escalation, the protection of civilians, and the creation of the necessary conditions for stability," it said in a statement.

Damascus and the SDF had initially agreed to a four-day ceasefire on Tuesday after Kurdish forces relinquished swathes of territory to government troops, who also sent reinforcements to a Kurdish stronghold in the northeast.

Three sources, including a Kurdish source and a Syrian official in Damascus, had told AFP earlier on Saturday that the ceasefire would be extended.

- ISIS transfer -

After the SDF lost large areas to government forces, Washington said it would transfer 7,000 ISIS detainees to prisons in Iraq.

Europeans were among the 150 senior ISIS detainees who were the first to be transferred on Wednesday, and two Iraqi officials told AFP that a second batch of "up to 1,000 ISIS detainees" were being sent on Saturday.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, whose country is a key backer of Damascus but hostile to the SDF, had said during a TV interview Friday that in light of the ISIS prisoner transfers, "extending the ceasefire for a while longer might be considered".

The transfer is expected to take several days.

ISIS swept across Syria and Iraq in 2014, committing massacres and other atrocities before ultimately being territorially defeated by the SDF and a US-led coalition.

The truce between Damascus and the Kurds is part of a new understanding over Kurdish-majority areas in Hasakeh province and a broader deal to integrate the Kurds' administration into the state.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa's opposition forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in 2024.

The new authorities are seeking to extend state control across Syria, resetting international ties including with the United States, now a key ally.

The Kurdish source said the SDF submitted a proposal to the authorities through US envoy Tom Barrack that would have the government managing border crossings -- a key Damascus demand.

It also proposes that Damascus would "allocate part of the economic resources -- particularly revenue from border crossings and oil -- to the Kurdish-majority areas", the source added.

Earlier this month, the Syrian army recaptured oil fields, including the country's largest, while advancing against Kurdish forces.

On Saturday, Syria's government freed at least 126 minors being held in a prison for ISIS detainees in Raqqa province in northern Syria after taking over the facility from Kurdish forces.