Some 200 Russian Islamists who back North Caucasus insurgents are fighting in Syria for Al-Qaeda, the head of the Russian security service (FSB) said Thursday, Russian news agencies reported.   "The fact that around 200 fighters from Russia are fighting on the side of the Caucasus...

The capture by Syrian pro-government forces of the strategic Qusayr region is a major victory for President Bashar al-Assad, who is now better placed than ever if a US-Russian plan for peace talks materialises. The nearly three-week battle for Qusayr in central Syria exposed the central role...

Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) reported that Minsk sold arms to Damascus. According to researches, Belarus is among three largest arms suppliers to the Syrian dictator.   Cooperation with Assad doesn't cover only trade. Belarusian specialists...

   I am on my knees, hands behind my head, on a border-crossing between Turkey and Syria. A Turkish border guard stoops over me menacingly, the nozzle of his Kalashnikov pressing against my upper thigh as he barks something in an unfamiliar language. What does he want? My...