Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) secretly traveled to northern Syria last weekend to speak with American military officials and Kurdish fighters at the forefront of the push to drive Islamic State out of their de facto capital of Raqqa, according to U.S. officials. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
President Trump’s vision of “safe zones” for refugees fleeing the brutal violence of Syria’s civil war is running into opposition from a key ally, Turkey, which is warning that the U.S.-protected areas will become havens for Kurdish militant movements that have long battled Ankara. The dispute pits two antagonistic allies that the U.S. is relying on in the final battle to defeat the Islamic State in its Syrian stronghold. – Washington Times
As the Pentagon prepares to send the president a plan next week to speed the defeat of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, a top U.S. commander has indicated the more robust effort will require additional U.S. troops, especially in Syria. – Washington Examiner
U.S. troop increases in Syria and Iraq could be part of the plan for speeding up the campaign against ISIS that Defense Secretary Jim Mattis will present to the White House next week, military officials said Wednesday. – Military.com
A Democratic senator is requesting Congress undertake an immediate “top to bottom” review of U.S. policy in Syria. – The Hill
Russia is pressing world powers to provide Syria with billions of dollars for reconstruction to bolster its faltering efforts to resolve the Arab state’s six-year conflict. – Financial Times
The Syrian army and its allies took a small district on the outskirts of Aleppo from rebels on Wednesday, a war monitor and a military media unit run by Damascus ally Hezbollah said. - Reuters
Fifty-six Islamic State militants were killed by Turkey-backed forces around the Syrian town of al-Bab and by U.S.-led coalition air strikes in the latest operations on Wednesday, the Turkish military said on Thursday. - Reuters
After months of Syria bloodshed, stalled humanitarian aid deliveries and stop-and-start diplomacy, U.N. Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura is reconvening talks between government and opposition delegations on Thursday, in the latest bid to end the country's catastrophic six-year war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions more. – Associated Press
Russia is open for dialogue with the United States on safe zones in Syria but believes that any such initiative needs to be coordinated with the Syrian government, Moscow's top diplomat said Wednesday. – Associated Press