The US announced that it will be sending 400 troops to train Syrian moderate opposition forces in the spring. The Islamic State has executed 17 people in the past two days, likely as a response to killings of its fighters by unidentified parties in Deir al-Zor province. “At least 1,607” people have been killed in Kobane over the past four months of fighting. Islamic State fighters launched a new offensive in the northern Kurdish city, attacking along four fronts. The US conducted six airstrikes in Syria in the past day, focused on Kobane. Two Italian aid workers kidnapped by the Al Nusrah Front have been released. The UN has begun delivering food to civilians in Homs after a negotiated ceasefire.
