Russians move into Syrian town once held by U.S.

Russian military officials claimed Thursday to have taken over a key northern Syrian village that was under U.S. military control until just a few days ago — a development that came as President Trump warned Russian, Syrian and Iranian forces to stop killing civilians in the war-torn nation.

Mr. Trump’s warning via Twitter coincided ongoing concern among U.S. officials over Iranian influence not only in Syria, but also in neighboring Iraq, which has been gripped by widespread and at times violent street protests since early-October.

Unease over the prospect for mounting violence in both nations simmered anew Thursday with news that Iraq’s president had refused to designate a prime minister candidate nominated by the main Iran-backed parliamentary bloc in Baghdad.

Analysts said the refusal by President Barham Saleh could plunge Iraq further political uncertainty amid nearly three months of unprecedented mass protests.

In Syria, meanwhile, Russian military police claimed Thursday to have moved into the Syrian village of Tal Samin, about 16 miles north of Raqqa, the former capital of the terrorist Islamic State organization.

The Russian forces claim to be filling a vacuum left by Mr. Trump’s decision earlier this year to withdraw American troops from the area.

Tal Samin is situated at a key intersection of roads connecting Raqqa with the central and northern regions of Syria, according to Russia’s TASS news agency, which reported on Thursday’s developments.

“We will carry out patrols and solve tasks to protect local civilians starting from today,” Russian military officer Arman Mambetov told the news agency.

Thousands of Syrians fled northern Syria when the Islamic State or ISIS controlled the region in recent years, with Raqqa as its headquarters.

While the terror group has been largely crushed in Syria, and its hold on territory has been stripped by U.S. and other forces, bodies of ISIS victims are reportedly still being recovered in areas around Raqqa.

Mr. Trump made headlines Thursday by warning Russia and Iran — as well as the Syrian military — to stop killing innocent civilians in their ongoing offensive against rebel forces in northern Syria.

In a Twitter post, Mr. Trump said Russia- and Iran-backed forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are “killing, or on their way to killing, thousands” of innocent people in Syria’s Idlib province.

“Don’t do it,” the president warned in the tweet. He added that Turkey, which neighbors Syria to the north, is trying to quell violence in the area.

While the NATO ally has, itself, been accused by human rights groups of fomenting a humanitarian crisis in northern Syria, Mr. Trump tweeted that “Turkey is working hard to stop this carnage.”

Analysts say Idlib province is dominated by al-Qaida-linked militants. It’s also home to 3 million civilians, and the United Nations has warned of the growing risk of a humanitarian catastrophe along the Turkish border.

Residents of villages and towns in southern parts of Idlib province have been fleeing with their belongings. A Syrian military ground offensive in the area resumed last week after the collapse of a cease-fire that had been in place there since the end of August.

⦁ This article is based in part on wire service reports.