March 4, 2016 | 16:09 GMT
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Airstrikes hit the rebel-controlled town of Douma, east of Damascus, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, AFP reported March 4. It unclear who carried out the airstrikes, although Douma has been a target for Syrian government forces throughout the civil war. Local activists via Facebook blamed Russia for the March 4 airstrikes, adding that the town was also being bombarded by heavy artillery. Despite a March 3 statement by U.N. Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura that progress is being made in Syria, numerous violations of the country's tenuous cease-fire have been reported.
March 4, 2016 | 14:44 GMT
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Large demonstrations are ongoing in Baghdad and in provinces across Iraq, with tens of thousands of people demanding government reforms and protesting state corruption, Alsumaria News reported March 4. In Baghdad, large crowds are gathered in front of the Green Zone. Demonstrations are reportedly taking place in Wasit, Karbala, Babil, Maysan, Basra and Najaf provinces as well. A large number of those taking part in the protests are said to be followers of influential Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr. Protesters are demanding change, but a proposed Cabinet reshuffle in Iraq risks upsetting the country's delicately balanced government.
March 4, 2016 | 15:43 GMT
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According to a Syrian military analyst, hundreds of fighters from al Qaeda-linked Jabhat al-Nusra are fleeing Syria for Anbar and Salahuddin provinces in Iraq, with thousands more expected to follow. The fighters' relocation in Iraq will pose a major problem for Iraqi army and paramilitary forces, the analyst added. Stratfor was not able to verify the source's claims. Neither Jabhat al-Nusra nor the Islamic State are included in the patchwork cease-fire currently in place in Syria.
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