Member of al-Jabha al-Islamiya takes position on a armoured vehicle at a checkpoint between the village of Kafaroumeh and the town of Maaret al-Naaman
A member of al-Jabha al-Islamiya (the Islamic Front) takes position on a armoured vehicle at a checkpoint between the village of Kafaroumeh and the town of Maaret al-Naaman, to prevent members of the al Qaeda-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) from advancing towards Jabal Al-Zawiya, in Idlib January 6, 2014. REUTERS/Fadi Mashan (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT)
Members of al-Jabha al-Islamiya man a checkpoint between the village of Kafaroumeh and the town of Maaret al-Naaman, to prevent members of al Qaeda-affiliated ISIL from advancing towards Jabal Al-Zawiya, in Idlib
Members of al-Jabha al-Islamiya (the Islamic Front) man a checkpoint between the village of Kafaroumeh and the town of Maaret al-Naaman, to prevent members of the al Qaeda-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) from advancing towards Jabal Al-Zawiya, in Idlib January 6, 2014. REUTERS/Fadi Mashan (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT)
Member of al-Jabha al-Islamiya mans a checkpoint between the village of Kafaroumeh and the town of Maaret al-Naaman, to prevent members of al Qaeda-affiliated ISIL from advancing towards Jabal Al-Zawiya, in Idlib
A member of al-Jabha al-Islamiya (the Islamic Front) mans a checkpoint between the village of Kafaroumeh and the town of Maaret al-Naaman, to prevent members of the al Qaeda-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) from advancing towards Jabal Al-Zawiya, in Idlib January 6, 2014. REUTERS/Fadi Mashan (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT)
Rebel fighters prepare their weapons and take positions ahead of an offensive towards al-Hamadiya military base in the northwestern province of Idlib
Rebel fighters prepare their weapons and take positions ahead of an offensive towards al-Hamadiya military base in the northwestern province of Idlib January 6, 2014. REUTERS/Fadi Mashan (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT)
Rebel fighters prepare their weapons ahead of an offensive towards al-Hamadiya military base in the northwestern province of Idlib
Rebel fighters prepare their weapons ahead of an offensive towards al-Hamadiya military base in the northwestern province of Idlib January 6, 2014. REUTERS/Fadi Mashan (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT)
Rebel fighters prepare their weapons ahead of an offensive towards al-Hamadiya military base in the northwestern province of Idlib
Rebel fighters prepare their weapons ahead of an offensive towards al-Hamadiya military base in the northwestern province of Idlib January 6, 2014. REUTERS/Fadi Mashan (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT)
UN sending invitations to Switzerland peace talks on Syria
SYRIA-CRISIS/UN:UN sending invitations to Switzerland peace talks on Syria
An Iraqi soldier stands guard at a check point west of Baghdad
An Iraqi soldier stands guard at a check point west of Baghdad, January 6, 2014. Iraq's prime minister urged people in the besieged city of Falluja on Monday to drive out al Qaeda-linked insurgents to pre-empt a military offensive that officials said could be launched within days. In a statement on state television, Nuri al-Maliki, a Shi'ite Muslim whose government has little support in Sunni-dominated Falluja, called on tribal leaders to drive out militants who last week seized key towns in the desert leading to the Syrian border. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS MILITARY)