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MOSA'ABELSHAMY—THEASSOCIATEDPRESSFILE Saudi Arabia's military spokesman said Thursday that the kingdom is ready to send ground troops to Syria to fight Islamic State group if coalition leaders agree during an upcoming meeting in Brussels. The Associated Press CAIRO A Saudi military spokesman said Thurs- day the kingdom is ready to send ground troops to Syria to fight Islamic State group provided coalition leaders agree during an upcoming meeting in Brus- sels. Brig. Gen. Ahmed Asiri told The Associated Press that Saudi Arabia has taken part in coalition air- strikes against IS since the U.S.-led campaign be- gan in September 2014, but could now provide ground troops. The United States is scheduled to convene a meeting of defense minis- ters from countries fight- ing IS in Brussels this month. "We are determined to fight and defeat Daesh," Asiri said, using the Ar- abic acronym for IS. He didn't elaborate on how many troops the kingdom would send. Saudi Arabia is deeply involved in Yemen's civil war, where it is fighting Iranian-backed Shiite reb- els. Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries have long viewed Iran as a regional menace, and Riyadh and Tehran back opposite sides in the wars in Syria and Yemen. A spokesman said the U.S. State Department had no immediate com- ment on the issue of Saudi Arabia's involvement, but added that "in general we want members of the coali- tion against Daesh to look for ways to do more and to contribute more." Asiri's announcement came shortly after Russia said it suspects Turkey of planning a military inva- sion of Syria. Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konash- enkov said Thursday in a statement that the Russian military has registered "a growing number of signs of hidden preparation of the Turkish armed forces for active actions on the terri- tory of Syria." He said images of a checkpoint on the Turk- ish-Syrian border taken in late October and late Jan- uary show a buildup of transportation infrastruc- ture that could be used for moving in troops, ammuni- tion and weapons. The announcement came a day after U.N.- led peace talks in Geneva were suspended for three weeks. The United States blames both Syria's gov- ernment and Russia for stalling the peace negoti- ations. Syrian government troops, backed by Russian airstrikes, have increased the pace of attacks on op- position forces in recent days as the talks faltered. "We believe that the air- strikes alone are not the perfect solution," Asiri said in another interview with the Dubai-based Al-Ara- biya TV. Saudiofficialsayskingdom ready to send troops to Syria ISLAMIC STATE FIGHT The Associated Press BALLYMENA, NORTHERN IRE- LAND It has no windows — butoffers unrestrictedviews of Armageddon. NorthernIrelandisselling itsColdWar-eranuclearbun- ker,anundergroundinstalla- tion with room for 235 beds that sellers imagine could be transformedintoatouristat- traction or blast-proof stor- age facility. Journalists took a tour Thursday of one of North- ern Ireland's strangest real estate offerings. For about $850,000, the success- ful buyer could acquire a 46,363-square-foot grass- topped building discretely situated on 3.74 acres north- west of Belfast. IRELAND The Strangelove suite available for guests 4,664fans+25 this week | NEWS | REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2016 4 B