BAGHDAD, Januari 11 -- The US-led military coalition in Syria has begun the process of withdrawing troops from Syria, a US military official said Friday, declining to comment on specific timetables or movements. Col. Sean Ryan, spokesman for the coalition fighting the Islamic State group, said the US started “the process of our deliberate withdrawal from Syria.” “Out of concern for operational security, we will not discuss specific time lines, locations or troops movements,” he said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press.
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MANBIJ, January 8 -- Russian military police have started patrolling the surroundings of the northern Syrian city of Manbij in the Aleppo governorate, near the border with Syria. "Today we started patrolling the security zone near the city of Manbij and its surroundings. The task is to ensure safety within the zone of responsibility, to control the positions and movement of armed groups," he said. The route of military police patrols will change regularly. According to Mamatov, during their missions Russian servicemen are receiving reports from local residents about weapons caches and unexploded ordnances left after the region’s occupation by militants. Following the US decision to withdraw troops from Syria, groups of Kurdish Self-Defense Forces requested the Damascus government to establish control over territories they used to hold, including Manbij. According to the Syrian Defense Ministry, about 400 members of Self-Defense Forces left the city and headed to the eastern bank of the Euphrates River, where they are set to concentrate on fighting against the Islamic State terrorist group. DAMASCUS, January 4 -- Russian military has delivered food baskets and winter clothing to the residents of Syria's Aleppo. The aid is provided by the Russian charity organizations, a representative of the Russian Defense Ministry's Center for Reconciliation of Opposing Sides in Syria, Igor Privalov, said on Friday. "We have provided children and women with warm clothes. We are also distributing bread to all the residents of Aleppo," Privalov told reporters. He added that this time the humanitarian assistance had been delivered to the parishioners of Faras church located in Aleppo's Midan district. As the Syrian government has regained control over most of the country's territories that were seized by terrorists, it is now focused on creating favorable conditions for repatriating refugees. Moscow is assisting Damascus in this by providing humanitarian aid to civilians and being a guarantor of the ceasefire, along with Turkey and Iran. MOSCOW, January 2 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron have held a telephone conversation, discussing the Syria issue, the Kremlin press service said in a statement on Wednesday. According to the statement, the two presidents "thoroughly discussed the Syria issue in light of agreements to form a constitutional committee that the leaders of Russia, Turkey, German and France had reached in Istanbul on October 27, 2018." Putin and Macron also exchanged views "on the domestic crisis in Ukraine, taking into consideration the provocation Kiev staged in the Kerch Strait on November 25, 2018." Besides, the presidents of Russia and France wished each other a happy new year, the Kremlin press service added. AZAZ, January 2 -- Turkey hosts the largest number of Syrian refugees, and as the fighting subdues, some are choosing to return home reports. The General Director of the Bab al-Salama Border Crossing in the city of Azaz in northern Syria, Qassem al-Qassem, said that 3,421 Syrians had permanently returned to their country from Turkey over the Eid al-Adha holiday because of the security established in their areas after the Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch operations. Qassem said in a statement carried by the Anadolu Agency that Turkish authorities had provided a chance for Syrians living in Turkey to visit their country during the holidays and then return again to Turkey. He said that in this context, tens of thousands of Syrians had visited their country during Eid al-Adha in August. He said that, “about 32,419 Syrians returned to Turkey, while 3,421 preferred to remain in their country because of the security established in their areas after the Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch operations carried out by the Turkish army against terrorist groups in northern Syria.” Qassem expressed his confidence that the number of Syrians returning from Turkey to their country would rise after the liberation of Manbij and Tel Rifaat from terrorist groups. During Operation Euphrates Sheild, Turkish forces and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) were able during to clear large portions of the northern Aleppo countryside, including the cities of al-Bab and Jarablus, of the Islamic State between August 2016 and March 2017, which allowed thousands of Syrians to return to their homes. On Mar. 24, 2018, The Turkish army in cooperation with the FSA was able to expel the Kurdish People’s Protection Units from Afrin entirely with Operation Olive Branch. WASHINGTON, December 31 -- President Donald Trump has ordered a slowdown to the withdrawal of U.S. forces in Syria, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham has said. "I think we’re in a pause situation," the South Carolina Republican said outside the White House after lunch with the president. Trump announced earlier this month that he was ordering the withdrawal of all the roughly 2,000 troops from war-torn Syria, with aides expecting it to take place swiftly. The president had declared victory over ISIL in Syria, though pockets of fighting remain. Graham had been an outspoken critic of Trump’s decision, which had drawn bipartisan criticism. "I think we’re slowing things down in a smart way," Graham said. National security adviser John Bolton was expected to travel to Israel and Turkey next weekend to discuss the president’s plans with the American allies. During his appearance on CNN’s "State of the Union," Graham previewed his arguments to Trump for reconsidering the Syria pullout. "I’m going to ask him to sit down with his generals and reconsider how to do this. Slow this down. Make sure that we get it right. Make sure ISIS never comes back. Don’t turn Syria over to the Iranians. That’s a nightmare for Israel," Graham said, according to the Associated Press. Meanwhile, AFP reported Dec. 30 that the US flag fluttered above four US armoured vehicles driving through drizzle in the Syrian city of Manbij Dec. 30, each visibly carrying an armed soldier on lookout duty. "The Americans’ presence is reassuring for people, as the situation has become tense since we heard about their decision to withdraw," said Mohammed Ahmad, a 28-year-old shop owner in Manbij. Turkey, which views the YPG as a terrorist group, had been threatening a military operation against Manbij. Turkey and its allied fighters have been amassing troops around Manbij in recent days. Syria’s military announced Dec. 28 it has taken control of Manbij after the YPG invited the regime ahead of Turkey's offensive but Turkish and US officials denied reports that Syria's Bashar al-Assad regime forces entered the city. DAMASCUS, December 25 -- The war in Syria has led to a shortage of men in the country. Now the Syrian women want their men back, and ask the EU to “kick them out” so that they return and help rebuild the country. The conflict in Syria is coming to an end. Donald Trump has stated that IS is defeated and promised to withdraw all US troops from the area. Even Israel argues that the war is over, and Russia Today pumps out images of Christmas celebrations in Damascus. The long, bloody war has left deep traces in Syria’s demographics. An on-site reporter notes that “about 70 per cent of the people he meets are young women”.
“Look around, you see only women. At the University, in the street, in cafes, only women. Most young men left Syria,” says the female students Safaa and Sheima. Another woman, Lina, says that Assad should give those who fled from the military service amnesty, but she also has a proposal to the countries that have taken in many men from Syria: “The solution is to kick them out and send them back to Syria so they can start rebuilding the country,” she says. At the same time, the shortage of men means that Syrian women are making great progress in working life, by entering professions previously dominated by men. “In the past, it was not accepted for women to work in certain areas, but now society is forced to accept it and that is good,” says Safaa. WASHINGTON, December 24 -- The order to withdraw American troops from Syria has been signed, the US military said Sunday, after President Donald Trump and his Turkish counterpart agreed to prevent a power vacuum in the wake of the controversial move. The announcement that US troops would leave the civil war-racked country -- where they have been deployed to assist in the multinational fight against the Islamic State (ISIS) jihadist group -- shocked global partners and American politicians alike. "The execute order for Syria has been signed," a US military spokesperson said when asked about the withdrawal order, without providing further details. Turkey was a rare ally that lauded Trump's momentous decision on Syria, a country where it will now have a freer rein to target US-allied Kurdish fighters who have played a major role in the war against IS but are deemed terrorists by Ankara. Trump and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke by telephone on Sunday and "agreed to ensure coordination between their countries' military, diplomatic and other officials to avoid a power vacuum which could result following any abuse of the withdrawal and transition phase in Syria," the Turkish presidency said in a statement. Late Sunday, Trump tweeted that Erdogan had assured him that any remaining IS fighters in Syria will be eliminated. "President Erdogan of Turkey has very strongly informed me that he will eradicate whatever is left of ISIS in Syria," Trump said in a Tweet around midnight Sunday, using another acronym for the jihadist group. Repeating a pattern of admiring comments towards global strongmen, Trump added that Erdogan "is a man who can do it." The US president concluded: "Our troops are coming home!" JERUZALEM, December 23 -- With funding and direction from Iran, Hamas has raised its flag in the Palestinian Authority capital of Ramallah. Where it hopes to kill two birds with one stone: Attack Israel and topple PA President Mahmoud Abbas. Ramallah reverts to a terrorist agenda. Ramallah has suddenly reverted to a terrorist agenda. Hamas has raised its flag in the capital of the Palestinian Authority. There, in that city of spacious homes, which in recent years has attracted banks and business centers and international organizations and embassies, and where accelerated development has resulted in hundreds of high-rise buildings springing up, Hamas is sticking it to PA President Mahmoud Abbas. Ramallah and the villages around it, which function as the political and economic center of the PA, strongly identified with the Palestinian elite and wanted cooperation with Israel. This week, they became the site of a hunt for the terrorists who carried out the shooting attacks in Ofra and Givat Asaf. The raids, the encirclement, the capture of homes and the shots fired at protesters – all in the beating heart of the PA, which this week resumed full security coordination with Israel – are the last thing the ailing Abbas needs. In the middle of all this, between the Jewish settlements Halamish, Nachliel and Atarot, lies the village of Kaubar, a hamlet that raises murderers. Kaubar illustrates how shaky Abbas’ stature has become in the region where his own capital lies. In October 2011, the village hosted a great celebration in honor of four local residents being released from prison in Israel as part of the Hamas-engineered prisoner exchange deal for captive soldier Gilad Schalit. The prisoners included cousins Nael and Fahri Barghouti, who had served over 30 years in prison. In 1978, they stabbed bus driver Moti Yakuel to death as he was driving Palestinian workers home to Kaubar and other local villages. The cousins were welcomed by Omar Barghouti, Nael’s brother, who was also convicted for the murder but had been released as part of the 1985 Jibril Agreement, in which Israel freed over 1,150 security prisoners for three Israelis captured in the First Lebanon War. Nael has since been imprisoned again in Israel for supposedly violating his parole. His wife, Aman, also has a rap sheet. She served time in prison for planning a terrorist attack on Jaffa Road in Jerusalem, although it was never carried out. Two of Fahri’s sons also served time in Israeli prisons. Eight years ago, the road that leads to Kaubar was stenciled with stars of David, so that cars could drive over them on their way into the village. ISTANBUL, December 21 -- Turkey will delay a planned offensive against Kurdish forces in Syria's northeast, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday, citing talks with the U.S. president and other officials. Erdogan said that he welcomed President Donald Trump's decision — announced Wednesday — to withdraw all U.S. troops from Syria, where they are partnered with Kurdish-led fighters to battle the Islamic State. Turkey sees Kurdish forces both at home and in Syria as a threat to its national security and warned of an impending offensive to rout them from the Turkish border. "We decided last week to launch a military incursion into the east of the Euphrates River and shared that information with the public," Erdogan said at a meeting of the Turkish Exporters Assembly in Istanbul. "Our phone call with President Trump, along with contacts between our diplomats and security officials and statements by the United States, have led us to wait a little longer," he said, referring to a phone call between the two leaders last Friday. Still, he said, Turkey's military is planning to launch the offensive in several months, with the aim of "eliminating" both the Kurdish YPG, or People's Protection Units, and Islamic State remnants. ANKARA, December 12 -- Turkey on Wednesday warned it will launch a new operation in Syria within days against US-backed Kurdish fighters in Syria, risking renewed tensions with NATO ally the United States. Addressing a defense industry meeting in Ankara on Wednesday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the target of the operation would be the Syrian Kurdish militia known as the People's Protection Units, or YPG - which Turkey views as a terrorist group linked to the insurgency within its borders. Washington's relationship with the YPG, seen as a key partner spearheading the fight against terrorists in Syria, is a major bone of contention between the US and Turkey. Ankara has repeatedly lambasted Washington for providing military support to the militia and threatened to attack areas held by the YPG. Erdogan announced the plans for a new offensive a day after the Pentagon said observation posts were in place on the Syria-Turkey border to prevent altercations between the Turkish army and the militia. "We will start an operation to free the east of the Euphrates from the separatist terrorist organization in the next few days," Erdogan said, referring to territory held by the YPG. Turkey says the YPG is a "terrorist offshoot" of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984. The PKK is blacklisted as a terror group by Ankara and its Western allies. "The target is never American soldiers but terrorist organization members active in the region," Erdogan told the audience at a defense industry summit. The Pentagon on Tuesday announced the posts' establishment on the northeast Syria border region despite calls from Ankara not to go ahead with the move. Erdogan claimed Turkey was not being protected from terrorists but "terrorists were being protected" from possible action by Turkey. In October, Turkey shelled YPG positions east of the Euphrates in the Kobane region. Youssef Hammoud, spokesman for a coalition of pro-Ankara rebels, said the aim of a new operation would be to remove the YPG from an area spanning Manbij to Tal Abyad. American forces have worked closely with the YPG under the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance against the ISIS terrorist group. US forces have joined the SDF east of the Euphrates as well as in the flashpoint city of Manbij, west of the river. In a bid to avoid any clash, the NATO allies agreed a "roadmap" for Manbij in June. In November, Turkish and American troops launched joint patrols in the northern city. Part of the agreement was that the YPG would leave Manbij and that the NATO allies would work together to establish a local security structure and decide who will govern. But Erdogan on Wednesday said Turkey "still not got the result it wanted" in Manbij. "There has been a delaying tactic undeniably used in Manbij, and right now it is still being used," he said, adding that the threat from ISIS no longer existed in Syria. BEIRUT, December 4 -- Syria and North Korea’s foreign ministers met in Damascus on Tuesday, officials said, and thanked each other for their support during years of international isolation. North Korea’s Ri Yong Ho thanked Walid Al-Moualem for Syria’s opposition to economic sanctions on Pyongyang, according to Syria’s foreign ministry. Moualem said Syria was grateful for North Korea’s support in international forums. United Nations monitors say the relationship has gone deeper than diplomacy and accused North Korea in February of cooperating with Syria on chemical weapons — a charge North Korea denied. Israel in 2007 bombed a suspected nuclear reactor in eastern Syria which it said was being constructed with help from North Korea and had been months away from activation. Syria, a signatory of the 1970 nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, has always denied that the site was a reactor or that Damascus engaged in nuclear cooperation with North Korea. Both countries have faced international isolation, North Korea over its nuclear weapons program, and Syria over its nearly eight-year-old civil war. A Syrian parliamentary delegation visited North Korea in October. ASTANA, November 29 -- Turkey has moved its heavy weapons to Syria’s provinces.
It's conducting a policy of Turkization of the local population, which is tantamount to outright aggression, the Syrian government’s chief delegate to the Astana talks, representative at the UN Bashar Jaafari said on Thursday. "Instead of sending a lightly armed agreed police mission Turkey has moved helicopters, troops and heavy military equipment to cities in northern Syria," he said. "Turkish flags are being hoisted in the cities. We regard Turkey’s actions as outright aggression," Jaafari said. NEW YORK, November 28 -- The UN Council on Human Rights-linked Committee for the Protection against Racial Discrimination discussed the situation of religious and ethnic minorities in Iraq, Qatar and Honduras at a session held at the UN Geneva Office with the participation of international NGOs.
During the Iraqi debate, civil society group Minority Rights underlined how there are still religious and ethnic inequalities in Iraq. While the minorities in Iraq cannot benefit from the riches of the country, the group underlined that the religious and ethnic minorities in Iraq are in danger of attack. In a speech on behalf of the International Geneva Center for Justice, it was stated that the Iraqi government never obeyed international treaties to protect minorities. Emphasizing that the Iraqi government supports local militia forces that are violating human rights, the Geneva Center for Justice called on Iraqi government to ban violent videos in Iraq. Maat for Peace and Development and Human Rights, said that women in Iraq face great discrimination and violence. Iraqi government policies have actually strengthened attacks on women, and the two organisations called on the government to develop policies to protect religious and ethnic minorities, and particularly to protect women. It was also pointed out that everyone, especially women, targeted by DAESH should actually enjoy protection. Many international non-governmental organizations pointed out in their speeches that ethnic and religious minorities targeted by DAESH still live in a vulnerable situation. International NGOs said that the Yazidis who were specifically and violently targeted by DAESH, are still facing many dangers, and underlined that people who fled their houses due to DAESH attack still cannot return to them because of security reasons. The speeches also emphasized that Yazidis and women still live in a vulnerable situation of discrimination and called upon the Iraqi government to take action on this. BEIRUT -- U.S. and British officials mourned the loss a Syrian anti-government activist and radio host seen as a "symbol" of the uprising.
He was shot dead along with his colleague by unidentified gunmen in a rebel-held area in the country's northwest, where government strikes on Saturday killed at least five people in violation of a cease-fire. Dozens of Raed Fares and Hammoud al-Juneid's friends held a wake Saturday in their hometown of Kafranbel in Idlib province, while scattered protests in opposition-held areas condemned their killing and blamed radical Islamists, of whom Fares was a vocal critic. Fares brought global attention to Syria's war, and Kafranbel, with his humorous English-language protest banners that took jabs at his government and the international community's response to the conflict. He also was a vocal critic of the Islamist militants who gained sway as the conflict raged on, and now control Idlib and his hometown. In 2013, Fares posted a satirical YouTube video depicting cave men repeatedly killed by the men representing the Syrian government as men wearing American and European Union flags idly sit by. "This is how the international community reacted to the genocide committed by Assad against the Syrian people," Fares wrote. |
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