Suwayda: Al-Hijri urges humanitarian corridor through Kurdish areas to Jordan
Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, a prominent Druze religious leader in Syria, declared Suwayda province a 'disaster-stricken area' on Thursday and called for a period of public mourning following days of deadly violence.
In a statement, al-Hijri urged authorities to open roads leading toward Kurdish-controlled areas and appealed directly to Jordan's King Abdullah II to "instruct the opening of a border crossing between Sweida and Jordan, given its urgent humanitarian importance under the current circumstances."
He also called for practical steps to ease communication and reduce the suffering of residents.
Al-Hijri described the recent violence in Suwayda as a 'brutal crime,' adding that 'the pure blood spilled on Sweida's soil will not be in vain, but will serve as a beacon of dignity and resilience.'
Urging the Druze community to unite, support the families of the victims, he emphasized facilitating the work of medical teams and groups documenting the violations.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Rudaw Net
an hour ago
- Rudaw Net
Most abducted Yazidis held in Syria amid Damascus inaction: Rescue office
Also in Syria Bedouin families forced to leave Suwayda despite years of peaceful coexistence Syria agrees to further talks with Israel, state media reports US citizen recounts 'terrorizing' days in Suwayda during clashes ISIS carries out three attacks on SDF in Deir ez-Zor A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The majority of Yazidis kidnapped by the Islamic State (ISIS) during its 2014 offensive in Iraq are currently being held in Syria, a senior official from the Office for Rescuing Abducted Yazidis - operating under the Kurdistan Region Presidency - told Rudaw, adding that 'no assistance' has provided by the new leadership in Damascus to facilitate the rescue of victims. Speaking to Rudaw during a program aired on Monday, Hussein Qaidi, head of the Office, said, 'We do not wish to disclose the names of all the countries where we have information about the presence of the kidnapped' Yazidis, but 'Syria - specifically northeastern Syria [Rojava] - is at the top of the list.' In June 2014, ISIS seized vast swaths of northern and western Iraq. Two months later, it launched a brutal assault on the Yazidis' ancestral homeland of Shingal (Sinjar), killing between 5,000 and 10,000 Yazidi men and elderly women. The group also abducted approximately 6,000 to 7,000 women and girls, subjecting them to sexual slavery and human trafficking. Around 400,000 Yazidis were displaced, most of whom sought refuge in the Kurdistan Region. Qaidi stated that many of the abductees are believed to be held in the notorious al-Hol camp in Rojava's Hasaka province. As of April, the notorious camp housed 34,927 people, many of whom have suspected ISIS affiliations, according to data obtained by Rudaw English. The camp is administered by the Kurdish-led Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES), with security provided by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Rojava's de facto army. However, Qaidi highlighted the limited coordination between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the SDF regarding rescue operations. He also criticized the new leadership in Damascus, noting that it provides 'no assistance in identifying the whereabouts of abducted Yazidis' or in 'rescuing and returning' them. Since its establishment, the Office for Rescuing Abducted Yazidis - affiliated with the office of Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani - has 'succeeded in rescuing 3,590 Yazidis' from ISIS captivity, Qaidi said. However, he stressed that the crisis is far from over. He recalled the harrowing case of one young Yazidi survivor who had been sold and enslaved by more than ten men, some two to seven times her age. 'She faced sexual assault at such a young age that she didn't even understand what was being done to her or what sexual assault meant,' he said. 'This particular case still haunts me.' On Monday, marking the 11th anniversary of the Yazidi genocide, President Barzani asserted the Kurdistan Region's continued commitment to the cause of the Yazidi people, pledging that the Office will persist in its mission 'as long as there remains even one Yazidi abductee still in captivity.' Rebwar Ali contributed to this article.
Shafaq News
an hour ago
- Shafaq News
Iraq's PM confirms thwarted attacks on Israel, US during Iran-Israel conflict
Shafaq News – Baghdad Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani revealed that armed groups inside Iraq attempted to launch rockets and drones toward Israel and Iraqi bases hosting US forces during the 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel earlier this year. In an interview with the Associated Press, al-Sudani stated that these operations were foiled 29 times through what he described as 'security operations' carried out by the Iraqi government. He also condemned recent drone attacks targeting oil fields in the Kurdistan Region, calling them 'acts of terrorism,' emphasizing that the federal government is working in coordination with Kurdish authorities and the US-led coalition to identify and hold those responsible.
Iraqi News
an hour ago
- Iraqi News
Iraq prevents homegrown attacks against Israel
Baghdad ( – The Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohamed Shia al-Sudani, unveiled on Monday that over 29 attempts to launch missile and drone attacks from Iraq against Israel were foiled. During an interview with the Associated Press (AP), al-Sudani stated that militant groups in Iraq sought to launch missiles and drones toward Israel and Iraqi bases housing US military personnel during the 12-day conflict between Tehran and Tel Aviv. The Iraqi prime minister stated that the assaults were foiled through operations carried out by Iraqi security forces. Al-Sudani confirmed that no individual or group may use Iraq as a base for military activities. For over two years, Iraq's prime minister has kept his country out of armed engagements in the region. This necessitated managing Iraq's ties with two countries critical to his authority but mutual enemies: the United States and Iran, according to the AP. The task got extremely tough last month when conflict broke out between Israel, a US ally, and Iran, and the US bombed Iranian nuclear facilities. Al-Sudani stated that he utilized a combination of political and military pressure to prevent armed forces associated with Iran from entering the war.
