Leader of Syrian rebels who toppled Assad named interim president
Ahmed al-Sharaa, the leader of the Syrian rebel group that toppled the Assad regime, has been named interim president in Damascus.
Sharaa, who was already widely seen as the country's de facto leader, will head a temporary legislative council until lawmakers agree and implement a new constitution, Syria's news agency said, citing a government spokesperson.
Sharaa is the leader of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, which led the overthrow of the Assad government in December. The group, which had links to Al-Qaida, is considered a terrorist organization by the US, although Washington has removed a $10 million bounty on Sharaa.
The Syrian spokesperson said that the armed groups that ousted Assad have also been dissolved, and will be integrated into state institutions.
Sharaa previously said it could take as long as four years until new elections can be held in the war-torn country.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
BBC Says IDF Detained Several Reporters at Gun Point and Strip-Searched Them
The BBC on Thursday said that Israel Defense Forces held several of its reporters at gunpoint, detained them for seven hours and strip searched them while they were filming a report in southern Syria. BBC correspondent Feras Kilani and two other BBC staffers, as well as three freelancers were involved in the incident, which the network said occurred on May 9 while they were reporting on the buffer zone in southwestern Syria. That's the region occupied by Israel since Dec. 8, the day dictator Bashar al-Assad was overthrown by rebel groups. According to BBC, the reporters 'were tied up, blindfolded, strip searched, interrogated and threatened. Their electronic devices were also taken from them and material was deleted.' Neither IDF nor the Israeli government have commented publicly on the matter. In a statement Friday, BBC said it has filed a formal complaint with IDF and said it 'strongly objects to the treatment of our staff and freelancers in this way. Read the full statement below: 'On Friday 9 May whilst filming in Southern Syria, BBC News Arabic correspondent Feras Kilani, along with two other BBC staff members and four freelance colleagues, were detained for seven hours and held at gunpoint by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The team have described how they were tied up, blindfolded, strip searched, interrogated and threatened. Their electronic devices were also taken from them and material was deleted. The BBC strongly objects to the treatment of our staff and freelancers in this way. Despite making clear to the soldiers on multiple occasions they were working for the BBC, the behaviour they were subjected to is wholly unacceptable. We have registered a complaint with the Israeli military but are yet to receive a response.' The post BBC Says IDF Detained Several Reporters at Gun Point and Strip-Searched Them appeared first on TheWrap.
New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
Syrians Rejoice at Being Exempted from Trump Travel Ban
During his first term, President Trump included Syria in a series of travel bans targeting mostly Muslim-majority nations, branding refugees from the war-ravaged country as requiring 'extreme vetting' to protect national security. The impact was immediate: flights were canceled, refugee resettlements were halted, and families were separated. But on Wednesday, Syria was exempted from Mr. Trump's new travel ban, representing another sign of the seismic shift in U.S. foreign policy toward the country after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad, the former president, in December. Syria was one of only four countries that were blacklisted in Mr. Trump's first term that were excluded this time around, alongside Iraq, North Korea and Nigeria. For many Syrians, the news added to a growing sense of optimism about the country's future as it emerges from years of war and decades of authoritarian dictatorship. 'This is something that brings hope for the future, especially for the younger generation,' said Lina Habshi as she shopped in Damascus to prepare for Eid al-Adha, a major religious holiday. 'My daughter was studying chemistry, but opportunities were limited here. Now she might be able to travel and grow in her field.' Her 16-year-old daughter, Rama, echoed Ms. Habshi's sentiment. 'I feel like the government's actions are changing how Syrians are viewed,' she said. 'Now we have a presence outside our country.' For decades, the United States treated Syria as a pariah. That position hardened following the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011 and the subsequent rise of the Islamic State, a terrorist group that seized parts of the country and carried out attacks overseas. But in recent months, the Trump administration has sought better relations. Mr. Trump lifted some sanctions on Syria last month and held talks with the new president, Ahmed al-Shara, a former rebel commander with past links to Al Qaeda. It was the first time the leaders of the two countries had met in 25 years. The new Syrian government has pledged to restore stability after more than a decade of war. In return, Washington has sought to leverage the promise of a rapprochement with a number of demands, including the expulsion of 'foreign terrorists' from Syria and guarantees that the Islamic State will not be allowed to gain more power, according to the White House. For many Syrians, the travel ban exemption was another sign that the country was once again being accepted by the wider world after decades of isolation. 'We're so happy,' said Tahani Madani, an employee at Syria's largest commercial bank. 'Honestly, it's hard to even describe our joy. Thank God, things are getting better.'
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
'Abandoned': Afghan women waiting for visas feel betrayed by US travel ban
By Charlotte Greenfield and Mohammad Yunus Yawar ISLAMABAD/KABUL (Reuters) -Fatima, a 57-year-old Afghan women's rights defender waiting in limbo in Pakistan for her U.S. visa to be processed, had her dreams shattered overnight after President Donald Trump included Afghans among those banned from entering the U.S. She worked for decades for U.S.-funded projects in Central Afghanistan and now risks being pushed back to her home country, where she fears for her safety and her teenage daughter is unable to attend school. "Unfortunately, the decisions made by President Trump turned all the hopes and beliefs of us into ashes," she told Reuters, asking that only her first name be published for security reasons. Trump signed a proclamation on Wednesday banning nationals of 12 countries, including Afghanistan, from entering the United States, saying the move was needed to protect against "foreign terrorists" and other security threats. "We are not al-Qaeda, we are the ones who fought back, we are the ones who gave our youth, our strength, our physical energy, our voices, everything we had, for the dream of a peaceful nation, for a country where we could simply breathe, we stood beside NATO forces," said Fatima. "And today, to be abandoned by America is not only tragic, it is devastating, It is a source of deep despair," she added. HELP PLEDGED FOR ALLIES In the chaotic withdrawal of U.S.-led foreign troops as Taliban forces seized Kabul in 2021, Western countries vowed to help, especially those Afghans who had worked for them or on projects they backed. But many have been disappointed. Then-President Joe Biden pledged to help "Afghan allies" and introduced the P-2 programme for admission as refugees for Afghans who met certain criteria, including having worked for U.S. organisations and media. The main refugee advocate agency this year estimated that between 10,000-15,000 Afghans were waiting in Pakistan for their visas to be processed, though that included applicants to the Special Immigration Visa (SIV) program for those who directly assisted the U.S. military and government, which was exempted from this week's order. Fatima said she had hoped never to leave her country but as the prominent head of a women's rights group she felt she had no choice after the Taliban returned to power. The U.S. government instructed her to travel to a third country for processing and like many, her only option was neighbouring Pakistan where she arrived in 2023. She finally received notice that she should send her family's passports to prepare for a flight in January. But a decision that month by President Trump to halt refugee processing threw that into disarray and Fatima has not heard from U.S. authorities since. In the meantime, Pakistan began once again ramping up a repatriation drive that began in 2023, leaving many in the pipeline for U.S. processing fearful of even leaving the house in case they were stopped by police. A spokesperson for Pakistan's foreign office did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday on how it would handle the Afghans in the pipeline for the U.S. The Taliban-run foreign ministry did not immediately respond to request for comment on Trump's executive order. The Taliban, which has barred women from travelling without a male guardian and girls from high school, says it respects women's rights in accordance with its interpretation of Islamic law. It has said that its administration is not targeting former foes with violence and it will investigate any suspected cases. Mahbouba Seraj, a prominent Kabul-based women's rights advocate, said the new U.S. decision was a huge blow to women's rights defenders and other vulnerable groups. "This is absolutely terrible because a whole lot of those... people were waiting, they have all of their paperwork done, they are completely vetted, they are all ready to come to the U.S., they have sold their houses, they have no life in Afghanistan and they are all waiting," she said. "Now this is what happens."
