Latest news with #DAANES
Rudaw Net
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
German diplomat meets Rojava officials over Damascus talks, US pullout
Also in Syria 16 ISIS suspects detained in Rojava's al-Hol camp US warns of potential attacks in Syria SDF, US-led coalition discuss future of Tishreen Dam US plans troop reduction in Syria: Pentagon A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdish administration in northeast Syria (Rojava) on Saturday received a senior German diplomat for talks on negotiations with Damascus, political developments, and the future of the United States military support in the Kurdish enclave. Margarete Jacob, the chargé d'affaires of the German mission in Damascus, visited the foreign affairs department of the Kurdish-led Democratic Autonomous Administration in North and East Syria (DAANES) in the city of Qamishli in Rojava. 'The experience of the Autonomous Administration on the ground, the unity of Syrian territory, and the latest developments regarding negotiations between the Autonomous Administration and the Damascus government were discussed,' read a statement from DAANES. In March, Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) chief Mazloum Abdi signed a landmark deal to integrate 'all civil and military institutions' in Rojava under the administration of the Syrian state. The SDF is the de facto army of the Kurdish-majority enclave. Rojava officials and the German diplomat further discussed 'the terms of the [Sharaa-Abdi] agreement, the committees formed [by both sides] to negotiate the administrative structures of the Autonomous Administration, and how to integrate it under the [administration of the] central government in Damascus were discussed,' added the statement. For her part, the chargé d'affaires of the German mission in Damascus, Jacob, was cited by the DAANES statement as stressing 'the need to work towards a comprehensive political process and to continue dialogue with all components of Syria.' She further praised the administrative and military agreements between Damascus and Qamishli. The Saturday meeting additionally touched on the US's decision to reduce the number of its troops in Syria and the implications of Washington's decision on Rojava and the SDF amid the ongoing fight against the Islamic State (ISIS). On Friday, a US defense official had told Rudaw on condition of anonymity that Washington plans to reduce its military footprint in Syria 'to less than one thousand [personnel] in the next two to three months.' A Pentagon spokesperson, Sean Parnell, later said the US was consolidating forces 'to select locations in Syria,' but emphasized that American troops 'will remain poised to continue strikes against ISIS remnants.' US forces in Syria backed the SDF as it led the offensive to territorially defeat ISIS in 2019. Abdi has repeatedly warned that a US withdrawal could embolden an ISIS resurgence. In mid-January, he stressed the 'need to intensify efforts to continue the fight against ISIS if we don't want to see it make a comeback.'
Rudaw Net
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
UK repatriates 4 ISIS- linked nationals from Rojava
Also in Syria SDF rescues Yazidi young man after 11 years in ISIS captivity SDF to hand over 200 Iraqi ISIS members to Baghdad Intra-Kurdish conference to be held in Rojava Friday SDF, Syrian forces begin joint oversight of Kurdish-majority neighborhoods in Aleppo A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdish-led administration in northeast Syria (Rojava) announced on Wednesday the handover of four individuals affiliated with the Islamic State (ISIS) to a visiting UK delegation, during a meeting that also emphasized continued British support. 'One British woman and three children affiliated with ISIS families were handed over in accordance with an official handover document signed by representatives of both the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES) and the United Kingdom,' the Kurdish-led administration said in a statement. DAANES stated it would continue cooperating with the UK and all countries that have citizens and children in areas under its jurisdiction, particularly concerning the repatriation of ISIS-linked individuals. The UK delegation was led by Mary Shockledge, head of the Syria office at the British Embassy in Beirut, and was received by Fanar al-Kaeet, co-chair of the DAANES Department of Foreign Relations. Thousands of people with suspected ties to ISIS are currently held in the al-Hol and Roj camps in Hasaka province. The camps are held by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) - the force that spearheaded the fight against ISIS in Syria. Al-Hol is the larger of the two, currently housing 34,927 individuals linked to ISIS. These include 15,861 Syrians, 15,681 Iraqis, and 6,385 third-country nationals, according to official data obtained by Rudaw English from the camps' supervisor. The UK delegation also reaffirmed London's commitment to the 'long-term defeat of ISIS' through continued coordination with the US-led coalition, as well as ongoing humanitarian support. 'The UK remains at the forefront of humanitarian response efforts, with extensive humanitarian programs aimed at mitigating protection risks to civilians, improving conditions in camps, and building resilience,' the statement said. 'The UK will continue working with both the new Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to support an inclusive political process,' it added, quoting Shockledge, who also welcomed the recent political agreement between the SDF and Syria's interim government. On March 10, Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and SDF commander Mazloum Abdi signed a political agreement aimed at integrating the SDF into the Syrian state apparatus. The deal includes formal recognition of the Kurdish population as a core component of Syria, a nationwide ceasefire, and the return of displaced persons to their homes. In a further sign of shifting UK policy toward Syria, the UK Treasury in early March lifted sanctions on Syria's central bank and 23 other banking, commercial, and oil entities whose assets had been frozen for six years. It also pledged £200 million to provide food, healthcare, and education in Syria. 'We will continue to do all we can to help those in need,' Shockledge said, according to the statement.
Rudaw Net
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Rojava authorities slam Syrian cultural minister over labeling Syriac as ‘Arabic dialect'
Also in Syria Militias withdrawing from Afrin as Damascus gains control: Official Second batch of Kurdish forces withdraws from Aleppo Syrian Kurds struggle to repair key dam damaged by militants ISIS ramps up attacks in SDF-held regions: War monitor A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Authorities from the Kurdish-led administration in northeast Syria (Rojava) on Wednesday slammed the recent remarks by Syria's cultural minister claiming that the Syriac language is a dialect of Arabic. In a televised interview on April 1, Syrian Cultural Minister Mohammed Saleh claimed that the Syriac language is 'an ancient Arabic dialect.' His remarks drew outrage from the Assyrian, Chaldean, and Syriac minority community as an attempt to erase their identity and history. 'We in the Culture Board of North and East Syria affirm that the Syriac language is an independent Semitic language belonging to the Aramaic branch, with a documented history extending for thousands of years,' said a statement from the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES). During the interview, Saleh also claimed that the name 'Syria' means 'the masters,' from which the English word 'sir' was derived. The DAANES also slammed that remark as one that has 'no reliable or scientific basis, and constitutes an explicit infringement on the linguistic and cultural identity of the Syriac-Assyrian people, who are considered among the oldest indigenous people in this land.' 'As for the name 'Syria,' its origins go back to the civilizations and peoples of this region, and was given by the Greeks to refer to an area inhabited by Assyrians, Akkadians, Babylonians, Arameans, and Syriacs,' the statement affirmed. Syriac, one of the oldest languages in the world, is spoken by many Christians in the Middle East as their mother tongue. Speakers are mostly concentrated in the Assyrian, Chaldean, and Syriac community's indigenous homeland spanning across parts of Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Turkey. It is also spoken in Jordan, Israel, Armenia, Georgia, and Lebanon by smaller pockets of the community. The Rojava administration further slammed Saleh's remarks as ones that 'express totalitarian, exclusionary thinking, and the transitional government must be cautious of such thinking.' 'Preserving cultural and linguistic diversity in Syria is not a favor or a gift, but rather an essential condition for building a pluralistic democratic state based on mutual recognition and respect for others,' it stressed. A prominent Syriac-Assyrian party based in Rojava also condemned the remarks. 'The statements of Syria's minister of culture regarding the Syriac language are rejected and unacceptable. We see this as an erasure and marginalization of Syriac identity and language,' Sanharib Barsoum, co-chair of the Syriac Union Party, told Rudaw on Monday. 'This is the same policy that the former Baath regime followed, considering the Syriac people as Christian Arabs to erase an important part of Syria's ancient history,' he stressed.
Rudaw Net
30-03-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Rojava says won't implement decisions of new ‘exclusionary' government in Syria
Also in Syria PYD confirms 'serious efforts' for Turkey-SDF ceasefire in northeast Syria Syrian cancer patients face growing crises due to medicine shortages Germany welcomes formation of new Syrian government Syria's Sharaa announces new cabinet A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdish-led administration in northeast Syria (Rojava) on Sunday criticized Syria's newly-formed interim government as 'exclusionary' and 'failing' to uphold diversity, stressing that they would not abide by its decisions. Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Saturday announced his new 23-minister cabinet, which includes ministers from his former government. The Democratic Autonomous Administration in North and East Syria (DAANES) on Sunday rejected the new cabinet, claiming that it 'resembled its [caretaker] predecessor in failing to take Syria's diversity into consideration and allowing a single faction to maintain control.' It warned that any government that does not represent Syria's plurality will not be able to properly manage the country and pull it out of its crisis. The DAANES further noted that they will not adhere to the decisions of the new government in Damascus. 'We will not be concerned with implementing and executing decisions issued by it, as this insistence on repeating past mistakes will harm Syrians and will never launch a comprehensive political process that can provide solutions to the pending issues, problems, and crises Syria is experiencing,' their statement read. The Kurdish-led administration has previously criticized other actions taken by the interim government in Damascus, accusing it of marginalizing Kurds and other minorities. In early March, Rojava's ruling and opposition parties condemned Damascus for excluding the Kurds from the committee tasked with drafting Syria's constitutional declaration. Two weeks later, the Kurdish-led administration in northeast Syria (Rojava) strongly rejected the draft of the interim constitution, approved by Sharaa, as perpetuating policies of ousted dictator Bashar al-Assad's regime. Prior to that, the Kurdish opposition parties in mid-February slammed the exclusion of Kurds from a key committee tasked by Sharaa to prepare for a National Dialogue Conference aimed at discussing Syria's future. Importantly, the interim constitution and its drafting committee, as well as the National Dialogue Conference and its committee, drew criticism from other components of Syrian society, including the Druze and the Christians. Following a swift offensive, a coalition of rebel groups led by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) - headed by Sharaa - on December 8 toppled the Assad regime. Sharaa was in late January appointed as Syria's interim President. Upon his appointment, Sharaa vowed to uphold the rights of all ethnic and religious groups. However, the international community has repeatedly criticized the new leadership in Damascus for its treatment of Syria's minority groups.
Rudaw Net
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Rojava officials, Armenian delegation discuss Syria challenges
Also in Syria Syria's interim constitution risks 'authoritarian' rule: HRW Germany decries Syrian civilian deaths in suspected Israeli shelling Rojava Asayish captures over 2.7 million Captagon in Qamishli Qatar, Saudi Arabia condemn Israeli shelling in southern Syria A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Armenian Social Council and the Armenian Women's Union in the northeastern Syria (Rojava) met with the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES) on Wednesday to extend their congratulations for the Kurdish New Year (Newroz) and discuss the challenges facing Syria and the region. The Rojava-based groups congratulated the DAANES's executive council on the occasion of the Kurdish New Year, celebrated worldwide by Kurdish communities between March 21 and 23, and International Women's Day marked on March 8. The Armenian delegations were received by Evin Swed, the co-chair of DAANES's executive council and her deputies Tarfah Osman and Hamdan al-Abed. They discussed 'the challenges facing Syria and the region, particularly the recent crimes committed in the coastal areas of Syria against members of the Alawite sect,' according to a statement by the DAANES. Armed confrontations erupted in the Alawite-majority coastal areas of western Syria in early March, when loyalists of ousted Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad launched attacks on security forces affiliated with the new leadership in Damascus. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, around 1,500 people - mostly Alawite civilians – were killed in the violence, with most of the casualties resulting from attacks by government or government-affiliated forces. The killings drew widespread international condemnation. The Armenian delegations and DAANES emphasized on Wednesday 'the necessity of holding the perpetrators' behind the human rights violations against the Alawites 'accountable and protecting the rights of all sects and religions' in Syria, added the statement. The two sides also touched on the newly-passed constitutional declaration, affirming that 'it does not fulfill the aspirations of the Syrian people or the true identity of Syria, particularly the hopes and ambitions of women.' They urged redrafting the interim constitution 'with the participation of all segments of the Syrian society, including women, to achieve justice and ensure the rights of all.' In mid-March, Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa signed a 53-article constitutional declaration that centers on Islamic jurisprudence, mandates that the president must be Muslim, and sets a five-year transitional period. It also maintains Syria's official name as the Syrian "Arab" Republic. The interim constitution additionally grants Sharaa exclusive executive power, the authority to appoint one-third of the legislature, and the ability to appoint judges to the constitutional court, which is the body that can hold him accountable. The constitutional declaration has in recent weeks come under fire from Syria's Kurdish, Christian and Druze communities over its exclusion of ethnic and religious communities in Syria. Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Tuesday warned that the constitutional declaration consolidates power in the hands of the president and risks entrenching 'authoritarian control.' The global human rights monitor urged the new leadership in Damascus to revise the declaration to better safeguard human rights. The Armenian delegation and DAANES on Wednesday urged amending the interim constitution to ensure inclusivity, 'without excluding or marginalizing any group.' They further stressed the importance of strengthening dialogue among Syrians 'to resolve all outstanding issues,' involving all components of the Syrian people, especially women.
