Latest news with #DeirEzZor
Forbes
04-08-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
Using Force Against The Kurdish-Led SDF Will Imperil The New Syria
The U.S.-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces group has had a tough week. On July 31, Islamic State, IS or ISIS, militants attacked one of the group's checkpoints in the eastern Deir ez-Zor province, killing five of their troops. Furthermore, SDF fighters in the north clashed twice with government-affiliated forces in Aleppo province, specifically Manbij on Saturday and Deir Hafer early Monday. These incidents are reminders that the SDF remains the foremost force preventing any ISIS resurgence in Syria, and that attacks against it, intending to coerce it into folding under the new central government in Damascus, will only destabilize an already fragile state. Unsurprisingly, the SDF and government forces traded blame over who was responsible for these clashes. The Syrian defense ministry claimed the Manbij incident started after the SDF targeted army outposts with rocket fire, injuring four government troops and three civilians. The SDF counters that it was responding to 'unprovoked artillery assault targeting civilian-populated areas.' The SDF claimed Monday's incident started after government-affiliated fighters targeted four of its positions, resulting in 20 minutes of clashes. The group declared that Damascus bears complete responsibility for the attack and reaffirmed its right to respond to such provocations. The Kurdish-led group faced repeated attacks against its forces and Kurdish civilians in December as the former regime of Bashar al-Assad collapsed and early this year from militants operating under the banner of the Turkish-backed self-styled Syrian National Army. These militias repeatedly skirmished with the SDF along the Euphrates River until a ceasefire came into effect earlier this year. These same groups later carried out many of the grisly sectarian massacres of Alawite civilians along Syria's coastal Latakia province in March, which killed at least 1,479, mostly civilians, following attacks by remnants of the former Assad regime. Consequently, with many of these same militants operating within or alongside pro-government forces, it's hardly surprising that misunderstandings or continued lack of coordination, or government control over newly-integrated militias, could lead to clashes like these recent ones. Such clashes will no doubt complicate the new Syrian government's goal of absorbing the SDF into the new army. SDF leader Mazloum Abdi and Syrian interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa signed an integration agreement on Mar. 10, and the SDF has repeatedly affirmed its commitment to Syrian sovereignty, territorial integrity, and eventual integration of armed groups under state control. However, Damascus continually demands that the SDF disband and its troops join the new army as individuals. At the same time, the SDF insists it integrate into the new Syrian army as a bloc or in units. Then there's the July events in the southern city of Sweida, which saw the tribal fighters mobilized alongside government forces and intervening in local clashes between Druze and Bedouin forces. Sharaa attempted to use the clashes as an opportunity to assert complete government control over the Druze region but ended up incurring airstrikes from Israel, which had repeatedly warned it would militarily intervene if the Druze were threatened. The clashes killed hundreds, again, many of them civilians. It's possible the new Syrian government could use similar internal clashes in SDF-held regions in the future in an attempt to assert control. The SDF currently controls one-third of Syrian territory, including the Arab-majority provinces of Raqqa and Deir-ez-Zour in the east, much of it captured during its U.S.-backed war against the self-styled Islamic State caliphate. 'Activists from Raqqa (IS's former capital) and Deir ez-Zour have pressured Damascus to capture these majority Arab areas from the SDF, with the idea that the new regime could try to spark tribal revolts in SDF-held areas,' journalist Wladimir van Wilgenburg wrote in a recent analysis. He went on to note that several factors indicate 'that Damascus may exploit tribal groups to incite tribal revolts' in the SDF-held regions. 'The situation would be fundamentally similar to the Bedouin uprisings against the Druze and provide a pretext for the Syrian government to deploy its armed forces in SDF-held areas, as it did in Suwayda (Sweida),' Wilgenburg wrote. Of course, the SDF controls much larger swathes of Syria, and their rank-and-file battle-hardened from over a decade of confronting the Islamic State, a mission that continues until the present day. For example, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor states it has documented 140 Islamic State operations within SDF-controlled areas since the start of this year alone. In addition to securing overcrowded detention centers with captured ISIS militants, the SDF also serves as a bulwark protecting Iraq, which understandably worries that another security crisis in Syria could lead to ISIS or a similar group threatening its territory again. The SDF also remains a vital counter-terrorism ally of the United States in the region. Congressman Abe Hamadeh received 'a situation brief' from SDF leader Abdi on Sunday. In a post on X, he reiterated that, with its 100,000 Arab and Kurdish fighters, 'the SDF is a key part of Syria's future.' 'For over a decade, it has protected the northeast third of Syria, and established a decentralized model that protects Christians, Arabs, Kurds, and others,' he wrote. 'The SDF seeks time and space to strengthen their inclusive governance framework in Syria's interim process.' Hamadeh noted that U.S.-mediated Damascus-SDF negotiations, 'aimed at moving Syria away from the former regime's failed approach of intimidation and retaliation and toward a system grounded in protecting the rights and freedom for all,' are slated to resume this month in Paris. The SDF will no doubt disband when the time is right, and North and East Syria will revert to central government control. But the process will have to be an incremental one built on trust, which could take some time in light of the dismal events in Latakia and Sweida. Such events cannot be allowed to happen in these SDF-controlled regions since arguably so much more is at stake there. Nefarious actors like ISIS are the only ones that stand to benefit if Damascus resorts to threatening or using military force against the SDF. In the interim to an eventual agreement, the SDF will doubtlessly remain a force for stability in Northeast Syria, keeping a lid on any ISIS resurgence and the kind of instability that could plunge Syria into another civil war.
France 24
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- France 24
Syrian designer Rami Al Ali to make history at Paris Couture Week
The invitation to appear on the world's most prestigious fashion stage is a huge endorsement for the 53-year-old from the eastern city of Deir ez-Zor who turned to design after a childhood admiring his architect father's drawings. Now, following years of dressing A-listers from Oscar winner Helen Mirren to Beyonce as well as Middle Eastern royals, Ali is rubbing shoulders with the biggest names in the industry. "Nervous, excited, tired, happy," he told AFP when asked how he felt as he prepared models for his debut Paris Couture show on Thursday. "It's a mix of very overwhelming feelings." After studying in Damascus, Al Ali left for Dubai as a young man in search of opportunities in the fashion industry, working initially for two regional brands. He branched out on his own in 2001, building a regional fanbase for his eponymous brand from the United Arab Emirates before creating a following in Europe, including via shows in Paris outside the official Fashion Week calendar from 2012. The invitation this year from France's prestigious Federation de la Haute Couture et de la Mode places him in a new elite category that is increasingly diverse. Syrian traditions "It's a definitely big credit... to be acknowledged, to be authenticated, to be endorsed," he explained. Other non-Western designers such as Imane Ayissi, the sole sub-Saharan African at Couture Week, have hailed the French federation's openness. "It shows that things are changing, that things are moving forward," former model Ayissi told AFP this week. Al Ali's new collection of couture dresses -- he also produces two lines of ready-to-wear per year -- has been inspired like most of his work by his Syrian heritage and includes input from the country's Craft Council. "I built from my heritage, from my background, from where I was based, also in the Middle East, in Dubai, all of those combined together created the form and the DNA of the brand," he explained. Given an appreciation of tradition from his historian mother, Al Ali draws on the design aesthetics of Damascus, Aleppo and Palmyra in particular. "You don't see them anywhere else, and those are the ones that I'm trying as much as I can every time to bring back to life," he added. One of his dresses in Thursday's collection features elaborate sculptural patterns made from rolled off-white crepe fabric that has been stitched by hand in a process that took an estimated 300 hours of work. As part of the Couture Week calendar, he has joined other non-Western designers as the formerly Creative freedom Beyond the catwalks and glitz of the fashion world, Al Ali also attempted to support Syrian artists through the country's nearly 14-year civil war via a charity initiative called Ard Dyar. The fall of former president Bashar al-Assad in December, which led to the rise of rebel-turned-transitional leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, has given Ali cause for optimism about his homeland's future. Several Western governments have lifted sanctions on Syria as Sharaa, a formerly Al-Qaeda-linked Islamist, attempts to fully pacify the country and rebuild. "We called the collection the 'Guardian of Light', and it came also at a time that is very hopeful, very promising," Al Ali told AFP. "I think many great things will come to light very soon." After decades of Syria being a byword for violence and political oppression, Ali hopes that artists will now help highlight the country's rich history and design culture. "I think now we have much more freedom in expressing ourselves in all different aspects, political, humanitarian, creative. We have a lot to say, and definitely we are bolder, braver in the way we express it," he said.
Forbes
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
Here's What Could Be Next For U.S. Troops In Syria
U.S. Army soldiers board a CH-47 Chinook helicopter while departing a remote combat outpost known as ... More RLZ on May 25, 2021 near the Turkish border in northeastern Syria. (Photo by) The United States has withdrawn at least 500 of its 2,000 troops from Syria in recent weeks and is reconsolidating its on-the-ground presence from eight bases to just one. Analysts are divided over whether these moves are a prelude to a complete withdrawal. In an interview on Turkish television on June 2, the U.S. special envoy to Syria, Thomas Barrack, revealed that the U.S. will reduce its military base in Syria from eight bases to a mere one. U.S. troops are already leaving some bases they have used, especially in the eastern Arab-majority province of Deir ez-Zor. The U.S. first deployed a small number of troops to northeast Syria to help the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces combat the marauding Islamic State group in 2015. The U.S. first reduced its presence from approximately 2,000 to 900 near the end of President Trump's first term. It briefly increased its presence to 2,000 again in late 2024 as the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad swiftly collapsed. Beginning in April, the U.S. withdrew 500 troops, reducing the current presence to 1,500, and plans to further reduce it to under 1,000. In his Monday interview, Barrack called the SDF a 'very important factor' that should be integrated into the new Syrian government in Damascus, urging everyone 'to be reasonable in their expectations.' Kristin Ronzi, a Middle East and North Africa analyst at the risk intelligence company RANE, believes the special envoy's comments broadly align with the U.S. 'deprioritization' of Syria and the Pentagon's April announcement to reduce the American troop presence. 'The United States will increasingly look towards the Syrian central government and regional partners to increase their role in countering terrorism in Syria and the resurgence of the Islamic State,' Ronzi told me. 'But a complete U.S. withdrawal is unlikely, at least in the near term, since the Pentagon has indicated that the remaining troops would likely provide some high-level support for counterterrorism efforts in northeastern Syria.' 'The remaining U.S. troops will likely support Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces' counterterrorism efforts in the northeast, especially since the United States is continuing to provide some support for the SDF's maintaining of prisons holding Islamic State fighters and their families,' she said. The SDF has several prisons, camps, and detention centers with captured ISIS militants and their families dotted throughout the regions it currently controls and administers, the most infamous being the sprawling al-Hol camp. ISIS remnants in Syria have attempted to free their detained compatriots, most notably in a coordinated 2022 jailbreak in the northeastern city of Hasaka that took the SDF almost two weeks to suppress with U.S. support. The SDF has agreed to ultimately transfer control over these prisons to the new central government in Damascus. However, that has yet to happen. ISIS claimed its first attacks against Syrian government forces in late May. 'The United States will likely maintain some degree of a military presence in Syria for a while due to persistent concerns over a rise of jihadism and instability within the country,' Ronzi said. 'In order for the United States to fully withdraw from Syria, there would likely need to be increased confidence in the capacity of the Syrian government and regional partners to disrupt jihadist threats and that confidence would take time to build.' Ahmed al-Sharaa, leader of the armed Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham that toppled Assad, is now the president of the Syrian transitional government. HTS' former links with al-Qaeda, which Sharaa split from years ago, could limit broad military cooperation between the U.S. military and Damascus. 'Turkey would be more likely to increase military cooperation with Syria, especially since Turkey has offered to train Syrian troops and has an interest in establishing air and naval bases within Syria,' Ronzi said. 'This would also expand on ongoing cooperation efforts since, in May, Turkey, Jordan, and Syria established a joint operations center in Damascus to support counterterrorism efforts.' Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler confirmed on June 4 that Turkish troops would remain on Syrian soil to train Syrian soldiers and rebuild the country's shattered defenses. Caroline Rose, the director of the Crime-Conflict Nexus and Military Withdrawals portfolios at the New Lines Institute, believes Special Envoy Barrack's comments and recent troop movements in Syria are a 'clear sign' the U.S. is pursuing 'full-scale withdrawal in Syria concurrently with the withdrawal process in Iraq.' Furthermore, the April decision to withdraw 500 troops and pressure on its SDF ally and Damascus to 'expedite security reform negotiations' are 'signals that Washington seeks an exit route from Syria' as early as autumn or early winter. 'I think that the U.S. is trying to mirror in Syria the same process that is underway in Iraq: reconsolidating forces into one facility and transferring bases to local forces to prepare the foundation for a withdrawal in late 2025 or early 2026,' Rose told me. 'I think it is very likely that we will see further reductions of U.S. personnel in Syria (as well as Iraq).' RANE's Ronzi noted that there has been little progress by the SDF to integrate its forces and institutions into the new Syrian state army and central government, as stipulated in an agreement reached between them in March. She noted that the agreement had an 'original aspirational deadline' of the end of 2025. 'Although Barrack has noted the importance of integrating the SDF into the army, the SDF will likely slow walk this process to extract more favorable conditions from the central government,' Ronzi said. 'This will be especially likely if there is no imminent threat of a large Turkish-backed military operation and the SDF still has some U.S. support.' 'With little demonstrated steps towards integration, it is unlikely that the SDF will integrate completely by the end of this year, but increasing U.S. pressure could push the SDF closer toward integration.' Sources cited by the Saudi Al-Arabiya channel said the U.S. gave the SDF a deadline of late August to integrate into the Syrian Army. 'I think that this incentive to withdraw has created a surge in action from the Trump administration to try and achieve conducive conditions on the ground for withdrawal—conditions that will have to include a concluded agreement for the SDF to integrate into the Syrian Army,' Rose said. 'That being said, the attempt to clip the negotiation's process by months adds pressure but does not solve the key, central issue at hand: the fact that Damascus and the SDF are not on the same page and hold very different visions about what integration should look like.' 'If the Trump administration wants a sustainable plan in place that will hold, it should play a role in mediating these talks instead of simply expediting the deadline.'
Al Bawaba
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Al Bawaba
Syrian actress Fadwa Mohsen dies aged 84
Published May 20th, 2025 - 06:21 GMT ALBAWABA - Well-known Syrian actress Fadwa Mohsen passed away at the age of 84, local media reported on Tuesday. Fadwa Mohsen died aged 84, according to a statement from the Syrian Artists Syndicate on its official Facebook page, which also confirmed that funeral details will be announced later. Hami Bakkar posted on social media mourning his mother, Fadwa Mohsen. (Instagram) Her son, actor Hami Bakkar, mourned her on his Instagram account with touching words in which he said: "My mother has passed away. May God have mercy on you, my mother. You have gone to the Most Merciful." Fadwa Mohsen is very famous for her role in Bab Al-Hara where she played the role of "Om Ibrahim". Who is Fadwa Mohsen? Fadwa Mohsen was born in the Syrian city of Deir ez-Zor on February 26, 1941. She began her artistic career in the mid-1980s. Her true breakthrough came in 1992 with her role in the TV series "Tarabish," which marked a turning point in her career. © 2000 - 2025 Al Bawaba (
Al Bawaba
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Bawaba
Deadly car bomb targets police station in Syria
ALBAWABA - The police station in the city of Al-Mayadin, which is situated in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor, was hit by a strong explosion on Sunday evening, killing at least three security officers and injuring numerous more. Significant law enforcement officer casualties resulted from the explosion, a Syrian security source told Al Jazeera. The explosion is thought to have been triggered by a vehicle bomb, according to Syrian official news agency SANA, however no organization has yet to claim credit. First Major Attack Since Assad's Fall According to Omar Al-Haj, Al Jazeera's reporter in Damascus, this is the first strike of this sort in Al-Mayadin since Bashar al-Assad's administration collapsed. Additionally, he referenced unverified allegations that suggested indirect fire may have been fired at the city's jail during or soon after the explosion. Following Assad's overthrow, newly established local administrations took control of southern Deir ez-Zor, while the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), supported by the United States, continue to rule the northern portions of the province.
