Latest news with #IslamicState-affiliated
Qatar Tribune
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Qatar Tribune
Kurds reach deal with Syria on repatriation of IS-affiliated families
dpa Beirut The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in north-eastern Syria have reached a deal with the Syrian government to begin repatriating Islamic State-affiliated families from the Al-Hol camp, a monitor group and Kurdish sources confirmed on Tuesday. The agreement, announced by senior SDF official Sheikhmous Ahmed, stated that a joint mechanism will be established to facilitate the return of 'Syrian families' from the camp. 'This agreement will not include foreign fighters and their families,' Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The development follows a high-level meeting involving SDF representatives, Syrian government officials and members of the US-led international coalition, Kurdish sources said. Farhad al Shami, head of the SDF media centre, said: 'There is no change in the status or management of the Al-Hol camp. The Syrian Democratic Forces will continue their duties with increased intensity and consistent support from the concerned international powers.' Al-Hol camp, located in north-eastern Syria, currently holds around 40,000 people, mostly women and children with suspected ties to the Islamic State.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Kurds reach deal with Syria on repatriation of IS-affiliated families
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in north-eastern Syria have reached a deal with the Syrian government to begin repatriating Islamic State-affiliated families from the Al-Hol camp, a monitor group and Kurdish sources confirmed on Tuesday. The agreement, announced by senior SDF official Sheikhmous Ahmed, stated that a joint mechanism will be established to facilitate the return of "Syrian families" from the camp. "This agreement will not include foreign fighters and their families," Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told dpa. The development follows a high-level meeting involving SDF representatives, Syrian government officials and members of the US-led international coalition, Kurdish sources said. Farhad al Shami, head of the SDF media centre, told dpa: "There is no change in the status or management of the Al-Hol camp. The Syrian Democratic Forces will continue their duties with increased intensity and consistent support from the concerned international powers." He added that the agreement reached pertains to the transfer of families affiliated with the Islamic State extremist militia organization who are originally from areas under government control, such as Hama and Aleppo. "This has been a long-standing demand by the SDF, but the transfer had been repeatedly delayed due to the lack of a responsible party to receive them," he said, adding that the transfer process will begin "once the objective conditions for receiving such cases by the government are in place." Al-Hol camp, located in north-eastern Syria, currently holds around 40,000 people, mostly women and children with suspected ties to the Islamic State.
Russia Today
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Roadside bomb kills dozens in African state
At least 26 people have been killed in Nigeria's northeastern Borno state after two vehicles struck an improvised explosive device in an attack claimed by the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), Reuters reported on Tuesday. The explosion occurred on Monday while the vehicles were traveling between the towns of Rann and Gamboru Ngala, according to local residents cited by the outlet. The area lies in the heart of a region plagued by over 15 years of Islamist insurgency involving Islamic State-affiliated organizations and Boko Haram. Liman Tom, a traveler who witnessed the incident, said the vehicles were severely damaged, adding that survivors were rushed to nearby hospitals by soldiers and members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) – a local group assisting in anti-insurgent operations. A local whose mother was among the victims told Reuters that he 'cannot even recognize her remains.' A security advisory from the International Safety Organization, which provides protection to foreign non-governmental organizations in the region, reportedly confirmed the blast. The group said the assault resulted in 'the death of 26 individuals and three injuries.' Police in the restive region have not yet commented on the attack, but a military officer who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity said that '26 people died in the blast, comprising 16 men, four women, and six children.' ISWAP emerged in 2016 after a split with Boko Haram, triggered by ideological and leadership disputes. Boko Haram's leader at the time, Abubakar Shekau, was criticized by Islamic State's central command for indiscriminate attacks on Muslim civilians. He was replaced by Abu Musab al-Barnawi, prompting a division between the factions. Violence linked to the insurgent groups has continued to destabilize the West African nation's northeast, displacing millions and claiming thousands of lives. The latest incident follows separate attacks over the weekend in Borno and Adamawa states, which left at least 22 people dead. In Borno's Gwoza area, ten civilians were ambushed while collecting firewood, authorities have said. Another ten were killed in Adamawa's Hong district during a raid on Kopre village. Police in Adamawa announced on Monday that security reinforcements have been deployed to the affected areas.
Russia Today
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Insurgents kill 22 people in Nigeria
At least 22 people have been killed and several others wounded in two separate attacks over the weekend in northeastern Nigeria, local authorities reported, amid renewed militant violence in the troubled region. The assaults targeted villages in Borno and Adamawa states on Saturday. In Borno's Gwoza area, suspected Islamist militants ambushed a group of civilians, killing ten of them, according to Mohammed Shehu Timta, emir of the region. He said two members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) were killed in an earlier attack on Friday. 'They went to a nearby bush in search of firewood on Saturday when the boys [insurgents] ambushed them and killed ten and left two with life-threatening injuries,' local outlets, including the Punch Newspaper, cited Timta as saying. In Adamawa State's Hong district, gunmen believed to be Boko Haram fighters raided Kopre village, where 10 people were killed and several others injured, residents said, according to Reuters. Police in Adamawa confirmed the incident, saying it also targeted local hunters and members of the CJTF. In a statement on Monday, regional police spokesperson Suleiman Yahaya Nguroje announced that more officers, including soldiers, have been deployed to 'augment the security strength in Kopre.' 'The Adamawa State Police command in sustaining collaboration with sister security agencies particularly the Military, continues to demonstrate its commitment to improve security across the border to prevent violent crimes, protect lives and property, arrest and recover illegal possession of firearms,' he stated. The assaults come amid growing warnings from officials about a resurgence of militant violence in the northeast. Earlier this month, Borno's governor reportedly acknowledged that Boko Haram fighters had resumed attacks and kidnappings. The West African nation has long grappled with insurgency, with Islamic State-affiliated organizations and Boko Haram carrying out frequent attacks. According to United Nations estimates, the conflict between jihadists and the Nigerian government has killed tens of thousands and displaced over two million people. While Nigeria's military intensifies its counterterrorism operations – including airstrikes on militant strongholds – these campaigns have at times inflicted civilian casualties. In December, the army reported that at least ten people were accidentally killed in a bombing raid targeting an armed group's base in the northwestern state of Sokoto.
Middle East Eye
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Egypt: Sisi honours militia fighter accused of war crimes in Sinai
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi honoured the Sinai militia fighter Ibrahim Hammad as a 'martyr' on Tuesday despite calls by rights groups to investigate war crimes allegations against him. At an annual event remembering members of the armed forces killed in combat, Sisi named Ibrahim Hammad as a 'martyr hero', and gave a reward to his mother. Hammad was killed on 10 May 2022 while participating in an Egyptian army operation against alleged 'terrorists' in the Sheikh Zuweid area in North Sinai. The Sinai Foundation for Human Rights (SFHR), a London-based group that advocates for accountability for rights abuses in Sinai, has strongly denounced Sisi's comments. 'The SFHR and international organisations, including Human Rights Watch, have documented this individual's involvement in cold-blooded field executions of unarmed civilians in Sinai in 2017,' the group said. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters 'This act represents a severe insult to the victims and their families and reinforces the policy of impunity.' 'Undeniable war crime' A video verified by HRW in April 2017 shows an operation in which Hamad, then a member of a local militia aligned with the Egyptian army, took part in shootings of two brothers from the Rumailat tribe: Daoud Sabri al-Awabdah, 16, and Abd al-Hadi Sabri al-Awabdah, 19. According to HRW, the brothers had been arrested on 18 July 2016 in the town of Rafah and forcibly disappeared. 'The video shows Ibrahim Hamad Ibrahim Hamad carrying out field executions of detainees at point-blank range - an undeniable war crime that demands accountability,' SFHR said on Tuesday. How a murky security crackdown in Egypt snuffed out South Sinai's hiking economy Read More » 'Despite the clear evidence and his identification, no investigation or legal action was taken against him. Instead, he continued working with the army until his death in May 2022 due to an explosive device detonation. 'Honouring war criminals sends a clear message that the state has no intention of holding human rights violators accountable but instead provides them with official protection - even after their deaths,' the group added. The Egyptian army, aided by local tribesmen, fought a war against members of the Islamic State-affiliated Sinai Province between 2013 and 2022. The group, which was relatively small and poorly armed, has been defeated, according to the Egyptian army and local Sinai tribal sources who spoke to Middle East Eye. During the course of the war, thousands of indigenous inhabitants of North Sinai villages were forcibly displaced and have yet to return to their lands, much of which has been turned into a buffer zone along the borders with Israel and Gaza. During nearly 10 years of hostilities, HRW and SFHR documented war crimes committed by both sides of the conflict. Cairo has yet to investigate the alleged violations or bring anyone to justice. It has also granted amnesties to members of the Islamic State after the end of the war.
