Latest news with #Islamicmilitants
BreakingNews.ie
16-07-2025
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
‘New ceasefire agreed' after clashes in Syria
Syrian government officials and leaders of the Druze religious minority have announced a renewed ceasefire after days of clashes that have threatened to unravel the country's post-war political transition. It was not immediately clear if the new agreement – which was announced by Syrian state media and in a video message by a Druze religious leader – would hold. Advertisement A previous ceasefire announced the day before quickly fell apart. The announcement came after Israel launched a series of rare air strikes in the heart of Damascus, part of a campaign that it said is intended to defend the Druze – who also form a substantial community in Israel – and to push Islamic militants away from its border. Government soldiers stand next to confiscated items stolen during clashes in Sweida city (Omar Albam/AP) The escalating violence has appeared to be the most serious threat yet to the ability of Syria's new rulers to consolidate control of the country after a rebel offensive led by Islamist insurgent groups ousted long-time despotic leader, Bashar Assad, in December, bringing an end to a nearly 14-year civil war. As clashes have raged for days in the southern Syrian city of Sweida between government forces and Druze armed groups, Israel has launched dozens of strikes targeting government troops and convoys, and on Wednesday struck the Syrian Defence Ministry headquarters in the heart of Damascus. Advertisement That strike killed one person and injured 18, Syrian officials said. Another strike hit near the presidential palace in the hills outside Damascus. Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said after the air strike in a post on X that the 'painful blows have begun'. An Israeli military official said the army was preparing for a 'multitude of scenarios' and that a brigade, normally comprising thousands of soldiers, was being pulled out of Gaza and sent to the Golan Heights. Syria's Defence Ministry had earlier blamed militias in the Druze-majority area of Sweida for violating a ceasefire agreement that had been reached on Tuesday, causing Syrian army soldiers to return fire. Advertisement It said they were 'adhering to rules of engagement to protect residents, prevent harm, and ensure the safe return of those who left the city back to their homes'. Meanwhile, reports of attacks on civilians continued to surface, and Druze with family members in the conflict zone searched desperately for information about their fate amid communication blackouts. The primarily Sunni Muslim leaders have faced suspicion from religious and ethnic minorities, whose fears increased after clashes between government forces and pro-Assad armed groups in March spiralled into sectarian revenge attacks. Hundreds of civilians from the Alawite religious minority, to which Assad belongs, were killed. Advertisement Israeli soldiers stand guard as Syrian Druze protest near the Israeli-Syrian border (Leo Correa/AP) In Jaramana near the Syrian capital, Evelyn Azzam, 20, said she fears that her husband, Robert Kiwan, 23, is dead. The newlyweds live in the Damascus suburb but Mr Kiwan would commute to Sweida for work each morning and got trapped there when the clashes erupted. Ms Azzam said she was on the phone with Mr Kiwan when security forces questioned him and a colleague about whether they were affiliated with Druze militias. When her husband's colleague raised his voice, she heard a gunshot. Mr Kiwan was then shot while trying to appeal. 'They shot my husband in the hip from what I could gather,' she said, struggling to hold back tears. 'The ambulance took him to the hospital. Since then, we have no idea what has happened.' The Druze religious sect began as a 10th-century offshoot of Ismailism, a branch of Shiite Islam. Advertisement More than half the roughly one million Druze worldwide live in Syria. Most of the other Druze live in Lebanon and Israel, including in the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Middle East War and annexed in 1981. In Israel, the Druze are seen as a loyal minority and often serve in the military. In Syria, the Druze have been divided over how to deal with the country's new leaders, with some advocating for integrating into the new system while others have remained suspicious of the authorities in Damascus and pushed for an autonomous Druze region. On Wednesday, Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said in a statement that the Israeli army 'will continue to attack regime forces until they withdraw from the area — and will also soon raise the bar of responses against the regime if the message is not understood'.
The Guardian
19-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Plans for prison wing in Devil's Island to hold drug traffickers and Islamic militants sparks outcry
French plans to build a maximum-security prison wing for drug traffickers and Islamic militants near a former penal colony in French Guiana have sparked an outcry among residents and local officials. The wing would form part of a $450m (£337m) prison announced in 2017 that is expected to be completed by 2028 and hold 500 inmates. The prison would be built in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, a town bordering Suriname that once received prisoners shipped by Napoleon III in the 1800s, some of whom were sent to the notorious Devil's Island off the coast of French Guiana. French justice minister Gérald Darmanin announced plans to build the high-security wing during an official visit to French Guiana on Saturday. He said in a Facebook post that 15 of the wing's 60 spaces would be reserved for Islamic militants. Darmanin was quoted by Le Journal du Dimanche, a French weekly newspaper, as saying that the prison also aims to keep suspected drug traffickers from having any contact with their criminal networks. 'We are seeing more and more drug trafficking networks,' he told reporters in French Guiana. 'We must react.' French media, quoting the justice ministry, reported that people from French Guiana and French Caribbean territories would be sent in priority to the new prison. The announcement angered many across French Guiana, an overseas French department located in South America. It was once an infamous colony known for holding French political prisoners, including army Capt Alfred Dreyfus, who was accused of being a spy. Dreyfus was incarcerated on Devil's Island, a penal colony that operated for a century and was featured in the bestselling French novel 'Papillon,' which later was made into two movies. Jean-Paul Fereira, acting president of French Guiana's territorial collective, an assembly of 51 lawmakers that oversees local government affairs, said they were taken aback by the announcement since the plan to build a high-security wing was never discussed with them ahead of time. 'It is therefore with astonishment and indignation that the elected members of the Collectivity discovered, together with the entire population of Guiana, the information detailed in Le Journal Du Dimanche,' he wrote in a statement posted on social media. Fereira said the move was disrespectful and insulting, noting that the agreement French Guiana signed in 2017 was for the construction of a new prison meant to alleviate overpopulation at the main prison. 'While all local elected officials have long been calling for strong measures to curb the rise of organised crime in our territory, Guiana is not meant to welcome criminals and radicalised people from (mainland France),' he wrote. Also decrying the plan was Jean-Victor Castor, a member of parliament in French Guiana. He said he wrote directly to France's prime minister to express his concerns, noting that the decision was taken without consulting local officials. 'It's an insult to our history, a political provocation and a colonial regression,' Castor wrote in a statement issued Sunday as he called on France to withdraw the project. A spokesperson for France's justice minister did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
Associated Press
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
France's plan to build a maximum security prison wing in French Guiana angers local officials
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — France plans to build a maximum-security prison wing for drug traffickers and Islamic militants near a former penal colony in French Guiana, sparking an outcry among residents and local officials. The wing would form part of a $450 million prison announced in 2017 that is expected to be completed by 2028 and hold 500 inmates. The prison would be built in Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, a town bordering Suriname that once received prisoners shipped by Napoleon III in the 1800s, some of whom were sent to the notorious Devil's Island off the coast of French Guiana. French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin announced plans to build the high-security wing during an official visit to French Guiana on Saturday. He said in a Facebook post that 15 of the wing's 60 spaces would be reserved for Islamic militants. Darmanin was quoted by Le Journal du Dimanche, a French weekly newspaper, as saying that the prison also aims to keep suspected drug traffickers from having any contact with their criminal networks. 'We are seeing more and more drug trafficking networks,' he told reporters in French Guiana. 'We must react.' The announcement angered many across French Guiana, an overseas French department located in South America. It was once an infamous colony known for holding French political prisoners, including Army Capt. Alfred Dreyfus, who was accused of being a spy. Dreyfus was incarcerated on Devil's Island, a penal colony that operated for a century and was featured in the best-selling French novel 'Papillon,' which later was made into two movies. Jean-Paul Fereira, acting president of French Guiana's territorial collective, an assembly of 51 lawmakers that oversees local government affairs, said they were taken aback by the announcement since the plan to build a high-security wing was never discussed with them ahead of time. 'It is therefore with astonishment and indignation that the elected members of the Collectivity discovered, together with the entire population of Guiana, the information detailed in Le Journal Du Dimanche,' he wrote in a statement posted Sunday on social media. Fereira said the move was disrespectful and insulting, noting that the agreement French Guiana signed in 2017 was for the construction of a new prison meant to alleviate overpopulation at the main prison. 'While all local elected officials have long been calling for strong measures to curb the rise of organized crime in our territory, Guiana is not meant to welcome criminals and radicalized people from (mainland France),' he wrote. Also decrying the plan was Jean-Victor Castor, a member of Parliament in French Guiana. He said he wrote directly to France's prime minister to express his concerns, noting that the decision was taken without consulting local officials. 'It's an insult to our history, a political provocation and a colonial regression,' Castor wrote in a statement issued Sunday as he called on France to withdraw the project. A spokesperson for France's justice minister did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. ____ Follow AP's coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at
