Latest news with #ShafaqNew
Shafaq News
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
UN-backed return: Over 240 families home from Syrian camp
Shafaq News/ On Wednesday, Iraq repatriated more than 240 families from Syria's al-Hol camp as part of a UN-backed agreement, a lawmaker said. Hussein al-Ameri, a member of parliament's Security and Defense Committee, told Shafaq New that the returns follow a 'long-standing' arrangement that permits groups of 50 people at a time to return for psychological and social rehabilitation. The families, previously housed in the al-Hol and al-Hasakah camps in northeastern Syria, crossed into Nineveh province aboard 20 Iraqi buses via the al-Yarubiyah border crossing, according to security and humanitarian officials. 'This is the 25th convoy since returns began and the eighth so far in 2025,' Shukri al-Hajji, head of al-Hol's exit office, told Shafaq News. The convoy was accompanied by US armored vehicles under Global Coalition coordination to ensure safe passage, officials said. Returnees are currently housed at al-Jadaa camp south of Mosul, where they undergo reintegration supported by Iraqi authorities and UN agencies. Future relocation to their original home areas depends on clearance by national security and intelligence services, al-Ameri said. On Tuesday, over 240 families of 860 individuals were also returned as part of the same agreement. Iraq launched the repatriation program in 2021 with international backing. However, it continues to face local opposition, particularly in Nineveh, where families of ISIS victims have raised concerns about the return of former camp residents.
Shafaq News
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
PM Barzani, US Security Advisor address oil exports and government formation
Shafaq New/ Kurdish Prime Minister Masrour Barzani discussed government formation and resumption of Kurdistan oil exports with the US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz in a phone call on Friday. According to a statement from the PM's media office, the both parties explored ways to strengthen ties between the Kurdistan Region, Iraq, and the United States. They emphasized the urgency of forming a new KRG cabinet and reaffirmed the necessity of resuming oil exports from the Kurdistan Region as soon as possible. The conversation also touched on the escalating developments in the Middle East, with both sides stressing the importance of maintaining stability in the region.
Shafaq News
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Iran: No more hijab street patrols
Shafaq New/ Iran has officially disbanded its morality police, which enforced the country's mandatory hijab laws, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf announced. Qalibaf confirmed that the revised law eliminates the "Guidance Patrols", but he emphasized that hijab laws remain in effect, according to local media. The amendments, he said, aim to change enforcement methods and foster public consensus on the issue. The decision follows years of public defiance against hijab mandates, particularly after the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini in police custody, which sparked mass protests and international condemnation, pressuring the government to modify its approach. In February 2025, a woman in Mashhad staged a dramatic demonstration, undressing and climbing onto a police car to protest dress code enforcement. Her act followed the December passage of the Chastity and Hijab Law, which introduced harsher penalties for violations. Human rights organizations have denounced Iran's continued enforcement of hijab laws. Human Rights Watch criticized the legislation for introducing severe punishments, including fines, imprisonment, and even the death penalty for repeat offenders. Amnesty International described the law as an effort to "suppress opposition to compulsory veiling."
