Latest news with #SyrianCivilDefense
Arab News
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Qatar supplies Syria's White Helmets with vehicles, logistical equipment
LONDON: Qatar has provided a consignment of vehicles, water pumps and other logistical equipment to the Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, to support its humanitarian and rescue efforts. Since the collapse of Bashar Assad's regime late last year, the White Helmets have been at the forefront of rescue and first aid operations in Syria, providing essential relief services and contributing to rebuilding efforts. The consignment was received at the Internal Security Force headquarters in Al-Duhail on Wednesday in the presence of Syrian Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management Raed Al Saleh and Qatari Brig. Gen. Nawaf Majed Al-Ali, assistant commander for security operations at the internal force. The equipment included fire engines, mobile water tanks, high-altitude rescue vehicles, water pumps and personnel transport vehicles that will be used in search and rescue operations and emergency response, the Qatar News Agency reported. Mounir Moustafa, director of the White Helmets, praised Qatar's support and said the equipment and training programs would significantly enhance their daily operations.
Shafaq News
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
War debris, landmines stop Syrians from returning
Shafaq News/ Landmines remain the primary obstacle preventing displaced families in Syria from returning to their homes and reviving agricultural and economic activity, the Syrian Civil Defense (White Helmets) said on Tuesday. The director of the Community Resilience Support Program Ali Mohammed told Shafaq News that the organization launched a new operational campaign titled 'Hope for the Returnees: Toward a Safe Return for the Displaced' following political changes in Syria and the collapse of the Assad regime. Hope for Returnees: Toward a Safe Return for the DisplacedA White Helmets campaign to revive areas devastated by attacks on civilians by the Syrian regime and Russia, making it safer for civilians to return by clearing roads, removing war debris, recovering the deceased, and… — The White Helmets (@SyriaCivilDef) December 5, 2024 The campaign began on January 1 in western Aleppo and eastern Idlib, expanding across other provinces based on geographic priorities, he pointed out, revealing that between December 1, 2024, and the end of February 2025, the teams reopened over 1.56 million meters of blocked roads and cleared more than 30,000 cubic meters of rubble. There are three types of road blockages across Syria. The first includes roads unintentionally closed due to airstrikes or military operations; most of these, whether primary or secondary roads, have been reopened, particularly in cities behind former frontlines in provinces like Idlib, Aleppo, Latakia, Hama, Deir ez-Zor, Daraa, Damascus, , Homs, and Quneitra, Mohammed explained. The second type involves roads sealed off with dirt berms rigged with landmines, which cannot be cleared without dedicated demining operations. The third includes roads inside urban areas closed with concrete barriers, many of which have been removed in coordination with local councils. Areas that remain difficult to access, according to the Syrian official, include northeastern and eastern Aleppo countryside—previously controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces—as well as parts of western and southern Aleppo, Idlib and Hama country sides, damaged towns in Damascus countryside, and neighborhoods in Damascus (such as Jobar and Yarmouk), Homs, Latakia, Daraa, and Deir ez-Zor. Over 600 people, including children, have been killed or injured by landmines and explosive remnants of war across Syria since December 2024, according to Human Rights Watch.
CNN
31-03-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Syria swears in new transitional government months after Assad's removal
Syria's new transitional government was sworn in Saturday nearly four months after the Assad family was removed from power and as the new authorities in Damascus work to bring back stability to the war-torn country. The 23-member Cabinet, which is religiously and ethnically mixed, is the first in the country's five-year transitional period and replaces the interim government that was formed shortly after Bashar Assad was removed from power in early December. The Cabinet does not have a prime minister since according to the temporary constitution signed by interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa earlier this month, the government will have a secretary general. The government that was announced ahead of Eid el-Fitr, the feast that marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan that starts in Syria on Monday, includes new faces apart from the ministers of foreign affairs and defense. They kept the posts they held in the interim government. Syria's new Interior Minister Anas Khattab was until recently the head of the intelligence department. 'The formation of a new government today is a declaration of our joint will to build a new state,' al-Sharaa said in a speech marking the formation of the government. Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra said his main goal will be to build a professional army 'from the people and for the people.' The government did not include members of the US-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces or the autonomous civil administration in northeast Syria. Al-Sharaa and SDF commander Mazloum Abdi signed a breakthrough deal earlier this month in Damascus on a nationwide ceasefire and the merging of the US-backed force into the Syrian army. Among the new ministers whose names were announced late Saturday night were Hind Kabawat, a Christian activist who was opposed to Assad since the conflict began in March 2011. Kabawat was named minister of minister of social affairs and labor. Another minister is Raed Saleh, who for years headed the Syrian Civil Defense, also known as White Helmets, and was named minister for emergency disasters. A Damascus-based Syrian Kurd, Mohammed Terko was named minister of education. Mohammed al-Bashir, who has headed Syria's interim government since Assad's fall, was named minister of energy whose main mission will be to restore the electricity and oil sectors that were badly damaged during the conflict. The new government's main mission is to try to end the war and bring stability to the country that witnessed clashes and revenge killings earlier this month in the coastal region that is home to members of the minority Alawite sect. The violence left more than 1,000 people, mostly Alawites, dead. Assad is an Alawite. Most of Syria's insurgent groups now running the country are Sunnis, but the presence of members of minority sects, including one woman and members of minority sects including an Alawite, is a message from al-Sharaa to Western countries that have been demanding that women and minorities be part of Syria's political process. The announcement of a religiously mixed government aims to try to convince Western countries to lift crippling economic sanctions that were imposed on Assad more than a decade ago. The UN says that 90% of Syrians are below the poverty line, while millions face cuts in food aid as a result of the war. Hours before the government was announced, the US State Department cautioned U.S. citizens of the increased possibility of attacks during the Eid el-Fitr holiday, which it said could target embassies, international organizations and Syrian public institutions in Damascus. It added that methods of attack could include, but are not limited to, individual attackers, armed gunmen, or the use of explosive devices.
CNN
31-03-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Syria swears in new transitional government months after Assad's removal
Syria's new transitional government was sworn in Saturday nearly four months after the Assad family was removed from power and as the new authorities in Damascus work to bring back stability to the war-torn country. The 23-member Cabinet, which is religiously and ethnically mixed, is the first in the country's five-year transitional period and replaces the interim government that was formed shortly after Bashar Assad was removed from power in early December. The Cabinet does not have a prime minister since according to the temporary constitution signed by interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa earlier this month, the government will have a secretary general. The government that was announced ahead of Eid el-Fitr, the feast that marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan that starts in Syria on Monday, includes new faces apart from the ministers of foreign affairs and defense. They kept the posts they held in the interim government. Syria's new Interior Minister Anas Khattab was until recently the head of the intelligence department. 'The formation of a new government today is a declaration of our joint will to build a new state,' al-Sharaa said in a speech marking the formation of the government. Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra said his main goal will be to build a professional army 'from the people and for the people.' The government did not include members of the US-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces or the autonomous civil administration in northeast Syria. Al-Sharaa and SDF commander Mazloum Abdi signed a breakthrough deal earlier this month in Damascus on a nationwide ceasefire and the merging of the US-backed force into the Syrian army. Among the new ministers whose names were announced late Saturday night were Hind Kabawat, a Christian activist who was opposed to Assad since the conflict began in March 2011. Kabawat was named minister of minister of social affairs and labor. Another minister is Raed Saleh, who for years headed the Syrian Civil Defense, also known as White Helmets, and was named minister for emergency disasters. A Damascus-based Syrian Kurd, Mohammed Terko was named minister of education. Mohammed al-Bashir, who has headed Syria's interim government since Assad's fall, was named minister of energy whose main mission will be to restore the electricity and oil sectors that were badly damaged during the conflict. The new government's main mission is to try to end the war and bring stability to the country that witnessed clashes and revenge killings earlier this month in the coastal region that is home to members of the minority Alawite sect. The violence left more than 1,000 people, mostly Alawites, dead. Assad is an Alawite. Most of Syria's insurgent groups now running the country are Sunnis, but the presence of members of minority sects, including one woman and members of minority sects including an Alawite, is a message from al-Sharaa to Western countries that have been demanding that women and minorities be part of Syria's political process. The announcement of a religiously mixed government aims to try to convince Western countries to lift crippling economic sanctions that were imposed on Assad more than a decade ago. The UN says that 90% of Syrians are below the poverty line, while millions face cuts in food aid as a result of the war. Hours before the government was announced, the US State Department cautioned U.S. citizens of the increased possibility of attacks during the Eid el-Fitr holiday, which it said could target embassies, international organizations and Syrian public institutions in Damascus. It added that methods of attack could include, but are not limited to, individual attackers, armed gunmen, or the use of explosive devices.
The Independent
29-03-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Syria swears in new transitional government 4 months after Assad's removal
Syria's new transitional government was sworn in Saturday nearly four months after the Assad family was removed from power and as the new authorities in Damascus work to bring back stability to the war-torn country. The 23-member Cabinet, which is religiously and ethnically mixed, is the first in the country's five-year transitional period and replaces the interim government that was formed shortly after Bashar Assad was removed from power in early December. The Cabinet does not have a prime minister since according to the temporary constitution signed by interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa earlier this month, the government will have a secretary general. The government that was announced ahead of Eid el-Fitr, the feast that marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan that starts in Syria on Monday, includes new faces apart from the ministers of foreign affairs and defense. They kept the posts they held in the interim government. Syria's new Interior Minister Anas Khattab was until recently the head of the intelligence department. 'The formation of a new government today is a declaration of our joint will to build a new state,' al-Sharaa said in a speech marking the formation of the government. Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra said his main goal will be to build a professional army 'from the people and for the people.' The government did not include members of the U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces or the autonomous civil administration in northeast Syria. Al-Sharaa and SDF commander Mazloum Abdi signed a breakthrough deal earlier this month in Damascus on a nationwide ceasefire and the merging of the U.S.-backed force into the Syrian army. Among the new ministers whose names were announced late Saturday night were Hind Kabawat, a Christian activist who was opposed to Assad since the conflict began in March 2011. Kabawat was named minister of minister of social affairs and labor. Another minister is Raed Saleh, who for years headed the Syrian Civil Defense, also known as White Helmets, and was named minister for emergency disasters. A Damascus-based Syrian Kurd, Mohammed Terko was named minister of education. Mohammed al-Bashir, who has headed Syria's interim government since Assad's fall, was named minister of energy whose main mission will be to restore the electricity and oil sectors that were badly damaged during the conflict. The new government's main mission is to try to end the war and bring stability to the country that witnessed clashes and revenge killings earlier this month in the coastal region that is home to members of the minority Alawite sect. The violence left more than 1,000 people, mostly Alawites, dead. Assad is an Alawite. Most of Syria's insurgent groups now running the country are Sunnis, but the presence of members of minority sects, including one woman and members of minority sects including an Alawite, is a message from al-Sharaa to Western countries that have been demanding that women and minorities be part of Syria's political process. The announcement of a religiously mixed government aims to try to convince Western countries to lift crippling economic sanctions that were imposed on Assad more than a decade ago. The U.N. says that 90% of Syrians are below the poverty line, while millions face cuts in food aid as a result of the war. Hours before the government was announced, the U.S. State Department cautioned U.S. citizens of the increased possibility of attacks during the Eid el-Fitr holiday, which it said could target embassies, international organizations and Syrian public institutions in Damascus. It added that methods of attack could include, but are not limited to, individual attackers, armed gunmen, or the use of explosive devices. ____ Mroue reported from Beirut.
