Latest news with #UnifiedTribalCouncil
Shafaq News
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Protest erupts in Basra against Turkiye
Shafaq News/ A mass demonstration took place, on Tuesday, outside the Turkish visa application center in Basra, condemning recent attacks on Alawites in Syria and holding Turkiye fully responsible for the violence. The protest representative Sheikh Mujtaba Al-Mansouri that the demonstration is against the 'Turkish-Zionist aggression targeting Alawites and Shiites in Syria,' threating that Basra's residents would not remain idle if attacks on Alawites persist. He also called on Sunni scholars in Iraq to take an official stance against 'extremist groups', warning that 'if this war escalates, it will not differentiate between Sunnis, Shiites, Christians, or anyone who opposes the ideology of these terrorist groups.' Earlier today, Basra's Unified Tribal Council urged the government to bolster the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and reinforce security measures in response to escalating tensions in Syria. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the civilian death toll continues to rise on Syria's coast since March 6, claiming 1,500 civilian lives. #المرصد_السوري مع اكتشاف المزيد من المـ ـجـ ـازر.. ارتفاع ضحـ ـايا #الساحل_السوري إلى 1500 مدني أغلبهم من الطائفة العلوية — المرصد السوري لحقوق الإنسان (@syriahr) March 14, 2025
Shafaq News
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Iraq's Basra Tribes: No to sectarian violence in Syria
Shafaq News/ Iraq's Unified Tribal Council in Basra has called on the government to strengthen the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and enhance security measures amid growing unrest in Syria. At a press conference during a protest on Monday night, the council urged a strong government response to regional tensions, citing events in Palestine, Lebanon, and attacks on Alawites in Syria. It described the developments as part of a "broader geopolitical struggle involving normalization efforts and regional power shifts." The council accused Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan of supporting extremist groups in Syria, blaming them for "[transitional President Ahmad Al-Sharaa's] factions committing mass killings of unarmed civilians with regional backing and international silence." It also called on religious and political authorities, as well as Iraq's three branches of government, to prepare for all scenarios. Key demands included 'stricter security vetting of Syrian nationals in Iraq, legal action against figures accused of inciting sectarianism—such as Khamis al-Khanjar [head of the Sovereignty Alliance (Al-Siyada)], and caution in dealing with Al-Sharaa's government, including not extending invitations to it." The council also urged approving the PMF Service and Retirement Law and strengthening the PMF. Meanwhile, a group called Shia Followers of Ahl al-Bayt announced a demonstration on Tuesday evening in front of the Turkish visa office in Basra. Organizers said the protest aims to express solidarity with "persecuted" Shia communities in Syria and reaffirm readiness to confront extremist groups and "enemies of humanity." The Tribal Council's protest followed escalating sectarian violence in Syria, particularly targeting the Alawite community, with over 1,000 people reported killed in coastal regions since March 2025. On Friday, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shibani arrived in Baghdad, where he met with Iraq's Prime Minister, Parliament Speaker, and President. He later held a joint press conference with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, marking the first diplomatic engagement between Baghdad and Damascus since Al-Sharaa took power in Syria. A government source told Shafaq News that Al-Shibani's talks focused on security coordination, with Iraq increasingly alarmed by the spread of terrorist groups in Syria's desert regions.
