Latest news with #al-Assad-era
Shafaq News
02-06-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
US backs Syrian plan to integrate ex-rebels
Shafaq News/ The United States has signaled conditional approval for a Syrian government plan to incorporate thousands of foreign former rebel fighters into the national army, as long as the process remains transparent, according to Reuters. The proposal involves the formation of a new unit—designated the 84th Division—within the Syrian army. Around 3,500 foreign fighters, mainly Uyghurs from China and neighboring countries, are expected to be part of the division alongside Syrian nationals. US Special Envoy to Syria Thomas Barrack, who also serves as ambassador to Turkiye, acknowledged the arrangement during a recent visit to Damascus. He emphasized that the integration could be acceptable if handled transparently, noting that many of the fighters are firmly aligned with Syria's new leadership. 'It's better to absorb them within the structure of the state than leave them outside, vulnerable to re-radicalization,' he remarked. 'The key issue is accountability.' The future of foreign combatants who had previously fought under the banner of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) has remained one of the most contentious elements in Syria's attempts to normalize ties with the West. HTS, once affiliated with Al-Qaeda, assumed power last year following the collapse of the al-Assad government and the end of a 13-year conflict. Until recently, Washington had advocated for the removal of all foreign fighters from Syrian security institutions. However, policy shifted following President Donald Trump's tour of the Middle East last month. During his visit, Trump met transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh, announcing the lifting of al-Assad-era sanctions, and appointing Barrack to oversee US policy toward Syria. Inside Syria's defense circles, officials have continued to push for Western acceptance of the plan. 'We're not asking for blind trust,' explained a senior Syrian military adviser. 'We are offering oversight, verification, and a defined chain of command to make sure this integration reduces regional instability.' The US administration and Syria's official spokesperson have not yet issued a response.
Al Arabiya
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Syria arrests former al-Assad regime officer accused of ‘war crimes'
Syrian authorities said Tuesday they had arrested a former officer in the feared security apparatus of ousted ruler Bashar al-Assad, the latest such announcement as the new government pursues ex-officials accused of atrocities. The interior ministry announced in a statement that security forces in the coastal province of Latakia had arrested the 'criminal brigadier-general Sultan al-Tinawi,' saying he was a key officer in the air force intelligence, one of the al-Assad family's most trusted security agencies. The statement accused al-Tinawi of involvement in 'committing war crimes against civilians, including a massacre' in the Damascus countryside in 2016. It said he was responsible for 'coordinating between the leadership of the Lebanese Hezbollah militia and a number of sectarian groups in Syria.' Al-Tinawi has been referred to the public prosecution for further investigation, the statement said. A security source, requesting anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media, said that al-Tinawi held senior administrative positions in the air force intelligence when Jamil Hassan was head of the notorious agency. Hassan has been sentenced in absentia in France for complicity in crimes against humanity and war crimes, while the United States has accused him of 'war crimes,' including overseeing barrel bomb attacks on Syrian people that killed thousands of civilians. Al-Tinawi had been 'head of the information branch of the air force intelligence' before al-Assad's ouster late last year, the security source told AFP, describing the branch as 'one of the most powerful and secret security agencies in the country.' Since taking power in December, Syria's new authorities have announced a number of arrests of al-Assad-era security officials. Al-Assad fled to Moscow with only a handful of confidants, abandoning senior officials and security officers, some of whom have reportedly fled to neighboring countries or taken refuge in the coastal heartland of al-Assad's Alawite minority community.
Al Arabiya
14-04-2025
- Business
- Al Arabiya
Syria ministers to attend IMF, World Bank meetings next week: Sources
Syrian ministers and the country's central bank chief are to take part in the International Monetary Fund and World Bank's spring meetings in Washington next week, two sources told AFP on Monday. Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, Finance Minister Mohammed Barnieh and central bank governor Abdul Qadir al-Hasriya were set to join the April 21-26 meetings, a source with knowledge of the meetings said, requesting anonymity as they were not authorized to brief media. The officials would raise 'supporting Syria's reconstruction and economic recovery after years of conflict,' said the source, adding it would be a 'long process.' A Syrian foreign ministry source confirmed the officials would attend, and said Economy Minister Mohammed al-Shaar would also be part of the delegation. Opposition forces toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December after nearly 14 years of civil war that killed more than 500,000 people, displaced millions and wrecked the country's infrastructure and industry. Syria's new rulers have been trying to restore ties to international institutions to support the country's reconstruction and revive its economy, and are pushing for al-Assad-era sanctions to be lifted. The World Bank suspended operations in Syria when war broke out after al-Assad's government repressed pro-democracy protests. A report published in February by the United Nations Development Program put the country's total estimated 'lost' gross domestic product from 2011 to 2024 at $800 billion, with 90 percent of the population unable to afford essential goods. On Monday in Damascus, finance minister Barnieh met a technical delegation from the World Bank, state news agency SANA reported, to discuss developing and modernizing Syria's banks. Barnieh stressed Syria's 'keenness' to boost economic ties with the World Bank and underlined the 'negative effects' of Western sanctions on the country's banking and finance sector, SANA added.
Al Arabiya
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Syria's al-Sharaa signs constitutional declaration, hailing ‘new history'
Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Thursday signed the country's constitutional declaration, which will be enforced throughout a five-year transitional period. The declaration comes three months after opposition forces toppled Bashar al-Assad's repressive regime, leading to calls both inside and outside the country for an inclusive new Syria that respects rights. Al-Sharaa said he hoped the constitutional declaration would mark the start of 'a new history for Syria, where we replace oppression with justice,' as he signed the document setting out the transitional period. The declaration enshrines women's 'social, political and economic rights,' said Abdul Hamid al-Awak, a member of the committee that drafted the declaration. It also stipulates the 'absolute separation of powers,' al-Awak said, pointing to toppled president al-Assad's 'encroachment.' It gives the president a sole exceptional power, that of declaring a state of emergency. He added that the people's assembly, a third of which will be appointed by the president, would be tasked with all legislation. A supreme electoral committee would be formed to oversee the election of remaining members of the legislature. Executive power would also be restricted to the president in the transitional period, al-Awak said, pointing to the need for 'rapid action to confront any difficulties.' He added that the declaration also guarantees the 'freedom of opinion, expression and the press.' In late January, al-Sharaa promised a 'constitutional declaration' to serve as a 'legal reference' during the country's transitional period. He then announced in early March the formation of a committee to draft the declaration that 'regulates the transitional phase,' including two women. In late January, al-Sharaa, then the leader of the 'Hayat Tahrir al-Sham' (HTS) group which spearheaded al-Assad's overthrow, was appointed interim president for an unspecified period. Syria's new authorities repealed the al-Assad-era constitution and dissolved the parliament.
Al Arabiya
06-03-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Syria forces say clashing with gunmen affiliated with an al-Assad-era commander
Syrian forces were clashing with gunmen affiliated with an al-Assad-era special forces commander in Latakia on Thursday, the province's security director said, after authorities reportedly launched helicopter strikes in the area. 'The armed groups that our security forces were clashing with in the Latakia countryside were affiliated with the war criminal Suhail al-Hassan, who committed the most heinous massacres against the Syrian people,' the security director told state news agency SANA. Leaders of al-Assad's Alawite minority later called for peaceful protests in response to the reported helicopter strikes, which came after SANA said gunmen killed a member of the security forces.
