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Associated Press
3 days ago
- General
- Associated Press
Islamic State group claims first attack on Syrian government forces since Assad's fall
BEIRUT (AP) — The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for two attacks in southern Syria, including one on government forces that an opposition war monitor described as the first on the Syrian army to be adopted by the extremists since the fall of Bashar Assad. In two separate statements issued late Thursday, IS said that in the first attack, a bomb was detonated targeting a 'vehicle of the apostate regime,' leaving seven soldiers dead or wounded. It said the attack occurred 'last Thursday,' or May 22, in the al-Safa area in the desert of the southern province of Sweida. IS said that the second attack occurred this week in a nearby area during which a bomb targeted members of the U.S.-backed Free Syrian Army, claiming that it killed one fighter and wounded three. There was no comment from the government on the claim of the attack and a spokesperson for the Free Syrian Army didn't immediately respond to a request for comment by The Associated Press. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that the attack on government forces killed one civilian and wounded three soldiers, describing it as the first such attack to be claimed by IS against Syrian forces since the fall of the 54-year Assad family's rule in December. IS, which once controlled large parts of Syria and Iraq, is opposed to the new authority in Damascus led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa, who was once the head of al-Qaida's branch in Syria and fought battles against IS. Over the past several months, IS has claimed responsibility for attacks against the U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in the northeast. IS was defeated in Syria in March 2019 when SDF fighters captured the last sliver of land that the extremists controlled. Since then, its sleeper cells have carried out deadly attacks, mainly in eastern and northeast Syria. In January, state media reported that intelligence officials in Syria's post-Assad government thwarted a plan by IS to set off a bomb at a Shiite Muslim shrine south of Damascus. Al-Sharaa met with U.S. President Donald Trump in Saudi Arabia earlier this month during which the American leader said that Washington would work on lifting crippling economic sanctions imposed on Damascus since the days of Assad. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement after the meeting that Trump urged al-Sharaa to diplomatically recognize Israel, 'tell all foreign terrorists to leave Syria' and help the U.S. stop any resurgence of the Islamic State group.
STV News
15-05-2025
- Politics
- STV News
Trump meets Syria's former-insurgent-turned-leader in Saudi Arabia
US President Donald Trump has met interim Syrian president Ahmad al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia, the first encounter between the two nations' leaders in 25 years and one that could mark a turning point for Syria as it struggles to emerge from decades of international isolation. The meeting, on the sidelines of Trump's get-together with the leaders of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC), marks a major turn of events for a Syria still adjusting to life after the more than 50-year, iron-gripped rule of the Assad family. Trump praised Sharaa when speaking to reporters after the meeting on Air Force One, saying he was a 'young, attractive guy. Tough guy. Strong past. Very strong past. Fighter'. Under the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, Sharaa had ties to al Qaida and joined insurgents battling US forces in Iraq before entering the Syrian war. He was even imprisoned by US troops there for several years. 'He's got a real shot at holding it together,' Trump said. PA Media US President Donald Trump, left, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, centre, and Syria's interim president Ahmad al-Sharaa in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 'He's a real leader. He led a charge and he's pretty amazing.' The US president had announced the day before as he kicked off his three-nation Middle East tour in Riyadh that he would also move to lift US sanctions imposed on Syria under the deposed autocrat Bashar Assad. People across Syria cheered in the streets and set off fireworks on Tuesday night to celebrate, hopeful their nation – locked out of credit cards and global finance – might rejoin the world's economy when they need investments the most. The meeting came even after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had earlier asked Mr Trump not to lift sanctions on Syria, again underscoring a growing discontent between the White House and the Israeli government as its war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip rages on. I am 'ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria to give them a fresh start', Trump told the GCC after his meeting with Sharaa. 'It gives them a chance for greatness. The sanctions were really crippling, very powerful.' Trump said Sharaa had agreed to join the Abraham Accords and recognise Israel at some point, telling reporters: 'I think they have to get themselves straightened up. I told him, 'I hope you're going to join when it's straightened out.' He said, 'Yes.' But they have a lot of work to do.' Trump said on Tuesday that he would meet Sharaa, who had flown in to the Saudi capital for the face-to-face meeting. Even before its ruinous civil war that began in 2011, Syria struggled under a tightly controlled socialist economy and under sanctions by the US as a state-sponsor of terror since 1979. The Trump-al-Sharaa meeting took place behind closed doors and reporters were not permitted to witness the engagement. The White House later said it ran for just over 30 minutes, making Sharaa the first Syrian leader to meet an American president since Hafez Assad met Bill Clinton in Geneva in 2000. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan joined the meeting between Trump, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Sharaa via a phone call. Turkey was a main backer to Sharaa and his rebel faction. 'I felt very strongly that this would give them a chance,' Trump said of Syria. 'It's not going to be easy anyway, so gives them a good strong chance. And it was my honour to do so.' He added: 'We made a speech last night and that was the thing that got the biggest applause from the room.' Trump cited the intervention of Saudi Prince Mohammed as key to his decision. 'We commend the decision made yesterday by President Trump to lift the sanctions on the brotherly Syrian Arab Republic, which will alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people,' he said in a speech to the GCC. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that Trump urged Sharaa to diplomatically recognise Israel, 'tell all foreign terrorists to leave Syria' and help the US stop any resurgence of the so-called Islamic State group. Trump also asked for the Syrian government to 'assume responsibility' for more than a dozen detention centres holding some 9,000 suspected members of IS, Ms Leavitt added. The prisons are run by the US-backed and Kurdish-led forces that spearheaded the military campaign against the extremists and controlled the last sliver of land they once held in March 2019. As part of a deal reached in March between the Syrian government and the Kurdish-led forces, all border crossings with Iraq and Turkey, airports and oil fields in the north east would be brought under the central government's control by the end of the year. Trump's desire for Syria to take over the prisons also signals the potential of a full American military withdrawal from Syria. Syria's Foreign Ministry said Trump and Sharaa discussed the Syrian-US partnership in fighting terror and armed groups such as IS standing in the way of stability. Sharaa was named interim president of Syria in January, a month after a stunning offensive by insurgent groups led by Sharaa's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) that stormed Damascus, ending the 54-year rule of the Assad family. Many Gulf Arab leaders have rallied behind the new government in Damascus and want Trump to follow, believing it is a bulwark against Iran's return to influence in Syria, where it had helped prop up Assad's government during a decade-long civil war. But longtime US ally Israel has been deeply sceptical of Sharaa's extremist past and cautioned against swift recognition of the new government. The request came during Netanyahu's visit to Washington last month, according to an Israeli official. Israel was concerned that a cross-border attack similar to Hamas's October 7 2023, assault could come from Syria. Israel also fears Sharaa and his Islamist past could pose a threat on its northern border. Syrians cheered the announcement by Trump that the US will move to lift sanctions on the beleaguered Middle Eastern nation. The state-run SANA news agency published video and photographs of Syrians cheering in Umayyad Square, the largest in the country's capital Damascus. Others honked their car horns or waved the new Syrian flag in celebration. People whistled and cheered as fireworks lit the night sky. A statement from Syria's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday night called the announcement 'a pivotal turning point for the Syrian people as we seek to emerge from a long and painful chapter of war'. 'The removal of these sanctions offers a vital opportunity for Syria to pursue stability, self-sufficiency and meaningful national reconstruction, led by and for the Syrian people,' the statement added. 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Japan Times
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
Syrian leader's path from global jihad to meeting Trump
Syria's Ahmad al-Sharaa has transformed himself from al-Qaida militant to Syrian president in a dramatic political rise capped on Wednesday by a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. The encounter in Saudi Arabia is a milestone for a man who joined al-Qaida in Iraq around the time of the 2003 U.S.-led invasion and spent years in U.S. prison there before returning to Syria to join the insurgency against Bashar Assad. The meeting — following Trump's announcement of an end to U.S. sanctions on Syria — is a huge boost for al-Sharaa as he tries to bring the fractured country under his control and revive its economy, and Trump said he was looking to normalize ties with Damascus. "He's got the potential — he's a real leader," Trump told reporters on Air Force One after meeting al-Sharaa, whom he described as a young, attractive guy with a very strong past. "He's got a real shot at holding it together," Trump said. Syria's new leader took power after his Islamist fighters launched an offensive from their enclave in the northwest in 2024 and toppled Assad, whose allies Russia and Iran were distracted by other wars. He was long better known as Abu Mohammad al-Golani, his nom de guerre as commander of the Nusra Front, an insurgent group fighting Assad and for years al-Qaida's official wing in the conflict. Al-Sharaa speaks during a joint news conference with French President Emmanuel Macron after a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris on May 7. | REUTERS He cut ties with al-Qaida in 2016, gradually recasting his group as part of the Syrian revolution rather than global jihad. Swapping combat fatigues for suits and ties after entering Damascus as Syria's de facto ruler in December 2024, al-Sharaa promised to replace Assad's brutal police state with an inclusive and just order. He cited priorities including reuniting Syria, reviving an economy choked by sanctions and bringing arms under state authority. His administration won significant backing from Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. But he has struggled to meet his aims as armed groups kept their weapons, sanctions remained and sectarian killings left minority groups afraid of his rule. Israel, alleging al-Sharaa remains a jihadist, has declared southern Syria off limits to his forces. It said a strike near the presidential palace in Damascus on May 2 was a warning that it would not let Syrian forces deploy south of the capital or allow any threat to Syria's Druze minority. The challenges were demonstrated in March when Assad loyalists attacked government forces in the coastal region, prompting a wave of revenge killing in which Islamist gunmen killed hundreds of civilians from the Alawite minority, from which Assad hailed. It amplified fears about the jihadist roots of Syria's new ruling group despite al-Sharaa's promises of tolerance and accountability for the killings. Fears of a slide back toward authoritarian rule were hardened by a temporary constitution focusing power in his hands. Syria's new leader characterized Assad's defeat as a God-given victory. He sidestepped interviewers' questions on whether he thought Syria should apply Islamic sharia law, saying it was for experts to decide. The temporary constitution strengthened its role. He cited revolutionary legitimacy for his designation as interim president. He has said elections will take place, but that Syria needs up to five years to organize them properly. In an interview at the presidential palace, al-Sharaa underlined his intention to turn the page on Assad's rule. "My chest tightens in this palace. I'm astonished by how much evil against society emanated from every corner," he said. Born in Saudi Arabia, al-Sharaa spent the first years of his life there before moving to Syria. His father was an Arab nationalist, an ideology at odds with his own political Islam. In a 2021 interview with the U.S. Public Broadcasting Service's "FRONTLINE" program, al-Sharaa said he was influenced by the second Palestinian Intifada, or uprising against Israeli occupation, which began in 2000. He returned to Syria from Iraq once the uprising began, sent by the leader of the al-Qaida-affiliated Islamic State group in Iraq at the time, Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, to build up al-Qaida's presence. The U.S. designated al-Sharaa a terrorist in 2013, saying al-Qaida in Iraq had tasked him with overthrowing Assad's rule and establishing Islamic sharia law in Syria. It said the Nusra Front had carried out suicide attacks that killed civilians and espoused a violent sectarian vision. Macron (left) and al-Sharaa greet each other after a joint news conference in Paris on May 7. | AFP-JIJI Al-Sharaa gave his first media interview in 2013, his face wrapped in a scarf and showing his back to the camera. He told Al Jazeera that Syria should be run according to sharia law. In his 2021 "FRONTLINE" interview, he faced the camera in a shirt and jacket. He said the terrorist designation was unfair and that he opposed the killing of innocent people. Asked about his views on the Sept. 11 attacks at the time they happened, al-Sharaa said anybody in the Arab or Islamic world who said "he wasn't happy would be lying to you, because people felt the injustice of the Americans in their support of the Zionists, their policies towards Muslims in general, and their clear and strong support of the tyrants in the region." "But people regret the killing of innocent people, for sure," he said. The Nusra Front had never presented a threat to the West, he said. Despite its al-Qaida ties, Nusra was regarded as relatively less heavy-handed in dealings with civilians and other rebel groups than the Islamic State group.
North Wales Chronicle
14-05-2025
- Politics
- North Wales Chronicle
Trump meets Syria's former-insurgent-turned-leader in Saudi Arabia
Mr Trump agreed to 'say hello' to Mr al-Sharaa before the US leader wraps up his stay in Saudi Arabia and heads to Qatar, where Mr Trump is to be honoured with a state visit. His Middle East tour will also take him to the United Arab Emirates. Mr al-Sharaa was named president of Syria in January, a month after a stunning offensive by insurgent groups led by Mr al-Sharaa's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) stormed Damascus and ended the 54-year rule of the Assad family. Mr Trump said he decided to meet Mr al-Sharaa after being encouraged to do so by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The president also pledged to lift years-long sanctions on Syria. Prince Mohammed joined Mr Trump and Mr al-Sharaa for the meeting, which lasted for about 33 minutes. Mr Erdogan also took part in the talks via video conference, according to Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency. 'There is a new government that will hopefully succeed in stabilising the country and keeping peace,' Mr Trump said in a wide-ranging foreign policy address on Tuesday in which he announced he was lifting the sanctions that have been in place in Syria since 2011. 'That's what we want to see in Syria.' Formerly known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, Mr al-Sharaa joined the ranks of al Qaida insurgents battling US forces in Iraq after the US-led invasion and still faces a warrant for his arrest on terrorism charges in Iraq. The US once offered 10 million dollars for information about his whereabouts because of his links to al Qaida. Mr al-Sharaa came back to his home country of Syria after the conflict began in 2011 and led al Qaida's branch that used to be known as the Nusra Front. He later changed the name of his group to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and cut links with al Qaida. The sanctions go back to the rule of Bashar Assad, who was ousted in December, and were intended to inflict major pain on his economy. Both the Biden and Trump administrations had left the sanctions in place after Mr Assad's fall as they sought to take the measure of Mr al-Sharaa, who has renounced his past affiliation with al Qaida. After the talks with Mr al-Sharaa, Mr Trump headed to a meeting on Wednesday in Riyadh with members of the Gulf Co-operation Council, made up of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, before setting off for Qatar, the second stop on his Middle East tour. Qatar, like the other Gulf Arab states, is an autocratic nation where political parties are banned and speech is tightly controlled. It is overseen by its ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Sheikh Tamim, 44, took power in June 2013 when his father stepped down. Oil exports in Qatar began after the Second World War, though it would take until 1997 before Qatar began shipping out liquefied natural gas to the world. That brought unfathomable wealth – and new influence – to the small nation that sticks out like a thumb into the Persian Gulf. Qatar founded the satellite news network Al Jazeera, which brought an Arab perspective to mass media that helped fuel the 2011 Arab Spring protests. The network also became famous for running statements from al Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. Qatar has also played a central role in pay-to-play-style scandals around the globe. In Israel, authorities are investigating allegations that Qatar hired close advisers to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to launch PR campaigns to improve the Gulf nation's image among Israelis. Two European Union legislators found themselves accused of taking money from Doha in a scandal dubbed 'Qatar-gate'. US prosecutors in 2020 accused Qatar of bribing Fifa executive committee members to secure the tournament in the country in 2022. In 2024, RTX Corporation, the defence contractor formerly known as Raytheon, agreed to pay more than 950 million dollars to resolve allegations that it defrauded the US government and paid bribes to secure business with Qatar. Doha has always denied wrongdoing and sponsors an annual anti-corruption prize. Qatar follows an ultraconservative form of Sunni Islam known as Wahhabism born out of Saudi Arabia. However, Qatar struck a different tack in the Arab Spring by backing Islamists, including Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood and former Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi, as well as those who rose up against Mr Assad. Its support of Islamists, in part, led to a years-long boycott of the country by Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. That boycott only ended as then-US president Joe Biden prepared to enter the White House in 2021. Qatar has also served as a key mediator, particularly with the militant group Hamas as the international community pursues a ceasefire for the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. Qatar also served as host of the negotiations between the United States and the Taliban that led to America's 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan. Qatar is home to Al-Udeid Air Base, a sprawling facility that hosts the forward headquarters of the US military's Central Command. The oil-rich country is also at the centre of a controversy over its offer to provide Mr Trump with the gift of a luxury Boeing 747-8 that the US could use as Air Force One while new versions of the plane are under construction by Boeing. The Qatari government has said a final decision has not been made. But Mr Trump has defended the idea even as critics argue it would amount to a president accepting an astonishingly valuable gift from a foreign government. Mr Trump has indicated he would refurbish the aircraft and it would later be donated to his post-White House presidential library. He says he would not use the plane once he leaves office. The president, early on Wednesday in a social media post, said the plane 'is a gift from a Nation, Qatar, that we have successfully defended for many years'. 'Why should our military, and therefore our taxpayers, be forced to pay hundreds of millions of Dollars when they can get it for FREE from a country that wants to reward us for a job well done,' Mr Trump added. 'This big savings will be spent, instead, to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! Only a FOOL would not accept this gift on behalf of our Country.'
Belfast Telegraph
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Belfast Telegraph
Trump meets Syria's former-insurgent-turned-leader in Saudi Arabia
Mr Trump agreed to 'say hello' to Mr al-Sharaa before the US leader wraps up his stay in Saudi Arabia and heads to Qatar, where Mr Trump is to be honoured with a state visit. His Middle East tour will also take him to the United Arab Emirates. Mr al-Sharaa was named president of Syria in January, a month after a stunning offensive by insurgent groups led by Mr al-Sharaa's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) stormed Damascus and ended the 54-year rule of the Assad family. Mr Trump said he decided to meet Mr al-Sharaa after being encouraged to do so by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The president also pledged to lift years-long sanctions on Syria. Prince Mohammed joined Mr Trump and Mr al-Sharaa for the meeting, which lasted for about 33 minutes. Mr Erdogan also took part in the talks via video conference, according to Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency. 'There is a new government that will hopefully succeed in stabilising the country and keeping peace,' Mr Trump said in a wide-ranging foreign policy address on Tuesday in which he announced he was lifting the sanctions that have been in place in Syria since 2011. 'That's what we want to see in Syria.' Formerly known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, Mr al-Sharaa joined the ranks of al Qaida insurgents battling US forces in Iraq after the US-led invasion and still faces a warrant for his arrest on terrorism charges in Iraq. The US once offered 10 million dollars for information about his whereabouts because of his links to al Qaida. Mr al-Sharaa came back to his home country of Syria after the conflict began in 2011 and led al Qaida's branch that used to be known as the Nusra Front. He later changed the name of his group to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and cut links with al Qaida. The sanctions go back to the rule of Bashar Assad, who was ousted in December, and were intended to inflict major pain on his economy. Both the Biden and Trump administrations had left the sanctions in place after Mr Assad's fall as they sought to take the measure of Mr al-Sharaa, who has renounced his past affiliation with al Qaida. After the talks with Mr al-Sharaa, Mr Trump headed to a meeting on Wednesday in Riyadh with members of the Gulf Co-operation Council, made up of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, before setting off for Qatar, the second stop on his Middle East tour. Qatar, like the other Gulf Arab states, is an autocratic nation where political parties are banned and speech is tightly controlled. It is overseen by its ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Sheikh Tamim, 44, took power in June 2013 when his father stepped down. Oil exports in Qatar began after the Second World War, though it would take until 1997 before Qatar began shipping out liquefied natural gas to the world. That brought unfathomable wealth – and new influence – to the small nation that sticks out like a thumb into the Persian Gulf. Qatar founded the satellite news network Al Jazeera, which brought an Arab perspective to mass media that helped fuel the 2011 Arab Spring protests. The network also became famous for running statements from al Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. Qatar has also played a central role in pay-to-play-style scandals around the globe. In Israel, authorities are investigating allegations that Qatar hired close advisers to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to launch PR campaigns to improve the Gulf nation's image among Israelis. Two European Union legislators found themselves accused of taking money from Doha in a scandal dubbed 'Qatar-gate'. US prosecutors in 2020 accused Qatar of bribing Fifa executive committee members to secure the tournament in the country in 2022. In 2024, RTX Corporation, the defence contractor formerly known as Raytheon, agreed to pay more than 950 million dollars to resolve allegations that it defrauded the US government and paid bribes to secure business with Qatar. Doha has always denied wrongdoing and sponsors an annual anti-corruption prize. Qatar follows an ultraconservative form of Sunni Islam known as Wahhabism born out of Saudi Arabia. However, Qatar struck a different tack in the Arab Spring by backing Islamists, including Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood and former Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi, as well as those who rose up against Mr Assad. Its support of Islamists, in part, led to a years-long boycott of the country by Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. That boycott only ended as then-US president Joe Biden prepared to enter the White House in 2021. Qatar has also served as a key mediator, particularly with the militant group Hamas as the international community pursues a ceasefire for the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. Qatar also served as host of the negotiations between the United States and the Taliban that led to America's 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan. Qatar is home to Al-Udeid Air Base, a sprawling facility that hosts the forward headquarters of the US military's Central Command. The oil-rich country is also at the centre of a controversy over its offer to provide Mr Trump with the gift of a luxury Boeing 747-8 that the US could use as Air Force One while new versions of the plane are under construction by Boeing. The Qatari government has said a final decision has not been made. But Mr Trump has defended the idea even as critics argue it would amount to a president accepting an astonishingly valuable gift from a foreign government. Mr Trump has indicated he would refurbish the aircraft and it would later be donated to his post-White House presidential library. He says he would not use the plane once he leaves office. The president, early on Wednesday in a social media post, said the plane 'is a gift from a Nation, Qatar, that we have successfully defended for many years'. 'Why should our military, and therefore our taxpayers, be forced to pay hundreds of millions of Dollars when they can get it for FREE from a country that wants to reward us for a job well done,' Mr Trump added. 'This big savings will be spent, instead, to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! Only a FOOL would not accept this gift on behalf of our Country.'
