Latest news with #sectarian violence
The National
6 hours ago
- Politics
- The National
Syria's Kurdish fighters say laying down arms 'impossible'
Kurdish fighters in Syria have said it is 'impossible' to lay down their arms amid a flurry of sectarian violence in the country. The Syrian Democratic Forces, a mostly Kurdish militia, made a deal with President Ahmad Al Shara in March to merge with Syria's state institutions. The deal was part of Mr Al Shara's efforts to unify the country after years of civil war in Syria, in which various armed groups held sway in parts of the country. The SDF peace process has not gone smoothly though, with the authorities in Damascus accusing the US -backed militia of dragging its feet. An outbreak of fierce fighting in the south of Syria, with troops sent to quell unrest involving Bedouin tribes and the Druze minority, has cast further doubt on Mr Al Shara's efforts to hold Syria together. And under pressure from Washington, Syria has mounted raids against members of ISIS as the extremist group threatens to stage a resurgence. 'In light of the ongoing tensions in Syria, the escalating violence, and the threat of ISIS, it is impossible for our forces to surrender their weapons,' Kurdish media quoted SDF spokesman Abjar Daoud as saying on Tuesday. 'The SDF can join the Syrian army through a constitutional agreement that recognises the uniqueness of the Kurdish component,' he said. He added that the SDF 'is not in favour of war' but would 'defend its people' if necessary. Turkey, which opposes Kurdish autonomy, warned on Tuesday that it could intervene to stop any attempt to break up Syria. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan's comments appeared to be aimed at Israel, which last week bombed Damascus on behalf of the Druze minority. Turkey has condemned the Israeli strikes as an attempt to sabotage Syria's efforts to establish peace. Mr Fidan said Israel wanted a divided Syria to make the country unstable, weaker and a liability to the region, and added that Kurdish YPG militants were looking to take advantage of the chaos. 'God willing, we will prevent this policy from being realised,' he said. In an apparent reference to the YPG, he said groups in Syria should not see such chaos as a tactical opportunity to achieve autonomy or independence within Syria and that they faced 'a big strategic catastrophe'. 'This leads nowhere,' he said.
Free Malaysia Today
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Syrian authorities evacuate Bedouin families from Sweida
The ceasefire in Sweida was announced Saturday but effectively only began yesterday. (AFP pic) SWEIDA : Syrian authorities today evacuated Bedouin families from the Druze-majority city of Sweida, after a ceasefire in the southern province halted bloody clashes between the communities, an AFP correspondent and official media said. An AFP correspondent outside the devastated provincial capital saw a convoy including buses enter Sweida and then exit again carrying civilians. The evacuees, including women and children, were headed for reception centres in neighbouring Daraa province and to the capital Damascus, in coordination with the Syrian Red Crescent. State news agency Sana said 1,500 people from Bedouin tribes were to be evacuated. The ceasefire announced Saturday put an end to the sectarian violence that has left more than 1,100 dead in a week, according to a monitor. Clashes began between Druze and Bedouin tribes, who have had tense relations for decades, and were complicated by the intervention of Sunni Arab tribes who converged on Sweida in support of the Bedoiun. Witnesses, Druze factions and a monitor have accused government forces of siding with the Bedouin and committing abuses including summary executions when they entered Sweida last week. 'We reached a formula that allows us to defuse the crisis by evacuating the families of our compatriots from the Bedouin and the tribes who are currently in Sweida city,' the province's internal security chief Ahmad Dalati told state television. The ceasefire was announced Saturday but effectively only began yesterday, after Bedouin and tribal fighters withdrew from part of Sweida city and Druze groups retook control. The announcement came hours after the US said it had negotiated a ceasefire between Syria's government and Israel, which had bombed government forces in both Sweida and Damascus earlier in the week. Israel, which has its own Druze community, has said it was acting in defence of the group, as well as to enforce its demands for the total demilitarisation of Syria's south. The deal allowed the deployment of government security forces in Sweida province but not its main city. Yesterday, a first humanitarian aid convoy entered the city which has seen power and water cuts and shortages of fuel, food and medical supplies.
News.com.au
a day ago
- Politics
- News.com.au
Syria evacuates Bedouin from Druze-majority Sweida as ceasefire holds
Syrian authorities evacuated Bedouin families from the Druze-majority city of Sweida on Monday, after a ceasefire in the southern province halted a week of sectarian bloodshed that a monitor said killed more than 1,260 people. The violence, which followed massacres of Alawites in March and clashes involving the Druze in April and May, has shaken the Islamist rule of interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who has pledged to protect minorities in a country devastated by 14 years of war. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said the ceasefire was largely holding despite isolated gunfire in areas north of Sweida city, with no new reports of casualties. An AFP correspondent saw a convoy of buses and other vehicles enter the provincial capital and exit carrying civilians, including women and children. State news agency SANA quoted the governor of neighbouring Daraa, Anwar al-Zubi, as saying his province had "received about 200 Bedouin families who had been detained in Sweida", sending them to local shelters. The ceasefire announced on Saturday put an end to the sectarian violence that killed more than 1,260 people -- about 800 of them Druze fighters and civilians, including nearly 200 noncombatants "summarily executed" by government forces, according to the Observatory. The toll also includes more than 400 government security personnel. Fatima Abdel-Qader, 52, a Bedouin who was leaving the city on foot, said her family had been surrounded during the fighting, "unable to leave or come back -- anyone who wanted to go out risked gunfire and clashes". "We were afraid that someone would come to our home and kill us all," she told AFP, adding they had no way of getting food or water. Damascus has accused Druze groups of attacking and killing Sunni Bedouins during the clashes, which broke out on July 13 after a Druze vegetable seller was kidnapped by local Bedouins, according to the Observatory. The Observatory's toll includes 35 Bedouins, three of them civilians executed by Druze fighters. The Druze and Bedouin tribes have had tense relations for decades. - 'Unthinkable' - Witnesses, Druze factions and the Observatory have accused government forces of siding with the Bedouin and committing abuses when they entered Sweida last week. Sunni Arab tribes also converged on the area in support of the Bedouin. The ceasefire effectively began on Sunday after Bedouin and tribal fighters withdrew from Sweida city and Druze groups regained control. The US special envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, said on Monday that what had happened in Sweida was "unthinkable". "You have a Syrian government in effect. They need to be held accountable," he told a press conference on a visit to neighbouring Lebanon. The weekend ceasefire announcement came hours after Barrack said the United States had negotiated a truce between Syria's Islamist authorities and Israel, which had bombed government forces in both Sweida and Damascus earlier in the week. Israel, which has its own Druze community, has said it was acting in defence of the group, as well as to enforce its demands for the total demilitarisation of Syria's south. The deal allowed the deployment of government security forces in Sweida province but not its main city. An AFP correspondent said security forces had erected sand mounds to block some of Sweida's entrances. Sunni tribal fighters were sitting on the roadside beyond the checkpoints. - Aid convoy - At the main hospital in Sweida city, dozens of bodies were still waiting to be identified, with a forensic medicine official at the facility saying "we still have 97 unidentified corpses". According to the United Nations, the violence has displaced more than 128,000 people, an issue that has also made collecting and identifying bodies more difficult. More than 450 of the dead had been brought to the Sweida national hospital by Sunday evening, with more still being recovered from the streets and homes. "The dead bodies sent a terrible smell through all the floors of the hospital," said nurse Hisham Breik, who had not left the facility since the violence began. "The situation has been terrible. We couldn't walk around the hospital without wearing a mask," he said, his voice trembling, adding that the wounded included women, children and the elderly. The United Nations' humanitarian office said hospitals and health centres in Sweida province were out of service, with "reports of unburied bodies raising serious public health concerns". Humanitarian access to Sweida "remains highly constrained", it said in a statement late Sunday. On Sunday, a first humanitarian aid convoy entered the city, which has seen power and water cuts and shortages of fuel, food and medical supplies. A Red Crescent official told AFP the supplies included body bags.
Khaleej Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
Syria evacuates Bedouin families from Druze-majority Sweida as ceasefire holds
Syrian authorities on Monday evacuated Bedouin families from the Druze-majority city of Sweida, after a ceasefire in the southern province halted a week of sectarian bloodshed that a monitor said killed more than 1,100 people. An AFP correspondent outside the devastated provincial capital saw a convoy of buses and other vehicles enter Sweida and then exit again carrying civilians, including women and children. They were headed for reception centres in neighbouring Daraa province and to the capital Damascus, in coordination with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. State news agency SANA said 1,500 people from Bedouin tribes were to be evacuated. The ceasefire announced on Saturday put an end to the sectarian violence that has left more than 1,100 dead, most of them Druze fighters and civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor, whose toll also includes hundreds of government security personnel. Clashes began on July 13 between Druze and Bedouin tribes, who have had tense relations for decades, and were complicated by the intervention of Sunni Arab tribes who converged on Sweida in support of the Bedouin. Witnesses, Druze factions and a monitor have accused government forces of siding with the Bedouin and committing abuses including summary executions when they entered Sweida last week. "We reached a formula that allows us to defuse the crisis by evacuating the families of our compatriots from the Bedouin and the tribes who are currently in Sweida city," the province's internal security chief Ahmad Dalati told state television. The ceasefire, though announced on Saturday, only effectively began on Sunday after Bedouin and tribal fighters withdrew from parts of Sweida and Druze groups regained control. Unidentified bodies The announcement came hours after the United States said it had negotiated a ceasefire between Syria's Islamist government and Israel, which had bombed government forces in both Sweida and Damascus earlier in the week. Israel, which has its own Druze community, has said it was acting in defence of the group, as well as to enforce its demands for the total demilitarisation of Syria's south. The deal allowed the deployment of government security forces in Sweida province but not its main city. The AFP correspondent in the city said security forces had erected sand mounds to block some of Sweida's entrances. Sunni tribal fighters armed with machine guns were sitting on the roadside beyond the checkpoints, under the shade of trees. At the main hospital in Sweida city, dozens of bodies were still waiting to be identified, with a forensic medicine official at facility saying that "we still have 97 unidentified corpses". According to the United Nations, the violence has displaced more than 128,000 people, an issue that has also made collecting and identifying bodies more difficult. Health authorities have not released a comprehensive death toll. Aid convoy More than 450 bodies had been brought to the Sweida national hospital by Sunday evening, with more still being recovered from the streets and homes. "The dead bodies sent a terrible smell through all the floors of the hospital," said nurse Hisham Breik, who had not left the facility since the violence began. "The situation has been terrible. We couldn't walk around the hospital without wearing a mask," he said, his voice trembling, adding that the wounded included women, children and the elderly. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said hospitals and health centres in Sweida province were out of service, with "reports of unburied bodies raising serious public health concerns". Humanitarian access to Sweida "remains highly constrained", it said a statement late on Sunday. On Sunday, a first humanitarian aid convoy entered the city which has seen power and water cuts and shortages of fuel, food and medical supplies. A Red Crescent official told AFP the supplies included body bags. On Monday, the Observatory said the ceasefire was holding, despite isolated gunfire in areas north of Sweida city with no reports of casualties.
France 24
2 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
Syria evacuates Bedouin from Druze-majority Sweida as ceasefire holds
An AFP correspondent outside the devastated provincial capital saw a convoy of buses and other vehicles enter Sweida and then exit again carrying civilians, including women and children. They were headed for reception centres in neighbouring Daraa province and to the capital Damascus, in coordination with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. State news agency SANA said 1,500 people from Bedouin tribes were to be evacuated. The ceasefire announced Saturday put an end to the sectarian violence that has left more than 1,100 dead, most of them Druze fighters and civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor, whose toll also includes hundreds of government security personnel. Clashes began on July 13 between Druze and Bedouin tribes, who have had tense relations for decades, and were complicated by the intervention of Sunni Arab tribes who converged on Sweida in support of the Bedouin. Witnesses, Druze factions and a monitor have accused government forces of siding with the Bedouin and committing abuses including summary executions when they entered Sweida last week. "We reached a formula that allows us to defuse the crisis by evacuating the families of our compatriots from the Bedouin and the tribes who are currently in Sweida city," the province's internal security chief Ahmad Dalati told state television. The ceasefire, though announced on Saturday, only effectively began on Sunday after Bedouin and tribal fighters withdrew from parts of Sweida and Druze groups regained control. Unidentified bodies The announcement came hours after the United States said it had negotiated a ceasefire between Syria's Islamist government and Israel, which had bombed government forces in both Sweida and Damascus earlier in the week. Israel, which has its own Druze community, has said it was acting in defence of the group, as well as to enforce its demands for the total demilitarisation of Syria's south. The deal allowed the deployment of government security forces in Sweida province but not its main city. The AFP correspondent in the city said security forces had erected sand mounds to block some of Sweida's entrances. Sunni tribal fighters armed with machine guns were sitting on the roadside beyond the checkpoints, under the shade of trees. At the main hospital in Sweida city, dozens of bodies were still waiting to be identified, with a forensic medicine official at facility saying that "we still have 97 unidentified corpses". According to the United Nations, the violence has displaced more than 128,000 people, an issue that has also made collecting and identifying bodies more difficult. Health authorities have not released a comprehensive death toll. Aid convoy More than 450 bodies had been brought to the Sweida national hospital by Sunday evening, with more still being recovered from the streets and homes. "The dead bodies sent a terrible smell through all the floors of the hospital," said nurse Hisham Breik, who had not left the facility since the violence began. "The situation has been terrible. We couldn't walk around the hospital without wearing a mask," he said, his voice trembling, adding that the wounded included women, children and the elderly. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said hospitals and health centres in Sweida province were out of service, with "reports of unburied bodies raising serious public health concerns". Humanitarian access to Sweida "remains highly constrained", it said a statement late Sunday. On Sunday, a first humanitarian aid convoy entered the city which has seen power and water cuts and shortages of fuel, food and medical supplies. A Red Crescent official told AFP the supplies included body bags.
