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Roya News
a day ago
- Politics
- Roya News
Over 2 million Syrians return home since Assad's ouster: UN
More than two million Syrian refugees and internally displaced persons have returned to their homes since December, marking a turning point in Syria's years-long crisis, according to UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. "Over two million Syrian refugees and displaced have returned home since December—a sign of hope amid rising regional tensions," Grandi wrote Thursday on X, as he traveled from Lebanon to Syria on the occasion of World Refugee Day. I am in Lebanon, heading to Syria for #WorldRefugeeDay. Over two million Syrian refugees and displaced have returned home since December—a sign of hope amid rising regional tensions. This proves that we need political solutions—not another wave of instability and displacement. — Filippo Grandi (@FilippoGrandi) June 19, 2025 Grandi emphasized the importance of achieving a lasting political resolution to the Syrian conflict. 'This proves that we need political solutions—not another wave of instability and displacement,' he said. The surge in returns follows the December 8 ouster of longtime Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, who fled to Russia after nearly 25 years in power. Assad's departure ended the Baath Party's decades-long rule, in place since 1963. Ahmad al-Sharaa, a leading figure in the opposition forces that pushed out the Assad regime, was declared transitional president in late January. His leadership has ushered in cautious optimism among Syrians both inside and outside the country. The Syrian civil war, which erupted in 2011 after Assad's violent crackdown on peaceful protests, displaced over half the population, with millions seeking refuge in neighboring countries like Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey. Grandi's visit to Lebanon—a country hosting an estimated 1.5 million Syrian refugees—underscored the scale of the humanitarian crisis and the challenges of voluntary return. While many returnees are hopeful, they often find their homes destroyed or uninhabitable after 14 years of war. Reconstruction remains a massive challenge, with the UN estimating the cost at more than $400 billion. However, with the lifting of Western sanctions following the regime's fall, Syria's new authorities are seeking international assistance to begin rebuilding efforts.
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First Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
Israel warns Iran's Supreme leader will end up like Saddam Hussein: How did the Iraqi dictator die?
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has warned Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei 'of a fate similar to Saddam Hussein'. The Iraqi dictator ruled the country with an iron fist for nearly three decades. He was executed in 2006 following his capture by the US forces. But why was America after him? read more Israel has warned Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei 'of a fate similar to Saddam Hussein' — the late Iraqi dictator. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz made the remarks on Tuesday (June 17) during a meeting with Israeli military and security service commanders. 'I warn the Iranian dictator against continuing to commit war crimes and launch missiles toward Israeli civilians,' he said, as per a statement from his office. 'He should remember what happened to the dictator in the neighbouring country to Iran who took the same path against Israel.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Katz's comments come amid mounting tensions between Israel and Iran . The West Asian countries have launched strikes and counterstrikes against each other for six days now. But who was Saddam Hussein and what fate did he meet? We will explain. Who was Saddam Hussein? Saddam Hussein ruled Iraq for nearly 30 years. Born into a poor family in the al-Awja village outside Tikrit, 150 km north of Baghdad, in 1937, he went on to join an uprising against pro-British royalist rulers at the age of 19. As a member of the Baath Party, Saddam participated in a botched assassination attempt against Iraq's military ruler, General Abd al-Karim Qasim, in October 1959. Saddam, who was wounded in the attempt, fled – first to Syria and then to Egypt. He returned to Baghdad after the Baath Party returned to power in a military coup in February 1963. However, nine months later, the party was ousted and Saddam was imprisoned. He was made the deputy secretary-general of the Baath party while in jail. In July 1968, the party toppled the rule of President Abdul-Rahman Aref in a coup. Saddam helped install his cousin, Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr, as Iraq's president. After serving as his cousin's vice president, Saddam replaced al-Bakr to become Iraq's president in 1979. He ruled the country with an iron fist, suppressing anyone who opposed him. While most of the public lived in poverty, Saddam had a taste for luxury and built over 20 lavish palaces throughout Iraq. To win public support, he provided universal healthcare, free university education, and equal rights for women, as per PBS. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Saddam Hussein rose through the ranks to become the leader of the Baath party. File Photo/AFP Saddam launched a war against Iran in September 1980. However, it evolved into a war of attrition that lasted eight years. The two countries agreed to a ceasefire in 1988, ending the fighting. In March 1988, Iraqi forces carried out a chemical attack on the Iraqi Kurdish town of Halabja, killing about 5,000 people. Under Saddam's leadership, Iraq invaded neighbouring Kuwait on August 2, 1990. His occupation of Iraq led to a global trade embargo against Iraq. In January 1991, the United States-led forces launched the Gulf War, targeting Iraq and occupied Kuwait with air strikes. Iraq fired missiles at Israel during the conflict, which ended six weeks later. The US forced Iraqi forces out of Kuwait. Saddam was elected unopposed as Iraq's president in October 1995. Eight years later, the US launched a war against Iraq to collapse the dictator's government. How Saddam Hussein met his end In March 2003, the US forces invaded Iraq to destroy the 'Iraqi weapons of mass destruction' and end Saddam Hussein's rule, claiming the Iraqi dictator had links with al-Qaeda. The US-led forces swept into Baghdad in April. As Saddam's rule crumbled, Iraqi civilians and US soldiers pulled down a statue of the Iraqi president in the capital's Firdos Square. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD On July 22, the US troops killed Saddam's two sons – Uday and Qusay – in a gun battle in the northern city of Mosul. However, Saddam continued to remain in hiding. After nine months on the run, the former Iraqi dictator was captured on December 13, 2003. The US soldiers found him hiding in a six-to-eight-foot deep hole, or 'spider hole,' at a farmhouse nearly 15 km outside his hometown of Tikrit. The pictures of his capture showed the once 'dapper' man with an unkempt, bushy beard and dishevelled hair. Despite being armed, Saddam did not resist his arrest by the US forces. Saddam Hussein is filmed after his capture in this footage released December 14, 2003. File Photo/Reuters In October 2005, the former Iraqi dictator's trial began. Saddam was charged with crimes against humanity for the killing of about 150 people in the Shiite Muslim town of Dujail, Iraq, in 1982. He pleaded not guilty. Another trial on charges of war crimes against Saddam in the 1988 'Anfal' campaign against Iraqi Kurds began in August 2006. The campaign had led to the killing of 100,000 Kurds. The Iraqi High Criminal Court charged the former president with genocide. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In November, Saddam was sentenced to death by hanging for the 1982 Dujail massacre. An appellate chamber of the Iraqi High Tribunal upheld his death sentence. On December 30, 2006, Saddam, clutching a Quran, was hanged. In 2023, former Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi claimed that Saddam's body was 'disposed of' in an area between his home and that of Nouri al-Maliki, the Iraqi PM at the time of the former dictator's death, in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone. As per Al Jazeera, al-Kadhimi said in an interview with Arabic daily Asharq Al-Awsat, 'I disapproved of the act [of disposing his body next to his home], but I saw a group of guards, and I asked them to stay away from the body out of respect for the dead.' 'Yes, it [Saddam's body] was brought [outside al-Maliki's house],' said al-Kadhimi. 'Al-Maliki ordered its handover to one of the sheikhs of al-Nada tribe, Saddam Hussein's tribe, and so it was collected from the Green Zone.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD He added, '[Saddam] was buried in Tikrit. After 2012, when [the area] came under the control of ISIS (ISIL), the body was dug up and moved to a secret location no one knows to this day. The graves of his children were also tampered with.' Despite the US' claims, weapons of mass destruction were never found in Iraq. With inputs from agencies
Arab Times
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Arab Times
To the land of multiple flags ... Iraq will return to its senses ... We are patiently waiting
ANYONE observing the Iraqi media will notice the frequent media campaigns launched by mouthpieces that are known for their anti-Kuwaiti sentiments. The noise ebbs and flows from time to time, depending on the interests of those running them. At times, these campaigns are nothing more than baseless noise, while at other times, they aim to create false heroes through social media. Regardless of the motive, these campaigns harm Iraq and its people in the end. It is well known that since 2003, Iraq has become a land of multiple flags, each with its own financial and political sponsors. None of these flags truly represent Iraq. They are reminiscent of the Baath Party's attempt to monopolize the representation of Iraqis during its rule. Saddam Hussein was the dictator who dragged this once-great country through one hell after another. Then came the American occupation, leaving Iraqis vulnerable to the fangs of two monsters: terrorism and sectarian gangs. Despite this, there are still those who seek to turn back the clock. So, we say: If Saddam Hussein's reckless adventure, represented by the brutal invasion of Kuwait, has revived among some weak-minded individuals the desire to adopt the King Ghazi and later Abdul Karim Qasim's slogan that Kuwait was part of Iraq, then these people are only harming their own country. They should have realized on February 26, 1991, that adopting such an assertion brought nothing but great misfortune upon their people. I would like to assure those who still dream of realizing this illusion that they can never nullify international agreements, UN resolutions, or the Iraq-Kuwait border demarcation treaty. They seem unaware that all of these agreements fall under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, making them impossible to undo. These individuals should understand that the eternal relationship between the Kuwaiti and Iraqi peoples is far greater than the noise of their media campaigns. Kuwait has stood by Iraq at every stage, both government and people, even during the most difficult moments. Therefore, these voices will not harm Kuwait. It is true that the Iraqi government cannot curb the unbridled freedom of the media. I also emphasize that the official Iraqi decision has nothing to do with what is circulating on social media and in the media. However, at the same time, I affirm that no one can change a single letter in these relevant agreements. These individuals do not have the power to build a wall between Kuwait and Iraq, similar to what the United States did with Mexico or Israel with the West Bank and the Lebanese border. In Kuwait, we understand that these media outlets are controlled by those outside Iraq's borders who seek to achieve their dubious interests at the expense of the Iraqi people. Media propaganda will not alter the facts on the ground and will have no impact on Kuwait. The geographical reality will remain unchanged. This is what both the Iraqi presidents and prime ministers relied on in their appeal of the Federal Supreme Court's ruling, as they recognize that good neighborliness is one of the foundational principles of the new Iraqi state. Therefore, any attempt to revive the border issue between Iraq and Kuwait is a suspicious act that conceals malicious intentions, which certainly do not represent the Iraqi people. Unfortunately, and with great bitterness, we must acknowledge that some are trying to exploit this for regional interests aimed at undermining Iraqi national security, attempting to disrupt relations between Kuwait and Iraq, and divert attention from a matter that has been settled for a long time. Here, we must emphasize once again: The failed experience of the 'Qasr Al-Zohour' radio station, the propaganda of Abdul Karim Qasim, Saddam's Fedayeen, or the so-called Al-Quds Army, will not be repeated. So, we say, be patient, and may God be the most helpful. Anyone familiar with the nature of relations between Kuwait and Iraq during King Faisal's reign will understand the significance of Kuwait's immediate assistance to Iraq after its liberation from Saddam's Ba'athist regime. They will also realize that those beautiful cities on the Iraqi border near Kuwait were built with Kuwaiti funds to stimulate trade between the two countries. Moreover, they will realize that Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port and Al-Faw Port complement each other, and that Kuwait aims to transform the northern region into an integrated economic zone, including factories, commercial, and service institutions that will benefit Iraq more than Kuwait. On this basis, the late Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, along with all Kuwaiti rulers, sought to build strong relations based on cooperation between the two countries and peoples. Kuwait believes that stable economic security and extensive trade exchange are the paths to prosperity, not the propaganda and nonsense spread by those with sick minds or those who raise sectarian banners. Therefore, it is not in anyone's interest to allow these suspicious voices to continuously stir up uproar with justifications that have no connection to the truth. The danger of these mouthpieces lies in their ability to drown out the voice of reason and create openings for those with regional agendas to disturb the cordial relations between the two countries and peoples, while also sowing discord among Iraqis themselves. The rational people in these media arms, if they exist, should learn from the experiences in Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen. I urge them to always remember how Iran's boasting about occupying four Arab capitals ended. Soon, the people of Iraq will ask, 'Where have these mouthpieces gone?' I have avoided discussing this issue in the past and endured the pain of silence. But the uproar has reached a point where remaining silent is no longer an option. Perhaps, we will find rational voices who will tell these individuals 'Enough is enough'. They must wake up from their intoxication of stupidity and realize that the true loser from their actions is Iraq, not Kuwait. I hope they carefully read the memoirs of the Iraqi President and Prime Minister, as they encapsulate wisdom spoken at the right time and place.
New Straits Times
28-04-2025
- Business
- New Straits Times
Saudi Arabia, Qatar to pay off Syria's debt to World Bank
RIYADH/ISTANBUL: Saudi Arabia and Qatar said on Sunday that they will pay off Syria's debt to the World Bank totalling US$15 million, Anadolu Ajansi (AA) reported. In a joint statement, the two countries said that clearing Syria's outstanding arrears to the World Bank will help accelerate the war-torn country's recovery. "It will also unlock Syria's access to financial support in the near term for the development of critical sectors, as well as technical assistance that will contribute to institutional rebuilding, capacity development, and policy formulation and reform to drive development," the statement said. The two countries called on international and regional financial institutions to "quickly resume and expand their development work in Syria, combine their efforts, and support everything that would achieve the aspirations of the brotherly Syrian people for a promising future." "Damascus extends deep thanks and appreciation to both Qatar and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for their generous brotherly initiative to announce the settlement of Syria's financial arrears to the World Bank, which amounted to US$15 million," the Syrian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The ministry said the move "reflects the shared commitment to support the Syrian people and alleviate their economic burdens, and opens the door to further enhancing cooperation with international institutions to support recovery and reconstruction efforts." It said "joint Arab cooperation is the best way to address the current challenges." Syria, the ministry said, "looks forward to strengthening relations with its brothers in Qatar and Saudi Arabia and moving forward with effective partnerships that serve the interests of the people and promote stability in the region." Syria's central bank governor and finance minister attended the IMF and World Bank Spring meetings earlier this week for the first time in more than 20 years. IMF Director Kristalina Georgieva said the global lender intends to assist Syria in rebuilding its institutions and reintegrating it into the global economy. Bashar al-Assad, who ruled Syria for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia in December, ending the Baath Party's decades-long rule that began in 1963. A transitional administration was formed in late January, dissolving the constitution, security services, armed factions, parliament, and the Baath Party. -- BERNAMA-ANADOLU
Shafaq News
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Post-Assad Syria: Villages disarm in Homs
Shafaq News/ Residents of three villages in Syria's Homs province have fully surrendered their weapons to the state, authorities said on Monday. According to the Homs province channel on Telegram, locals from al-Jamiliyya, al-Mazhariyya, and al-Aour in southeastern rural Homs 'completely handed over their weapons to the Syrian state' as part of coordinated efforts with the government. This follows efforts by the new Syrian administration to 'stabilize the country' following the ouster of Bashar al-Assad. Since then, authorities have opened reconciliation centers to disarm loyalists of the former regime, though some have resisted, triggering clashes in multiple provinces. Officials say they are also pursuing remnants of the deposed government accused of destabilizing areas under state control. On December 8, 2024, Syrian factions captured Damascus after securing other major cities, ending 61 years of Baath Party rule and more than five decades of al-Assad family dominance.
