Latest news with #BasharalAssad
DW
14 hours ago
- Politics
- DW
Syrian refugees face tough decision on returning home – DW – 06/20/2025
Sara Hteit 06/20/2025 June 20, 2025 Over 14 million Syrian refugees fled their homeland during the country's civil war. Since the collapse of Bashar al Assad's regime last year, over a million have started to return home. But for many Syrians living abroad it remains a difficult decision.
Ammon
3 days ago
- Ammon
Contractor discovers ancient Byzantine tomb complex during construction
Ammon News - A Syrian contractor made a historic discovery when clearing the rubble of a destroyed home, stumbling upon remains of an underground Byzantine tomb complex. Believed to be more than 1,500 years old, the ruins were found in Maarat al-Numan in Idlib province, located on the route between the cities of Aleppo and Damascus. Residents there have been rebuilding their communities after the collapse of Bashar al Assad's regime last December. After the contractor found stone openings during a reconstruction project, locals contacted the authorities, who then dispatched a specialised team to inspect and secure the site. Images of the complex show that a pit next to a damaged building leads down to the openings of two burial chambers, each containing six stone tombs, with the sign of the cross etched into the top of one stone column. Sky News
Observer
07-06-2025
- Politics
- Observer
Syrian authorities announce closure of notorious desert camp
DAMASCUS: A notorious desert refugee camp in Syria has closed after the last remaining families returned to their areas of origin, Syrian authorities said on Saturday. The Rukban camp in Syria's desert was established in 2014, at the height of Syria's civil war, in a de-confliction zone controlled by the US-led coalition fighting the IS group, near the borders with Jordan and Iraq. Desperate people fleeing IS gunmen and former government bombardment sought refuge there, hoping to cross into Jordan. Former Syrian President Bashar al Assad's government rarely allowed aid to enter the camp and neighbouring countries closed their borders to the area, isolating Rukban for years. After an offensive toppled Assad in December, families started leaving the camp to return home. The Syrian Emergency Task Force, a US-based organisation, said on Friday that the camp was "officially closed and empty, all families and residents have returned to their homes". Syrian Information Minister Hamza al Mustafa said on X on Saturday that "with the dismantlement of the Rukban camp and the return of the displaced, a tragic and sorrowful chapter of displacement stories created by the bygone regime's war machine comes to a close". "Rukban was not just a camp, it was the triangle of death that bore witness to the cruelty of siege and starvation, where the regime left people to face their painful fate in the barren desert," he added. At its peak, the camp housed more than 100,000 people. The numbers dwindled with time, especially after Jordan sealed off its side of the border and stopped regular aid deliveries in 2016. Around 8,000 people still lived there before Assad's fall, residing in mud-brick houses, with food and basic supplies smuggled in at high prices. Syrian minister for emergency situations and disasters Raed al Saleh said on X the camp's closure represents "the end of one of the harshest humanitarian tragedies faced by our displaced people". "We hope this step marks the beginning of a path that ends the suffering of the remaining camps and returns their residents to their homes with dignity and safety," he added. According to the International Organization for Migration, 1.87 million Syrians have returned to their places of origin since Assad's fall, after they were displaced within the country or abroad. The IOM says the "lack of economic opportunities and essential services pose the greatest challenge" for those returning home. Syria's interim President Ahmed al Sharaa on Friday visited the southern city of Daraa, the cradle of the country's uprising, for the first time since ousting longtime ruler Bashar al Assad almost six months ago. State news agency SANA published footage showing a cheering crowd greeting Al Sharaa, who was seen waving and shaking hands with people during the visit, which came on the Muslim holiday of Eid Al Adha. — AFP
News.com.au
24-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Syria hails US lifting of Assad-era sanctions
Syrian authorities on Saturday announced an interior ministry restructuring that includes fighting cross-border drug and people smuggling as they seek to improve ties with Western nations that have lifted sanctions. Keen to reboot and rebuild after 14 years of devastating civil war, the new authorities in Damascus have hailed Washington's lifting of US sanctions. The move was formalised Friday after being announced by President Donald Trump on a Gulf tour this month during which he shook hands with Syria's jihadist-turned-interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa. Spokesman Noureddine al-Baba said the interior ministry restructure included reforms and creating "a modern civil security institution that adopts transparency and respects international human rights standards". It includes setting up a citizens' complaints department and incorporating the police and General Security agency into an Internal Security command, he told a press conference. A border security body for Syria's land and sea frontiers will be tasked with "combating illegal activities, particularly drug and human smuggling networks", Baba said. The restructure includes "strengthening the role of the anti-drug department and further developing its importance within Syria and abroad" after the country became a major exporter of illicit stimulant captagon, he added. Another department will handle security for government facilities and foreign missions, as embassies reopen in Syria following Bashar al-Assad's ouster in December. A tourism police body will secure visitors and sites as the war-torn country -- home to renowned UNESCO World Heritage sites -- seeks to relaunch tourism. - 'Of critical importance' - Syria's foreign ministry welcomed Washington's lifting of sanctions, calling the move "a positive step in the right direction to reduce humanitarian and economic struggles in the country". Turkish foreign ministry spokesperson Oncu Keceli said the recent US and European Union steps to lift sanctions were "of critical importance in efforts to bring stability and security to Syria". The European Union announced the lifting of its economic sanctions on Syria earlier this month. Sharaa met President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday on his third visit to Turkey since taking power on a visit to discuss "common issues", Syria's presidency said. Ankara is a major backer of Syria's new authorities, who are negotiating with Kurdish forces that control swathes of the northeast and that Turkey considers "terrorists". A government delegation made a first visit Saturday to the notorious Al-Hol camp in the northeast that hosts families of suspected Islamic State group jihadists. Trump said he wanted to give Syria's new rulers "a chance at greatness" after their overthrow of Assad. US sanctions were first imposed on Syria in 1979 under the rule of Bashar al-Assad's father Hafez. They were sharply expanded after the bloody repression of anti-government protests in 2011 triggered Syria's civil war. The new administration has been looking to build relations with the West and roll back sanctions, but some governments expressed reluctance, pointing to the Islamist past of leading figures. - 'Recovery and reconstruction' - The sanctions relief extends to the new government on condition that Syria not provide safe haven for terrorist organisations and ensure security for religious and ethnic minorities, the US Treasury Department said. Concurrently, the US State Department issued a 180-day waiver for the Caesar Act to make sure that sanctions do not obstruct foreign investment in Syria. The 2020 legislation severely sanctioned any entity or company cooperating with the now ousted government. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the waiver would "facilitate the provision of electricity, energy, water and sanitation, and enable a more effective humanitarian response across Syria". However, Rubio cautioned that Trump "has made clear his expectation that relief will be followed by prompt action by the Syrian government on important policy priorities". He said lifting the sanctions aims to promote "recovery and reconstruction efforts". Syria's 14-year civil war killed more than half a million people and ravaged its infrastructure. The interior ministry's Baba said around a third of the population had been under suspicion by the Assad regime's feared intelligence and security services. Analysts say a full lifting of sanctions may take time, as some US restrictions are acts that need to be reversed by Congress. Syrian authorities also need to ensure an attractive environment for foreign investment.
Express Tribune
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
American forces begin exit from Syria, troop levels to drop below 1,000
Listen to article The United States has begun withdrawing around 600 troops from Syria, the Pentagon confirmed on Friday, marking a significant shift in its military posture in the region. The reduction will bring the total number of American forces in the country to under 1,000 in the coming months. The move is being described by the Department of Defense as a 'consolidation' of forces and a response to changing conditions on the ground, particularly in the wake of recent developments in Syria and the broader Middle East. 'This is a deliberate and conditions-based process,' said Pentagon press secretary Sean Parnell in a statement. 'Recognising the success the United States has had against ISIS (Daesh), including its territorial defeat in 2019, the Secretary of Defense has directed a repositioning of US forces to select locations under Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve.' While the Pentagon has not publicly detailed which locations will be affected, The New York Times reported that three outposts in northeastern Syria are being shuttered: Mission Support Site Green Village, M.S.S. Euphrates, and a smaller unnamed facility. Two US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the closures and noted that the troops have already begun redeploying. The United States had maintained roughly 900 troops in Syria for several years following ISIS's territorial defeat, serving as both a counterterrorism force and a stabilising presence alongside Kurdish allies in the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). However, the troop count was raised to over 2,000 in late 2023, following attacks on US interests in the region by Iranian-backed groups, which came in response to the war in Gaza. The Pentagon's decision to now reduce troop numbers is not without risks. ISIS claimed 294 attacks in Syria in 2024, more than double the 121 attacks recorded in 2023, according to a US defence official. So far in 2025, the militant group has carried out at least 44 attacks, according to the Middle East Institute. In January, three American soldiers were killed in Jordan by a drone launched by an Iran-aligned militia. That incident sparked further debate in Washington over the future of US involvement in the region. The troop drawdown also follows the collapse of Bashar al Assad's regime in December 2024, a major turning point in Syria's more than decade-long civil war. Since then, some displaced Syrians have returned home, but large areas of the country remain unstable, and violence continues to flare. Despite the reduction, US officials say the remaining forces will continue to support the fight against ISIS and deter Iranian-backed militias. They also serve as a buffer between Kurdish forces and Turkish military operations. The YPG/SDF is the Syrian branch of the PKK, which is recognsised as a terror group by the US, UK, EU, Turkiye and NATO. During his first term, President Donald Trump attempted a full withdrawal from Syria in 2018, but the plan met resistance from Pentagon leadership and led to the resignation of then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. Trump's new administration has reiterated its aim to reduce military commitments abroad while still maintaining pressure on terrorist groups. The Pentagon stressed that the drawdown will not compromise mission objectives. 'Our remaining forces will be able to maintain pressure on ISIS and respond to any terrorist threats that arise,' Parnell said. Officials have not indicated whether further reductions are planned, but analysts say the consolidation reflects a longer-term recalibration of US military priorities in the Middle East.
