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Scoop
3 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
‘Syria Simply Cannot Withstand Another Wave Of Instability,' Security Council Hears
17 June 2025 'Syria simply cannot withstand another wave of instability,' UN Deputy Special Envoy Najat Rochdi said on Tuesday in a briefing to the Security Council in New York. ' The risks of further escalation in the region are not hypothetical – they are immediate, severe, and risk unraveling the fragile progress toward peace and recovery in Syria.' She echoed the Secretary-General's condemnation of military escalation in Middle East and his call on Israel and Iran to show maximum restraint. The UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, has also expressed growing alarm over the potential consequences of any further escalation, which she also conveyed. 'Constructive and cooperative' engagement Ms. Rochdi reported on the Special Envoy's ongoing engagement in recent months, such as meetings with senior officials in Damascus, including interim foreign minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani. Their discussions focused on recent positive developments in international relations as well as the importance of prioritizing domestic affairs towards a genuinely inclusive political transition in which all Syrians have a stake. Overall, the meetings with Syrian officials 'were marked by a constructive and cooperative tone, with a shared interest in strengthening engagement with the United Nations across multiple sectors,' she said. Road to transition 'Particular attention was given to the next steps in the transition and to coordinating efforts with the newly established committees on transitional justice and missing persons,' she added. Among the important next steps is the establishment of a new People's Assembly as the transitional legislative authority. In this regard, she welcomed the recent presidential decree announcing the appointment of a supreme committee for elections to the Assembly. The committee will be responsible for supervising the indirect election of 100 of the 150 members of the People's Assembly via electoral colleges, she explained. It will also define the electoral timeframe and eligibility conditions for electors and candidates. 'We encourage the Supreme Committee to take measures that safeguard inclusivity, transparency and openness in all stages of this process,' she said. Developments in the northeast Turning to the northeast, Ms. Rochdi referred to the 10 March deal reached between the interim authorities and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which controls the region, to integrate the Kurdish-led group into the national army. The agreement ' continues to present a historical opportunity to solve one of the key outstanding issues in this conflict and restore Syria's sovereignty and unity, a priority which the Special Envoy discussed with interim Foreign Minister Shaibani.' She also welcomed recent detainee exchanges as well as cooperation that enabled several Syrian families at the Al-Hol camp to return to the northwest. Thousands of people from several countries have been held for years at the notorious complex for their alleged ties to ISIL extremists. 'We stress the importance of negotiations moving forward in earnest with bold steps and an active spirit of compromise from both sides to implement the 10 March agreement,' Ms. Rochdi told ambassadors. 'This is a priority for stability in Syria and the region, for the restoration of Syria's sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity, and for the success of the overall political transition.' Women and civil society Special Envoy Pedersen also engaged with a broad spectrum of Syrians including women, who continue to seek greater representation in leadership positions, including as candidates and delegates in the process for the People's Assembly. 'Syrian civil society representatives also continue to be active on all fronts working for a new Syria founded on the principles of inclusivity, openness, and transparent participatory processes,' she added. She stressed that the protection and safety of all components of society, along with prevention of incitement of communal tensions, 'are absolute cornerstones for stability.' Attacks against specific communities She noted that sporadic violent incidents continued in Homs, Hama and other regions, including killings, kidnappings and infringements on individual liberties. Furthermore, some of the people that the Special Envoy met in Damascus voiced concern over ongoing attacks targeting specific communities and groups, including Alawites, Druze, and women. 'While many interlocutors emphasized that these incidents did not appear to be systematic or part of official policy, they highlighted the persistent challenges faced by the interim authorities in controlling certain groups - whether affiliated with the interim authorities or operating independently,' she said. Ms. Rochdi also pointed to encouraging signs the interim authorities have taken to ease tensions such as the recent issuance of a fatwa that prohibits revenge killings and extrajudicial retaliation. Additionally, recent decisions to reinstate judges who were removed by the former regime represent a welcome step towards rebuilding trust between the judiciary and the population. Respect Syria's sovereignty Meanwhile, other security challenges persist, with sporadic and limited acts of violence this month, including at a border post with Iraq and on contact lines in Deir-ez-Zor, and in rural Homs. 'The southwest saw a serious incident of Israeli artillery fire and airstrikes on military sites and weapons depots across southern Syria, in response to a rare incident of small rocket fires out of Syria into the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan,' she continued, noting that two groups unaffiliated with the interim authorities claimed responsibility. Additionally, Israeli incursions, arrests, and drone strikes occurred last week in Beit Jinn in the Damascus countryside, which she said are unacceptable and must cease. ' Syria's sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity must be respected, along with the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement. Diplomacy is possible and must be prioritised,' she said. Ms. Rochdi further reported that 'ongoing activity by ISIL remains notable, including attacks on SDF positions, and a US drone strike on an ISIL figure in northwest Syria.' Returnees and economic measures Before concluding, Ms. Rochdi reported that despite the fragile security and socioeconomic situation in their homeland, nearly 600,000 people are estimated to have returned to Syria in the past six months, mostly from neighbouring countries. An estimated 1.34 million displaced people inside Syria have also gone back to their areas of origin during the same period. She said the UN continues to welcome and encourage international actions which contribute to the reactivation of Syria's economy. They include a six-month waiver of some US sanctions, the European Union's (EU) lifting of economic sanctions, and a broad range of transactions authorized by the United Kingdom to facilitate commercial activity in some key sectors. She also hailed a large contract for the construction of several gas and solar energy plants, signed between the interim authorities and a consortium of regional and international actors. 'These projects are expected to supply more than half of Syria's national electricity needs, representing a big leap toward energy security, economic revival, and infrastructure resilience,' she said.
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
US pulls out of two more bases in Syria, worrying Kurdish forces
A Kurdish politician who lives on one base said there were no longer US troops there. PHOTO: REUTERS US pulls out of two more bases in Syria, worrying Kurdish forces AL SHADADI BASE, Syria - US forces have pulled out of two more bases in north-eastern Syria, visiting Reuters reporters found, accelerating a troop drawdown that the commander of US-backed Syrian Kurdish forces said was allowing a resurgence of ISIS. Reuters reporters who visited the two bases in the past week found them mostly deserted, both guarded by small contingents of the Syrian Democratic Forces - the Kurdish-led military group that Washington has backed in the fight against ISIS for a decade. Cameras used on bases occupied by the US-led military coalition had been taken down, and razor wire on the outer perimeters had begun to sag. A Kurdish politician who lives on one base said there were no longer US troops there. SDF guards at the second base said troops had left recently but declined to say when. The Pentagon declined to comment. It is the first confirmation on the ground by reporters that the US has withdrawn from Al-Wazir and Tel Baydar bases in Hasaka province. It brings to at least four the number of bases in Syria US troops have left since President Donald Trump took office. Mr Trump's administration said in June it will scale down its military presence in Syria to one base from eight in parts of north-eastern Syria that the SDF controls. The New York Times reported in April that troops might be reduced from 2,000 to 500 in the drawdown. The SDF did not respond to questions about the current number of troops and open US bases in north-eastern Syria. But SDF commander Mazloum Abdi, who spoke to Reuters at another US base, Al Shadadi, said the presence of a few hundred troops on one base would be "not enough" to contain the threat of ISIS. "The threat of Islamic State has significantly increased recently. But this is the US military's plan. We've known about it for a long time... and we're working with them to make sure there are no gaps and we can maintain pressure on Islamic State," he said. Mr Abdi spoke to Reuters on June 13, hours after Israel launched its air war on Iran. He declined to comment on how the new Israel-Iran war would affect Syria, saying simply that he hoped it would not spill over there and that he felt safe on a US base. Hours after the interview, three Iranian-made missiles targeted the Al Shadadi base and were shot down by US defence systems, two SDF security sources said. Isis active in Syrian cities ISIS, also known as Islamic State and Daesh, ruled vast swathes of Iraq and Syria from 2014 to 2017 during Syria's civil war, imposing a vision of Islamic rule under which it beheaded locals in city squares, sex-trafficked members of the Yazidi minority and executed foreign journalists and aid workers. The group, from its strongholds in Raqqa in Syria and Mosul in Iraq, also launched deadly attacks in European and Middle Eastern countries. A US-led military coalition of more than 80 countries waged a years-long campaign to defeat the group and end its territorial control, supporting Iraqi forces and the SDF. But ISIS has been reinvigorated since the ouster of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in December at the hands of separate Islamist rebels. Mr Abdi said ISIS cells had become active in several Syrian cities, including Damascus, and that a group of foreign jihadists who once battled the Syrian regime had joined its ranks. He did not elaborate. He said ISIS had seized weapons and ammunition from Syrian regime depots in the chaos after Assad's fall. Several Kurdish officials told Reuters that ISIS had already begun moving more openly around US bases which had recently been shuttered, including near the cities of Deir Ezzor and Raqqa, once strongholds for the extremist group. In areas the SDF controls east of the Euphrates River, ISIS has waged a series of attacks and killed at least 10 SDF fighters and security forces, Mr Abdi said. Attacks included a roadside bomb targeting a convoy of oil tankers on a road near the US base where he gave the interview. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
LeMonde
3 days ago
- Politics
- LeMonde
Kurdish integration offers hope for Syria's reconstruction
On March 10, a historic agreement was signed between Syria's transitional president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, and the commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF, a Kurdish-led coalition), General Mazloum Abdi, to integrate the autonomous Kurdish institutions of Northeast Syria into the state. Three months later, General Michael Kurilla, who leads the US Central Command for the Middle East, delivered a positive assessment, telling the US House Armed Services Committee in Washington on June 10 that integration was going well despite some friction points. Kurilla added that Turkey, engaged militarily against Kurdish forces since 2016, was now playing a constructive role. The March 10 agreement brought a glimmer of hope in the face of the immense security and economic challenges confronting Damascus authorities since the fall of dictator Bashar al-Assad on December 8, 2024; it also spared Sharaa from international opprobrium following massacres carried out by his own forces against the Alawite minority in early March. The renewed unity of Syria, splintered by Druze and Kurdish autonomy demands, will depend on the success of this process, which must conclude by year's end. US pressure proved decisive in bringing about the agreement. Since Donald Trump's return to the White House, the prospect of a US withdrawal from Syria has loomed. Kurdish forces, strategic US partners in the fight against the Islamic State group (IS) since 2014, would no longer enjoy American protection from Turkish threats; Turkey views the SDF as an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which Ankara has designated as a terrorist organization. Patience and openness The Trump administration decided on a gradual disengagement, which began in mid-May. The plan called for reducing troops from 2,000 to 1,000 and retaining only one of the eight bases in Northeast Syria. Washington, which has drawn closer to Syria since the meeting between Trump and al-Sharaa in Riyadh on May 14 and the announcement of the lifting of US sanctions on the country, is demanding the return of Damascus's sovereignty over its entire territory.
The Star
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
Roundup: Dozens of families leave notorious camp in NE Syria
AL-HOL CAMP, Syria, June 15 (Xinhua) -- Dozens of displaced Syrian families departed the notorious al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria on Sunday, in a humanitarian transfer coordinated between the Kurdish-led autonomous administration and Syria's interim government, a coordinator confirmed. The convoy, consisting of 43 families, nearly 190 people, left the camp and traveled to the interim government-held areas in Aleppo province, according to Manal Haj Ali, a coordinator from the Syrian Center for Dialogue and Studies, an independent, non-profit civil society organization that works to publish research and studies related to Syrian affairs. "This evacuation is for humanitarian and medical cases that cannot be treated in the camp or surrounding areas," Haj Ali told Xinhua. "Coordination began in December 2024, when the autonomous administration announced it would open the door for families and urgent cases to leave. Now that coordination with Damascus has resulted in this transfer," she said. Located roughly 13 kilometers from the Iraqi border, al-Hol is one of the most overcrowded and controversial displacement camps in the region. An earlier report by the International Committee of the Red Cross estimated that the camp once held over 55,000 people. According to Manal Haj Ali, as of early 2025, the population had declined to around 40,000, including nearly 16,000 Syrians. Women and children made up around 90 percent of the camp's residents, representing over 60 nationalities. Iraqis constituted the largest group. Many of those residing in the camp are believed to be family members of former Islamic State (IS) fighters, contributing to the camp's infamy and heightened security concerns. The journey from al-Hol to Aleppo is part of a broader, phased process. On May 31, a separate group of IS-linked families was repatriated to Iraq, part of the ongoing effort to reduce the camp's population and ease humanitarian strain. International concern has grown in recent years over the camp's dire living conditions, recurring security incidents, and the prolonged detention of women and children with limited access to essential services. Earlier this year, U.S. foreign aid programs, including those supporting operations at al-Hol, were suspended following a global freeze in American assistance funding under the Trump administration, further complicating relief efforts. The latest transfer aims to reduce pressure on the facility and promote the reintegration of displaced families not linked to IS. Syrian families in this week's convoy had long awaited clearance, citing medical needs, poverty, and a desire to rebuild their lives. For many, returning to Aleppo offers a sliver of hope. "We hope to return to our homes and land," said a woman traveling with the convoy. "We've lived for years in tents, under the sun and cold. We're just waiting for the world to open its arms to us," she added, declining to provide her name. Another woman, recalling her rushed departure from war-torn Aleppo years ago, said: "We left everything, our belongings, our official papers. We miss the smell of our homes. We just want to return in safety and peace." "There are still many hesitant to leave," said a third woman, "but we all hope the situation will calm down so that everyone can go back. People here are still clinging to that dream."
Shafaq News
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Alawite teen killed at checkpoint as sectarian violence surges in Syria
Shafaq News/ An 18-year-old Alawite man was shot dead at an armed group checkpoint in the town of Shin, west of Homs, on Wednesday, as Syria faces a sharp rise in sectarian killings and abductions following the collapse of al-Assad regime. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the teenager was riding to work with a companion on a motorcycle when they were stopped by gunmen affiliated with pro-government factions tied to the defense and interior ministries. The assailants questioned the pair about their sect before executing one and briefly detaining the other. The body remained at the scene for hours before their ID cards were found near the local police station. #المرصد_السوري تصاعد في حـ ـوادث الـ ـعـ ـنـ ـف الطائفي.. إعـ ـدام شابين أحدهما في #حمص والآخر في #حماة — المرصد السوري لحقوق الإنسان (@syriahr) June 11, 2025 The killing is one of several violent incidents reported in recent days. In rural Hama, a young shopkeeper was gunned down in his store in the village of Turkmen Musa by two masked men on a motorcycle. Despite a heavy security presence in the area, the attackers escaped, raising suspicions of insider involvement. #المرصد_السوري استمرارا لـ ـحـ ـوادث الـ ـعـ ـنـ ـف.. استشهاد مدني بـ ـرصـ ـاص عـ ـصـ ـابـ ـة مـ ـسـ ـلّـ ـحـ ـة في ريف #مصياف — المرصد السوري لحقوق الإنسان (@syriahr) June 11, 2025 Meanwhile, factions known as 'Hamzat' and 'Amshat' abducted three displaced Kurdish men from Afrin while they were traveling from Qamishli to Aleppo. The men were accused of links to the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration. They are originally from Jindires, Sharran, and Khirbat Sharran. #المرصد_السوري بحجة التعامل مع " #الإدارة_الذاتية".. القوة المشتركة تـ ـخـ ـتـ ـطـ ـف 3 مواطنين كرد في ريف #حلب — المرصد السوري لحقوق الإنسان (@syriahr) June 11, 2025 In a separate case, the same faction kidnapped a fourth Kurdish man from the village of Ali Baku in northern Aleppo. He had returned from Iraq to visit family when he was seized near Deir Hafer. His fate remains unknown.
