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At least 1.1 million people have been displaced in Syria in just two weeks since armed rebels launched an offensive to wrest power from President Bashar al-Assad, the UN said.
Most of the displaced are women and children, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
The announcement comes after Syria’s interim prime minister, Mohammed al-Bashir, called on all Syrians who fled Assad’s brutal dictatorship to return and help “rebuild” the Arab nation.
In the meantime, an American who was imprisoned in Syria he has been released for seven months, as Syrian rebels search areas that were once under control Assadova the now deposed regime.
Travis Timmermanof Missourihe was found trying to find his way out of Syria after being released from prison by Syrian rebels. At first, some on social media thought he was American journalist Austin Ticewho disappeared in Syria in 2012.
Mr. Timmerman was detained when he entered Syria seven months ago without permission for “spiritual purposes,” he told CBS News. He said he was freed by two armed men on Monday after a “not bad” prison term.
I started a revolution in Syria as a teenager – now I’m here to finish it
Muawiyah Syasneh was 16 when his anti-Assad graffiti on a school wall led to his arrest, sparking protests that ended in civil war. Now, in the same venue, he speaks to Chief International Correspondent Bel Trew about the years-long war – and his role in ending it
Alisha Rahman Sarkar13 December 2024 04:30
1.1 million Syrians have been displaced since Assad’s ouster, the UN says
More than a million Syrians, mostly women and children, have been newly displaced in the war-torn country since armed rebels seized power from President Bashar al-Assad and forced the brutal ruler to flee.
“As of December 12, 1.1 million people have been newly displaced across the country since the escalation of hostilities began on November 27. The majority are women and children,” the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) announced.
The humanitarian group said more than 400,000 people are staying in 240 collective shelters across the northeastern areas of the country.
Alisha Rahman Sarkar13 December 2024 04:28
Turkish-backed forces continue to advance in northern Syria
Turkish-backed rebel forces are continuing to advance in northern Syria with the aim of “cleansing terrorism”, a Turkish defense ministry source said on Thursday.
Rebel forces are fighting a US-backed Kurdish militia in the region. Turkey has repeatedly told the US that “a terrorist organization cannot be eliminated by using another terrorist organization,” the source added.
The US is supporting the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in their fight against the Islamic State. The SDF is led by a Kurdish militia that Ankara considers a terrorist group.
Alex Croft13 December 2024 04:00
UN chief calls on Israel to withdraw from buffer zone
UN chief Antonio Guterres said he was “deeply concerned about the recent and extensive violations of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”.
The UN said in a statement that Israeli forces not only entered parts of the separation zone, but also conducted a “defensive” air campaign.
Israel seized a buffer zone on the Israel-Syria border near the Golan Heights and launched hundreds of missiles inside Syria at weapons depots, military facilities and airports.
It also bombed naval ships off the Syrian coast.
“The Secretary-General is particularly concerned about the hundreds of Israeli airstrikes in several locations in Syria,” the UN said in a statement, calling for an immediate de-escalation “on all fronts, across Syria.”
Guterres added that “it is imperative to support credible, orderly and inclusive transition arrangements in Syria.”
Alisha Rahman Sarkar13 December 2024 03:30
Syrian military officer charged with several counts of torture
A US court has indicted a former Syrian military official on several counts of torture for overseeing a prison where alleged human rights abuses took place.
He was arrested in July on visa fraud charges. Samir Ousman al-Sheikh, who oversaw Syria’s notorious Adra prison from 2005 to 2008 under recently ousted President Bashar al-Assad, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on several counts of torture and conspiracy to commit torture.
“This is a huge step towards justice,” said Mouaz Moustafa, executive director of the US-based Syria Emergency Response Group.
“The trial of Samir Ousman al-Sheikh will reiterate that the United States will not allow war criminals to come and live in the United States without accountability, even if their victims are not American citizens.”
Alisha Rahman Sarkar13 December 2024 03:02
Bel Trew | ‘They used us as a testing ground for all kinds of weapons’: Syrians return to destroyed city
For miles are the bleached ribs of bombed-out buildings on both sides of the main highway north of Damascus pass it as you drive – a grim memorial to some of the fiercest battles that took place between Bashar al-Assadforces and rebels at the beginning of the revolution more than a decade ago.
now, after Assad’s stunning defeatfamilies, some of whom have returned from fleeing the country, are sorting through the dust-choked ruins of their former homes. They gather at Jobar’s chewed-up central cemetery to hold the first funeral here in 13 years.
Our Chief International Correspondent Bel Trew reports:
Alex Croft13 December 2024 03:01
Syria’s interim prime minister calls on refugees to ‘return home’
Syria’s interim prime minister Mohammed al-Bashir has called on all Syrians who fled the brutal dictatorship of President Bashar al-Assad to return and help “rebuild” the Arab nation.
“My appeal goes out to all Syrians abroad: Syria is now a free country that has regained its pride and dignity. Come back,” he said Corriere della Sera.
“We have to rebuild, to get our country back on its feet and we need everyone’s help.”
At least 7.4 million Syrians remain internally displaced, with nearly 4.9 million seeking refuge in neighboring countries, the UN said in a 2024 report.
Alex Croft13 December 2024 02:03
We will not pardon Assad’s torturers, says the rebel commander
Syrian rebel commander Abu Mohammed al-Golani, who headed the group responsible for the collapse of the Assad regime, has vowed not to pardon members of the former dictator.
On Wednesday afternoon, Syrian state television broadcast the commander’s comments.
“We will not pardon those who participated in the torture and liquidation of detainees and who were the cause of it,” said the leader of the Islamist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
“We will pursue them in our country and we ask that the countries hand over to us those of these criminals who have escaped from them so that justice can be done against them.”
Alex Croft13 December 2024 01:01
Check out: Bashar al-Assad’s father’s tomb engulfed in flames as rebels set fire to the mausoleum
Syrian rebels set fire to the tomb of Bashar al-Assad’s father in his family’s hometown of Al-Qardahah, near Latakia.
Eyewitness footage released on Wednesday, December 11, shows men gathering around flames inside Hafez al-Assad’s mausoleum.
The date of the video could not be independently confirmed, but the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said gunmen set fire to the tomb on Tuesday.
Hafez Al-Assad took office on March 14, 1971, seizing power in a bloodless coup d’état that ousted Dr. Noureddin Al-Atassi.
His son Bashar was ousted over the weekend and fled to Russia where he was granted political asylum.
The family ruled Syria for more than 50 years with a brutal regime.
Bashar al-Assad’s father’s tomb engulfed in flames as rebels set fire to the mausoleum
Syrian rebels set fire to the tomb of Bashar al-Assad’s father in his family’s hometown of Al-Qardahah, near Latakia. Eyewitness footage released on Wednesday, December 11, shows men gathering around flames inside Hafez al-Assad’s mausoleum. The date of the video could not be independently confirmed, but the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said gunmen set fire to the tomb on Tuesday. Hafez Al-Assad took office on March 14, 1971, seizing power in a bloodless coup d’état that ousted Dr. Noureddin Al-Atassi. His son Bashar was ousted over the weekend and fled to Russia where he was granted political asylum. The family ruled Syria for more than 50 years with a brutal regime.
Alex Croft13 December 2024 00:02
Israel continues bombing Syria – war monitor
Israel has continued to bomb Syria as the country seeks to build a post-Assad future.
War monitor the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on Wednesday: “Israeli warplanes continue to destroy what remains of Syria’s military arsenal for the fourth day in a row since the fall of the former regime.”
Over 352 airstrikes were carried out in 13 Syrian provinces, according to the monitor. They were focused on “warehouses, aircraft, radar systems and military signal stations, scientific research centers and weapons and ammunition depots in various positions throughout Syria.”
Israel says it is targeting military infrastructure to guarantee its own security.
Alex Croft12 December 2024 23:18