On Tuesday (Aug 11), a Damascus court sentenced former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia for premeditated killings, torture, arbitrary arrests and crimes against humanity committed during the Syrian civil war, including the killing of children. His brother Maher al-Assad and former security official Atef Najib were also sentenced to death. Assad, along with members of his family and close aides, has been living in exile in Russia since 2024, after his government was overthrown. Here is the story of how a reluctant leader born into the powerful ruling family of Syria became its president and ruler, suppressed the Arab Spring uprising for years, before finally giving in.<h2>Bashar al-Assad was born into privilege</h2>Born in Damascus in 1965 as the second son of Syria's long-term ruler Hafez al-Assad, the future ruler was not initially cut out for the role. Bashar al-Assad's elder brother Bassel al-Assad was expected to succeed their father. Bashar, meanwhile, studied medicine at Damascus University and trained as an ophthalmologist. He later travelled to London for further medical training.Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-hosts-syria-s-al-sharaa-in-white-house-5-takeaways-from-historic-meeting-1762841428685">Trump hosts Syria’s al-Sharaa in White House: 5 takeaways from historic meeting</a><h2>A car accident that changed everything: How Bashar became Syria's president</h2>Everything changed in January 1994, when Bassel died in a car accident and Bashar was called back to Syria from UK. He joined military training and was groomed as his father's successor.After close to three decades in power, Hafez al-Assad died in June 2000. At the time, Bashar was only 34, but the Syrian constitution was modified to lower the minimum presidential age so that he could take the top seat. He became president in July 2000.Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/syrian-ousted-president-bashar-al-assad-gets-death-penalty-in-landmark-verdict-1786437414005">Ousted Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad gets death sentence in landmark verdict</a><h2>From Damascus Spring to Arab Spring</h2>The initial days of Bashar's presidency were referred to as the Damascus Spring, with him being described as a young, modernising leader. But soon, his government started cracking down on opposition and dissent, bringing the brief period of political openness to an end. Things came to a head during the Syrian uprising and civil war, which was part of the Arab Spring-inspired protests that spread to Syria in 2011. The protests, which sought political reform, were violently suppressed, leading to one of the longest and bloodiest conflicts in the region. The civil war pitted the Bashar al-Assad regime on one side against various armed opposition groups, Islamist militants, terrorist groups and foreign powers such as the US on the other.<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/syria-s-president-al-sharaa-snubs-trump-rules-out-military-action-against-hezbollah-1782151033248/embed">https://www.wionews.com/videos/syria-s-president-al-sharaa-snubs-trump-rules-out-military-action-against-hezbollah-1782151033248/embed</a><h2>From chemical weapons to malnutrition to displacement: Assad's crackdown</h2>Various investigations claimed that the Assad regime carried out killings, torture, forced disappearances, sieges and attacks on civilian areas to suppress the uprising. Government forces were accused of using chemical weapons against civilians. Hundreds of thousands of people were killed and millions were displaced, while children also died from malnutrition and the collapse of basic services.<h2>Assad fought the longest civil war in recent Middle East history</h2>For nearly 14 years, Assad's regime fought the civil war with the help of Russia and Iran. The two allies helped the Assad regime regain large areas of territory from the rebels. By the late 2010s, Assad appeared to have survived the war politically, even as his country lay in physical and economic ruin.<h2>The fall of the Assad regime and exile</h2>In December 2024, a rebel offensive led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, then the leader of the rebel group Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham or HTS, rapidly captured major Syrian cities. Assad's government — and thereby his family's decades-long rule — collapsed as rebel fighters entered Damascus and seized key government institutions.Assad fled the country he had ruled with an iron grip and was granted refuge in Russia. His rule, which lasted from 2000 to 2024, ended in ignominy and exile.<h2>The moment of reckoning for Assad</h2>Syrian courts under the government of Ahmed al-Sharaa have been pursuing cases against Assad-era officials and members of his regime. European courts have also prosecuted people accused of abuses under his rule. A Dutch court in June sentenced a former Assad-regime interrogator to 26 years in prison for 19 international crimes, including torture and crimes against humanity, committed in Syria in 2013 and 2014. The defendant had served as an interrogator for the National Defence Forces (NDF), a paramilitary organisation affiliated with the Assad regime.The death sentence in absentia is the most dramatic judicial reckoning yet for the former Syrian ruler, but it is largely symbolic for now. The sentence cannot be carried out unless Assad is brought under Syrian custody.&nbsp;He is possibly safe in Russia for now. But his legacy remains inseparable from the destruction wrought by Syria's nearly 14-year civil war and its enormous human cost.

Bashar al-Assad was sentenced to death in absentia by a Syrian court. Thisis a moment of reckoning for the former president whose 24-year rule ended with his 2024 overthrow and exile in Russia. Here is a political profile

On Tuesday (Aug 11), a Damascus court sentenced former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia for premeditated killings, torture, arbitrary arrests and crimes against humanity committed during the Syrian civil war, including the killing of children. His brother Maher al-Assad and former security official Atef Najib were also sentenced to death. Assad, along with members of his family and close aides, has been living in exile in Russia since 2024, after his government was overthrown. Here is the story of how a reluctant leader born into the powerful ruling family of Syria became its president and ruler, suppressed the Arab Spring uprising for years, before finally giving in. Bashar al-Assad was born into privilege Born in Damascus in 1965 as the second son of Syria's long-term ruler Hafez al-Assad, the future ruler was not initially cut out for the role. Bashar al-Assad's elder brother Bassel al-Assad was expected to succeed their father. Bashar, meanwhile, studied medicine at Damascus University and trained as an ophthalmologist. He later travelled to London for further medical training. Also read: Trump hosts Syria’s al-Sharaa in White House: 5 takeaways from historic meeting A car accident that changed everything: How Bashar became Syria's president Everything changed in January 1994, when Bassel died in a car accident and Bashar was called back to Syria from UK. He joined military training and was groomed as his father's successor. After close to three decades in power, Hafez al-Assad died in June 2000. At the time, Bashar was only 34, but the Syrian constitution was modified to lower the minimum presidential age so that he could take the top seat. He became president in July 2000. Also read: Ousted Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad gets death sentence in landmark verdict From Damascus Spring to Arab Spring The initial days of Bashar's presidency were referred to as the Damascus Spring, with him being described as a young, modernising leader. But soon, his government started cracking down on opposition and dissent, bringing the brief period of political openness to an end. Things came to a head during the Syrian uprising and civil war, which was part of the Arab Spring-inspired protests that spread to Syria in 2011. The protests, which sought political reform, were violently suppressed, leading to one of the longest and bloodiest conflicts in the region. The civil war pitted the Bashar al-Assad regime on one side against various armed opposition groups, Islamist militants, terrorist groups and foreign powers such as the US on the other. https://www.wionews.com/videos/syria-s-president-al-sharaa-snubs-trump-rules-out-military-action-against-hezbollah-1782151033248/embed From chemical weapons to malnutrition to displacement: Assad's crackdown Various investigations claimed that the Assad regime carried out killings, torture, forced disappearances, sieges and attacks on civilian areas to suppress the uprising. Government forces were accused of using chemical weapons against civilians. Hundreds of thousands of people were killed and millions were displaced, while children also died from malnutrition and the collapse of basic services. Assad fought the longest civil war in recent Middle East history For nearly 14 years, Assad's regime fought the civil war with the help of Russia and Iran. The two allies helped the Assad regime regain large areas of territory from the rebels. By the late 2010s, Assad appeared to have survived the war politically, even as his country lay in physical and economic ruin. The fall of the Assad regime and exile In December 2024, a rebel offensive led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, then the leader of the rebel group Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham or HTS, rapidly captured major Syrian cities. Assad's government — and thereby his family's decades-long rule — collapsed as rebel fighters entered Damascus and seized key government institutions. Assad fled the country he had ruled with an iron grip and was granted refuge in Russia. His rule, which lasted from 2000 to 2024, ended in ignominy and exile. The moment of reckoning for Assad Syrian courts under the government of Ahmed al-Sharaa have been pursuing cases against Assad-era officials and members of his regime. European courts have also prosecuted people accused of abuses under his rule. A Dutch court in June sentenced a former Assad-regime interrogator to 26 years in prison for 19 international crimes, including torture and crimes against humanity, committed in Syria in 2013 and 2014. The defendant had served as an interrogator for the National Defence Forces (NDF), a paramilitary organisation affiliated with the Assad regime. The death sentence in absentia is the most dramatic judicial reckoning yet for the former Syrian ruler, but it is largely symbolic for now. The sentence cannot be carried out unless Assad is brought under Syrian custody. He is possibly safe in Russia for now. But his legacy remains inseparable from the destruction wrought by Syria's nearly 14-year civil war and its enormous human cost.

Bashar al-Assad was sentenced to death in absentia by a Syrian court. Thisis a moment of reckoning for the former president whose 24-year rule ended with his 2024 overthrow and exile in Russia. Here is a political profile

Bashar al-Assad sentenced to death in absentia: Fall of a dictator

Travis Timmerman, a 29-year-old US citizen, was found barefoot in a Damascus suburb on Thursday amid the ongoing conflict in Syria.

Syria War: Missing US Man Found In Damascus, Was Imprisoned In Syria For Months

Ahmed Al-Shara the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham addressed a cheering crowd at the iconic Umayyad mosque in Damascus after the fall of Bashar Al Assad in Syria. Watch in for more details!

Syrian Civil War: Who Else Is Fighting In Syria?

The Aleppo city of Syria is no longer under the control of President Bashar al-Assad's government, for the first time since the conflict began in the country, the news agency AFP reported on Sunday (Dec 1), citing a war monitor.

The Aleppo city of Syria is no longer under the control of President Bashar al-Assad's government, for the first time since the conflict began in the country, the news agency AFP reported on Sunday (Dec 1), citing a war monitor. Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told AFP that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and allied rebel factions "control Aleppo city, except the neighbourhoods controlled by the Kurdish forces." "For the first time since the conflict started in 2012, Aleppo city is out of control of Syrian regime forces," Rahman added. Also read | Syria rebels seize Aleppo, other strategic towns; Iran says its consulate attacked In a shock offensive, rebel factions breached Aleppo on Friday and clashed with government forces for the first time since 2016. The advance on Aleppo followed a shock offensive by insurgents on Wednesday. The surprise attack sent residents fleeing and added fresh uncertainty to a region reeling under multiple wars. Here's a look at the updates: > The death toll in the conflict is now over 400. > The toll in five days of clashes and air strikes "has reached 412", the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, including 214 rebels from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and allied factions who launched the offensive, 137 pro-government forces and 61 civilians, 17 of them on Sunday. > Aleppo is no longer under the Assad government's control for the first time since the Syrian civil war began in 2012. > Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that he would leave Tehran for Damascus to deliver a message of support for Syria's government and armed forces. > "I am going to Damascus to convey the message of the Islamic Republic to the Syrian government," Foreign Minister Araghchi said, emphasising Tehran will "firmly support the Syrian government and army." > A day earlier, Iran's foreign ministry said its consulate in Aleppo had come under attack, but staff members were safe. > Also on Saturday, rebel factions seized Aleppo's airport and dozens of nearby towns after overrunning most of the city. > The Syrian Army confirmed that the rebels had entered "large parts" of Aleppo of around two million people and said "dozens of men from our armed forces were killed." Also watch | The West Asia Post: Syrian rebels seize over 50 towns, villages × > Since 2020, the rebel enclave in Syria's northwestern Idlib region has been subject to a Turkish- and Russian-brokered truce that has largely been held despite repeated violations. > But the insurgents' launch of a surprise offensive on Wednesday against Aleppo shattered the truce. > The Syrian government regained control of a large part of the country in 2015 with the support of its Russian and Iranian allies, and in 2016 the entire of Aleppo. > On Saturday, Russia launched its first air strikes on Aleppo since 2016, targeting the rebels. > The state-run Russian Centre for the Reconciliation of the Enemy Parties in Syria said missile and bomb strikes against the rebels had targeted "militant concentrations, command posts, depots, and artillery positions" in Aleppo and Idlib provinces. (With inputs from agencies)

Aleppo no longer under Assad govt's control for first time since Syrian civil war

Russia launched a series of airstrikes in Syria on Sunday as rebel forces advanced further following their takeover of Aleppo, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

Russia launched a series of airstrikes in Syria on Sunday as rebel forces advanced further following their takeover of Aleppo, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). The Observatory reported that five people were killed in a strike targeting a hospital in Aleppo. Another airstrike in the north-western city of Idlib resulted in the deaths of eight civilians and left over 50 injured. Russian warplanes also bombed rural areas in Idlib and Hama, regions that have recently come under the control of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the group leading the rebel offensive, the SOHR added. As per monitor, says death toll in Syria rebel offensive rises to 412, AFP reported. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is designated a terrorist organisation by the UN Security Council. The Syrian army intensified its strikes, carried out in coordination with Russian jets on Idlib, and claimed to have killed and wounded dozens of insurgents. For the first time since the Syrian civil war began, government forces have lost control of Aleppo, the monitors told AFP. Key developments: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whose regime is backed by Moscow, vowed to protect the country’s "stability and territorial integrity" against what he called "terrorists and their backers." Also read: Israel-Hamas war: 'White House not there yet on ceasefire, hostage deal' Since the rebels launched a surprise offensive on Wednesday, at least 372 people, including 20 civilians, have been killed, according to the SOHR. The monitor noted that Sunday’s Russian airstrikes in Idlib, a rebel stronghold in north-western Syria, claimed several civilian lives. The SOHR detailed the following civilian casualties: A child was killed during strikes in Al-Atareb. Four university students were killed when Hayat Tahrir al-Sham fired rockets at a student dormitory in Aleppo. Four individuals were killed in a Russian airstrike on a refugee camp in Idlib. Sixteen were killed in airstrikes near the Al-Basel roundabout. Twenty-three others were killed in separate Russian airstrikes across Idlib, Al-Atareb, and Darat Izza in western Aleppo's countryside. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is set to visit Damascus later on Sunday. He reiterated Tehran’s support for the Syrian government and its military as rebel forces gain ground in the south. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented on the situation, stating that Israel is closely monitoring developments in Syria. “We are determined to defend Israel’s vital interests and preserve the achievements of war,” Netanyahu said while visiting military recruits at a base in central Israel. Israel shares a border with Syria through the Golan Heights, which it occupies. (With inputs from agencies)

Rebel offensive and Russian strikes in Syria leave 412 dead - Top updates

Evolution has many forms and an artist survives to keep up with the pace of these changing times but what about the artists surviving to make a living in a country that is prone to insurgent attacks. A mosaic artist shares her fear about surviving in tough times. This artist is scared that her craft will become extinct because of a shortage in supply of raw materials and limited orders.

Life of a Mosaic artist in Syria after the lasting impact of Syrian civil war

Syria was found to have used poison gas during its civil war on multiple occasions by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on Wednesday.

Due to this, the country has been stripped of its voting rights by member states of the chemical weapons watchdog, immediately revoking the country’s privileges. 46 out of the 193 member countries initiated the proposal on the OPCW’s governing body - the Conference of State Parties which includes countries like United States, France, and Britain.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/chemical-weapons-watchdog-weighs-imposing-sanctions-on-syria-378833" hreflang="en">Chemical weapons watchdog weighs imposing sanctions on Syria</a>

The proposal was passed by 87 votes in favour and 15 against, effectively fulfilling the necessary two-thirds majority of votes. 34 countries were absent during the voting out of the 136 countries that took part. Russia, Syria, and Iran were among the countries to vote against the move.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/ngos-file-case-in-sweden-over-syrian-chemical-attacks-378845" hreflang="en">NGOs file case in Sweden over Syrian chemical attacks &nbsp;</a>

The 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention prohibits the use of all chemicals on the battlefield. Investigations undertaken by the United Nations and the OPCW’s Investigation and Identification Team (IIT) found that the Syrian government used sarin, a nerve agent and chlorine barrel bombs in attacks that took place between 2015-2018.&nbsp;

The attacks reportedly killed and injured thousands. Along with its ally Russia, Syria has denied using chemical weapons during the war.

(With inputs from agencies)

Syria was found to have used poison gas during its civil war on multiple occasions by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on Wednesday.

Syria was found to have used poison gas during its civil war on multiple occasions by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on Wednesday. Due to this, the country has been stripped of its voting rights by member states of the chemical weapons watchdog, immediately revoking the country’s privileges. 46 out of the 193 member countries initiated the proposal on the OPCW’s governing body - the Conference of State Parties which includes countries like United States, France, and Britain. Also read: Chemical weapons watchdog weighs imposing sanctions on Syria The proposal was passed by 87 votes in favour and 15 against, effectively fulfilling the necessary two-thirds majority of votes. 34 countries were absent during the voting out of the 136 countries that took part. Russia, Syria, and Iran were among the countries to vote against the move. Also read: NGOs file case in Sweden over Syrian chemical attacks The 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention prohibits the use of all chemicals on the battlefield. Investigations undertaken by the United Nations and the OPCW’s Investigation and Identification Team (IIT) found that the Syrian government used sarin, a nerve agent and chlorine barrel bombs in attacks that took place between 2015-2018. The attacks reportedly killed and injured thousands. Along with its ally Russia, Syria has denied using chemical weapons during the war. (With inputs from agencies)

Watchdog suspends Syria's rights over usage of chemical weapons during civil war

Syrian Parliament has announced that the nation will go to the polls on 26 of May. These elections will be the second presidential polls under the shadow of a civil war announcing the polls on Sunday, parliament speaker has said the window for nomination will be open for 10 days.

Syrian parliament speaker announces presidential polls

In a tented camp on a hilltop above the city of Afrin, 300 Syrian families struggle to keep warm in the rain and mud. Displaced three times since they fled their farms near Damascus seven years ago, they survive on slim handouts and send the children out to scavenge.

“The situation is very bad, rain comes into the tent,” said Bushra Sulaiman al-Hamdo, 65, lifting the ground sheet to show the sodden earth where her bedridden husband lay. “There’s not enough food, there is no assistance organization, no drinking water.”

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey was widely criticized by the United Nations and Western leaders three years ago when he ordered Turkish troops across the Syrian border into Afrin, an action seen as opportunistic and destabilizing. Thousands of Kurdish families fled the Turkish invasion, along with the Kurdish fighters. In their place came hundreds of thousands of Syrians from other areas, who have swollen the population, taking over homes and camping on farming land.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/turkish-president-erdogan-accuses-us-of-backing-terrorists-in-iraq-363811">Turkish President Erdogan accuses US of backing 'terrorists' in Iraq</a>

Another Turkish intervention in 2019, farther east in Syria, met still more opprobrium amid accusations of human rights violations under Turkey’s watch.

But as an end to the decadelong Syrian civil war still confounds the world, Turkey has become the only international force on the ground protecting some five million displaced and vulnerable civilians. Today, the Turkish soldiers are all that stand between them and potential slaughter at the hands of President Bashar Assad’s forces and those of his Russian allies.

Turkish officials recently escorted journalists on a rare visit to Afrin, a district of northwestern Syria, where Turkey has created its own de facto safe zone along the border. The Turks were keen to show their achievements in infrastructure, education and health services.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-imposes-sanctions-on-turkey-over-russian-s-400-missiles-350017">US imposes sanctions on Turkey over Russian S-400 missiles</a>

But they also did not hide the continuing plight of the Syrians under their charge, who despite their evident hardship made clear that they were glad the Turks were there, at least for now.

“Here, at least I can stay alive,” said Amar Muhammad, 35, a porter in the market in Afrin. A former rebel fighter from Damascus, he said he risked death or detention by the Syrian government. “There, I would be dead. There, I would be thinking all the time, ‘Will they arrest me?’”

The Turkish intervention in Afrin was not selfless. Turkey always had its own interests in mind. Its main aim was to root out Kurdish forces it considers a security threat and provide a space for the residual rebel forces fighting against Assad, a loathed rival. The Syrians who settled around Afrin have fled Syrian government forces.

Muhammad and his cousin Muhammad Amar were among the rebel fighters evacuated in a convoy of buses from the Damascus suburb of Ghouta and brought to Afrin under a peace deal arranged between Russia and Turkey three years ago.

“We were forcibly displaced,” Muhammad said. Refused a chance to join the Turkish-backed security forces, they were demobilized and left to make a living how they could. “I swear to God some people go to sleep hungry. We don’t know how we are surviving.”

Turkey has set up its own administration, trained and incorporated friendly Syrian militias into a military police force and set up compliant local Syrian councils to run things. The city has been connected to the Turkish electricity grid, ending years of blackouts; uses Turkish cellphones and currency; and has registered 500 Syrian companies for cross-border trade.

“Our main aim is to make their life more normal,” said Orhan Akturk, deputy governor of the adjoining Turkish province of Hatay, who is also responsible for Afrin. “Keep schools open, and hospitals working so people can resume their lives.”

But Turkey is also in Syria so that the Syrians do not end up in Turkey. Already the host of the largest Syrian refugee community in the world — 3.6 million Syrians are registered inside Turkey — Erdogan has long called for the establishment of a no-fly zone, or an internationally protected safe zone, in northern Syria.

As it stands, his forces have carved it out for themselves. While the U.N. supplies much of the assistance to the Syrians, Turkey has forced out many international aid groups to keep closer control itself.

Turkey first intervened in Syria in 2016 in a joint operation with the U.S. Army against the Islamic State group, then in Afrin in 2018, and again in 2019, after then-President Donald Trump abruptly withdrew U.S. forces from the region.

Erdogan’s agreement with Trump allowed Russia and the Syrian government to regain a footing in northeastern Syria, which was disastrous for the opposition. But then Ankara took an unexpected stand against a Russian and Syrian government offensive last year in the province of Idlib, showing the Turkish military was not only willing but able to defend the line.

Setting a red line in Idlib turned Turkey from a bad actor in the region to a good one, or at least one that shares mutual interests with Washington, said Mouaz Moustafa, executive director of the Syrian Emergency Task Force, a Washington-based organization involved in advocacy for Syria.

He called for the Biden administration to restart military-to-military communication with Turkey and provide it with logistical and intelligence support to bolster its defense of the part of Idlib that is still in rebel hands.

“Northwest Syria and Idlib is key to the whole,” he said. With 4 million people, 1 million of them children, crammed into an ever shrinking space, Idlib represents both a humanitarian and strategic necessity, he said. “Idlib alone, if attacked, would double the refugees in Europe.”

The Turks’ control, though welcomed by many Syrians who have fled from Assad’s government, is not uncontested. Turkey’s task in Afrin, in fact, has since been bedeviled by persistent terror attacks — 134 in 2 1/2 years — including four car bombs in the region this month. Security forces have thwarted hundreds more, Akturk said.

The Turkish police chief in Afrin said 99% of the attacks were the work of the PKK, the Kurdish separatist movement, and its affiliate in Syria, the YPG, which is allied with U.S. forces in combating the Islamic State.

The recent car bombs were concealed in trucks brought in from the Kurdish-controlled area of Manbij by unwitting traders, one of whom lost his own son in an explosion in Afrin’s industrial area, Akturk said.

Turkey will raise the issue of U.S. support for the Kurdish militia as a priority with the Biden administration, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said last week.

In Afrin the Turks have handled security like any NATO force, surrounding their administration building with high concrete blast walls and sealing off a “green zone” that encompasses the main shopping street in the center of the city.

The Syrian shopkeepers complain that business has dwindled as a consequence.

“We are surviving, but it is very difficult,” said Ibrahim Haji Khalil, owner of the Five Stars Ice Cream shop. Customers dropped dramatically after a massive fuel truck bomb hit the market last April, he said. “We used to have people in lines up the street but now there is no one.”

Said Sulaiman, the leader of the local council, pleaded for more assistance beyond what Turkey can provide. “We need more international support and more nongovernmental organizations to help,” he said.

For millions though, Turkey offers the only opportunity.

Syrian students are busy learning the Turkish language and seeking ways to get to Turkey to study or work, said Nour Hallak, a Syrian activist living in the Turkish-controlled part of Aleppo province. “It’s something that makes me laugh and cry at the same time,” he said. “Turkish language is spreading, it’s the choice of the people.”

For the families in the tented camp above the city, seeking protection from Turkey was their only option.

“We are 16 in one tent. Everything is very hard, to find wood, and food,” said Rasmia Hunan al-Abdullah, carrying a toddler in her arms. Her husband is bedridden and blind, she said. “Sometimes the children work and collect plastic.”

Families pressed forward asking for help in tracing relatives detained in the vast Syrian government prison system. Almost everyone had a family member detained by the Assad government, the camp organizer said.

“If we were not scared, we would not have come here,” said Jarir Sulaiman, one of a group of elders leaning on canes outside their communal tent.

Once a wealthy landowner, he said the Syrian government had cut down his olive groves after seizing control of their village, Khiara, south of Damascus. He ruled out returning home while Assad remained in power.

“We won’t go back to our villages until Turkey gives us protection,” he said. “Without the Turks we cannot survive.”

In a tented camp on a hilltop above the city of Afrin, 300 Syrian families struggle to keep warm in the rain and mud. Displaced three times since they fled their farms near Damascus seven years ago, they survive on slim handouts and send the children out to scavenge.

In a tented camp on a hilltop above the city of Afrin, 300 Syrian families struggle to keep warm in the rain and mud. Displaced three times since they fled their farms near Damascus seven years ago, they survive on slim handouts and send the children out to scavenge. “The situation is very bad, rain comes into the tent,” said Bushra Sulaiman al-Hamdo, 65, lifting the ground sheet to show the sodden earth where her bedridden husband lay. “There’s not enough food, there is no assistance organization, no drinking water.” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey was widely criticized by the United Nations and Western leaders three years ago when he ordered Turkish troops across the Syrian border into Afrin, an action seen as opportunistic and destabilizing. Thousands of Kurdish families fled the Turkish invasion, along with the Kurdish fighters. In their place came hundreds of thousands of Syrians from other areas, who have swollen the population, taking over homes and camping on farming land. Also read| Turkish President Erdogan accuses US of backing 'terrorists' in Iraq Another Turkish intervention in 2019, farther east in Syria, met still more opprobrium amid accusations of human rights violations under Turkey’s watch. But as an end to the decadelong Syrian civil war still confounds the world, Turkey has become the only international force on the ground protecting some five million displaced and vulnerable civilians. Today, the Turkish soldiers are all that stand between them and potential slaughter at the hands of President Bashar Assad’s forces and those of his Russian allies. Turkish officials recently escorted journalists on a rare visit to Afrin, a district of northwestern Syria, where Turkey has created its own de facto safe zone along the border. The Turks were keen to show their achievements in infrastructure, education and health services. Also read: US imposes sanctions on Turkey over Russian S-400 missiles But they also did not hide the continuing plight of the Syrians under their charge, who despite their evident hardship made clear that they were glad the Turks were there, at least for now. “Here, at least I can stay alive,” said Amar Muhammad, 35, a porter in the market in Afrin. A former rebel fighter from Damascus, he said he risked death or detention by the Syrian government. “There, I would be dead. There, I would be thinking all the time, ‘Will they arrest me?’” The Turkish intervention in Afrin was not selfless. Turkey always had its own interests in mind. Its main aim was to root out Kurdish forces it considers a security threat and provide a space for the residual rebel forces fighting against Assad, a loathed rival. The Syrians who settled around Afrin have fled Syrian government forces. Muhammad and his cousin Muhammad Amar were among the rebel fighters evacuated in a convoy of buses from the Damascus suburb of Ghouta and brought to Afrin under a peace deal arranged between Russia and Turkey three years ago. “We were forcibly displaced,” Muhammad said. Refused a chance to join the Turkish-backed security forces, they were demobilized and left to make a living how they could. “I swear to God some people go to sleep hungry. We don’t know how we are surviving.” Turkey has set up its own administration, trained and incorporated friendly Syrian militias into a military police force and set up compliant local Syrian councils to run things. The city has been connected to the Turkish electricity grid, ending years of blackouts; uses Turkish cellphones and currency; and has registered 500 Syrian companies for cross-border trade. “Our main aim is to make their life more normal,” said Orhan Akturk, deputy governor of the adjoining Turkish province of Hatay, who is also responsible for Afrin. “Keep schools open, and hospitals working so people can resume their lives.” But Turkey is also in Syria so that the Syrians do not end up in Turkey. Already the host of the largest Syrian refugee community in the world — 3.6 million Syrians are registered inside Turkey — Erdogan has long called for the establishment of a no-fly zone, or an internationally protected safe zone, in northern Syria. As it stands, his forces have carved it out for themselves. While the U.N. supplies much of the assistance to the Syrians, Turkey has forced out many international aid groups to keep closer control itself. Turkey first intervened in Syria in 2016 in a joint operation with the U.S. Army against the Islamic State group, then in Afrin in 2018, and again in 2019, after then-President Donald Trump abruptly withdrew U.S. forces from the region. Erdogan’s agreement with Trump allowed Russia and the Syrian government to regain a footing in northeastern Syria, which was disastrous for the opposition. But then Ankara took an unexpected stand against a Russian and Syrian government offensive last year in the province of Idlib, showing the Turkish military was not only willing but able to defend the line. Setting a red line in Idlib turned Turkey from a bad actor in the region to a good one, or at least one that shares mutual interests with Washington, said Mouaz Moustafa, executive director of the Syrian Emergency Task Force, a Washington-based organization involved in advocacy for Syria. He called for the Biden administration to restart military-to-military communication with Turkey and provide it with logistical and intelligence support to bolster its defense of the part of Idlib that is still in rebel hands. “Northwest Syria and Idlib is key to the whole,” he said. With 4 million people, 1 million of them children, crammed into an ever shrinking space, Idlib represents both a humanitarian and strategic necessity, he said. “Idlib alone, if attacked, would double the refugees in Europe.” The Turks’ control, though welcomed by many Syrians who have fled from Assad’s government, is not uncontested. Turkey’s task in Afrin, in fact, has since been bedeviled by persistent terror attacks — 134 in 2 1/2 years — including four car bombs in the region this month. Security forces have thwarted hundreds more, Akturk said. The Turkish police chief in Afrin said 99% of the attacks were the work of the PKK, the Kurdish separatist movement, and its affiliate in Syria, the YPG, which is allied with U.S. forces in combating the Islamic State. The recent car bombs were concealed in trucks brought in from the Kurdish-controlled area of Manbij by unwitting traders, one of whom lost his own son in an explosion in Afrin’s industrial area, Akturk said. Turkey will raise the issue of U.S. support for the Kurdish militia as a priority with the Biden administration, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said last week. In Afrin the Turks have handled security like any NATO force, surrounding their administration building with high concrete blast walls and sealing off a “green zone” that encompasses the main shopping street in the center of the city. The Syrian shopkeepers complain that business has dwindled as a consequence. “We are surviving, but it is very difficult,” said Ibrahim Haji Khalil, owner of the Five Stars Ice Cream shop. Customers dropped dramatically after a massive fuel truck bomb hit the market last April, he said. “We used to have people in lines up the street but now there is no one.” Said Sulaiman, the leader of the local council, pleaded for more assistance beyond what Turkey can provide. “We need more international support and more nongovernmental organizations to help,” he said. For millions though, Turkey offers the only opportunity. Syrian students are busy learning the Turkish language and seeking ways to get to Turkey to study or work, said Nour Hallak, a Syrian activist living in the Turkish-controlled part of Aleppo province. “It’s something that makes me laugh and cry at the same time,” he said. “Turkish language is spreading, it’s the choice of the people.” For the families in the tented camp above the city, seeking protection from Turkey was their only option. “We are 16 in one tent. Everything is very hard, to find wood, and food,” said Rasmia Hunan al-Abdullah, carrying a toddler in her arms. Her husband is bedridden and blind, she said. “Sometimes the children work and collect plastic.” Families pressed forward asking for help in tracing relatives detained in the vast Syrian government prison system. Almost everyone had a family member detained by the Assad government, the camp organizer said. “If we were not scared, we would not have come here,” said Jarir Sulaiman, one of a group of elders leaning on canes outside their communal tent. Once a wealthy landowner, he said the Syrian government had cut down his olive groves after seizing control of their village, Khiara, south of Damascus. He ruled out returning home while Assad remained in power. “We won’t go back to our villages until Turkey gives us protection,” he said. “Without the Turks we cannot survive.”

In Turkey’s safe zone in Syria, security and misery go hand in hand

At a football stadium in Syria's Idlib, re-purposed to shelter Syrians displaced by war, children are being offered a service that has become a sought-after commodity the world over since the coronavirus pandemic set in: a haircut.

In Syria's Idlib, traveling barbers bring children relief

The tensions continue to escalate in West Asia as Tukey and Syria have intensified their operations in the Idlib province. In the latest development, their multiple airstrikes by Turkey have claimed the lives of at least about 19 Syrian soldiers. Watch report:

Syrian civil war: Turkish airstrikes kill 19 Syrian soldiers

Syria is almost a decade into civil war, but what's happening in the country now is perhaps its biggest-ever humanitarian crisis.

The troops of Syrian President Bashar-al Assad are trying to take over the last rebel-held province, Idlib, which has become a flashpoint and it looks like Turkey is trying to make the most of it.

The fighting between the rebels and Assad's forces have forced thousands to leave their homes. At least 70,000 people have been displaced - towns and cities have been abandoned, camps are over-crowded and there is a shortage of basic necessities.

But one of the biggest outcomes of Syria's operation Idlib is the intervention of Turkey. Ankara has been involved in the Syrian war&nbsp;since its early days. In the last 9 years, its role has been both diplomatic and military.

Back in 2011, Turkey started off by condemning the Syrian government for the very outbreak of the civil unrest. It went on to slam Asaad for cracking down on the protesters. 
 
WATCH: Turkey threatens an imminent attack on Syria's Idlib&nbsp;

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In 2016, the Turkish armed forces entered Syria - they targetted the people's protection units and the ISIS terrorists.

In 2018, Turkey signed the Sochi accord with Russia, wherein it agreed to the setting up of a de-escalation zone. Today, Turkey has troops at 12 observation posts in Idlib, back home - it hosts 3.6 million Syrian refugees.

But Turkey's role in the Syrian war could change soon, Ankara is threatening to launch an operation in Idlib. Turkey wants to take on Assad's advancing forces.

Turkey says it wants to make Idlib a secure zone. Erdogan is eyeing a bigger role in the region and the world as a whole.

His moves come after the UN warned of a humanitarian catastrophe in Syria. There is another incident that Turkey is likely to use to justify an operation in Idlib. Assad's forces fired shells at an observation post that was manned by Turkish troops.

Turkey said that it lost at least a dozen of its soldiers - the question is whether Turkey will really take on the advancing Syrian forces in Idlib?

And what about Russia? Will Erdogan's quest for power force him to take on Putin? Russia and Turkey have way too many joint interests. Russia has built nuclear reactors for Turkey. Recently, Turkey also purchased the Russian S-400 Missile System.

A confrontation between the two countries wouldn't be the best idea.

At the end of the day, while countries try to play the war to its benefit - it's the people who have everything to lose.

In Idlib alone, over 900,000 people have been forced from their homes and shelters in less than 3 months. In the last 2 months alone, more than 200 civilians have died.

The Syrian and Russian forces were responsible for 93 per cent of these deaths. Turkey may be trying to play a messiah here, but one must not forget Erdogan's men too have blood on their hands. The Turkish troops killed around 500 Syrians who were fleeing the civil war and 78 of them were children. 
 
&nbsp;

Syria is almost a decade into civil war, but what's happening in the country now is perhaps its biggest-ever humanitarian crisis. The troops of Syrian President Bashar-al Assad are trying to take over the last rebel-held province, Idlib, which has become a flashpoint and it looks like Turkey is trying to make the most of it.

Syria is almost a decade into civil war, but what's happening in the country now is perhaps its biggest-ever humanitarian crisis. The troops of Syrian President Bashar-al Assad are trying to take over the last rebel-held province, Idlib, which has become a flashpoint and it looks like Turkey is trying to make the most of it. The fighting between the rebels and Assad's forces have forced thousands to leave their homes. At least 70,000 people have been displaced - towns and cities have been abandoned, camps are over-crowded and there is a shortage of basic necessities. But one of the biggest outcomes of Syria's operation Idlib is the intervention of Turkey. Ankara has been involved in the Syrian war since its early days. In the last 9 years, its role has been both diplomatic and military. Back in 2011, Turkey started off by condemning the Syrian government for the very outbreak of the civil unrest. It went on to slam Asaad for cracking down on the protesters. WATCH: Turkey threatens an imminent attack on Syria's Idlib × In 2016, the Turkish armed forces entered Syria - they targetted the people's protection units and the ISIS terrorists. In 2018, Turkey signed the Sochi accord with Russia, wherein it agreed to the setting up of a de-escalation zone. Today, Turkey has troops at 12 observation posts in Idlib, back home - it hosts 3.6 million Syrian refugees. But Turkey's role in the Syrian war could change soon, Ankara is threatening to launch an operation in Idlib. Turkey wants to take on Assad's advancing forces. Turkey says it wants to make Idlib a secure zone. Erdogan is eyeing a bigger role in the region and the world as a whole. His moves come after the UN warned of a humanitarian catastrophe in Syria. There is another incident that Turkey is likely to use to justify an operation in Idlib. Assad's forces fired shells at an observation post that was manned by Turkish troops. Turkey said that it lost at least a dozen of its soldiers - the question is whether Turkey will really take on the advancing Syrian forces in Idlib? And what about Russia? Will Erdogan's quest for power force him to take on Putin? Russia and Turkey have way too many joint interests. Russia has built nuclear reactors for Turkey. Recently, Turkey also purchased the Russian S-400 Missile System. A confrontation between the two countries wouldn't be the best idea. At the end of the day, while countries try to play the war to its benefit - it's the people who have everything to lose. In Idlib alone, over 900,000 people have been forced from their homes and shelters in less than 3 months. In the last 2 months alone, more than 200 civilians have died. The Syrian and Russian forces were responsible for 93 per cent of these deaths. Turkey may be trying to play a messiah here, but one must not forget Erdogan's men too have blood on their hands. The Turkish troops killed around 500 Syrians who were fleeing the civil war and 78 of them were children.

Explained: Turkey's role in the Syrian civil war

As the battle for Idlib rages on, the Syrian government continues to pummel the rebel-held province with airstrikes. However, the minors are caught in the crossfire which has nothing to do with the civil war. Watch report:

Fineprint: Syrian civil war enters crucial phase, Minors caught in crossfire

A Turkish delegation was in Russia on Monday for talks on Syria, following reports that Russian-backed attacks there were forcing tens of thousands more Syrians to flee towards Turkey.

Turkey already hosts about 3.7 million Syrians - the world's biggest refugee population. President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday it could not handle a new influx and was urging Russia to stop the strikes in Syria's northwestern Idlib province.

The Turkey-based Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) said on Monday 120,000 Syrians were fleeing towards the Turkish border - higher than Erdogan's estimate of 80,000.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-objects-to-malaysias-un-submission-on-south-china-sea-scmp-268661">UN</a>&nbsp;Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an immediate end to the hostilities, which he said had displaced 30,000 people in the last week alone, his spokesman said.

"The Secretary-General reminds all parties of their obligations to protect civilians and ensure freedom of movement," UN&nbsp;spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has vowed to recapture the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-backed-syrian-forces-gain-ground-in-idlib-269853">Idlib region</a>, the last significant area of Syria still under rebel control after 8-1/2 years of civil war.

Russia and Iran have supported Assad's forces during the Syrian conflict while Turkey has backed Syrian rebels fighting Assad.

Russian and Syrian army jets have been targeting civilian convoys trying to flee the Idlib city of Maarat al-Numan, leaving hundreds of families still trapped there, activists and aid groups have said.

"It's a tragic situation for civilians remaining in the city since Russian jets are hitting any convoy that leaves the city, while those who were able to reach areas closer to the border have nowhere to shelter," said Mohamad Rasheed, an activist in the area.

&nbsp;

LIBYA ALSO IN FOCUS

The Syrian army said on Monday it had fought fierce battles in southeastern Idlib and seized several villages after killing large numbers of what it called terrorists.

"People are lying on the ground sleeping in the open with no blankets and under rain and cold," said Feras Saad, who fled the city with his family and found shelter in the border village of Harabosh.

Moscow and Damascus both deny allegations of indiscriminate bombing of civilian areas and say they are fighting al Qaeda-inspired Islamist militants.

A Turkish diplomatic source said the delegation in Russia will also discuss Turkey's potential troop deployment and military support to Libya, after Ankara and Tripoli signed a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/erdogan-says-turkey-will-increase-military-support-to-libya-if-necessary-269588">military cooperation</a> accord last month.

Russia has said it is concerned about any such deployment.

Erdogan said on Sunday Turkey could increase military support to Fayez al-Serraj's UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), which has been fighting off an offensive by east Libya forces led by <a href="wionews.com/world/eastern-libyan-force-warns-against-transporting-military-equipment-in-civilian-planes-269619">Khalifa Haftar</a>.

Russia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates have backed Haftar's forces.

Later on Monday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu held a phone call with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov to discuss developments in Syria and Libya. It did not give further details.

A Turkish delegation was in Russia on Monday for talks on Syria, following reports that Russian-backed attacks there were forcing tens of thousands more Syrians to flee towards Turkey.

A Turkish delegation was in Russia on Monday for talks on Syria, following reports that Russian-backed attacks there were forcing tens of thousands more Syrians to flee towards Turkey. Turkey already hosts about 3.7 million Syrians - the world's biggest refugee population. President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday it could not handle a new influx and was urging Russia to stop the strikes in Syria's northwestern Idlib province. The Turkey-based Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) said on Monday 120,000 Syrians were fleeing towards the Turkish border - higher than Erdogan's estimate of 80,000. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an immediate end to the hostilities, which he said had displaced 30,000 people in the last week alone, his spokesman said. "The Secretary-General reminds all parties of their obligations to protect civilians and ensure freedom of movement," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has vowed to recapture the Idlib region, the last significant area of Syria still under rebel control after 8-1/2 years of civil war. Russia and Iran have supported Assad's forces during the Syrian conflict while Turkey has backed Syrian rebels fighting Assad. Russian and Syrian army jets have been targeting civilian convoys trying to flee the Idlib city of Maarat al-Numan, leaving hundreds of families still trapped there, activists and aid groups have said. "It's a tragic situation for civilians remaining in the city since Russian jets are hitting any convoy that leaves the city, while those who were able to reach areas closer to the border have nowhere to shelter," said Mohamad Rasheed, an activist in the area. LIBYA ALSO IN FOCUS The Syrian army said on Monday it had fought fierce battles in southeastern Idlib and seized several villages after killing large numbers of what it called terrorists. "People are lying on the ground sleeping in the open with no blankets and under rain and cold," said Feras Saad, who fled the city with his family and found shelter in the border village of Harabosh. Moscow and Damascus both deny allegations of indiscriminate bombing of civilian areas and say they are fighting al Qaeda-inspired Islamist militants. A Turkish diplomatic source said the delegation in Russia will also discuss Turkey's potential troop deployment and military support to Libya, after Ankara and Tripoli signed a military cooperation accord last month. Russia has said it is concerned about any such deployment. Erdogan said on Sunday Turkey could increase military support to Fayez al-Serraj's UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), which has been fighting off an offensive by east Libya forces led by Khalifa Haftar. Russia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates have backed Haftar's forces. Later on Monday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu held a phone call with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov to discuss developments in Syria and Libya. It did not give further details.

Turkey, Russia talk Syria as thousands flee bombing

Eight children were among nine people killed Monday in a Turkish artillery attack that hit near a school in a northern Syrian town, a Britain-based war monitor said.

Those killed in the attack on Kurdish-held Tal Rifaat were all displaced from the Afrin region which was captured last year by Turkish troops and their Syrian proxies, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Eight children were among nine people killed Monday in a Turkish artillery attack that hit near a school in a northern Syrian town, a Britain-based war monitor said.

Eight children were among nine people killed Monday in a Turkish artillery attack that hit near a school in a northern Syrian town, a Britain-based war monitor said. Those killed in the attack on Kurdish-held Tal Rifaat were all displaced from the Afrin region which was captured last year by Turkish troops and their Syrian proxies, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Eight children among nine killed in Turkish shelling on north Syria: Monitor

A group of foreign reporters on a trip to Syria organised by the Russian Defense Ministry were on Wednesday shown an elaborate network of caves in the strategic northwestern Idlib province said to have been used as a major rebel base.

Journalists see caves formerly used by rebels

A Syrian man has been stranded inside Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia for over a month and has nowhere to go.&nbsp;

36-year-old Hassan al-Kontar left Syria in 2006 after he feared being arrested for refusing to join the military service and went to United Arab Emirates (UAE) where had worked in marketing and the energy industries until 2011. However, everything changed when the Syrian civil war happened in 2011 which ended in him losing his work permit.&nbsp;

Kontar was deported by UAE authorities to a holding center in Malaysia in January 2017. Malaysia is one of the few countries that offer visas on arrival to Syrian nationals. He was granted a three-month tourist visa after which he tried to save money to travel onwards to Ecuador, which also does not require a visa.&nbsp;

He booked a flight to Ecuador but was rejected to enter the gate of the Turkish Airline as his ticket was canceled. He felt helpless and had nowhere to go but somehow booked another flight to Cambodia which granted Syrians visas on arrival. But, when he arrived he was prohibited from entering and had his passport confiscated, officials said that Syrians could be turned away if they failed to meet the government's guidelines.&nbsp;

Kontar was forced to return to Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2), the low-cost carrier terminal, on March 7. He says Malaysia made him pay a fine for "overstaying" his tourist visa and was then "blacklisted," meaning he cannot leave the terminal to enter the country.

He has been making efforts to get out of the airport by sending emails to the right groups and making daily life update videos on Twitter - he has 8,000 followers on the social media portal - dubbing his plight 'The Terminal Part 2'. He has been sleeping on stairways and showering in toilets for disabled people.

The Terminal is a Steven Spielberg-directed film about a man (Tom Hanks) from a fictional country (Krakhozia) who gets stranded at JFK airport after war breaks out at home.&nbsp;

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/syrian_stuck_airport?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#syrian_stuck_airport</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/mystory_Hassan?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#mystory_Hassan</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/airport_is_my_home?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#airport_is_my_home</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/the_terminal_movie?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#the_terminal_movie</a> 
This is my 32 days <a href="https://twitter.com/JustinTrudeau?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JustinTrudeau</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/tomhanks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@tomhanks</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/guardian?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@guardian</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/AP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AP</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/TIME?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TIME</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/washingtonpost?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@washingtonpost</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/nytimes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nytimes</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/RT_Erdogan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RT_Erdogan</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/SophieT?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SophieT</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Maisie_Williams?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Maisie_Williams</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/liamcunningham1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@liamcunningham1</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/IAMLenaHeadey?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@IAMLenaHeadey</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/nikolajcw?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nikolajcw</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/FoxNews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FoxNews</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/cnni?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@cnni</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ABC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ABC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/TheSun?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheSun</a> <a href="https://t.co/IJUupKmqv6">pic.twitter.com/IJUupKmqv6</a>
— Hassan Al Kontar (@Kontar81) <a href="https://twitter.com/Kontar81/status/982640704965914624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">7 April 2018</a></blockquote>
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He is nearly out of money and eats the same food that the airline provides - which is a package of rice and chicken - for every meal. He would occasionally get to indulge in a McDonald's meal or a coffee brought to him by the airport cleaners, who would then charge him an extra 10 Malaysian Ringgit (£1.80) for the service.

36-year-old Hassan al-Kontar says Malaysia made him pay a fine for 'overstaying' his tourist visa and also 'blacklisted' him, meaning he cannot leave the airport terminal and enter the country

A Syrian man has been stranded inside Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia for over a month and has nowhere to go. 36-year-old Hassan al-Kontar left Syria in 2006 after he feared being arrested for refusing to join the military service and went to United Arab Emirates (UAE) where had worked in marketing and the energy industries until 2011. However, everything changed when the Syrian civil war happened in 2011 which ended in him losing his work permit. Kontar was deported by UAE authorities to a holding center in Malaysia in January 2017. Malaysia is one of the few countries that offer visas on arrival to Syrian nationals. He was granted a three-month tourist visa after which he tried to save money to travel onwards to Ecuador, which also does not require a visa. He booked a flight to Ecuador but was rejected to enter the gate of the Turkish Airline as his ticket was canceled. He felt helpless and had nowhere to go but somehow booked another flight to Cambodia which granted Syrians visas on arrival. But, when he arrived he was prohibited from entering and had his passport confiscated, officials said that Syrians could be turned away if they failed to meet the government's guidelines. Kontar was forced to return to Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2), the low-cost carrier terminal, on March 7. He says Malaysia made him pay a fine for "overstaying" his tourist visa and was then "blacklisted," meaning he cannot leave the terminal to enter the country. He has been making efforts to get out of the airport by sending emails to the right groups and making daily life update videos on Twitter - he has 8,000 followers on the social media portal - dubbing his plight 'The Terminal Part 2'. He has been sleeping on stairways and showering in toilets for disabled people. The Terminal is a Steven Spielberg-directed film about a man (Tom Hanks) from a fictional country (Krakhozia) who gets stranded at JFK airport after war breaks out at home. #syrian_stuck_airport#mystory_Hassan #airport_is_my_home#the_terminal_movie This is my 32 days @JustinTrudeau @tomhanks @guardian @AP @TIME @washingtonpost @nytimes @RT_Erdogan @SophieT @Maisie_Williams @liamcunningham1 @IAMLenaHeadey @nikolajcw @FoxNews @cnni @ABC @TheSun pic.twitter.com/IJUupKmqv6 — Hassan Al Kontar (@Kontar81) 7 April 2018 × He is nearly out of money and eats the same food that the airline provides - which is a package of rice and chicken - for every meal. He would occasionally get to indulge in a McDonald's meal or a coffee brought to him by the airport cleaners, who would then charge him an extra 10 Malaysian Ringgit (£1.80) for the service.

Video: Syrian man stuck at Kuala Lumpur airport for 54 days, dubs plight 'The Terminal Part 2'

By Nathanial Handy*&nbsp;

In November 2015, a Turkish F16 fighter jet shot down a Russian Sukhoi Su-24M on the Syrian-Turkish border, sparking a diplomatic row that resulted in painful Russian sanctions against Ankara. Two recent incidents in the Syrian War illustrate not only how international that conflict has become, but also how opaque and surreal it is.

First, a Russian-made missile was blamed for the destruction of a Turkish tank and the killing of eight soldiers in the single largest loss of Turkish lives in the Afrin offensive to date. On the same day, a Russian fighter jet was shot down in Idlib province. All the evidence suggests that the Syrian rebels who did so have strong links to Turkey.

What is termed the Syrian Civil War is now a convoluted set of interrelated conflicts occurring in the geographical space internationally recognized as Syria. The contortions now being performed by some of the outside actors in these conflicts can only magnify for the Syrian forces involved their plight as pawns in much bigger strategic games.

The responses to the latest incidents highlight the importance placed upon Russian-Turkish relations in the context of the conflict. Both sides wish to maintain an engaged stance with each other. Not only was there no Turkish reaction to the suggestion of Russian materiel being responsible for Turkish deaths, but the Russians responded to the downing of their jet by Turkish allies by asking the Turks for assistance in the repatriation of the pilot&rsquo;s body.

Russia has since asked for Turkey&rsquo;s further cooperation in recovering the jet and establishing what sort of device was used to down it. This strangely gentlemanly behavior among large powers on different sides of the Syrian conflict calls the entire war itself into question. How long can conflict be sustained if the opposing international backers are inching closer and closer together?&nbsp;

Asymmetric Alliance&nbsp;

This question highlights a recurring issue at the heart of Turkish foreign policy since the Arab Uprisings, not only with relation to Russia, but the United States as well. For all President Recep Tayyip Erdogan&rsquo;s posturing for his domestic audience, the hard truth is that Turkey is a junior partner whenever it steps to the negotiating table with either major power.

The stark difference between Russian-Turkish relations today, and relations in 2015 following the Turkish downing of a Russian bomber, is the result not of rapprochement so much as the weakness of the Turkish position. As has been witnessed since the beginning of the Syrian conflict, Russia&rsquo;s position remains virtually static. It backs President Bashar al-Assad&rsquo;s forces. All other actors are illegitimate. Most are active targets under the catchall of &ldquo;terrorists.&rdquo;

Turkey has always been the most hawkish among the nations that lined up behind the US in support of the rebel uprising. It has maintained that Assad must go in order for any political settlement to take place. It has actively backed rebel groups, and its forces are now fighting on Syrian soil for territory. As they do so, they get closer and closer to Russian forces.

Yet they do so with Russian largesse, and it is clear that such largesse has its limits. Russia controls the airspace and appears reluctant to give Turkey a free rein in the Kurdish enclave of Afrin. Yet Turkey is useful to Russia. It has control over portions of the Syrian rebels. It is also a major country within the NATO alliance, offering an opportunity for disruption that is a key strategic goal of the Vladimir Putin regime.&nbsp;

By bringing Turkey into the peace talks it has conducted with Iran, Russia plays at presenting Turkey as a powerbroker with a place at the top table. It buys the talks credibility whilst simultaneously undermining and isolating the US. It also pushes Turkey into the same corner the United States had previously been pushed into &mdash; that of feeling the pressure to accept Assad as a fact on the ground.

Setting the agenda

Turkey is not the United States. It has fewer resources at its disposal with which to resist Russian power. With the Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek emphasizing on February 9 the Turkish desire for a &ldquo;unified, stable Syria&rdquo; above all else, it appears that the diplomatic trajectory is on a collision course with Turkish goals in Syria. The insistence on the removal of President Assad has softened as the conflict has drawn on. Others concessions may soon follow.

Turkey seems close to the point where it might theoretically accept Assad&rsquo;s forces, with the backing of Russian airpower and Iranian militias, overrunning the Kurdish YPG militias all the way to the Turkish frontier. There is, however, one problem: The role of spoiler &mdash; so often the preserve of the Russians &mdash; is now being played in Syria by the United States.

While many predicted that US support for the Syrian Kurds would evaporate with the defeat of the Islamic State, it seems that the Trump administration sees the Syrian Kurds as the best way of maintaining leverage within the Syrian state. The attempt to form a US-trained border force made up ostensibly of Syrian Kurdish YPG militiamen is a case in point.

The result is that Turkey has been forced across the border into Syria, in pursuit of its own strategic objectives. Yet this move has brought it directly into conflict with Russia, an external player with a far stronger hand in Syria, and one that has recently faced down the Turks in the diplomatic row that followed the 2015 downing of the Russian fighter jet. Turkey is loath to isolate itself from Russia again. The result is an awkward dance in Syria that is likely to get a lot more difficult.&nbsp;

 
*Nathaniel Handy is a writer and academic with over ten years of experience in international print and broadcast media.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

The responses to the latest incidents happened in Syrian highlight the importance placed upon Russian-Turkish relations in the context of the conflict. Both sides wish to maintain an engaged stance with each other.

By Nathanial Handy* In November 2015, a Turkish F16 fighter jet shot down a Russian Sukhoi Su-24M on the Syrian-Turkish border, sparking a diplomatic row that resulted in painful Russian sanctions against Ankara. Two recent incidents in the Syrian War illustrate not only how international that conflict has become, but also how opaque and surreal it is. First, a Russian-made missile was blamed for the destruction of a Turkish tank and the killing of eight soldiers in the single largest loss of Turkish lives in the Afrin offensive to date. On the same day, a Russian fighter jet was shot down in Idlib province. All the evidence suggests that the Syrian rebels who did so have strong links to Turkey. What is termed the Syrian Civil War is now a convoluted set of interrelated conflicts occurring in the geographical space internationally recognized as Syria. The contortions now being performed by some of the outside actors in these conflicts can only magnify for the Syrian forces involved their plight as pawns in much bigger strategic games. The responses to the latest incidents highlight the importance placed upon Russian-Turkish relations in the context of the conflict. Both sides wish to maintain an engaged stance with each other. Not only was there no Turkish reaction to the suggestion of Russian materiel being responsible for Turkish deaths, but the Russians responded to the downing of their jet by Turkish allies by asking the Turks for assistance in the repatriation of the pilot’s body. Russia has since asked for Turkey’s further cooperation in recovering the jet and establishing what sort of device was used to down it. This strangely gentlemanly behavior among large powers on different sides of the Syrian conflict calls the entire war itself into question. How long can conflict be sustained if the opposing international backers are inching closer and closer together? Asymmetric Alliance This question highlights a recurring issue at the heart of Turkish foreign policy since the Arab Uprisings, not only with relation to Russia, but the United States as well. For all President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s posturing for his domestic audience, the hard truth is that Turkey is a junior partner whenever it steps to the negotiating table with either major power. The stark difference between Russian-Turkish relations today, and relations in 2015 following the Turkish downing of a Russian bomber, is the result not of rapprochement so much as the weakness of the Turkish position. As has been witnessed since the beginning of the Syrian conflict, Russia’s position remains virtually static. It backs President Bashar al-Assad’s forces. All other actors are illegitimate. Most are active targets under the catchall of “terrorists.” Turkey has always been the most hawkish among the nations that lined up behind the US in support of the rebel uprising. It has maintained that Assad must go in order for any political settlement to take place. It has actively backed rebel groups, and its forces are now fighting on Syrian soil for territory. As they do so, they get closer and closer to Russian forces. Yet they do so with Russian largesse, and it is clear that such largesse has its limits. Russia controls the airspace and appears reluctant to give Turkey a free rein in the Kurdish enclave of Afrin. Yet Turkey is useful to Russia. It has control over portions of the Syrian rebels. It is also a major country within the NATO alliance, offering an opportunity for disruption that is a key strategic goal of the Vladimir Putin regime. By bringing Turkey into the peace talks it has conducted with Iran, Russia plays at presenting Turkey as a powerbroker with a place at the top table. It buys the talks credibility whilst simultaneously undermining and isolating the US. It also pushes Turkey into the same corner the United States had previously been pushed into — that of feeling the pressure to accept Assad as a fact on the ground. Setting the agenda Turkey is not the United States. It has fewer resources at its disposal with which to resist Russian power. With the Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek emphasizing on February 9 the Turkish desire for a “unified, stable Syria” above all else, it appears that the diplomatic trajectory is on a collision course with Turkish goals in Syria. The insistence on the removal of President Assad has softened as the conflict has drawn on. Others concessions may soon follow. Turkey seems close to the point where it might theoretically accept Assad’s forces, with the backing of Russian airpower and Iranian militias, overrunning the Kurdish YPG militias all the way to the Turkish frontier. There is, however, one problem: The role of spoiler — so often the preserve of the Russians — is now being played in Syria by the United States. While many predicted that US support for the Syrian Kurds would evaporate with the defeat of the Islamic State, it seems that the Trump administration sees the Syrian Kurds as the best way of maintaining leverage within the Syrian state. The attempt to form a US-trained border force made up ostensibly of Syrian Kurdish YPG militiamen is a case in point. The result is that Turkey has been forced across the border into Syria, in pursuit of its own strategic objectives. Yet this move has brought it directly into conflict with Russia, an external player with a far stronger hand in Syria, and one that has recently faced down the Turks in the diplomatic row that followed the 2015 downing of the Russian fighter jet. Turkey is loath to isolate itself from Russia again. The result is an awkward dance in Syria that is likely to get a lot more difficult. *Nathaniel Handy is a writer and academic with over ten years of experience in international print and broadcast media. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Turkey's strategy seems to be exposed to Russia in Syria

Turkey continued to fire artillery at a US-backed Kurdish militia in northern Syria on Sunday, after Turkey&#39;s state media said four rockets from Syria had hit a Turkish border town.

The cross-border fire marked the second day of Turkey&#39;s new front in the nearly seven-year-old Syrian civil war. Under &quot;Operation Olive Branch&quot;, Turkish airstrikes on Saturday pounded positions of the Syrian-Kurdish YPG militia in the northern Afrin province.

A Reuters reporter at the Oncupinar gate on the Turkish side of the border with Syria, could hear the boom of outgoing artillery, with one being fired roughly every three minutes.

Military convoys were travelling near the gate, with one transporter carrying several tanks.

&quot;In its second day, #OliveBranchOperation continues to ensure peace and security for our people, protect Syria&rsquo;s territorial integrity and eliminate all terrorist elements in the region,&quot; Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan&#39;s spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, said on Twitter.

&quot;Turkey expects its allies to support its fight against terrorism in all of its forms.&quot;

Turkey&#39;s state-run Anadolu news agency earlier reported that four rockets fired from Syria hit the border town of Kilis overnight, damaging houses.

Turkish security forces retaliated in kind, it said.

The operation pits Turkey against Kurdish fighters allied to the United States at a time when ties between Turkey and Washington - NATO allies and members of the coalition against Islamic State - appear dangerously close to a breaking point.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/turkey-air-strikes-hit-syrias-afrin-province-in-push-to-secure-borders-30182">Saturday&#39;s strikes</a> on the Syrian-Kurdish YPG militia hit some 108 targets, the Turkish military said. On land, the Turkey-backed Free Syrian Army rebels were also helping the operation in Afrin, Turkish officials have said.

Turkey sees the YPG as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has carried out a deadly, three-decade insurgency in Turkey&#39;s mainly Kurdish southeast.

The United States is backing the YPG in Syria, seeing it as an effective partner in the fight against Islamic State.

Turkish airstrikes had on Saturday pounded positions of the Syrian-Kurdish YPG militia in the northern Afrin province

Turkey continued to fire artillery at a US-backed Kurdish militia in northern Syria on Sunday, after Turkey's state media said four rockets from Syria had hit a Turkish border town. The cross-border fire marked the second day of Turkey's new front in the nearly seven-year-old Syrian civil war. Under "Operation Olive Branch", Turkish airstrikes on Saturday pounded positions of the Syrian-Kurdish YPG militia in the northern Afrin province. A Reuters reporter at the Oncupinar gate on the Turkish side of the border with Syria, could hear the boom of outgoing artillery, with one being fired roughly every three minutes. Military convoys were travelling near the gate, with one transporter carrying several tanks. "In its second day, #OliveBranchOperation continues to ensure peace and security for our people, protect Syria’s territorial integrity and eliminate all terrorist elements in the region," Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, said on Twitter. "Turkey expects its allies to support its fight against terrorism in all of its forms." Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency earlier reported that four rockets fired from Syria hit the border town of Kilis overnight, damaging houses. Turkish security forces retaliated in kind, it said. The operation pits Turkey against Kurdish fighters allied to the United States at a time when ties between Turkey and Washington - NATO allies and members of the coalition against Islamic State - appear dangerously close to a breaking point. Saturday's strikes on the Syrian-Kurdish YPG militia hit some 108 targets, the Turkish military said. On land, the Turkey-backed Free Syrian Army rebels were also helping the operation in Afrin, Turkish officials have said. Turkey sees the YPG as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has carried out a deadly, three-decade insurgency in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast. The United States is backing the YPG in Syria, seeing it as an effective partner in the fight against Islamic State.

Four rockets from Syria hit Turkish border town

Thousands of Syrians were stuck in and around Aleppo on Saturday as a deal to evacuate people from two Shi&#39;ite villages in return for Sunni rebels and their families leaving two towns near Damascus halted, a war monitor and activists said.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the problem was that rebels from Zabadani, one of the towns included in the deal, had not yet been granted safe passage out.

The agreement is one of several over recent months that has seen President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s government take back control of areas long besieged by his forces and their allies.

In the latest deal, hundreds of rebels and their families left the town of Madaya near Damascus, and were taken on buses to the government-held city of Aleppo. From there they will travel to Idlib province, an insurgent stronghold.

In return, pro-government fighters and residents from the Shi&#39;ite villages of al-Foua and Kefraya in Idlib, both surrounded by rebels, left the area and reached Aleppo&#39;s outskirts.

On Saturday, those from Madaya sat outside rows of coaches in a bus garage in government-held Aleppo, waiting to move onto Idlib, pictures sent by a pro-opposition activist showed.

Meanwhile, residents from the Shi&#39;ite villages were still waiting in insurgent territory on Aleppo&#39;s outskirts to enter the city, the Observatory and a witness said.

The pro-opposition activist said insurgents blamed the delay partly on the fact that a smaller number of pro-government fighters had left the Shi&#39;ite villages than was agreed.

At the transit point outside Aleppo, where the buses from al-Foua and Kefraya were waiting, one resident said he was not yet sure where he would live.

&quot;After Aleppo I&#39;ll see what the rest of the group is doing, if there are any preparations. My house, land and belongings are all in al-Foua,&quot; Mehdi Tahhan said.

&#39;We had no choice&#39;

A Madaya resident, speaking from the bus garage inside Aleppo, said people had been waiting there since late on Friday night, and were not being allowed to leave.

&quot;There&#39;s no drinking water or food. The bus garage is small so there&#39;s not much space to move around,&quot; Ahmed, 24, said.

&quot;We&#39;re sad and angry about what has happened,&quot; he said. Many people felt that they had been forced to leave, he said.

&quot;There was no other choice in the end - we were besieged inside a small area in Madaya.&quot;

Syria&#39;s opposition says the evacuation deals, which include areas of Aleppo and a district in the city of Homs, amount to forced displacement of Assad&#39;s opponents from Syria&#39;s main urban centres in the west of the country.

The agreements are also causing demographic changes, they say, because those who are displaced are mostly Sunni Muslims.

Syria&#39;s population is mostly Sunni. Assad is from the Alawite religious minority, often considered an offshoot of Shi&#39;ite Islam.

He has been backed militarily by Russia, and by Shi&#39;ite fighters from Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah group in Syria&#39;s six-year-old conflict.

Assad has the military advantage over rebels in the west thanks to Russia&#39;s intervention in 2015, although the insurgents are still fighting back and have made gains in some areas.

(Reuters)

The problem is that rebels from Zabadani, one of the towns included in the deal, haven't been granted safe passage out, a war monitor said

Thousands of Syrians were stuck in and around Aleppo on Saturday as a deal to evacuate people from two Shi'ite villages in return for Sunni rebels and their families leaving two towns near Damascus halted, a war monitor and activists said. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the problem was that rebels from Zabadani, one of the towns included in the deal, had not yet been granted safe passage out. The agreement is one of several over recent months that has seen President Bashar al-Assad's government take back control of areas long besieged by his forces and their allies. In the latest deal, hundreds of rebels and their families left the town of Madaya near Damascus, and were taken on buses to the government-held city of Aleppo. From there they will travel to Idlib province, an insurgent stronghold. In return, pro-government fighters and residents from the Shi'ite villages of al-Foua and Kefraya in Idlib, both surrounded by rebels, left the area and reached Aleppo's outskirts. On Saturday, those from Madaya sat outside rows of coaches in a bus garage in government-held Aleppo, waiting to move onto Idlib, pictures sent by a pro-opposition activist showed. Meanwhile, residents from the Shi'ite villages were still waiting in insurgent territory on Aleppo's outskirts to enter the city, the Observatory and a witness said. The pro-opposition activist said insurgents blamed the delay partly on the fact that a smaller number of pro-government fighters had left the Shi'ite villages than was agreed. At the transit point outside Aleppo, where the buses from al-Foua and Kefraya were waiting, one resident said he was not yet sure where he would live. "After Aleppo I'll see what the rest of the group is doing, if there are any preparations. My house, land and belongings are all in al-Foua," Mehdi Tahhan said. 'We had no choice' A Madaya resident, speaking from the bus garage inside Aleppo, said people had been waiting there since late on Friday night, and were not being allowed to leave. "There's no drinking water or food. The bus garage is small so there's not much space to move around," Ahmed, 24, said. "We're sad and angry about what has happened," he said. Many people felt that they had been forced to leave, he said. "There was no other choice in the end - we were besieged inside a small area in Madaya." Syria's opposition says the evacuation deals, which include areas of Aleppo and a district in the city of Homs, amount to forced displacement of Assad's opponents from Syria's main urban centres in the west of the country. The agreements are also causing demographic changes, they say, because those who are displaced are mostly Sunni Muslims. Syria's population is mostly Sunni. Assad is from the Alawite religious minority, often considered an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam. He has been backed militarily by Russia, and by Shi'ite fighters from Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah group in Syria's six-year-old conflict. Assad has the military advantage over rebels in the west thanks to Russia's intervention in 2015, although the insurgents are still fighting back and have made gains in some areas. (Reuters)

Thousands of Syrians stuck as evacuation deal frays

Russia and China on Tuesday vetoed a Western-backed UN resolution that would have imposed sanctions on Syria over chemical weapons use, as peace talks in Geneva showed no signs of progress on ending the nearly six-year war.

The Security Council resolution drafted by Britain, France and the United States won nine votes in favour while three countries opposed it -- China, Russia and Bolivia. Kazakhstan, Ethiopia and Egypt abstained.

UN resolutions require nine positive votes and no veto to be adopted.

It was the seventh time that Russia, Syria&#39;s top military ally, has used its veto power to shield the Damascus regime.&nbsp;

Russian President Vladimir Putin had warned earlier that imposing sanctions on Syria was &quot;completely inappropriate&quot; while talks were ongoing in Geneva on ending the war.

US Ambassador Nikki Haley shot back: &quot;This resolution is very appropriate.&quot;

&quot;It is a sad day on the Security Council when members start making excuses for other member states killing their own people,&quot; she said.

&quot;The world is definitely a more dangerous place,&quot; she told the council after the measure was rejected.

&#39;Moment of truth&#39;

The resolution would have put 11 Syrians, mainly military commanders, and 10 entities linked to chemical attacks in 2014 and 2015 on a UN sanctions blacklist.

It included a ban on the sale of helicopters and of chemical agents to the Syrian armed forces or the government.

A UN-led investigation concluded in October that the Syrian air force had dropped chlorine barrel bombs from helicopters on three opposition-held villages in 2014 and 2015.

French Ambassador Francois Delattre said the vote was a &quot;moment of truth&quot; for the council, arguing that chemical weapons use was a &quot;negation of all civilisation&quot;.

The joint panel of the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) also found that Islamic State jihadists used mustard gas in an attack in 2015.

US joins Britain, France at UN

The vote marked the first major council action by the new US administration of President Donald Trump, who is seeking warmer ties with Russia.&nbsp;

France and Britain had circulated the proposed measure in December and the new US administration joined as a co-sponsor of the draft resolution this month.

(AFP) 
&nbsp;

The Security Council resolution drafted by Britain, France and the US won nine votes in favour while three countries opposed it

Russia and China on Tuesday vetoed a Western-backed UN resolution that would have imposed sanctions on Syria over chemical weapons use, as peace talks in Geneva showed no signs of progress on ending the nearly six-year war. The Security Council resolution drafted by Britain, France and the United States won nine votes in favour while three countries opposed it -- China, Russia and Bolivia. Kazakhstan, Ethiopia and Egypt abstained. UN resolutions require nine positive votes and no veto to be adopted. It was the seventh time that Russia, Syria's top military ally, has used its veto power to shield the Damascus regime. Russian President Vladimir Putin had warned earlier that imposing sanctions on Syria was "completely inappropriate" while talks were ongoing in Geneva on ending the war. US Ambassador Nikki Haley shot back: "This resolution is very appropriate." "It is a sad day on the Security Council when members start making excuses for other member states killing their own people," she said. "The world is definitely a more dangerous place," she told the council after the measure was rejected. 'Moment of truth' The resolution would have put 11 Syrians, mainly military commanders, and 10 entities linked to chemical attacks in 2014 and 2015 on a UN sanctions blacklist. It included a ban on the sale of helicopters and of chemical agents to the Syrian armed forces or the government. A UN-led investigation concluded in October that the Syrian air force had dropped chlorine barrel bombs from helicopters on three opposition-held villages in 2014 and 2015. French Ambassador Francois Delattre said the vote was a "moment of truth" for the council, arguing that chemical weapons use was a "negation of all civilisation". The joint panel of the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) also found that Islamic State jihadists used mustard gas in an attack in 2015. US joins Britain, France at UN The vote marked the first major council action by the new US administration of President Donald Trump, who is seeking warmer ties with Russia. France and Britain had circulated the proposed measure in December and the new US administration joined as a co-sponsor of the draft resolution this month. (AFP)

Russia, China veto UN resolution on Syria sanctions over chemical weapons use

The Syrian army said on Sunday that it had recaptured a flashpoint area from rebels near Damascus that supplies water to the capital.

Wadi Barada had been the scene of fierce fighting in recent weeks between regime and rebel forces that tested a fragile nationwide truce and left millions in Damascus facing water shortages.

&quot;Our armed forces ... have accomplished their mission by restoring security and stability in the region of Wadi Barada&quot;, the army said in a statement carried by state television.

The announcement came a day after the army entered the water pumping station in Wadi Barada for the first time in four years.

Under a deal with the authorities, rebels can choose to stay in the area but hand over their weapons, or leave to the northern province of Idlib, last major bastion of the armed opposition.

Around 5.5 million people in Damascus and its suburbs have been without water since fighting intensified in the Wadi Barada area in late December.

(AFP) 
&nbsp;

Wadi Barada had been the scene of fierce fighting in recent weeks that left millions in Damascus facing water shortages

The Syrian army said on Sunday that it had recaptured a flashpoint area from rebels near Damascus that supplies water to the capital. Wadi Barada had been the scene of fierce fighting in recent weeks between regime and rebel forces that tested a fragile nationwide truce and left millions in Damascus facing water shortages. "Our armed forces ... have accomplished their mission by restoring security and stability in the region of Wadi Barada", the army said in a statement carried by state television. The announcement came a day after the army entered the water pumping station in Wadi Barada for the first time in four years. Under a deal with the authorities, rebels can choose to stay in the area but hand over their weapons, or leave to the northern province of Idlib, last major bastion of the armed opposition. Around 5.5 million people in Damascus and its suburbs have been without water since fighting intensified in the Wadi Barada area in late December. (AFP)

Syrian army says retakes key rebel area near Damascus

&quot;We reached a point where we are nearly forced to swear we exist. We exist, I swear,&rdquo; quips&nbsp;Yassin al Haj Saleh, a Syrian writer and dissident now living in exile in Turkey. One can&#39;t miss the bitter laugh that he breaks into.

&nbsp;&ldquo;Our struggle is not new. We have been fighting the Assads since two generations. I was arrested as a young man during my university years and I have spent 16 years in jail. We have always refused to be humiliated, to be treated as second-class human beings. And&nbsp;we paid for this. We have been tortured and many of us are forced to live in exile,&rdquo; he goes on.

&nbsp;&ldquo;For the first two years of&nbsp;protests in Syria, we were part of&nbsp;those peaceful demonstrations. We created coordinating committees, it is because of us that people took to the streets. Secular organisations are still present&nbsp;but they have been sidelined by the war.&rdquo;

&nbsp;Yassin is a native of Raqqah, the current capital city of the Islamic State. He is part of the leftwing secular section of the Syrian society who started demonstrating against President Bashar Al Assad in 2011, asking for greater&nbsp;democracy and more freedom. His wife Samira Khalil is also a political dissident and is missing since December 2013&nbsp;when a group of Islamists abducted her along with human right activists Razan Zaitouneh, Wael Hamada and Nazem Hammadi. &ldquo;Samira was my beloved and also my assistant and our destiny, along with the one of our friends, represents the tragedy of being Syrian today and&nbsp;living in a society built on political genocide.&rdquo;&nbsp;

The mainstream narrative seems to have forgotten the role of secular and pro-democracy moderate groups in the Syrian uprising. The narrative is now majorly flattered on the war on terror: sovereign nations on one side and the Islamic State and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, formerly al-Nusra, the Syrian branch of Al Qaeda on the other. There is no space for liberal, progressive, pro-democracy dissidents who risk&nbsp;being labelled&nbsp;terrorists. &nbsp;&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
2012 is when the situation started getting militarised in Syria. More and more weapons started arriving&nbsp;on the streets&nbsp;on both&nbsp;sides. The main armed anti-Assad group, the Free Syrian Army where many former military personnel fight, was involved in a fullscale fight against regular troops. It was a civil war, Syrians against Syrians.&nbsp;

In this environment, terrorist organisations started gaining ground. &ldquo;Since August 2011, Syrians asked for international protection&nbsp;but nothing happened. Day by day, people started feeling&nbsp;they were left to their fate. We felt left alone, without any protection,&rdquo; recalls Yassin but &ldquo;nobody wanted to passively suffer another Hama massacre.&rdquo; &nbsp;&nbsp;

He refers to what happened in the city of Hama in 1982. Under the order of then president Hafez Al Assad, the Syrian Army attacked the town to stop an uprising by the Muslim Brotherhood, killing thousands of citizens.&nbsp;

Frustration, mistrust, anger and constant war served as lifeline for hardline Islamists. &ldquo;These organisations are nihilist, they want to destroy everything in the world who is against them. They are a minority, but they have a lot of visibility. It is the dynamic of the production of the &lsquo;desired enemy&rsquo; and it helped the regime and its allies: you need terrorists to justify the war on terror,&rdquo; says Yassin.&nbsp;

The 2013 open intervention of Lebanese Hezbollah forces played an important role and started a new phase of the Syrian crisis&nbsp;which started to be increasingly described as a conflict between Shia countries against Sunni radical groups. &nbsp;

&ldquo;Sectarianism is a strategy of control: it is the old &lsquo;divide and rule&rsquo; colonial principle. It is one of the ways elites used to stay in power,&rdquo; says Yassin. &ldquo;If Kurds do not like Arabs who do not trust Christians who are suspicious of Muslims or Sunnis do not like Shias and so on, a regime becomes the solution instead of the problem. As long as you rely on sectarianism, you can stay in power forever. The war in Syria has nothing to do with primordial identities or religion, the regime just wants power and resources. Their project is to stay in power forever.&rdquo; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Sectarianism in West&nbsp;Asia&#39;s societies is a dangerous element, often used in an opportunistic way to hide political and economic interests. Iran and Saudi Arabia are valuable examples of this strategy. Tehran openly funds Shia paramilitary groups fighting both in Iraq and Syria with the aim of protecting Shiite&nbsp;followers and shrines from Sunni terrorists&nbsp;but this is also a way to expand their regional influence. Saudi Arabia plays the same game and funds Salafi organisations in order to penetrate societies and expand its influence.&nbsp;

&ldquo;When Russia stepped in, an imperialist phase of the war started,&rdquo; says Yassin. &ldquo;We (the leftwing) became invisible, we came to the point that our very existence was a controversial issue,&rdquo; says Yassin. &nbsp;

The US, who armed several anti-Assad groups since the very beginning without taking enough care of who they were, accused Russia of war crimes due to their heavy bombings. The Kremlin replied this is how they fight the terrorists Washington armed. &nbsp;

Five years of conflict have led to&nbsp;more than 4,00,000&nbsp;deaths, 13.5 million refugees, destroyed cities and have seen different countries involved.&nbsp;The Syrian civil war is not about Syria anymore. It has become a power struggle between regional and international actors who are fighting for&nbsp;political hegemony in&nbsp;West&nbsp;Asia.&nbsp;

&ldquo;We the people of Syria live in an impossible situation. We are attacked from every front, we are killed in hundreds of thousands, we are displaced in millions and we are blamed at the same time. We do not even have on our side the concept of sacrifice, of dying for a reason.&rdquo;&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

(WION)

He spent 16 years in jail for opposing Assad's father and is part of the secular left wing which organised the 2011 pro-democracy protests

"We reached a point where we are nearly forced to swear we exist. We exist, I swear,” quips Yassin al Haj Saleh, a Syrian writer and dissident now living in exile in Turkey. One can't miss the bitter laugh that he breaks into. “Our struggle is not new. We have been fighting the Assads since two generations. I was arrested as a young man during my university years and I have spent 16 years in jail. We have always refused to be humiliated, to be treated as second-class human beings. And we paid for this. We have been tortured and many of us are forced to live in exile,” he goes on. “For the first two years of protests in Syria, we were part of those peaceful demonstrations. We created coordinating committees, it is because of us that people took to the streets. Secular organisations are still present but they have been sidelined by the war.” Yassin is a native of Raqqah, the current capital city of the Islamic State. He is part of the leftwing secular section of the Syrian society who started demonstrating against President Bashar Al Assad in 2011, asking for greater democracy and more freedom. His wife Samira Khalil is also a political dissident and is missing since December 2013 when a group of Islamists abducted her along with human right activists Razan Zaitouneh, Wael Hamada and Nazem Hammadi. “Samira was my beloved and also my assistant and our destiny, along with the one of our friends, represents the tragedy of being Syrian today and living in a society built on political genocide.” The mainstream narrative seems to have forgotten the role of secular and pro-democracy moderate groups in the Syrian uprising. The narrative is now majorly flattered on the war on terror: sovereign nations on one side and the Islamic State and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, formerly al-Nusra, the Syrian branch of Al Qaeda on the other. There is no space for liberal, progressive, pro-democracy dissidents who risk being labelled terrorists. 2012 is when the situation started getting militarised in Syria. More and more weapons started arriving on the streets on both sides. The main armed anti-Assad group, the Free Syrian Army where many former military personnel fight, was involved in a fullscale fight against regular troops. It was a civil war, Syrians against Syrians. In this environment, terrorist organisations started gaining ground. “Since August 2011, Syrians asked for international protection but nothing happened. Day by day, people started feeling they were left to their fate. We felt left alone, without any protection,” recalls Yassin but “nobody wanted to passively suffer another Hama massacre.” He refers to what happened in the city of Hama in 1982. Under the order of then president Hafez Al Assad, the Syrian Army attacked the town to stop an uprising by the Muslim Brotherhood, killing thousands of citizens. Frustration, mistrust, anger and constant war served as lifeline for hardline Islamists. “These organisations are nihilist, they want to destroy everything in the world who is against them. They are a minority, but they have a lot of visibility. It is the dynamic of the production of the ‘desired enemy’ and it helped the regime and its allies: you need terrorists to justify the war on terror,” says Yassin. The 2013 open intervention of Lebanese Hezbollah forces played an important role and started a new phase of the Syrian crisis which started to be increasingly described as a conflict between Shia countries against Sunni radical groups. “Sectarianism is a strategy of control: it is the old ‘divide and rule’ colonial principle. It is one of the ways elites used to stay in power,” says Yassin. “If Kurds do not like Arabs who do not trust Christians who are suspicious of Muslims or Sunnis do not like Shias and so on, a regime becomes the solution instead of the problem. As long as you rely on sectarianism, you can stay in power forever. The war in Syria has nothing to do with primordial identities or religion, the regime just wants power and resources. Their project is to stay in power forever.” Sectarianism in West Asia's societies is a dangerous element, often used in an opportunistic way to hide political and economic interests. Iran and Saudi Arabia are valuable examples of this strategy. Tehran openly funds Shia paramilitary groups fighting both in Iraq and Syria with the aim of protecting Shiite followers and shrines from Sunni terrorists but this is also a way to expand their regional influence. Saudi Arabia plays the same game and funds Salafi organisations in order to penetrate societies and expand its influence. “When Russia stepped in, an imperialist phase of the war started,” says Yassin. “We (the leftwing) became invisible, we came to the point that our very existence was a controversial issue,” says Yassin. The US, who armed several anti-Assad groups since the very beginning without taking enough care of who they were, accused Russia of war crimes due to their heavy bombings. The Kremlin replied this is how they fight the terrorists Washington armed. Five years of conflict have led to more than 4,00,000 deaths, 13.5 million refugees, destroyed cities and have seen different countries involved. The Syrian civil war is not about Syria anymore. It has become a power struggle between regional and international actors who are fighting for political hegemony in West Asia. “We the people of Syria live in an impossible situation. We are attacked from every front, we are killed in hundreds of thousands, we are displaced in millions and we are blamed at the same time. We do not even have on our side the concept of sacrifice, of dying for a reason.” (WION)

Exclusive: Syrians living a political genocide, says writer and dissident Yassin al-Haj Saleh

French President Emmanuel Macron appointed veteran centrist François Bayrou as the new prime minister on Friday (Dec 13) following the collapse of the previous government of PM Michel Barnier.

In other news,&nbsp;US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a surprise visit to Iraq on Friday (Dec 13) and pledged to work with Baghdad to ensure no resurgence of the Islamic State group after the former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad regime's ouster from Syria.&nbsp;

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French President Emmanuel Macron appointed veteran centrist François Bayrou as the new prime minister on Friday (Dec 13) following the collapse of the previous government of PM Michel Barnier.

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a surprise visit to Iraq on Friday (Dec 13) and pledged to work with Baghdad to ensure no resurgence of the Islamic State group after the former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad regime's ouster from Syria.&nbsp;

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Russia carried out a major aerial strike on Ukraine on Friday (Dec&nbsp;13) morning, deploying cruise missiles and drones to target energy infrastructure, particularly in the western border regions. The attack is part of a renewed campaign against Ukraine’s electricity network, which has already caused extended power outages for millions of civilians.

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India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday (Dec 13) that three Indian students were murdered in Canada in the last week or so, adding, it was in touch with the victims' families and the local authorities to ensure a thorough investigation.&nbsp;

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The parents of the junior doctor who was raped and murdered at&nbsp;RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in the Indian city of&nbsp;Kolkata&nbsp;expressed their heartbreak and disappointment after two&nbsp;accused in the case were granted bail on Friday (Dec 13).

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Estonia's Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna has emphasised that India can influence Russian President Vladimir Putin for peace as the war in Ukraine enters its third year in 2025.

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The White House on Friday (Dec 13) said that the United States (US) administration had no evidence that the recent drone sightings in the US state of New Jersey posed a national security or a public safety threat.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/jamaica-proposes-bill-to-remove-king-charles-as-head-state-and-become-a-republic-783796">Jamaica proposes bill to remove King Charles as head state and become a republic</a>

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In the first step to remove King Charles as head state and become a country republic, the Jamaican government presented a bill in parliament on Wednesday (Dec 11) to abolish the constitutional monarchy.&nbsp;

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The saga surrounding the Champions Trophy 2025 is over as the International Cricket Council (ICC) has approved the hybrid mode, meaning India will not travel to Pakistan for the coveted tournament.

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<img alt="main img" src="https://cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/styles/story_page/public/2024/12/13/471055-happy-30th-birthday-45.png?imwidth=400" />

Actor Allu Arjun has been granted interim bail from the High Court in connection with the death of a woman in Hyderabad. Earlier in the day (Dec 13), the Pushpa 2 actor was arrested in a case filed against him for causing a stampede-like situation that resulted in the death of a woman.&nbsp;

Slamming Clinton's policy on Syria, Trump warned that her plan could 'drag the US into a world war against Russia'

French President Emmanuel Macron appointed veteran centrist François Bayrou as the new prime minister on Friday (Dec 13) following the collapse of the previous government of PM Michel Barnier. In other news, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a surprise visit to Iraq on Friday (Dec 13) and pledged to work with Baghdad to ensure no resurgence of the Islamic State group after the former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad regime's ouster from Syria. Click on the headlines to read more: Who is Francois Bayrou? The new French PM set to battle the political chaos French President Emmanuel Macron appointed veteran centrist François Bayrou as the new prime minister on Friday (Dec 13) following the collapse of the previous government of PM Michel Barnier. West Asia crisis: Blinken vows to work with Iraq against IS US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a surprise visit to Iraq on Friday (Dec 13) and pledged to work with Baghdad to ensure no resurgence of the Islamic State group after the former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad regime's ouster from Syria. Russian airstrike targets Ukraine’s energy system in retaliation for US-supplied missile use Russia carried out a major aerial strike on Ukraine on Friday (Dec 13) morning, deploying cruise missiles and drones to target energy infrastructure, particularly in the western border regions. The attack is part of a renewed campaign against Ukraine’s electricity network, which has already caused extended power outages for millions of civilians. 'Terrible tragedies': Three Indian students killed in Canada, says New Delhi India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday (Dec 13) that three Indian students were murdered in Canada in the last week or so, adding, it was in touch with the victims' families and the local authorities to ensure a thorough investigation. Parents of murdered RG Kar doctor slam system after ex-principal gets bail The parents of the junior doctor who was raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in the Indian city of Kolkata expressed their heartbreak and disappointment after two accused in the case were granted bail on Friday (Dec 13). India can influence Putin on peace: Estonia FM Margus Tsahkna Estonia's Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna has emphasised that India can influence Russian President Vladimir Putin for peace as the war in Ukraine enters its third year in 2025. Drones seen in New Jersey: White House says no proof that sightings pose national security threat The White House on Friday (Dec 13) said that the United States (US) administration had no evidence that the recent drone sightings in the US state of New Jersey posed a national security or a public safety threat. Jamaica proposes bill to remove King Charles as head state and become a republic In the first step to remove King Charles as head state and become a country republic, the Jamaican government presented a bill in parliament on Wednesday (Dec 11) to abolish the constitutional monarchy. Champions Trophy 2025: ICC approves hybrid model after long saga - Report The saga surrounding the Champions Trophy 2025 is over as the International Cricket Council (ICC) has approved the hybrid mode, meaning India will not travel to Pakistan for the coveted tournament. Actor Allu Arjun granted bail from High court in Pushpa 2 stampede case Actor Allu Arjun has been granted interim bail from the High Court in connection with the death of a woman in Hyderabad. Earlier in the day (Dec 13), the Pushpa 2 actor was arrested in a case filed against him for causing a stampede-like situation that resulted in the death of a woman.

Hillary Clinton's policies could spark World War III: Trump

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