Japan OKs preparation step for Fukushima plant water release


This photo shows tanks (in gray, beige and blue) storing water that was treated but is still radioactive after it was used to cool down spent fuel at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Okuma town, Fukushima prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Feb. 27, 2021. Japan’s nuclear regulator on Friday, July 22, 2022, approved the release of treated radioactive wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea next year.

 (AP Photo/Hiro Komae, File) 

MARI YAMAGUCHI
Fri, July 22, 2022 

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s nuclear regulator on Friday approved details of a planned release of treated radioactive wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea next year.

The approval by the Nuclear Regulation Authority will enable Tokyo Electric Power Co. to start building necessary facilities ahead of the discharge. It came two months after a preliminary greenlight and a subsequent public review process.

Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings submitted the plan in December based on a government decision last year to release the wastewater as a necessary step for the plant’s ongoing decommissioning.

A massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011 destroyed the Fukushima Daiichi plant’s cooling systems, causing triple meltdowns and the release of large amounts of radiation. Water that was used to cool the three damaged reactor cores, which remain highly radioactive, has since leaked into basements of the reactor buildings but was collected and stored in tanks.

Local fishing communities and neighboring countries have raised concerns about potential health hazards from the radioactive wastewater, which TEPCO and government officials say will be treated to levels far below releasable standards. They maintain that the environmental and health impacts will be negligible.

Japan nuclear authority chairman Toyoshi Fuketa told reporters Friday that the release plan had no major technical or safety issues. He said the regulators will ensure approved procedures are strictly followed with transparency.

The government and TEPCO say that of more than 60 isotopes selected for treatment, all but one, tritium, will be reduced to meet safety standards. Scientists say impacts of long-term, low-dose exposure to tritium for the environment and humans are still unknown. Tritium affects humans more when it is consumed in fish, they say.

The contaminated water is being stored in about 1,000 tanks at the damaged plant. Officials say they must be removed so that facilities can be built for its decommissioning. The tanks are expected to reach their capacity of 1.37 million tons next year.



TEPCO said it plans to transport treated and releasable water through a pipeline from the tanks to a coastal facility, where it will be diluted with seawater and then sent through an undersea tunnel with an outlet about 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) away to minimize the impact on local fishing and the environment.

The government and TEPCO still need to gain local consent for building the tunnel and other related facilities. They plan to begin gradually releasing the treated water in spring 2023.

China on Friday renewed its protest over the planned wastewater release and urged Japan to carry out the disposal in “a scientific, open, transparent and safe manner.”

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin demanded Japan "stop pushing the discharge plan before reaching a consensus with all stakeholders and relevant international agencies.”

Japan has sought help from the International Atomic Energy Agency to ensure the water release meets international safety standards and reassure local fishing and other communities and neighboring countries that have opposed the plan.

Experts from the IAEA visited the plant earlier this year and said Japan was taking appropriate steps for the planned discharge.

In a statement Friday, TEPCO pledged to sincerely respond to the IAEA reviews, ensure safety, provide data to the public and strengthen its radiation monitoring. The company also vowed to do its utmost to explain the water discharge plans and gain the public’s understanding about the decommissioning.

___

AP video producer Liu Zheng in Beijing contributed to this report.

Russian company starts building Egypt's first nuclear plant

After years of delays, Russia's atomic energy giant Rosatom started work on Egypt's first nuclear power plant, calling it "the largest project of Russian-Egyptian cooperation" since the 1950s.

El-Dabaa plant is set to be built on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, 

some 300 kilometers north-west from Cairo

Russian state atomic energy corporation Rosatom has begun construction of Egypt's first nuclear power plant, according to a joint statement from Rosatom and Cairo.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and Russian President Vladimir Putin had signed the final agreement to build the plant at el-Dabaa, on Egypt's north coast, five years ago.

Rosatom chief Alexey Likhachev and Egyptian Energy Minister Mohamed Shaker on Wednesday poured concrete into what will serve as the base for the plant, marking a "historic event" for Egypt, said Shaker.

Likhachev said that Egypt has now "joined the nuclear club."

Egypt's first nuclear plant

The project, paid for with a loan from Russia, is expected to cost around $25 billion euros, according to the Egyptian media. It is planned to have four 1,200 megawatt reactors. 

The statement did not specify when construction would end. In 2017, after el-Sissi and Putin signed the deal, Rosatom said the plant would be finished in either 2028 or 2029, but construction has already been delayed for several years.

According to the joint statement, the el-Dabaa plant is set to use pressurized water reactors, similar to those at Russia's Novovoronezh and Leningrad nuclear power plants.

Cairo first announced considering a nuclear plant at El-Dabaa in the 1980s, although the project was suspended after the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. But el-Sissi, who has launched multiple mega-projects since he took power in 2014, seemed determined to embark on the flagship nuclear initiative.

Under el-Sissi's rule, Egypt has worked on rapidly expanding its power generation capacity, notably with gas-fired plants built by the German company Siemens. Cairo is also planning to expand electricity exports to several Middle Eastern countries.

As the host of this year's UN climate summit COP27, Egypt is seeking to raise the share of its power generation capacity from renewable sources to 40% by 2030 and 42% by 2035.

Russian-Egyptian ties

"The plant will be the largest project of Russian-Egyptian cooperation since the Aswan High Dam," Likhachev said on Wednesday. He was referring to the 111-metre-high and 3.6-kilometer-wide dam harnessing the Nile river for hydropower and irrigation.

The Aswan High Dam, in southern Egypt, was built with Soviet support. It was a major project in the early 1950s of then-President Gamal Abdel Nasser, a key figure of the pan-Arabism ideology. 

Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Egypt has not officially picked a side. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is heading to Cairo this weekend, where he is set to meet with the 22-member Arab League.

Still, el-Sissi has maintained close ties with the West.

Last month, the European Union turned to Egypt and its neighbor Israel in a bid to reduce to bloc's dependency on Russian natural gas.

In 2020, Egypt was one of the largest recipients of US military aid after Israel and Afghanistan, according to Statista.

fb/dj (AFP, Reuters)

The end of Bollywood?

Bollywood was once seen as synonymous with Indian cinema. But film tastes are changing, and mainstream Hindi movies are taking a back seat as Indian filmmakers embrace diverse genres.

The Bollywood film "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge" screens in Mumbai

The Indian Film Festival in the German city of Stuttgart is taking place this week with live audiences for the first time since 2019. Until 2011 the festival was actually called "Bollywood & Beyond" but the name was dropped because Indian cinema is so much more than mainstream Hindi-language movies.

"Bollywood" is a compound of the terms Bombay (the old name of the city of Mumbai) and Hollywood. A film critic invented the word crossover in the 1970s to make one of the world's most successful movie industries more palatable to Western audiences.

Bollywood also stands for films made in the Hindi language, as opposed to India's other 120-odd tongues including Urdu, Malayalam, Tamil, Sanskrit and Bengali — some of which also have their own film industry.
Largest number of films worldwide

India produces more films than any other country worldwide, with Hindi-language films most strongly represented among the more than 1,000 productions a year. The Indian film industry generates nearly $2 billion (€1.9 billion) a year. US productions that set standards elsewhere in the world traditionally have little influence in India.

Romance plays a major role in Bollywood movies

The Hindi film industry originated in Mumbai in the 1930s and had its first heyday in the 1960s and 1970s with romance films, dramas and action flicks. The movies are over three hours long and have an intermission and most feature singing and dancing.
Roller coaster ride of emotions

Over the decades, Hindi cinema developed a formula for success that includes the so-called nine rasas, or basic human emotions in traditional Indian arts — joy, fear, anger, love, courage, sadness, amazement, disgust and calmness. A Bollywood film can be a veritable roller coaster of emotions: tragedy and comedy alternate, as do action and romance. The plot is almost always about love.

Bollywoodmovies were firmly in the hands of actors who also produced the biggest blockbusters. In the 1990s and 2000s, Sha Rukh Khan, Ameer Khan and Salman Khan were the most famous outside India. Screenwriters and filmmakers had comparatively small profiles power during Bollywood's heyday.

Breakthrough in Europe

2001 was a pivotal year for Indian cinema, and for Stephan Holl, who with wife Antoinette Köster owns the Cologne-based Rapid Eye Movies film distribution company.

Fascinated with Indian cinema, they decided to distribute Indian films in Germany and Europe. At the time, that was a big risk, but the move also promoted Indian cinema beyond Asia. Rapid Eye Movies, actually an arthouse distributor, was partly responsible for a veritable Bollywood wave that took place throughout Europe a short time later.

"We brought Bollywood and Indian indie films to Germany. Bollywood had a 95% market share in India at the time," Holl told DW, adding the movies included the early films starring Shah Rukh Khan, real evergreens that people loved."
Bollywood's 'homemade crisis'

But Bollywood's recipe for successful also left a bad taste. A few superstars had too much power. There were too few female producers and directors. In addition, recurring Hindi mainstream cinema plots were becoming tired and clicheed.

In the early 2010s, box offices saw the first big flops. "What was tried and true didn't work anymore, there was a lot of uncertainty," said Stephan Holl, arguing that the crisis was homemade, and that people relied too much on the stars to fix it. He said the films were increasingly flat and formulaic.

Independent filmmakers saw an opportunity and took it.

"Suddenly there were many more female filmmakers and films without stars that had a good story and that worked, that got by on much smaller budgets," Holl said. "Arthouse filmmakers entered the scene, suddenly Indian films were showing at the Cannes Film Festival."

Anurag Kashyap, for example, is a successful Hindi language director who also produces and writes screenplays that break the Bollywood mold. His internationally acclaimed 2016 film "Raman Raghav 2.0," inspired by the serial killer of the same name, brought a darker, neo-noir edge to Indian cinema.

Anurag Kashyap breaks with cliches

But does this shift mean that Bollywood mainstream films will eventually die out?
Greater cinematic diversity

Anu Singh, Indian filmmaker, award-winning journalist and screenwriter, does not see a crisis in mainstream cinema.

"Some of the biggest blockbusters have been in the last seven years," Singh told DW. It's the Covid-19 pandemic and the huge success of streaming services that are a threat to traditional mainstream Indian cinema, she argued, as well as the increasingly successful film industries of South India.

But Anu Singh sees diversification as a great opportunity for Indian cinema. "The changes have led to bold collaborations. The mainstream is opening up to other languages," she said. "Bollywood is no longer just Hindi cinema. It also means transfer to other lifestyles and adaptation. If the so-called mainstream can learn from smaller currents, it will be richer for it."

Choreographer, producer and director Farah Khan

Ever-changing audience

Like Stephan Holl, Anu Singh sees the future of Bollywood in more diverse themes and casts. Currently, she said, there is still a struggle with what kind of stories filmmakers want to tell to "capture the imagination of an ever-changing audience" — an audience that is well-versed in international film thanks to streaming services.

She says she is in greater demand as a screenwriter than ever before due to a demand for new storytelling voices and perspectives.

The success of streaming services and the major changes in distribution structures are also reasons why Rapid Eye Movies has not been renting Indian films for several years.

But Stephan Holl is still a fan.

He says he watches the films — but not on Netflix. The films need a big screen, he says.

"If anything is a communal experience, it's definitely these films," he said, adding the viewing experience remains once of "celebrating [and] being swept away."

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL STUTTGART 2022
'Jhund'
Titled "Jhund," Hindi for mob, this movie tells the story of Vijay Barse, who founded the NGO Slum Soccer in the western Indian city of Nagpur in an attempt to improve the lives of underprivileged children. Superstar Amitabh Bachchan plays Barse in the movie.
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This article was originally written in German.

Protecting Berlin's homeless from extreme heat

An estimated 2,000-6,500 people in the German capital are homeless. Without a roof over their heads, they're particularly vulnerable during days of extreme heat. A new project aims to offer some respite.



It is dangerous for homeless people to stay outside during a heatwave


Temperatures in Berlin reached a record of 39 degrees Celsius (102 F) on Wednesday. While many Berliners turned on their electric fans and pulled down the shades, those without a roof over their heads were left with few places to cool down and avoid the health risks posed by the extreme heat. For example, Lilyana and her friend Elias.

"I look like a tourist," Lilyana said, readjusting her floppy hat.

The two friends, originally from Bulgaria, were sitting in the shade, waiting for the doors to open at 10 a.m. for a new pilot project that was launched in Berlin's Schöneberg district. The "Hitzehilfe" (Heat Aid) is open until 8 p.m. and offers people seeking a cool refuge a shower in privacy and a nap on one of 30 available beds.


The 'Heat Aid' facility offers a place to rest indoors during the hot daytime hours

For Lilyana, a cool shower was top of the list at the "Hitzehilfe" shelter. "On the streets, we can sometimes make our way with food and drink. But without a shower and without sleep, life just doesn't work," she said.

During the pandemic, the 31-year-old lost her apartment and her job. "I've been homeless for just over a year," she explained. "I used to work on the streets in prostitution, but I gave that up."

Elias said that he could not work because he had lost all his documents. "We're starting to move forward with the paperwork now though," he explained, before heading to one of the rooms for a nap.


Lilyana and her friend Elias went to the 'Heat Aid' shelter for a shower and a nap
Berlin government raising awareness

In the "Hitzehilfe" communal area, plates of freshly chopped watermelon were ready to be snacked on and there were crates of bottled water stacked up against the wall. At the back of the room, a long table was covered in refillable bottles, sunscreen, hats, sleeping bags, toiletries, face masks, and fresh clothes. Laundry facilities were also on hand.

The Berlin Senate is financing the pilot project, with around €106,000 (ca. $107,000). Launched by the social association IB Berlin-Brandenburg, "Hitzehilfe" aims to take to the heat off the homeless — at least for a few hours a day.


The shelter provides free meals and soft drinks throughout the day to help ward off dehydration

The building, made available by the district of Schöneberg, is usually used in the winter months for the "Kältehilfe" (Cold Aid) initiative, which provides a warm shelter, particularly at night. But in the extreme heat, it's during the day that shelter is most needed.

Katja Kipping, Left Party politician and Berlin Senator for Integration, Labor, and Social Affairs said Wednesday that society should be made aware of the dangers posed by extreme temperatures.

"Many people in Berlin already have the number of the 'Kältehilfe' hotline on their phone in case they see someone in need in the winter months. But they are not as aware of the other extreme, in the summer," she said.


Berlin Senator for Social Affairs, Katja Kipping, wants to make people aware of the dangers posed by extreme heat

"So far, the project's been well-received," social worker Artur Keil told DW, careful to make sure that the bubbling stew on the hob did not boil over. Food is prepared throughout the day, with row upon row of tinned soups and stews piled high on the kitchen counter.

"Most of the people who have come by are those we know from 'Kältehilfe' and news of the project has largely spread by word of mouth," said Keil.


Artur Keil said there were many familiar faces among the homeless now seeking shelter from the heat

The challenge of extreme temperatures

"What we've noticed in the first couple of days is that a lot of people just want to sleep in peace. That's almost impossible outside in these temperatures," said regional leader of the IB social association Janette Werner.

Excessive alcohol or drug consumption also adds to the risks, she told DW. "After drinking a lot, for example, people don't realize when they've fallen asleep in the heat; they get badly burnt; become more dehydrated, and in the worst case can die."

On-site social workers also offer counseling and support. "When the people start to come regularly, for example, they often start to open up, and trust is developed," said Werner.


Janette Werner says that many homeless fall asleep in the scorching sun after excessive alcohol or drug consumption

Elsewhere in Berlin, 23 workers from the "Karuna" initiative were also on the road distributing water, sunscreen, sunglasses, and toiletries to people without a home. The team has been working since 2020 and also operates several "cooling buses" where people can temporarily stay and recover from heat stress.

"If you see someone on the street, especially during this hot weather, the best thing you can do is ask if they're okay," said Werner. "If they're not, then ring emergency services. But keep in mind that anyone would be happy to get a bottle of water right now."

The "Hitzehilfe" summer pilot project runs until the end of September when the social association will evaluate which facilities were in highest demand.

Edited by: Rina Goldenberg

STAYING COOL IN EUROPE'S BLAZING SUMMER

A giant public shower

In the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, a young boy cools down in a public fountain. The Baltic States in northern Europe have also been experiencing record temperatures. It was over 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) on June 26 in Vilnius.

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Russian air strike on Syria kills seven: Monitor

AFP , Friday 22 Jul 2022

A Russian air strike killed seven people, four of them children, in Syria's rebel-held Idlib region on Friday, a war monitor said.

A member of the Syrian civil defence known as the White Helmets walks on the rubble of a house following a Russian air strike on the outskirts of the rebel-held city of Jisr al-Shughur in Syria s northwestern province of Idlib on July 22, 2022. AFPLinkedIn

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the deaths "including four children who are siblings, two men and an unidentified person... as a result of Russian air strikes", in the Jisr al-Shughur countryside of northern Syria.

Ayhman Mozan, 31, lost all four of his children in the attack that destroyed his home.

"My children are gone... the dearest people to my heart are gone," he told AFP, breaking down in tears as he called out his children's names.

He and his family were sleeping when the first strike hit their home, he said, lying in a hospital bed in the border city of Darkush.

He helped rescue his wife from under the rubble but when he looked for his children, he could not find them.

The house has been completely destroyed, an AFP correspondent at the site of the attack said, with toys, furniture and clothing scattered across the rubble.

The children killed were all under 10 years old, said Rami Abdel Rahman, who heads the British-based Observatory.

The monitor said that more people, including women and children, were still trapped under the rubble.

The victims have mostly displaced Syrians from neighbouring Hama province, said the monitor, which relies on a wide network of sources inside Syria.

Russia, which did not comment immediately on the raid, is the main backer of President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

With Russian and Iranian support, Damascus clawed back much of the ground lost in the early stages of Syria's conflict, which erupted in 2011 when the government brutally repressed pro-democracy protests.

The last pocket of armed opposition to the regime includes large swathes of Idlib province and parts of the neighbouring Aleppo, Hama and Latakia provinces.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, headed by ex-members of Syria's former Al-Qaeda franchise, is the dominant group in the area but other rebel groups are also active, with varying degrees of Turkish backing.

Syria's war has killed nearly half a million people and forced around half of the country's pre-war population from their homes.

SEE

Will Turkey attack Syria Kurds without nod from Russia and Iran

Syria formally breaks diplomatic ties with Ukraine

 Putin in Iran for Syria summit overshadowed by Ukraine war

Mexico femicide: Protesters demand justice after mother activist burnt dead

Feminist activists and members of caretakers organizations in Mexico City protested on Thursday to demand justice for the femicide of 35-year-old Luz Raquel Padilla. Padilla, who was a caregiver for her son with autism, was attacked, doused with alcohol and burnt by unknown assailants on Saturday.

Jan. 6 probe: Trump didn't want to say 'election is over'

The House Jan. 6 committee has aired a previously unseen video outtake of President Donald Trump saying, “I don’t want to say the election is over” the day after insurrection at the US Capitol. The committee showed outtakes from a speech that Trump recorded on Jan. 7, 2021, in which he resisted the idea of saying that the election is over.

Marshall Islands celebrate first 'Iroojlaplap' chief coronation in 50 years

Fri, July 22, 2022 


Thousands participated this week in a lavish ceremony in the Marshall Islands marking the first formal coronation of a paramount chief in around 50 years.

The colourful event, which also attracted thousands of viewers on social media, saw Michael Kabua crowned "Iroojlaplap", or paramount chief, on Thursday night as warriors and guests from the 12 atolls and islands he oversees gathered in a show of respect.

The coronation, held on the small island of Ebeye in the Kwajalein Atoll, is known as a "Kailoojoj" in Marshallese -- a ceremony reserved only for paramount chiefs.

It was the first coronation for the royal family since Kabua’s cousin, Iroojlaplap Joba, who died in 1982, ascended to the throne in the 1970s.


The blowing of a conch shell heralded each stage of the elaborate ceremony, which featured islanders wearing traditional headdress and woven mat clothing.

The red carpet was also rolled out, with Marshall Islands President David Kabua -- Michael's nephew -- and members of his cabinet among the guests.

Michael Kabua assumed the title of Iroojlaplap following the death of his older brother Imata Kabua in 2019.

"Iroojlaplap Mike is the embodiment of our traditional leaders," said David Paul, who like Michael Kabua represents Kwajalein Atoll in parliament.

"He wholeheartedly believes the role culture should play in our everyday lives."


Paul praised the new paramount chief for his work helping to ensure the traditional system of customs co-existed alongside modern-day democracy.

"It goes to show the level of maturity of our culture," he said.

"Even though these systems contrast, they've been melded together here."

Although a sovereign country, the Marshall Islands -- with a population of just 60,000 -- depend on the United States for an estimated 40 percent of its budget.

A US military base on Kwajalein, home to one of America's most sophisticated missile defence ranges, housed dozens of guests attending the Kailoojoj.

America's long-term agreement with the Marshall Islands currently pays landowners, including Kabua, over $20 million a year for hosting the base.

str-ryj/smw

‘Where will we go?’ Syrians fear threatened Turkish assault

July 22, 2022


Syrians shop in a market in Syria's northern city of Manbij, located near the border with Turkey, on July 21, 2022. In the last few days, the Syrian regime has deployed reinforcements near Manbij, as part of a Russia-mediated agreement, to act as a buffer between Kurdish and Ankara-backed forces. AFP

Ghazwan al-Atman thought he had found refuge in Manbij after years of displacement, but he now fears his family will be uprooted once again as a threatened Turkish onslaught looms over the Syrian town.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey has repeatedly vowed to launch a new offensive in northern Syria in what he says is an operation to protect his country from Kurdish militias who have been waging a decades-long war against the Turkish state.

Turkey has launched a string of offensives in Syria in the past six years, most recently in 2019 when it conducted a broad air and ground assault against Kurdish militias after former US president Donald Trump withdrew American troops.

“Our people are completely exhausted,” Atman said, standing in his empty shoe store in downtown Manbij, which lies just 30 kilometers (less than 20 miles) from Syria’s border with Turkey.

“We enjoyed safety and security here. Now, we don’t know where to go.”

The market where he set up shop is usually bustling with customers, but they have now been reduced to a trickle.

Atman said his family settled in Manbij in 2018 having already been displaced “four or five times.”

The 43-year-old built a house and established his business “from scratch” but is now ready to flee again as he fears for the lives of his children.

“War has destroyed me. … All we want is stability in this country,” he said.

The threat of a new assault has intensified, with Turkey saying Thursday it never seeks “permission for our military operations” despite failing to get the green light from Russia and Iran this week.

Turkish media said any potential operation is unlikely to take place before the end of August or early September.

Analysts have warned an attack on densely populated Manbij would cause mass displacement and suffering.

‘Displacement means ruin’

The people of Manbij have been busy stocking up on food in preparation.

Hussein Hamdoush said customers have been flocking to his grocery store to stockpile essentials like milk, rice and bulgur.

Hamdoush said he does not want to leave.

“Displacement means ruin,” he said. “Where will we go? I would rather die in my home.”

Food prices have shot up in the Kurdish-run town, residents say.

Umm Nidal, 48, said she feared displacement as much as she feared for her four children.

“We are facing an economic war rather than air strikes,” she said as she scanned supermarket shelves.

This is not the first time Ankara has threatened to attack Manbij, an Arab-majority town run by Kurdish fighters who expelled Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants in 2016.

Between 2016 and 2019, Ankara launched three military offensives it said were to root out the Kurdish People’s Protection Units, the main component of the autonomous Kurds’ de facto army, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Analysts have told AFP that even without Moscow and Tehran’s stamp of approval, Erdoğan could still launch a limited attack.

“Turkish threats are nothing new in Manbij, but the level of these threats ebbs and flows, and it has highly intensified lately,” said Sherfan Darwish, a spokesman for the SDF-affiliated Manbij Military Council.

Soldiers deployed

The SDF has dug trenches on the outskirts of Manbij in readiness for a potential attack, AFP correspondents said.

“We have trained our forces … based on our experience fighting against IS [another acronym for ISIL], though the war against Turkish forces calls for new tactics,” Darwish said.

The SDF has reached out to Damascus for help in fending off a potential Turkish onslaught — as they have done in past campaigns.

Government and Kurdish forces have struggled to find common ground, because Damascus rejects Kurdish self-rule.

In the past few days, the regime has deployed reinforcements near Manbij, as part of a Russia-mediated agreement, to act as a buffer between Kurdish and Ankara-backed forces.

They have come bearing “heavy and high-quality weapons,” Darwish said.

Regime flags were visible on the front lines, while Manbij Military Council fighters were scattered farther back in small numbers, hiding from possible Turkish drone strikes in the shade of olive trees, an AFP correspondent said.

Syrian soldiers have trickled in over the past two days, setting up camp in nearby villages.

Hamdoush said he hopes the army will be able to protect Manbij, but others are skeptical.

“I wish we could have peace,” said Ali Abu Hassan, a 50-year-old Manbij resident. “But this [war] is an international game and we are the victims.”

AFP

Thousands flee feuding Taliban in Afghanistan’s north

While the June fighting lasted only a few days, the United Nations says it displaced at least 27,000 people — almost all of them Hazara. 

Short Url https://arab.news/6sam3
Updated 22 July 2022
AFP

Ethnicity, religious sectarianism and a battle for a lump of Balkhab’s lucrative coal resources are at the heart of the fighting


DUZDANCHISMA, Afghanistan: When fighting erupted between Taliban forces and a breakaway group led by one of their former commanders in northern Afghanistan last month, Zahra and her family fled to the mountains.

For days they walked across the rocky terrain, unsure what lay ahead or when they might return to their home Sar-e Pol province’s Balkhab district, where the clashes erupted.
“We didn’t want to get trapped ... we all might have been killed,” said Zahra, 35, asking to use a pseudonym for security reasons.

Zahra’s family is among thousands that fled conflict between the Taliban and fighters loyal to Mahdi Mujahid, the group’s former intelligence chief for Bamiyan.

Ethnicity, religious sectarianism and a battle for a lump of Balkhab’s lucrative coal resources are at the heart of the fighting.

“All these factors are working together in driving the conflict,” Australia-based political analyst Nematullah Bizhan said.

Mujahid, a Shiite Hazara, joined the mostly Sunni and Pashtun Taliban in 2019, and was appointed to his post soon after the hard-line Islamists seized power in August last year.

Afghanistan’s Shiite Hazaras have faced persecution for decades, with the Taliban accused of abuses against the community when they first ruled from 1996 to 2001.

They are also the target of attacks by the Daesh group, which considers them heretics.

Mujahid’s appointment was initially seen as supporting the Taliban’s claim of being more inclusive to non-Pashtuns, but he soon fell foul of the leadership.

The group routinely denies reports of infighting in its ranks, but in June local media said Mujahid split with the Taliban leadership when Kabul sought greater control over the coal business.

Balkhab is home to several coal mines and demand has soared in recent months with Pakistan — in the grip of an energy crisis partly caused by rising oil prices — stepping up imports to fuel power plants.

Local Taliban commanders were known to “tax” trucks on their way to Pakistan — as officials in the previous government did before them — but when Mujahid resisted Kabul’s efforts to rein in the practice, they sacked him.

“Balkhab has a long history of resisting the government,” analyst Bizhan said, adding the region also fought strongly against the Taliban during their first reign.

While the June fighting lasted only a few days, the United Nations says it displaced at least 27,000 people — almost all of them Hazara.

The result is a humanitarian crisis that aid agencies are now struggling to deal with.
“We used to sleep thirsty on empty stomachs and wake up in the morning and start walking again,” said Zahra, whose family walked for nearly a fortnight before finding shelter in a village mosque in Bamiyan.

“Everyone was sick.”

The family of Barat Ali Subhani, another resident of Balkhab, has taken refuge in the same mosque.

“We didn’t have anything with us. We just left in clothes we were wearing,” Subhani said.
His seven-member family — including five children — walked for four days before a shepherd led them to the mosque.

“He saved us,” Subhani said.

“We had nothing. We thought that we will probably die.”

In the town of Duzdanchishma in Bamiyan, Najiba Mirzae has spent days treating those who fled Balkhab.

Many are pregnant women suffering from diarrhea, nausea and respiratory ailments caught while traveling through the mountains, said Mirzae, head of a local hospital.
Several UN aid agencies have tried to respond, but have not managed to reach all those displaced as many are still in the mountains.

“We couldn’t reach the area even after walking for five and half hours because the mules were unable to pass,” said Noryalai, who led a UNICEF team on one mercy mission.

In Balkhab, Mujahid and his followers have fled into the mountains, according to defense ministry spokesman Enayatullah Khwarizmi, and fighting has stopped.

But rights group Amnesty International accused Taliban forces of carrying out summary executions of civilians there — a charge denied by Kabul.

“People are scared, which is why they are still in the mountains,” one man said, asking for anonymity.