WAIT, WHAT?

Senior Taliban official warns against tyranny, citing Assad’s fall in Syria

• by Setara Qudosi
• 
  Print

Share via Email

KABUL, Afghanistan — Shir Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, Taliban’s deputy foreign minister, appeared to issue a veiled critique of the Taliban’s leadership on Tuesday, warning that oppressive regimes are doomed to collapse, much like the recently toppled government of Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

“Three or four days ago, a major development occurred in Syria where a regime that had lasted for half a century—ruled by a father and son, a 54-year-old regime—was overthrown,” said Stanikzai during a gathering in Kabul. Without naming specific individuals, he added, “Oppressive and tyrannical governments are always like this. The result of regimes built on force and pressure is always the same. In the end, they fall, and they fall in such a way that people remember them in history with disgrace.”

His remarks, which did not explicitly reference the Taliban’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, are the latest in a series of public statements from senior officials suggesting internal discord within the Taliban.

Last week, Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban’s interior minister, made a similar veiled critique during an event in Kabul, stating that religion should not be monopolized—a comment widely interpreted as a challenge to Akhundzada’s increasingly rigid policies.

Mounting restrictions on women

Akhundzada has faced growing criticism, both domestically and internationally, over his hardline edicts, including the latest ban preventing women and girls from pursuing medical education. This decision adds to a series of restrictions that have excluded women from schools, universities, and most workplaces, drawing condemnation from human rights groups and foreign governments.

Addressing the gathering, Stanikzai called for a system that future generations of Afghans could take pride in. “Let us work to ensure that the system and governance we establish in Afghanistan is written in the history of this country in such a way that future generations will pray for us, take pride in us, and inherit something that enables this nation to stand strong,” he said.

He warned against leaving Afghanistan dependent on foreign powers. “This nation must become self-reliant politically, economically, defensively, and in terms of security. That is our duty.”

The remarks underscore apparent divisions within the Taliban over their trajectory since returning to power in 2021. While Akhundzada maintains tight control from Kandahar, his policies—especially those targeting women—have sparked criticism even from within the Taliban’s own ranks.

Police in Kenya hurl teargas at protesters against gender-based violence

Kenyan women and feminists demonstrate against the increase in the number of feminicides in the centre of Nairobi, Kenya, on 27 January 2024. - 

Copyright © africanewsBrian Inganga/Copyright 2023 The AP. All rights reserved

By Rédaction Africanews
with AP Last updated: 5 hours ago

Kenya


Police in Kenya hurled teargas canisters Tuesday at hundreds of protesters against gender-based violence, or femicide, in the capital, Nairobi, and arrested an unknown number of people.

Protesters chanting “Stop femicide” were dispersed by police in a public park where they had gathered and later engaged in running battles along the streets. Several protesters were injured in the confrontation Tuesday.

One activist, Mwikali Mueni, told The Associated Press that she suffered a neck injury from uniformed police officers and was heading to the hospital.


“It is very sad that I was injured while championing for women not to be injured or killed. If the president is serious about ending femicide, let him start by taking action on the officers who have brutalized us today,” she said.

Kenya has a silent epidemic of gender-based violence. Police in October said 97 women had been killed since August, most by their male partners.

Last month, President William Ruto committed more than $700,000 for a campaign to end femicide after meeting with elected women leaders.

A U.N. report released in November to mark the start of a separate 16-day global campaign said Africa recorded the highest rate of partner-related femicide in 2023.

There has been a series of anti-femicide protests in Kenya and on Nov. 25 during the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, police used tear gas to disperse a handful of protesters who had braved the bad weather.

Kenya was among several African countries elected to the U.N. Human Rights Council on Oct. 9.

The police crackdown on protesters on Tuesday during Human Rights Day has been criticized by activists.

“Why are we being beaten and tear-gassed, yet we are peaceful? We will keep coming to the streets till the day women will stop being slaughtered like animals,” activist Mariam Chande told journalists.

Activists questioned how law enforcement agencies have handled femicide cases, protesting the escape from police cells of a suspect who confessed to killing 42 women after dismembered bodies were found stuffed in plastic sacks and dumped in a flooded quarry.

“It’s not fair that we can’t sleep well. You disappear, you come back in a sack,” a protester who only introduced herself as Phoebe said.

Protesters in Kenya demand action against femicide amid police crackdown
By Africanews 


Kenya

Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Nairobi on Tuesday to denounce rising femicide cases in Kenya, only to face a violent police crackdown that left many injured and dispersed.

Protesters, chanting “Stop femicide,” had gathered to highlight the alarming number of killings of women and girls in the country. Police responded with teargas, leading to chaos in the streets.

“Our Lives Do Not Matter”

Julius Kamau, one of the protesters, expressed frustration with the government's handling of gender-based violence.

"The constitution is very clear, and everybody must show fidelity to the constitution of Kenya, including the police. They are chasing us like children. We are here to protest against killings of people, women, and girls. It’s happening everywhere. Our lives do not matter in this country. How long shall we live like this?” Kamau said.

Women Demand Justice

Nancy Waithera, another protester, called on authorities to listen to women’s pleas.

"We are begging you to not kill us. We came here for a reason, and they are throwing teargas all over. Women are dispersed all over. It is very wrong for police to do this. It is high time for you to listen to women. Stop killing us," she said.

A Worsening Crisis

Kenya is grappling with a silent epidemic of gender-based violence. Police data shows that 97 women were killed between August and November 2024, most by their male partners. A recent U.N. report revealed Africa has the highest global rate of partner-related femicide.

Last month, President William Ruto pledged $700,000 for a campaign to end femicide, but activists argue that concrete action is still lacking.

On Human Rights Day, the use of force against peaceful protesters drew criticism from rights groups, who questioned the commitment of law enforcement to address femicide cases.

A notable failure was the recent escape of a suspect from custody after confessing to killing 42 women, leaving activists and the public outraged over systemic failures in the justice system.

Kenya’s election to the U.N. Human Rights Council in October has further heightened scrutiny over how the country addresses human rights issues, particularly gender-based violence.

The latest protest follows a series of similar demonstrations, including one on November 25, when police dispersed protesters with tear gas during the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

The Rise of the BJP’s Hindutva Ideology in Bangladesh


India’s Hindu nationalist symbols and slogans are gaining popularity in Muslim-majority Bangladesh.

By Snigdhendu Bhattacharya
December 10, 2024

A demonstrator waves a flag depicting the “Angry Hanuman,” which is popular among Hindutva proponents in India and Bangladesh, during a protest for Hindu rights in Shahbag Square, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Aug. 10, 2024.Credit: Wikimedia Commons/ BadhonCR
Subscribe for ads-free reading

On August 9, the day after Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus took charge as the head of Bangladesh’s interim government, Hindus, a religious minority making up 8 percent of the Bangladeshi population, started hitting the streets in different parts of the country, including the Shahbag Square in the national capital, Dhaka.

They protested a series of attacks targeting Hindu homes, businesses, and places of worship during August 5-8, when the country descended into lawlessness following Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation and hurried exit from the country.

Thousands of people gathered on the streets, responding to calls from Bangladesh’s traditional minority rights organizations like the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council and the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad.

While the sloganeering involved demanding safety and justice, there were a few who chanted “Jai Shree Ram” (Victory to Ram), a controversial slogan associated with India’s Hindu nationalist forces.

On August 11, the third day of the protests, a new platform, Bangladesh Hindu Jagran Manch (BHJM), was formed and Nihar Haldar, Jewel Aich Arko, Joy Rajbongshi, Rony Rajbangshi, and Pradip Kanti Dey emerged as its coordinators and key spokespersons. The Facebook group of the BHJM was created the same day.

The name Bangladesh Hindu Jagaran Manch is curiously similar to the Hindu Jagran Manch (HJM), an affiliate of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological-organizational parent of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Many HJM leaders have also served in the BJP.

The HJM was the first Indian organization to stage a protest against atrocities on Hindus in Bangladesh when they held a rally in Kolkata, the capital of India’s West Bengal state that shares its border with Bangladesh, on August 8, even before Yunus had been sworn in.

In Bangladesh, over the following weeks, the traditional minority rights organizations receded to the background, while the new platform, BHJM, rose to prominence.

Its key organizers were all involved with Bangladesh Hindu Chhatra Mahajote and Hindu Jubo Mahajote, the student and youth wing of Bangladesh Jayito Hindu Mahajote (BJHM), respectively. BJHM is a Hindu rights organization founded in Dhaka in 2006. It is to this organization that many in Bangladesh trace the roots of Hindutva in Bangladesh.

The RSS and its affiliates, including the BJP and the HJM, are together called the Sangh Parivar, or the RSS family. Their self-proclaimed ideology is Hindutva, which they describe as “Hindu cultural nationalism.”

Even though they call it nationalism, it is not limited to the current geographical borders of the Indian nation. The Sangh Parivar propagates the idea of restoring Akhand Bharat, or undivided India, an imagined entity stretching from Afghanistan to Bangladesh and Myanmar, from Nepal and Tibet to Sri Lanka.

Earlier, Hindutva influence was also reported to have reached Nepal.

In Bangladesh, the BJHM leaders have previously sparked controversy for canvasing for the Akhand Bharat proposition.

A Controversial India Trip

On August 12, a Facebook page with 34,000 followers, named Puja Parbon, called for entrusting Nihar Haldar and former ISKCON monk Chinmoy Das to lead Hindus. Over the next few weeks, Haldar and Das emerged among the most important organizers of the Hindu protests.

Haldar continued to play a leading role in the BHJM, which carried out a series of protests in different parts of the country, including September 8, September 13, September 20 and September 27. On September 27, BHJM announced a weeklong protest. Das, meanwhile, emerged as the key face in Chattogram, where the protests were being organized under the banner of Sammilito Sanatani Chhatra Samaj.

However, on September 30, the BHJM split, apparently over letting Hasina’s Awami League (AL) or the BJP influence the movement. Haldar’s India trip became the main issue. Haldar went to India in mid-September. He shared photos of his meetings with BJP leaders in Tripura and West Bengal from one of his Facebook accounts, which later got suspended.

Photos show Haldar with BJP Tripura Member of Parliament Pratima Bhowmik on September 21, former Tripura and Meghalaya governor Tathagata Roy in Kolkata on September 27, Bengal BJP’s cultural cell convenor Rudranil Ghosh on October 1, Bengal BJP legislator Asim Sarkar in Kolkata’s BJP party office on October 28, former BJP Bengal unit president Dilip Ghosh on November 7, and finally, again with Bhowmik on November 9 before reaching Bangladesh.

Notably, Dilip Ghosh led Hindu Jagran Manch’s activities in West Bengal before taking charge of the BJP.

In Dhaka, the BHJM issued a statement on October 1, saying that Haldar had been relieved of all responsibilities until he returned to the country and the organization would not be responsible for the comments he made during his stay abroad.

Soon, the other faction issued a statement, informing that the BHJM had been renamed Bangladesh Sanatan Jagran Mancha (BSJM). They announced Haldar as the coordinator and Chinmoy Das as the spokesperson.

Throughout October, both BHJM and BSJM organized protests, though separately, while the latter gained more prominence. On returning to Bangladesh in the second week of November, Haldar’s first public appearance was with Chinmoy Das, who had already emerged at the center of a political storm.

On November 17, the BSJM announced it was merging with Bangladesh Sammilito Sankhyalaghu Jote, an umbrella of various traditional Hindu organizations formed in September 2024, to launch the new platform called Bangladesh Sammilito Sanatani Jagaran Jote, with Das as the spokesperson


By that time, many in Bangladesh, including leaders of the student-led uprising, had started objecting to the protesters raising the Jai Shree Ram slogan. They highlighted the role of the slogan in inciting anti-Muslim attacks in India.

On November 22, Das strongly defended the practice, arguing that if Allah Hu Akbar was not a terror slogan despite having been chanted by terror groups, Jai Shree Ram could not be associated specifically with the BJP-RSS either.

The slogan, apart from being associated with the movement that led to the demolition of the Babri Masjid in northern India in 1992, has also been associated with many instances of harassing and assaulting people, especially Muslims but not limited to them. BJP critics in India have argued that Jai Siya Ram, Hey Ram, Ram Ram, Hare Krishna Hare Ram are among the traditional ways religious Hindus praise Ram, but that Jai Shree Ram is a political slogan.

Hindutva in Bangladesh

Political observers in Bangladesh trace the root of Hindutva ideology in Bangladesh to the foundation of the BJHM or Hindu Mahajote, in 2006. It is a section of their leaders who started using slogans like Jai Shree Ram. The next year, they started organizing, though on a small scale, the Ram Navami, a festival that India’s Hindu nationalists have used to flex muscles.

The Hindu Mahajote opened branches abroad and maintained organizational ties with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), another RSS affiliate.

In 2016, the BJHM split. They patched up but split again at the beginning of 2020, with one faction led by Prabhas Chandra Roy and Palash Kanti Dey re-expelling Secretary-General Gobinda Pramanik, and Pramanik expelling the other faction. The reason for the split was Pramanik’s political stance – he objected to the Hindu strategy of “unconditional support” to the AL.

Following the split, both the Roy-Dey faction and the Pramanik faction continued to claim Hindutva as their ideology, even though Pramanik tried to build rapport with Hasina’s opponents, chiefly the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI). The Roy-Dey faction said that having any association with forces opposed to the spirit of the 1971 Liberation War was unacceptable.

In 2021, Pramanik also emerged as a critic of India’s role, saying that despite taking up the issue of atrocities on Hindus in Bangladesh with several senior leaders of the RSS, BJP, and the VHP, the Modi government was going soft to keep Hasina’s government in good humor. The other faction remained pro-AL and, resultantly, pro-India.

In the protests after the fall of Hasina, student and youth activists of the Roy-Dey faction of the BJHM played the leading role among Hindu groups, including the formation of the Hindu Jagran Manch and, subsequently, the Sanatan Jagran Manch.

A BJHM member who spoke to The Diplomat on condition of anonymity due to the prevailing situation in Bangladesh said that the use of India’s Hindutva symbols like the slogan Jai Shree Ram, the image of the Angry Hanuman, festivals like Ram Navami, and campaigns on issues like Love Jihad started gaining popularity in Bangladesh in 2022.


“The attacks on Hindus towards the end of 2021 prompted many to adopt hardline Hindutva, as practiced by the RSS in India. They decided to adopt Jai Shree Ram as a slogan of Hindu resistance against Islamic fundamentalism. People, especially the youth, started closely following RSS-linked social media outlets of Indian users,” said the BJHM leader.

In 2022, both factions of the BJHM conducted the Ram Navami celebration on a grand scale. In August 2022, during Janmashtami, a Hindu festival associated with Lord Krishna, their slogan was “Jini-e Krishno Tini-e Ram/ Jai Shree Ram, Jai Shree Ram” (Krishna and Ram are the same/ Victory to Ram). They also raised slogans like “Jai Hindutva” (Victory to Hindutva).

While pointing out that only the name of Lord Krishna could unite all Hindus, they repeated the same argument that since Krishna and Ram are the same, they all should shout Jai Shree Ram.

In 2023, Jatiyo Hindu Chhatro Mahajot described itself as Bangladesh’s first hindutwavadi (Hindutva-following) student organization dedicated to protecting Hindus and Hindutva. At an event, its leader argued it is not right to connect them with India’s BJP just because they have Hindutva as their ideology and Jai Shree Ram as the slogan. They are a Bangladeshi organization with international chapters, they argued.

A BHJM leader argued that personal losses pushed many toward a hardline approach. “Nihar Haldar’s family lost their properties to Muslims. They could not recover their property. The administration didn’t help. I can’t blame him for turning into a militant Hindu activist. His desperation forced him to seek help from Indian politicians,” the BHJM organizer said.

Haldar could not be contacted for comments despite repeated attempts.

Rony Rajbongshi, one of the founders of the BHJM, founded the Mahakal Swayamsevak Foundation (MSF) in 2023. Swayamsevak is again a term associated with the RSS. The RSS calls its members “swayamsevak,” the Sanskrit word for volunteer. Only people associated with the RSS use the term in India to refer to volunteers. In Bangladesh, MSF, too, calls its volunteers swayamsevak.

“Hindutva is a Hindu religious ideology. It can’t have borders. We have no organizational connection with the RSS or the BJP,” said one of the members, who was unwilling to be identified.

He argued that “secular-liberal journalists and intellectuals” differentiate between Jamaat-e-Islami and Jamaat-Ul-Mujahideen in Bangladesh, calling the former a democratic political party and the latter a terror group.

“But the same people are trying to connect us with the RSS,” he said.

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment: Hinduism Is Fascism

87,000 evacuated due to Philippine volcano eruption, flights cancelled



An explosive eruption occurred at the summit vent of Kanlaon volcano, as seen from Mansalanao, Negros Occidental province, on Monday. AP

About 87,000 villagers were evacuated in a central Philippine region on Tuesday, a day after a volcano briefly erupted with a towering ash plume and superhot streams of gas and debris hurtling down its western slopes.

The latest eruption of Mount Kanlaon on central Negros island did not cause any immediate casualties, but the alert level was raised one level, indicating further and more explosive eruptions may occur.

At least six domestic flights and a flight bound for Singapore were cancelled, and two local flights were diverted in the region Monday and Tuesday due to Kanlaon’s eruption, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.

Volcanic ash fell on a wide area, including Antique province, more than 200 kilometres across seawaters west of the volcano, obscuring visibility and posing health risks, Philippine chief volcanologist Teresito Bacolcol and other officials said.

The mass evacuations were being carried out urgently in towns and villages nearest the western and southern slopes of Kanlaon which were blanketed by its ash, including in La Castellana town in Negros Occidental where nearly 47,000 people have to be evacuated out of a 6-kilometre danger zone, the Office of Civil Defence said.

More than 6,000 have moved to evacuation centers aside from those who have temporarily transferred to the homes of relatives in La Castellana by Tuesday morning, the town's mayor, Rhumyla Mangilimutan, told The Associated Press by telephone.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said authorities were ready to provide support to large numbers of displaced villagers and that his social welfare secretary flew early on Tuesday to the affected region.

"We are ready to support the families who have been evacuated outside the 6-kilometer danger zone," Marcos told reporters. Government scientists were monitoring the air quality due to the risk of contamination from toxic volcanic gases that may require more people to be evacuated from areas affected by Monday's eruption.

Associated Press

Tens of thousands ordered to leave due to volcanic eruption in Philippines

Mt. Kanlaon erupted on Monday – second time this year – sending hot ash and gases up to 3 kilometers into the sky

Anadolu staff |10.12.2024 - 




ANKARA

Philippine authorities on Tuesday ordered tens of thousands of people to leave their homes following eruption of Mt. Kanlaon, the strongest in recent years, local media reported.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council directed everyone living within a 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) radius of the volcano to rush to safer areas.

Mt. Kanlaon erupted on Monday, second time this year, sending hot ash and gases up to 3 km (1.8 mi) in the sky and forcing residents to seek shelter, state-run Philippine News Agency reported.

It erupted for nearly four minutes on Monday, sending a plume of ash to as far as the Antique province, which lies over 200 km (124 mi) across the sea from the volcano, according to Philippine’s chief volcanologist Teresito Bacolcol.

He prohibited the citizens from staying within 4 km (2.4 mi) radius of the volcano as a “sudden and more explosive eruption” is still possible.


Schools were closed and a nighttime curfew was imposed in the most vulnerable areas. Doctors have urged those residing in the danger zones to wear masks.

Civil aviation authorities canceled at least six domestic and one international flight and two local flights to be diverted on Monday and Tuesday due to the volcanic eruption.

Nearly 10,000 individuals have so far been evacuated from five cities and towns around Mt. Kanlaon, according to the Office of Civil Defense.

The situation remained critical in La Castellana in the Negros Occidental province, where some 47,000 people reside within the 6-kilometer danger zone.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the alert level could be further elevated from level 3 to 5 of the five-step warning system as the situation remained volatile.

The government said that adequate stocks of relief supplies are ready for families affected by Kanalon's latest eruption.

The Philippines is located on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where volcanic activity and earthquakes are common.

Kurdish activists detained in London appear in court

6 Kurdish activists, who were detained on 27 November in an operation by the British police, are being brought to court after 14 days of detention.


ANF
LONDON
Tuesday, 10 December 2024

The British police carried out an operation against the Kurdish Community Centre (KCC) and Kurdish activists in London on 27 November. Seven Kurds were detained under British anti-terrorism legislation during raids on the Kurdish Community Centre and the homes of Kurdish patriots. The detainees, who are accused of having links to the PKK, are Türkan Budak, co-chair of the Kurdish People's Council in the UK, Kurdish politician and author Ali Poyraz, and activists Ercan Akbal, Agit K., Berfin K., Mazlum S. and Doğan K.

The Kurdish Community Centre (KCC) in the Haringey district was sealed off by the police after the operation which coincided with the founding anniversary of the PKK. The police occupation of the Kurdish Community Centre ended on 5 December, and the barricades around the building were removed.

While one of the detainees was released two days ago, the other six will appear in court today after the finalization of procedures at the police station.

The Kurdish activists are being brought to Westminster Magistrates Court where they will be questioned and before a decision is made on whether they will be released or not. Kurds and their friends started to gather in front of the court building.

The Kurdish People's Assembly issued a statement saying that Kurdish activists are unjustly facing politically motivated charges at Westminster Magistrates Court.

The Assembly pointed out that the unprovoked police raid on the Kurdish Community Centre and the private homes of Kurdish political activists violated the dignity and safety of a community seeking refuge in the UK.

“This aggression is unacceptable and mirrors the systemic oppression many Kurds fled from. We reject these oppressive policies, which resemble tactics of authoritarian regimes. The UK's collaboration with the Turkish authorities undermines justice, human rights, and the very notion of democracy and values they claim to hold up,” said the statement.

The Kurdish People's Assembly stressed that: “Kurds came to the UK escaping persecution. It's appalling they face similar harassment here. We demand the immediate release of our friends and an end to these oppressive actions against the Kurdish community. We demand a public apology from the police for their mistreatment of the Kurdish community. Hands off the Kurds. Free our friends now.”

SYRIAN KURDISTAN

TEV-DEM urges the international community to prevent the Turkish state terror and hold it to account

TEV-DEM calls on the people, parties and organisations in the region to strengthen unity and solidarity against the special war and to stand by the resistance of the SDF.


ANF
NEWS DESK
Monday, 9 December 2024

The Democratic Society Movement (TEV-DEM) issued a written statement on the attacks of the occupying Turkish state on North-East Syria and the overthrow of the Baath regime.

“We celebrate the overthrow of the Baath regime for the Syrian peoples. The overthrow of the Baath regime is very important for the peoples who have suffered greatly at the hands of the Baath regime,” said the statement which includes the following:

“The resistance against the massacres of the Baath regime in Qamishlo on 12 March 2004 broke down the walls of fear, sowed the seeds of hope for freedom for the Syrian peoples, and laid the foundation for the overthrow of the regime. In other words, Kurds know better than anyone else the meaning of freedom and the fall of the Baath regime.

The overthrow of the chauvinist regime is as important as the colour of the system that will replace it. Since the first day of the Syrian crisis, Northern and Eastern Syria (Rojavayê Kurdistanê) has been calling for unity, brotherhood, equality and the construction of a democratic society because it knows that this is the only way to solve the problems of the Syrian peoples and to create a democratic country.

However, it should also be noted that if the attempts to destroy and deny the gains of Northern and Eastern Syria continue, historic resistance will be put up. The 19 July Revolution is the clearest example of the results of this resistance.

On this basis, we condemn the attacks of the occupying Turkish state against our regions. Attacking Manbij on the day the Syrian regime collapsed is an indication that the Turkish state does not want a solution just like the Baath regime.

Finally, we call on the international community to prevent the Turkish state terror and hold it to account. We call on all our people, parties and organisations in the region to strengthen unity and solidarity against the special war and to stand by the resistance of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the spirit of the ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadî’ (Woman, Life, Freedom) revolution.”

YPJ spokeswoman Ruken Cemal: We are heroically resisting in Manbij

YPJ spokeswoman Ruken Cemal said that the claims that Manbij was occupied were not true, and that an epic resistance was carried out in Manbij.

ANF
NEWS DESK
Monday, 9 December 2024

Women's Defense Units (YPJ) spokeswoman Ruken Cemal evaluated the attacks of the Turkish state and the gangs it supports on the Manbij Canton. Speaking to Ronahî TV, Cemal noted that an "ANKA" type armed drone belonging to Turkey was shot down in the Til Temir in the canton of Jazira on Monday.

Cemal added: "We have put new warfare techniques into action against Turkey and the gangs it supports. In Manbij, which was a mosaic of peoples and a city of resistance, fierce clashes are taking place. The occupying Turkish state wants to seize the city with massacres. The fighters of the Manbij Military Council have been writing an epical resistance for days. Major blows are being dealt to the gangs. The gangs’ first target was civilians. Dozens of reconnaissance planes are circling over the city of Manbij. People are being targeted. Since they cannot make any progress against our heroic fighters on the ground, they are attacking left and right with aerial attacks."

Autonomous Administration: Attacks by the Turkish state are disrupting security and stability

The Democratic Autonomous Administration called on international and legal parties and all influential powers in Syria to stop the attacks by the Turkish state against the region and hold those responsible accountable.


ANF
NEWS DESK
Tuesday, 10 December 2024, 10:26



The Democratic Autonomous Administration of Northern and Eastern Syria made a statement regarding the attacks by the Turkish state.

The Autonomous Administration said that the Turkish state was implementing its own policies by taking advantage of the chaotic situation in Syria.

The statement condemned the massacre carried out by the Turkish state in the rural area of ​​Ain Issa, where 12 citizens, mostly women and children, were killed, and the massacre in the rural area of ​​Kobanê, where 2 children were killed.

The statement said that such crimes both make civilian lives difficult and endanger them, and called on international and legal parties and all influential powers to act and bring these attacks to an end, hold the perpetrators accountable, and support the Autonomous Administration's efforts to implement peace and security.

Heavy fighting at the Tishrin Dam after attack by SNA mercenaries

Heavy fighting between the SNA and the Syrian Democratic Forces is taking place at the Tishrin Dam.


ANF
NEWS DESK
Tuesday, 10 December 2024, 09:51


The jihadist mercenary groups of the so-called Syrian National Army (SNA) attacked the Tishrin Dam. Heavy fighting broke out between the SNA and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Many of the attackers are said to have been killed in the clashes. Several vehicles were also destroyed by the SDF.

The Tishrin Dam, a crossing point over the Euphrates, is a stepping stone to north-eastern Syria. On the one hand, it is one of the supply lines for the defence of Manbij, but on the other, the SNA could cross the Euphrates from here and directly threaten Kobanê and other cities. Therefore, the defence of Tishrin is of strategic importance.

BREAKING

Turkey-backed forces advance on Kurdish Syrian town of Kobani

The development comes a day after the fall of the SDF-controlled town of Manbij.

Amberin Zaman
Dec 10, 2024

Fighters with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces inspect damaged and abandoned military vehicles and equipment at the Qamishli international airport, formerly a joint Syrian-russian military base, in northeastern Syria's city of Qamishli on Dec. 9, 2024

. — DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images


Turkish-backed Syrian opposition factions are advancing on Kobani, a Kurdish-majority town on the Turkish border that emerged as a symbol of Kurdish nationalism during the fight against the Islamic State.

Well-informed sources in northeast Syria confirmed to Al-Monitor that the factions, backed by Turkish air power, had crossed the Karakozak bridge connecting the western bank of the Euphrates River to the eastern side after fierce clashes.

The advance follows the fall of the SDF-controlled town of Manbij on the western side of the river early Monday.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Turkish state commits another massacre in Ain Issa, killing 8 people from the same family

The occupying Turkish state is escalating its genocidal campaign against northern Syria, mobilizing not only its army but also allied jihadist proxies to invade further territories in violation of international law.


ANF
AIN ISSA
Tuesday, 10 December 2024

An unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) of the occupying Turkish state carried out an aggression this morning in the village of Sefiya in the basin of Ain Issa. 8 people from the same family were massacred in the attack.

The names of the victims are as follows: Xelîl Silêman, Wedah Silêman, Mihemed El Abo, Ebdulkerîm El Abo, Delal Silêman, Nadiya Silêman, and 2 children named Casim Silêman and Husam Silêman.

On 8 December, 12 civilians, including children and women, were killed in an UCAV attack by the Turkish state in the Mestareha village of Ain Issa.

On 9 December, 2 children were killed in an attack by a Turkish UCAV in the village of Kuneftar in Kobanê.

The same day, Turkish UCAVs bombed the villages of Mihermela and Hermel in Zirgan town. The bombing left a civilian dead and two others wounded.

Another UCAV attack by Turkey on the same day targeted a civilian vehicle on the Zirgan-Dirbêsiyê road and left 3 civilians wounded.

Senator urges US gov’t to protect Syria’s Kurds from threats by Turkey

ByTurkish Minute
December 9, 2024

US Senator Lindsey Graham (Photo by Genya SAVILOV / AFP)

US Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican, has called on the US government to prevent possible threats from Turkey and an alliance of rebel groups that have ended the years-long rule of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad against Kurdish militant groups in Syria, warning that such a move could jeopardize US interests.

“We should not allow the Kurdish forces — who helped us destroy ISIS on President [Donald] Trump’s watch — to be threatened by Turkey or the radical Islamists who have taken over Syria,” he said on X on Monday.

Graham said Turkey has legitimate concerns regarding different groups that reside in northeastern Syria, but if there is a conflict between Turkey and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) or if Turkey attacks Kurdish forces, it will set in motion a “jailbreak” of Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS), which he said would be a nightmare for America.

He said the last time ISIS was in charge, thousands of Europeans and Americans were killed by ISIS plots that originated in Syria and that the possible re-emergence of ISIS creates chaos throughout the Middle East region, which is likely to lead to higher gas prices for Americans.

US backed Kurdish groups in Syria such as the SDF and the People’s Protection Units (YPG) are seen as terrorist groups by Turkey and offshoots of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan accuses them of threatening Syria’s territorial integrity.

The SDF, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias formed in 2015, played a key role in eroding ISIS’s hold on large swaths of territory in Syria, including the terrorist group’s self-proclaimed Syrian capital of Raqqa.

“Turkey deserves to have a demilitarized buffer zone between northeastern Syria and Turkey to protect Turkish interests. However, if Turkey takes military action against Kurdish forces in Syria, it will jeopardize America’s interests dramatically,” Graham warned.

US officials insisted following the announcement of the Assad regime on Sunday that there are no plans to alter the US military footprint in Syria, which includes some 900 troops, most of them working in the country’s northeast with the SDF.

The senator also recalled that he had drafted sanctions in the past targeting Turkey if it engaged in military operations against the Kurdish forces who helped President Trump destroy ISIS and that he is ready to take the same action again in a bipartisan way.

Graham was one of Trump’s strongest critics when he decided in October 2019 to withdraw US troops from Syria, describing his decision as “shortsighted and irresponsible.” The move marked a major shift in US foreign policy, effectively giving Turkey the green light to attack US-backed Kurdish forces.
Manbij taken back from SDF

Graham’s remarks came on the same day that Turkey-backed Syrian opposition groups took control of the northern Syrian town of Manbij from the SDF, according to what a Turkish security source told Reuters.

The SDF had been holding the town in recent days amid intense fighting with the Syrian National Army (SNA) and other Turkey-backed groups.

A video, verified by Reuters, showed opposition forces being welcomed by people in Manbij, which is some 30 km (19 miles) south of the Turkish border and west of the Euphrates River.

Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency reported that the area is being searched for possible landmines and traps left behind by the Kurdish militia.

A Syrian opposition source told Reuters on Monday that the the United States and Turkey reached an agreement to ensure the safe withdrawal of SDF forces from Manbij.

The Kurdish fighters “have withdrawn from the city and still need to withdraw from the other areas” east of Manbij, said the Syrian opposition source familiar with the matter.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights announced on Monday the killing of 11 civilians, including six children, all members of the same family, in a Turkish drone strike targeting a house near Ain Issa, north of the city of Raqaa, in a Kurdish-held area.

On Sunday the Britain-based observatory, which has a network of sources inside Syria, also said at least 26 combatants were killed as Turkey-backed Syrian fighters launched an offensive on Manbij.

TURKIYE'S WAR ON THE KURDS

Erdoğan says Turkey not seeking to expand reach in Syria

ByTurkish Minute
December 10, 2024

Turkey has no interest in expanding its reach into Syria, with its cross-border operations only aimed at defending the country from “terror attacks,” Agence France-Presse reported, citing President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Monday.

“Turkey has no eye on the territory of any other country. The only aim for our cross-border operations is to save our homeland from terrorist attacks,” he said, referring to raids targeting the Kurdish-led People’s Protection Units (YPG) based in northeastern Syria.

Since 2016, Turkey has staged multiple operations against Kurdish forces in the area, giving it a foothold in areas bordering the frontier.

Ankara says the aim is to oust Kurdish militants, notably the YPG which is backed by Washington as bulwark against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants.

But Ankara views the YPG as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK ) which has fought a decades-long war inside Turkey and is also blacklisted as a terror organization by Washington and Brussels.

Erdoğan said Turkey would be closely watching both groups and would not allow them to take advantage of the upheaval in Syria.

“The separatist terrorist organization and its extensions in Syria might be quite excited in order to make use of this situation, and we follow them very closely,” he said, describing the PKK, YPG and ISIL as “our enemies.”

FLOODING KURDISTAN WITH PEOPLE

Turkey to reopen Syria border post for returning refugees: Erdoğan

ByTurkish Minute
December 10, 2024

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Monday pledged to reopen a border post on Turkey’s southern frontier with Syria to facilitate the return of refugees after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad, Agence France-Presse reported.

“In order to ease the traffic at the border, we’re opening the Yayladağı border gate,” Erdoğan said, referring to a crossing on the westerly edge of the frontier that has been closed since 2013.

Turkey, which has a long border with Syria, is home to nearly three million refugees who fled their homeland after the start of the civil war in 2011, with many hundreds flocking to cross the frontier in the wake of Assad’s departure in order to finally return home.

Although not directly involved in the rebel operation that ousted Assad, Turkey has expressed support for the move and said it hoped the strongman’s removal would allow the refugees to return home.

“The strong wind of change in Syria will be beneficial for all Syrians, especially the refugees. As Syria gains stability, voluntary returns will increase and the 13-year longing of the Syrians for their homeland will come to an end,” he said.

Turkey's 3m Syrian refugees face big decision on going home or staying

Fundanur Ozturk
BBC Turkish in Ankara

Syrians have been queuing at the Turkish border in Hatay province to return home


Syrian refugees have been celebrating the fall of Bashar al-Assad in the streets of Turkish cities, welcoming the sudden collapse of his regime, and many are now considering whether they should go back home.

Thousands of Syrians have flocked to Turkey's borders with Syria, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced the opening of a border gate "to prevent any congestion and ease traffic".

But almost three million Syrians are currently living in Turkey, having fled their country's civil war since it began in 2011, and they will face a difficult decision on what they do next.

"There is still no water in many regions in Syria, electricity comes at certain times of the day. It is not even clear who will govern the country and how, but we need to return to get Syria back on its feet," says Ibrahim, a chemical engineer who has lived for 12 years in Hatay province which borders Syria.

Despite all the risks he is among those Syrian refugees planning to go back as soon as possible, even though they will have to restart their lives from scratch.Follow updates: Syrian rebels to name Assad officials wanted for torture

Many Turks are also keen for Syrians to go back as soon as possible and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said Turkey will work for their "safe and voluntary return home".

Shaken by Assad's sudden fall, Syria faces seismic turning point

'You can breathe': On the streets of Damascus after Assad

Columnist Mehmet Tezkan voiced the opinion of many here when he suggested there was no reason for them to stay.

The lives of Syrians in Turkey have become increasingly difficult in the past two years as Turks face an economic crisis with spiralling inflation.

Anti-immigrant sentiment in society has increased and the Erdogan government has tightened policies on immigration.

Turkey had long tried to talk to the ousted Assad regime about sending its refugees home.

But most Syrians in Turkey will want to wait and see how the coming turbulent months unfold before making such a big decision.

"There will be some movement, but I don't expect millions of people to leave at once, as everyone thinks," warns migration expert Prof Murat Erdogan.

If this doesn't happen, he says, "then a new atmosphere of tension may emerge."


A father and daughter wait at the newly opened Yayladagi border gate


Metin Corabatir, head of the Asylum and Migration Research Centre, predicts that a "gradual return" will take place within a year at best, provided that the necessary preparations are made.

"There are still risks in Syria in terms of both security and daily life. An internationally recognised government must take office in Damascus," he told the BBC.

Ibrahim agrees that for many refugees there will be nothing left to return home to: "In some areas there are no houses, no schools left. Even big cities like Aleppo are in a bad situation."

"But this country has come out of a 13-year war and we cannot wait for everything to be ready for us. As the Syrian people, we will try to rebuild everything little by little."

In other words, Ibrahim says the identity of Syria's next government is less important than Syrians going home to influence their future.

"Whoever comes will be better than Assad," he says. "If we don't return, who will go to the elections, who will decide how the country will be governed?"

Metin Corabatir points out that the big influx into Turkey came initially as Syrians fled the Assad regime from 2011-2013. The later exodus came when Syrians fled the rise of militant Islamist group IS and the spread of political instability.

"It's not easy to tell how the groups that come to power will behave, and Syrians will naturally expect to see that," he says.

"What kind of regime will be created there? The team that came says 'we are not jihadists, we will allow diversity' - but only time will tell to understand whether this is real or not."

Reuters
Syrians in Istanbul celebrated the ousting of Bashar al-Assad, holding a portrait of Turkey's President Erdogan


All Syrians in Turkey hold temporary protection status. The majority of them live in Istanbul and two border cities, Gaziantep and Sanliurfa.

Because many have been here for so long, Syrian families have put down roots, sending their children to Turkish schools and universities.

Syrians here also lead precarious lives.

Many work unregistered with salaries below the minimum wage, and often with no insurance.

If they all go home at once it could have a significant effect on the Turkish economy.

Murat Erdogan cautions that Turkey should not push Syrians to rush home all at once for the simple reason that there are big questions over infrastructure – a lack of schools, jobs and hospitals.

The United Nations estimates that 90% of the population inside Syria is now living below the poverty line.

"It may take hundreds of billions of dollars to rebuild these devastated cities. Which country will provide the resources?" Mr Erdogan says. "The deep poverty and the collapse of infrastructure in Syria are likely to continue for a long time. These are not problems that will be easily fixed in the short term."

Metin Corabatir warns also of the risk of unexploded bombs and mines when refugees head home: "They also need to find out in advance what condition their homes are in the destroyed cities."

"We are talking about millions of people. The fact that they left their homes, reached Syria and settled there; all of this is greatly underestimated."

Turks, he believes, should not see the Syrians living among them as a mass of people who will just pack up and leave all at once.

‘USA is a threat’: Canadians slam ‘bully’ Trump’s ‘arrogant’ mockery of ‘Governor Trudeau’

David Badash, The New Civil Rights Movement
December 10, 2024


Donald Trump and Justin Trudeau (Reuters)

Overnight, President-elect Donald Trump continued his verbal assaults on Canada, America's largest trading partner and a top defense partner, by calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau the "Governor" of the "Great State of Canada." Some Canadians are striking back.

After the November election, Trump announced that one of his first actions would be to impose massive tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China. The President of Mexico fought Trump in the press, explaining that his border demands were nonsensical since Mexico was already doing what he was calling for.

But Prime Minister Trudeau decided to fly down to Mar-a-Lago to negotiate with Trump—who is not yet President—and by doing so, some claim, gave Trump the upper hand.

"It was a pleasure to have dinner the other night with Governor Justin Trudeau of the Great State of Canada," Trump wrote on his Truth Social website at 12:06 AM Tuesday. "I look forward to seeing the Governor again soon so that we may continue our in depth talks on Tariffs and Trade, the results of which will be truly spectacular for all!"

During their Mar-a-Lago meeting, Trump reportedly mocked Trudeau to his face with his "51st state" trolling, according to Fox News.

Trump's midnight move followed Prime Minister Trudeau saying on Monday that Americans "are beginning to wake up to the real reality that tariffs on everything from Canada would make life a lot more expensive," The Associated Press reported. Trudeau also threatened to retaliate.

Trudeau warned that Trump's tariffs would "mean real hardship for Americans," who "import 65% of their crude oil from Canada, [and] significant amounts of electricity. Just about all the natural gas exported from Canada goes to the United States. They rely on us for steel and aluminum. They rely on us for a range of agriculture imports. All of those things would get more expensive.”

Trump last week promoted what appeared to be an AI-generated image of him standing in snow looking out at what was supposedly Canada but was reportedly the Matterhorn, the mountain that borders Switzerland and Italy.

On Sunday Trump falsely claimed on NBC News' "Meet the Press" that America is "subsidizing Canada to the tune of over $100 billion." He appeared to be referring to the U.S. trade deficit with Canada, which is not "over $100 billion." In 2023, it was $67.9 billion. The U.S. economy is about ten times that of Canada, and the U.S. population is about eight times that of Canada.

"If we're going to subsidize them, let them become a state," Trump angrily declared.

Some in the U.S. suggested Trudeau meeting with Trump may not have been the best move.

"Trudeau running down to Mar-a-Lago right after Trump posted his tariff threat was a huge mistake. Now Trump thinks he owns him. Amazing after all this time so many people still have no clue how to deal with him," noted MeidasTouch editor-in-chief Ron Filipkowski.

Prime Minister Trudeau "hopping on a flight to mar a lago on back of us tariff threat (correctly) perceived as weakness by president-elect trump," noted Ian Bremmer, founder of the political risk research and consulting firm Eurasia Group. He added that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum "has handled this better."

But critics in the U.S. and Canada are blasting the President-elect.

"Trump's 'great state of Canada' would have cast 20 Senate votes to convict him at his 2021 impeachment trial," wrote The Atlantic's David Frum, a former Bush 43 White House speechwriter who reportedly coined the term "axis of evil."

"Perhaps Trump doesn't realize that annexing Canada would be handing Democrats control of the House, Senate, and White House ... ?" observed The New Yorker's Susan Glasser.

"Disrespectful trolling of Canada and other countries around the world by Trump is a feature of who the man is, not a bug. The world is an unstable and dangerous enough place," warned Bruce Anderson, a Canadian pollster and political commentator.

Canadian pundit Laura Babcock also issued a warning, writing, "FFS this is EXACTLY what I warned about on radio: Trump has a proven process of signalling, mocking and normalizing preposterous ideas (Manifest Destiny in this case) so he can weaken resistance to them! It's how he destroys norms. We need to fight back early and often Canada."

Former Cabinet Minister and Deputy Premier of Alberta, Canada, Thomas Lukaszuk added, "Referring to Canada as US state and to our Prime Minister as Governor must concern us all. This arogant passive aggressive language shows Trump has no respect for Canada’s sovereignty and the integrity of our borders. Such language is dangerous and can’t be tolerated."

Canadian journalist Geoffrey Johnston slammed "ignorant bully" Trump, writing, "Canada will never join USA. Time for Canadians to stop thinking of USA as a friend. Under Trump, USA is a threat to Canada’s economy & sovereignty. Most Canadians prefer our cooperative ways to American private medicine, gun violence, & imperialism."


See the videos and social media posts above or at this link.

Trump refers to prime minister as ‘Governor Justin Trudeau’ after saying Canada will respond to tariff threat

By Stephanie Ha

December 10, 2024 

CP24

President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at Winfield House, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2019, in London. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci) (Evan Vucci/The Associated Press)

Amid a looming tariff threat, U.S. president-elect Donald Trump appears to be mocking Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, referring to him as “Governor Justin Trudeau” in a post on Truth Social early Tuesday.

“It was a pleasure to have dinner the other night with Governor Justin Trudeau of the Great State of Canada. I look forward to seeing the Governor again soon so that we may continue our in depth talks on Tariffs and Trade, the results of which will be truly spectacular for all!” Trump wrote.

Trump’s remark comes hours after Trudeau said Canada will respond if the U.S. moves ahead with a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian imports unless Canada addresses Trump’s border concerns.

“We will, of course, as we did eight years ago, respond to unfair tariffs in a number of ways, and we’re still looking at the right ways to respond,” Trudeau said at a fireside chat with the Halifax Chamber of Commerce on Monday.

While Trudeau acknowledged this latest threat is “more challenging” and the economic impact of the tariffs would be “devastating,” the prime minister also appealed for calm, saying “not to panic.”

“Knowing that yes, (the tariffs) would be absolutely devastating means we have to take them seriously, but it does mean we have to be thoughtful and strategic, not go around making our opponents' arguments for him, but making our arguments in a significant and united way,” Trudeau said.
Trump’s tariffs in 2018

During his first term as U.S. president, Trump in 2018 triggered a nearly yearlong trade war imposing a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian steel products and 10 per cent on Canadian aluminum. In response, Canada unveiled a 25 per cent counter tariff on a long list of American steel and aluminum products, along with a 10 per cent surtax on miscellaneous U.S. goods including coffee, prepared meals and maple syrup. Those retaliatory tariffs were eventually lifted in 2019 after Canada, the U.S. and Mexico reached a deal.

Trump once again announced plans to impose a 10 per cent tariff on Canadian aluminum in August 2020, but later hit pause amid the looming presidential election later that year.

Less than two weeks ago, Trudeau – along with his chief of staff Katie Telford and Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc– made a surprise visit to Mar-a-Lago to have dinner with Trump and members of his incoming administration to discuss the tariff threat.

Following the meeting, U.S. network Fox News reported Trump joked during the dinner in Florida that if said tariffs debilitated the Canadian economy — as the prime minister conveyed to him — perhaps Canada should become America’s 51st state.

Canadian politicians later downplayed the joke, with LeBlanc saying, “The president was teasing us.”

Meanwhile, in an interview with CTV News Channel’s Power Play last week, Canada’s Ambassador to the U.S. Kirsten Hillman described the comment as “reassuring.”

“(Trump) made jokes, other people at the table made jokes,” Hillman said(opens in a new tab), who was part of the Canadian delegation to Mar-a-Lago, though she wasn’t seated at the same table as Trump and Trudeau during the three-hour dinner. “People were making jokes, which, actually, I have to say, I find to be reassuring that people are that comfortable with each other, that they’re teasing.”

But following that meeting, two senior government sources told CTV News that it was conveyed to the Canadian delegation the tariffs are unavoidable in the immediacy, but solutions in the longer term are on the table, particularly if the border is better secured.

In his first post-election interview, Trump doubled down on his tariff threat, calling the measure “beautiful.”

“I’m a big believer in tariffs. I think tariffs are the most beautiful word. I think they’re beautiful. It’s going to make us rich,” Trump said in an interview with NBC’s Meet The Press that aired Sunday.

Trump also made reference to Canada becoming a U.S. state.

“We’re subsidizing Canada to the tune over $100 billion a year. We’re subsidizing Mexico for almost $300 billion. We shouldn’t be — why are we subsidizing these countries?” Trump said. “If we’re going to subsidize them, let them become a state.”

In that interview, the U.S. president-elect later reiterated his border concerns.

“We can’t have open borders. And I said to the president of Mexico and to Justin Trudeau, if it doesn’t stop, I’m going to put tariffs on your country at about 25 per cent,” Trump said.

In the wake of the tariff threat, the federal government says it will be adding more personnel and equipment resources at the border, but so far has yet to outline specifics.

With files from CTV News' Spencer Van Dyk