TURKIYE'S MERCENARIES IN SYRIA
Syrian rebels surround key city Hama on 'three sides', war monitor says
Islamist-led Syrian rebels surrounded the key city of Hama "from three sides" on Wednesday as they continued their offensive on government-held territory. This marks the latest win for the rebels after last week's takeover of the country's second city Aleppo, which in more than a decade of war had never completely fallen out of government hands.
Issued on: 04/12/2024 -
By: NEWS WIRES
'Spread very thin'
Human Rights Watch on Wednesday warned that the fighting "raises concerns that civilians face a real risk of serious abuses at the hands of opposition armed groups and the Syrian government".
Rights groups including HRW have since the start of the war documented violations of human rights on both sides, including what could amount to "crimes against humanity" by Syrian government forces.
Until last week the war in Syria had been mostly dormant for several years, but analysts have said violence was bound to flare up as it was never truly resolved.
"Many policymakers thought, well, Assad won, there is no war," said Rim Turkmani, director of the Syria Conflict Research Programme at the London School of Economics.
But "we've been worrying about this for years, that the fact that there is no intense violence doesn't mean that the conflict is over," she told AFP.
While the rebels may have advanced swiftly, it does not mean they will have the capacity to hold onto the territory they have captured.
Spearheading the rebel alliance is HTS, which is rooted in Syria's Al-Qaeda branch.
"It's very well organised, very ideologically driven," Turkmani said.
"However, they spread very quickly and very thin. And I think very quickly they're going to realise it's beyond their capacity to maintain these areas and, most importantly, to govern them."
(AFP)
Who is Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the leader of Syria's surprise insurgency?
Middle East
Abu Mohammed al-Golani, who is leading the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) militant group's surprise advance in Syria, has spent a dozen years polishing his public image to win over international governments and Syrian religious and ethnic minorities, including distancing himself from al-Qaida.
Issued on: 04/12/2024
Islamist-led Syrian rebels surrounded the key city of Hama "from three sides" on Wednesday as they continued their offensive on government-held territory. This marks the latest win for the rebels after last week's takeover of the country's second city Aleppo, which in more than a decade of war had never completely fallen out of government hands.
Issued on: 04/12/2024 -
By: NEWS WIRES
An anti-government fighter covers his ears as a multi-barrel rocket launcher fires against regime forces in the northern outskirts of Syria's west-central city of Hama, December 4, 2024.
© Bakr Al Kassem, AFP
Syrian rebels on Wednesday encircled the key central city of Hama "from three sides", a war monitor said, despite a counteroffensive launched by government forces to retain control of the city.
Hama is strategically located in central Syria and, for the army, it is crucial to safeguarding the capital and seat of power Damascus.
The fighting around Hama follows a lightning offensive by Islamist-led rebels who in a matter of days wrested swathes of territory, most significantly Syria's second city Aleppo, from President Bashar al-Assad's grasp.
The rebels "have surrounded Hama city from three sides, and are now present at a distance of three to four kilometres (1.9 to 2.5 miles) from it," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The Britain-based Observatory, which relies on a network of sources in Syria, said the government forces were "left with only one exit towards Homs to the south".
Key to the rebels' successes since the start of the offensive last week was the takeover of Aleppo, which in more than a decade of war had never entirely fallen out of government hands.
The head of the Islamist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, on Wednesday visited Aleppo's landmark citadel.
Images posted on the rebels' Telegram channel showed Jolani waving to supporters from an open-top car as he visited the historic fortress.
In Hama, 36-year-old delivery driver Wassim said the sounds were "really terrifying" and the continuous bombing was clearly audible.
"I'll stay home because I have nowhere else to flee to," he said.
'Fierce battles'
While the advancing rebels found little resistance earlier in their offensive, the fighting around Hama has been especially fierce.
Assad ordered a 50 percent raise in career soldiers' pay, state news agency SANA reported, as he seeks to bolster his forces for the counteroffensive.
A military source cited by SANA had earlier reported "fierce battles" against the rebels in northern Hama province since morning, adding that "joint Syrian-Russian warplanes" were part of the effort.
The Observatory said government forces brought "large military convoys to Hama" and its outskirts in the past 24 hours.
"Dozens of trucks" loaded with tanks, weapons, ammunition and soldiers headed towards the city, it said.
It said "regime forces and pro-government fighters led by Russian and Iranian officers were able to repel" an attack northwest of Hama.
It said the fighting was close to an area mainly populated by Alawites, followers of the same offshoot of Shiite Islam as the president.
German news agency DPA announced the killing of award-winning Syrian photographer Anas Alkharboutli in an air strike near Hama.
'Close contact'
The rebels launched their offensive on November 27, the same day a ceasefire took effect in the war between Israel and Hezbollah in neighbouring Lebanon.
Both Hezbollah and Russia have been key backers of Assad's government, but have been more recently mired in their own respective conflicts.
Russia, Iran and Turkey are in "close contact" over the conflict in Syria, Moscow said Wednesday.
Watch moreDomino effect? Assad's allies stretched thin as Syrian rebels pounce
While Russia and Iran both back Assad, Turkey has backed the opposition.
The United Nations on Wednesday said 115,000 people have been "newly displaced across Idlib and northern Aleppo" by the fighting.
Turkey meanwhile warned that it may be too soon to expect large-scale returns to Aleppo from among the three million Syrian refugees currently on its soil.
"To those who say they wish to go back now we say, 'wait, it's not safe for the moment'," said Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya.
The Observatory says the violence has killed 704 people, mostly combatants but also 110 civilians.
Syrian rebels on Wednesday encircled the key central city of Hama "from three sides", a war monitor said, despite a counteroffensive launched by government forces to retain control of the city.
Hama is strategically located in central Syria and, for the army, it is crucial to safeguarding the capital and seat of power Damascus.
The fighting around Hama follows a lightning offensive by Islamist-led rebels who in a matter of days wrested swathes of territory, most significantly Syria's second city Aleppo, from President Bashar al-Assad's grasp.
The rebels "have surrounded Hama city from three sides, and are now present at a distance of three to four kilometres (1.9 to 2.5 miles) from it," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The Britain-based Observatory, which relies on a network of sources in Syria, said the government forces were "left with only one exit towards Homs to the south".
Key to the rebels' successes since the start of the offensive last week was the takeover of Aleppo, which in more than a decade of war had never entirely fallen out of government hands.
The head of the Islamist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, on Wednesday visited Aleppo's landmark citadel.
Images posted on the rebels' Telegram channel showed Jolani waving to supporters from an open-top car as he visited the historic fortress.
In Hama, 36-year-old delivery driver Wassim said the sounds were "really terrifying" and the continuous bombing was clearly audible.
"I'll stay home because I have nowhere else to flee to," he said.
'Fierce battles'
While the advancing rebels found little resistance earlier in their offensive, the fighting around Hama has been especially fierce.
Assad ordered a 50 percent raise in career soldiers' pay, state news agency SANA reported, as he seeks to bolster his forces for the counteroffensive.
A military source cited by SANA had earlier reported "fierce battles" against the rebels in northern Hama province since morning, adding that "joint Syrian-Russian warplanes" were part of the effort.
The Observatory said government forces brought "large military convoys to Hama" and its outskirts in the past 24 hours.
"Dozens of trucks" loaded with tanks, weapons, ammunition and soldiers headed towards the city, it said.
It said "regime forces and pro-government fighters led by Russian and Iranian officers were able to repel" an attack northwest of Hama.
It said the fighting was close to an area mainly populated by Alawites, followers of the same offshoot of Shiite Islam as the president.
German news agency DPA announced the killing of award-winning Syrian photographer Anas Alkharboutli in an air strike near Hama.
'Close contact'
The rebels launched their offensive on November 27, the same day a ceasefire took effect in the war between Israel and Hezbollah in neighbouring Lebanon.
Both Hezbollah and Russia have been key backers of Assad's government, but have been more recently mired in their own respective conflicts.
Russia, Iran and Turkey are in "close contact" over the conflict in Syria, Moscow said Wednesday.
Watch moreDomino effect? Assad's allies stretched thin as Syrian rebels pounce
While Russia and Iran both back Assad, Turkey has backed the opposition.
The United Nations on Wednesday said 115,000 people have been "newly displaced across Idlib and northern Aleppo" by the fighting.
Turkey meanwhile warned that it may be too soon to expect large-scale returns to Aleppo from among the three million Syrian refugees currently on its soil.
"To those who say they wish to go back now we say, 'wait, it's not safe for the moment'," said Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya.
The Observatory says the violence has killed 704 people, mostly combatants but also 110 civilians.
'Spread very thin'
Human Rights Watch on Wednesday warned that the fighting "raises concerns that civilians face a real risk of serious abuses at the hands of opposition armed groups and the Syrian government".
Rights groups including HRW have since the start of the war documented violations of human rights on both sides, including what could amount to "crimes against humanity" by Syrian government forces.
Until last week the war in Syria had been mostly dormant for several years, but analysts have said violence was bound to flare up as it was never truly resolved.
"Many policymakers thought, well, Assad won, there is no war," said Rim Turkmani, director of the Syria Conflict Research Programme at the London School of Economics.
But "we've been worrying about this for years, that the fact that there is no intense violence doesn't mean that the conflict is over," she told AFP.
While the rebels may have advanced swiftly, it does not mean they will have the capacity to hold onto the territory they have captured.
Spearheading the rebel alliance is HTS, which is rooted in Syria's Al-Qaeda branch.
"It's very well organised, very ideologically driven," Turkmani said.
"However, they spread very quickly and very thin. And I think very quickly they're going to realise it's beyond their capacity to maintain these areas and, most importantly, to govern them."
(AFP)
Who is Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the leader of Syria's surprise insurgency?
Middle East
Abu Mohammed al-Golani, who is leading the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) militant group's surprise advance in Syria, has spent a dozen years polishing his public image to win over international governments and Syrian religious and ethnic minorities, including distancing himself from al-Qaida.
Issued on: 04/12/2024
By: NEWS WIRES
File photo: This undated photo released by a militant group in 2016 shows Abu Mohammed al-Golani, leader of Syria's al-Qaida affiliate, second from right, discussing battlefield details with commanders in Aleppo, Syria. AP
Over the past dozen years, Syrian militant leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani has worked to remake his public image and the insurgency he commands, renouncing longtime ties to al-Qaida and consolidating power before emerging from the shadows.
Now al-Golani, 42, seeks to seize the moment yet again, leading his fighters in a stunning offensive that has put them in control of Syria’s largest city, reigniting the country's long civil war and raising new questions about President Bashar Assad’s hold on power.
The surge and al-Golani's place at the head of it are evidence of a remarkable transformation. Al-Golani's success on the battlefield follows years of maneuvering among extremist organizations while eliminating competitors and former allies.
Along the way he moved to distance himself from al-Qaida, polishing his image and his extremist group's de-facto “salvation government” in an attempt to win over international governments and the country’s religious and ethnic minorities.
Putting himself forward as a champion of pluralism and tolerance, al-Golani's rebranding efforts sought to broaden his group's public support and legitimacy.
Still, it had been years since Syria’s opposition forces, based in the country's northwest, made any substantial military progress against Assad. The Syrian president's government, with backing from Iran and Russia, has maintained its control of about 70 percent of the country in a stalemate that had left al-Golani and his jihadi group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, out of the spotlight.
But the rebels' descent on Aleppo and nearby towns, alongside a coalition of Turkish-backed armed groups dubbed the Syrian National Army, has shaken up Syria’s tense detente and left the war-torn country’s neighbors in Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon worried about this flareup spilling over.
Watch more Domino effect? Assad's allies stretched thin as Syrian rebels pounce
Al-Golani’s ties to al-Qaida stretch back to 2003 when he joined extremists battling U.S. troops in Iraq. The native of Syria was detained several times by the U.S. military, but remained in Iraq. During that time, al-Qaida usurped likeminded groups and formed the extremist Islamic State of Iraq, led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
In 2011, a popular uprising against Syria's Assad triggered a brutal government crackdown and led to all-out war. Al-Golani's prominence grew when al-Baghdadi sent him to Syria to establish a branch of al-Qaida called the Nusra Front. The United States labeled the new group as a terrorist organization. That designation still remains in place and the U.S. government has put a $10 million bounty on him.
As Syria's civil war intensified in 2013, so did al-Golani’s ambitions. He defied al-Baghdadi’s calls to dissolve the Nusra Front and merge it with al-Qaida's operation in Iraq, to form the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS.
Al-Golani nonetheless pledged his allegiance to al-Qaida, which later disassociated itself from ISIS. The Nusra Front battled ISIS and eliminated much of its competition among the Syrian armed opposition to Assad. In his first interview in 2014, al-Golani kept his face covered, telling a reporter for Qatari network Al-Jazeera that he rejected political talks in Geneva to end the conflict. He said his goal was to see Syria ruled under Islamic law and made clear that there was no room for the country's Alawite, Shiite, Druze, and Christian minorities.
In 2016, al-Golani revealed his face to the public for the first time in a video message that announced his group was renaming itself Jabhat Fateh al-Sham and cutting its ties to al-Qaida.
Watch more Syrian rebels aiming for 'conservative Islamist proto-state', analyst says
“This new organization has no affiliation to any external entity,” he said in the video, filmed wearing military garb and a turban.
The move paved the way for al-Golani to assert full control over fracturing militant groups. A year later, his alliance rebranded again as HTS as the groups merged, consolidating al-Golani’s power in northwest Syria’s Idlib province.
Afterward HTS clashed with independent Islamist militants who opposed the merger, further emboldening al-Golani and his group as the leading power in northwestern Syria, able to rule with an iron fist.
With his power consolidated, al-Golani set in motion a transformation that few could have imagined. Replacing his military garb with shirt and trousers, he began calling for religious tolerance and pluralism. He appealed to the Druze community in Idlib, which the Nusra Front had previously targeted, and visited the families of Kurds who were killed by Turkish-backed militias.
In 2021, al-Golani had his first interview with an American journalist on PBS. Wearing a blazer, with his short hair gelled back, the now more soft-spoken HTS leader said that his group posed no threat to the West and that sanctions imposed against it were unjust.
“Yes, we have criticized Western policies,” he said. “But to wage a war against the United States or Europe from Syria, that’s not true. We didn’t say we wanted to fight.”
(AP)
File photo: This undated photo released by a militant group in 2016 shows Abu Mohammed al-Golani, leader of Syria's al-Qaida affiliate, second from right, discussing battlefield details with commanders in Aleppo, Syria. APOver the past dozen years, Syrian militant leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani has worked to remake his public image and the insurgency he commands, renouncing longtime ties to al-Qaida and consolidating power before emerging from the shadows.
Now al-Golani, 42, seeks to seize the moment yet again, leading his fighters in a stunning offensive that has put them in control of Syria’s largest city, reigniting the country's long civil war and raising new questions about President Bashar Assad’s hold on power.
The surge and al-Golani's place at the head of it are evidence of a remarkable transformation. Al-Golani's success on the battlefield follows years of maneuvering among extremist organizations while eliminating competitors and former allies.
Along the way he moved to distance himself from al-Qaida, polishing his image and his extremist group's de-facto “salvation government” in an attempt to win over international governments and the country’s religious and ethnic minorities.
Putting himself forward as a champion of pluralism and tolerance, al-Golani's rebranding efforts sought to broaden his group's public support and legitimacy.
Still, it had been years since Syria’s opposition forces, based in the country's northwest, made any substantial military progress against Assad. The Syrian president's government, with backing from Iran and Russia, has maintained its control of about 70 percent of the country in a stalemate that had left al-Golani and his jihadi group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, out of the spotlight.
But the rebels' descent on Aleppo and nearby towns, alongside a coalition of Turkish-backed armed groups dubbed the Syrian National Army, has shaken up Syria’s tense detente and left the war-torn country’s neighbors in Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon worried about this flareup spilling over.
Watch more Domino effect? Assad's allies stretched thin as Syrian rebels pounce
Al-Golani’s ties to al-Qaida stretch back to 2003 when he joined extremists battling U.S. troops in Iraq. The native of Syria was detained several times by the U.S. military, but remained in Iraq. During that time, al-Qaida usurped likeminded groups and formed the extremist Islamic State of Iraq, led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
In 2011, a popular uprising against Syria's Assad triggered a brutal government crackdown and led to all-out war. Al-Golani's prominence grew when al-Baghdadi sent him to Syria to establish a branch of al-Qaida called the Nusra Front. The United States labeled the new group as a terrorist organization. That designation still remains in place and the U.S. government has put a $10 million bounty on him.
As Syria's civil war intensified in 2013, so did al-Golani’s ambitions. He defied al-Baghdadi’s calls to dissolve the Nusra Front and merge it with al-Qaida's operation in Iraq, to form the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS.
Al-Golani nonetheless pledged his allegiance to al-Qaida, which later disassociated itself from ISIS. The Nusra Front battled ISIS and eliminated much of its competition among the Syrian armed opposition to Assad. In his first interview in 2014, al-Golani kept his face covered, telling a reporter for Qatari network Al-Jazeera that he rejected political talks in Geneva to end the conflict. He said his goal was to see Syria ruled under Islamic law and made clear that there was no room for the country's Alawite, Shiite, Druze, and Christian minorities.
In 2016, al-Golani revealed his face to the public for the first time in a video message that announced his group was renaming itself Jabhat Fateh al-Sham and cutting its ties to al-Qaida.
Watch more Syrian rebels aiming for 'conservative Islamist proto-state', analyst says
“This new organization has no affiliation to any external entity,” he said in the video, filmed wearing military garb and a turban.
The move paved the way for al-Golani to assert full control over fracturing militant groups. A year later, his alliance rebranded again as HTS as the groups merged, consolidating al-Golani’s power in northwest Syria’s Idlib province.
Afterward HTS clashed with independent Islamist militants who opposed the merger, further emboldening al-Golani and his group as the leading power in northwestern Syria, able to rule with an iron fist.
With his power consolidated, al-Golani set in motion a transformation that few could have imagined. Replacing his military garb with shirt and trousers, he began calling for religious tolerance and pluralism. He appealed to the Druze community in Idlib, which the Nusra Front had previously targeted, and visited the families of Kurds who were killed by Turkish-backed militias.
In 2021, al-Golani had his first interview with an American journalist on PBS. Wearing a blazer, with his short hair gelled back, the now more soft-spoken HTS leader said that his group posed no threat to the West and that sanctions imposed against it were unjust.
“Yes, we have criticized Western policies,” he said. “But to wage a war against the United States or Europe from Syria, that’s not true. We didn’t say we wanted to fight.”
(AP)
'We feel abandoned': Fear rises among Aleppo’s Kurdish residents
The takeover of Aleppo by the Islamist rebel group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) has left the city’s Kurdish minority on edge. As Kurdish fighters reportedly withdrew from the area, a resident of the Kurdish quarter of Aleppo shared his concerns with the FRANCE 24 Observers team.
Issued on: 03/12/2024 -
By: Guillaume Maurice
On the night of November 29-30, Islamist rebel groups led by Hayʼat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) seized control of Aleppo, Syria’s second-largest city. Within the Kurdish minority now trapped in the city, many fear reprisals from HTS, whose fighters include former members of the Al-Nusra Front, a group once linked to Al-Qaeda.
Read more Key points on the rebel gains that reignited Syria's civil war
Since 2016, most of Aleppo has been held by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s army, except for the northern part which remained under the control of Syrian Kurdish forces.
The takeover of Aleppo by the Islamist rebel group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) has left the city’s Kurdish minority on edge. As Kurdish fighters reportedly withdrew from the area, a resident of the Kurdish quarter of Aleppo shared his concerns with the FRANCE 24 Observers team.
Issued on: 03/12/2024 -
Aleppo's Kurdish district has been plunged into uncertainty since the arrival of HTS Islamist rebel groups. This image shows Kurdish fighters (left and right) and a Syrian islamist rebel (centre).
© The Observers
By: Guillaume Maurice
On the night of November 29-30, Islamist rebel groups led by Hayʼat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) seized control of Aleppo, Syria’s second-largest city. Within the Kurdish minority now trapped in the city, many fear reprisals from HTS, whose fighters include former members of the Al-Nusra Front, a group once linked to Al-Qaeda.
Read more Key points on the rebel gains that reignited Syria's civil war
Since 2016, most of Aleppo has been held by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s army, except for the northern part which remained under the control of Syrian Kurdish forces.
This map shows areas of Aleppo under the control of the Islamist rebel HTS on December 2, 2024 in green. Zones controlled by the Kurdish-led SDF are shown in yellow.
© LiveUaMap
The Sheikh Maqsoud district in northern Aleppo has been under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) since the 2012–2016 Battle of Aleppo. The Kurdish forces navigated a complex web of alliances, clashing at times with Assad’s regime and fighting against other Syrian rebel factions.
When HTS advances were first reported, Kurdish fighters said they were ready to defend Sheikh Maqsoud. Some started converging towards Aleppo during the night.
The Sheikh Maqsoud district in northern Aleppo has been under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) since the 2012–2016 Battle of Aleppo. The Kurdish forces navigated a complex web of alliances, clashing at times with Assad’s regime and fighting against other Syrian rebel factions.
When HTS advances were first reported, Kurdish fighters said they were ready to defend Sheikh Maqsoud. Some started converging towards Aleppo during the night.
Dans cette vidéo publiée le 29 novembre 2024 des membres de la minorité kurde d’Alep se disent prêts à défendre leur quartier de la ville, Cheikh-Maksoud. ©X/ofisa_agahi
As HTS fighters were taking control of Aleppo, clashes broke out between Kurdish fighters and members of both the HTS and the Syrian National Army (SNA), a coalition of Turkish-backed armed groups. Kurdish soldiers were reported captured.
As HTS fighters were taking control of Aleppo, clashes broke out between Kurdish fighters and members of both the HTS and the Syrian National Army (SNA), a coalition of Turkish-backed armed groups. Kurdish soldiers were reported captured.
This video, posted on December 1, 2024 and geolocated in northern Aleppo, shows Kurdish fighters being captured by HTS forces.
On December 1, the HTS issued a statement via Telegram calling on Kurdish fighters to evacuate Sheikh Maqsoud. “We propose that you leave Aleppo with your weapons, heading safely to northeastern Syria. We affirm that Syrian Kurds are an integral part of Syrian society, and should enjoy the same rights as the rest of the country's population,” the statement reads.
On December 1, the HTS issued a statement via Telegram calling on Kurdish fighters to evacuate Sheikh Maqsoud. “We propose that you leave Aleppo with your weapons, heading safely to northeastern Syria. We affirm that Syrian Kurds are an integral part of Syrian society, and should enjoy the same rights as the rest of the country's population,” the statement reads.
In this statement published on December 1, 2024, the Islamist rebel group HTS asks Kurdish forces to evacuate the city of Aleppo. In return, they agree not to attack Kurdish civilians in the city.
© Telegram / aleamaliaat_aleaskaria
In response, the SDF commander-in-chief announced plans to evacuate Kurdish civilians from Aleppo.“We have intervened to establish a humanitarian corridor between our eastern regions and Aleppo [...] to protect our people from massacres,” reads the statement published on December 2.
But these announcements have done little to reassure Kurdish civilians in Aleppo.
'We don’t know what’s going to happen; we’re plunged into uncertainty'
A resident of Sheikh Maqsoud, who requested anonymity for security reasons, told The Observers he was deeply concerned.
We don’t know what’s going to happen; we’re plunged into uncertainty. We feel alone and abandoned.
I wasn’t in the area when the HTS attacked Assad’s forces in Aleppo, but I was nearby during their assaults on the Kurdish neighbourhood. The HTS used vehicles, shots were fired. There have been two or three attacks in the past few days.
Since Friday, we’ve had almost nothing to defend ourselves. We’ve received some support from the Syrian Democratic Forces, a few soldiers and weapons, but not much else, even though so many of us live here.
I don’t trust the Islamists’ promises not to harm us. They’ve already dismantled the Asayish –the Kurdish police force in the district. After that, they could easily turn violent.
'Are they just doing it opportunistically to expand their territory?'
For Broderick McDonald, a researcher at Oxford University, it is not clear how the HTS group will position itself vis-à-vis the Kurdish population, especially given the group's history.
This is part of HTS's strategy to make itself less confrontational with a whole host of different actors. It puts out statements not only to Kurdish groups but also to the government of Iraq, to the Russian government.
They are basically saying 'our fight is with Assad and as long as you do not align yourself with Assad, we don't have a problem with you.' Now, it's going to be difficult for them (the Kurds) to believe that, given the history of HTS. HTS has a track record of human rights abuses against many different minorities, including Kurds.
It is difficult to see how they will follow through on that. However it's interesting that HTS has tried as much as it can to avoid direct clashes with Kurdish groups. In fact, it's the SNA groups largely which are clashing or negotiating with the Kurds, much more than it is HTS itself.
There are still big questions: can you trust HTS to do this long term, or are they just doing it opportunistically to expand their territory? But by and large, I think they are trying their best to avoid getting into direct clashes with the Kurds and instead focusing their energy on the Assad regime.
As of the afternoon of December 2, videos circulating on social media showed Kurdish forces retreating from Aleppo toward the Kurdish-controlled regions of Raqqa and Manbij.
In response, the SDF commander-in-chief announced plans to evacuate Kurdish civilians from Aleppo.“We have intervened to establish a humanitarian corridor between our eastern regions and Aleppo [...] to protect our people from massacres,” reads the statement published on December 2.
But these announcements have done little to reassure Kurdish civilians in Aleppo.
'We don’t know what’s going to happen; we’re plunged into uncertainty'
A resident of Sheikh Maqsoud, who requested anonymity for security reasons, told The Observers he was deeply concerned.
We don’t know what’s going to happen; we’re plunged into uncertainty. We feel alone and abandoned.
I wasn’t in the area when the HTS attacked Assad’s forces in Aleppo, but I was nearby during their assaults on the Kurdish neighbourhood. The HTS used vehicles, shots were fired. There have been two or three attacks in the past few days.
Since Friday, we’ve had almost nothing to defend ourselves. We’ve received some support from the Syrian Democratic Forces, a few soldiers and weapons, but not much else, even though so many of us live here.
I don’t trust the Islamists’ promises not to harm us. They’ve already dismantled the Asayish –the Kurdish police force in the district. After that, they could easily turn violent.
'Are they just doing it opportunistically to expand their territory?'
For Broderick McDonald, a researcher at Oxford University, it is not clear how the HTS group will position itself vis-à-vis the Kurdish population, especially given the group's history.
This is part of HTS's strategy to make itself less confrontational with a whole host of different actors. It puts out statements not only to Kurdish groups but also to the government of Iraq, to the Russian government.
They are basically saying 'our fight is with Assad and as long as you do not align yourself with Assad, we don't have a problem with you.' Now, it's going to be difficult for them (the Kurds) to believe that, given the history of HTS. HTS has a track record of human rights abuses against many different minorities, including Kurds.
It is difficult to see how they will follow through on that. However it's interesting that HTS has tried as much as it can to avoid direct clashes with Kurdish groups. In fact, it's the SNA groups largely which are clashing or negotiating with the Kurds, much more than it is HTS itself.
There are still big questions: can you trust HTS to do this long term, or are they just doing it opportunistically to expand their territory? But by and large, I think they are trying their best to avoid getting into direct clashes with the Kurds and instead focusing their energy on the Assad regime.
As of the afternoon of December 2, videos circulating on social media showed Kurdish forces retreating from Aleppo toward the Kurdish-controlled regions of Raqqa and Manbij.
This video posted on Twitter on December 2, 2024 shows convoys of Kurdish forces withdrawing from Aleppo towards to the Kurdish-controlled regions of Raqqa and Manbij.
Sporadic clashes were reported later that day, though these accounts could not be independently verified.
Sporadic clashes were reported later that day, though these accounts could not be independently verified.
By AFP
December 3, 2024
Thousands of Kurds join the exodus of civilians from the Aleppo region of northern Syria after its seizure by Islamist-led rebels. - Copyright AFP Wakil KOHSAR
Aya Iskandarani
Islamist-led rebels advanced on Syria’s fourth-largest city Hama Tuesday, buoyed by their lightning capture of swathes of the north in an offensive that ended four years of relative calm.
The sudden flare-up in the more than decade-old civil war in Syria just as a fragile ceasefire took effect in neighbouring Lebanon drew appeals for de-escalation from across the international community.
Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allies met much tougher resistance in the countryside north of Hama than they did in the Aleppo region on Friday and Saturday, a Britain-based war monitor said.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported the heaviest fighting with government forces so far as the offensive entered its seventh day.
“Clashes have erupted in the northern Hama countryside, where rebel factions managed to seize several cities and towns in the last few hours,” the Observatory said.
“Syrian and Russian air forces carried out dozens of strikes on the area.”
Syrian state media reported that the two air forces had bombed the rebels in their Idlib stronghold as well as their vanguard in Hama province.
Russia is a key ally of President Bashar al-Assad. Its 2015 intervention in the Syrian civil war turned the tide in his government’s favour but since 2022 the Ukraine war has tied down much of its military resources.
– ‘Threat’ to popular base –
Hama was a bastion of opposition to the Assad government early in the civil war.
For many of the city’s residents, the scars of a 1982 massacre by the army, aimed at crushing the banned Muslim Brotherhood, have yet to heal.
But its capture by the rebels would “pose a threat to the regime’s popular base”, Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said.
The countryside west of the city is home to many Alawites, followers of the same offshoot of Shiite Islam as the president and his security chiefs.
An AFP journalist in the northern Hama countryside saw dozens of Syrian army tanks and military vehicles abandoned by the side of the road leading to Hama.
“We want to advance on Hama after combing” towns that have been captured, a rebel fighter who identified himself as Abu al-Huda al-Sourani told AFP.
The United Nations says nearly 50,000 people have been displaced by the fighting since it began last Wednesday. Hundreds of people have been killed, most of them combatants, according to the Observatory.
– UN alarm –
The mounting exodus of civilians just as winter takes hold has triggered international alarm.
UN chief Antonio Guterres said he was “alarmed” by the violence and called for an immediate halt to the fighting.
The European Union called on “all sides to de-escalate”.
Speaking to reporters Monday, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said: “We want to see all countries use their influence — use their leverage — to push for de-escalation, protection of civilians and ultimately, a political process forward.”
Assad is no longer the pariah in the Arab world that he was at the height of the civil war.
Egypt, Jordan and the Gulf Arab states have all expressed concern over his government’s losses. At a summit in Cairo last year, Arab leaders agreed to reinstate Syria’s membership of the Arab League, marking the start of a slow rehabilitation.
HTS is rooted in Al-Qaeda’s former Syria branch and has faced accusations of human rights abuses including torture.
– Civilian exodus –
One anxious resident of Syria’s second city Aleppo, who declined to be identified, spoke of panic as the rebels overran it on Friday and Saturday.
“There were terrible traffic jams — it took people 13 to 15 hours to reach Homs,” he said.
Normally, it would take just a couple of hours to reach Syria’s third city, which lies between Hama and Damascus, he added.
A convoy of Kurds joined the exodus on Monday as Turkish-backed fighters seized areas east of Aleppo from Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, who control much of the northeast, an AFP photographer witnessed.
But others remained trapped inside the rebel-controlled city.
Nazih Yristian, 60, who lives in Aleppo’s Armenian neighbourhood, said he and his wife had tried to flee but the main road out had been cut. Since then, the couple have cloistered themselves at home, he said.
“No one attacked us so far, but we want to leave until things calm down. We have been displaced a lot and we will be displaced again.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian pledged “unconditional support” for their ally on Monday, according to the Kremlin.
But Assad’s key allies have been distracted by the wars in Ukraine, and in Gaza and Lebanon respectively.
Neighbouring Iraq too has expressed support and on Tuesday a pro-Iran group within the security forces called on the government to go further and send combat troops.
A spokesman for Kataeb Hezbollah, part of the Iran-backed “axis of resistance”, said the group had not yet decided to deploy its own fighters but urged Baghdad to act.
“We believe the Iraqi government should take the initiative to send regular military forces in coordination with the Syrian government, as these groups pose a threat to Iraq’s national security and the region,” the spokesman said.
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