Emergency workers in southern Turkey have rescued a 10-year-old boy from a collapsed house, four days after an earthquake caused devastation across large parts of the country’s border with Syria.
The boy had been trapped under the rubble in the town of Kahramanmaraş for more than 100 hours.
The Israel Defence Force (IDF), which has been assisting with the rescue work, tweeted on Friday.
“The rescue teams provided the boy with lifesaving medical treatment during the rescue and afterwards transferred him to a hospital for further medical treatment,’’ the IDF said.
Israel sent more than 380 aid workers to Turkey in recent days as part of a relief operation, including doctors, nurses and paramedics.
An apocalyptic dagger of despair plunged deep into the hearts of Türkiye on Monday, when the country awoke to a harrowing sight – the Kahramanmaraş-centered earthquakes that resulted in more than 8,500 fatal casualties, more than 49,000 people sustaining injuries, and almost 15,000 buildings reportedly reduced to dust and debris.
As anticipated although not easy to accept, the inevitable devastation of the earthquake did not spare local sports clubs, leaving several individuals and teams adversely affected.
Hatayspor, Gaziantep FC and Yeni Malatyaspor have all been particularly hard-hit by the calamity.
On Monday, reports emerged that Hatayspor forward Christian Atsu and their sporting director Taner Savut had been buried under debris, with the former later being rescued alive, but unfortunately the latter’s fate is still shrouded in mystery.
Not knowing whether it was a stroke of luck or simply destiny, Gaziantep FK’s team was granted a fortuitous leave, sending most of their football players out of the city.
For Yeni Malatyaspor, it was not the kind of news that anyone would want to receive.
While many of their players were not in the city due to the permission given after the Çaykur Rizespor match, their goal minder Ahmet Eyüp Türkaslan stayed behind.
When tragedy struck, he was left entombed beneath the debris with everyone clinging to the hope that he would be rescued unscathed; yet, heartbreakingly, his lifeless body was recovered on Tuesday.
The teams of the Turkish Football Federation’s 2nd League located in the earthquake zone, such as Adıyaman Football Club, Şanlıurfaspor, Amed Sportive Activities, Diyarbekirspor, Iskenderunspor, as well as those of the 3rd League, including Karaköprü Belediyespor, Integrated Solar Elazığspor, 23 Elazığ Football Club, Yarımoğlu Sigorta Kahramanmaraşspor, Osmaniyespor FK and Malatya Arguvanspor, have all been severely affected by the disaster.
Sadness befell many teams in the Regional Amateur League, especially those in the 1st, 2nd and 7th Groups when the disastrous event occurred.
Kahramanmaraş Istiklalspor, the Group 2 leaders, were struck by tragedy when one of their player, Taner Kahriman, was tragically killed after being trapped under rubble.
In a heartbreaking announcement on his social media account, Iskenderunspor President Hakan Bolat declared that goalkeeper trainer Uğur Kurt and U19 player Burak Duraltı were still trapped in the wreckage.
He also revealed that Halil Ibrahim Ölmez who is part of the technical team, was rescued from the debris but currently remains in intensive care.
The remaining athletes and their families had been safely evacuated from Iskenderun.
Gaziantep’s ALG Spor and Onvo Hatayspor in Turkcell Women’s Football Super League Group A, Amed Sports Club and Bitexen Adana İdmanyurduspor in Group B, Doğuş Gold Gaziantep Asya Spor and Birfen College Hatay Defne Spor in the 1st League were all shaken by the devastating earthquake.
Volleyball couple killed Betül Çoban Çakır, the spiker of Merinos Volleyball of Gaziantep, competing in the TVF Women’s 1st League Group B, and her volleyball player husband Bedrettin Çakır tragically could not be saved.
Tragically, Mehmet Can Ağırbaş, one of the athletes who had been pushing for the playoffs in Malatya Metropolitan Belediyespor Team’s TVF Men’s Volleyball 2nd League, 6th Group, was buried beneath the rubble, losing his life.
Turkish Men’s Handball Süper Lig leaders Vefakent Hatay Metropolitan Belediyespor’s Cemal Kütahya and his family, were said to be under the rubble in Hatay.
There are many teams in the volleyball leagues in the region hit by the earthquake.
Manas Energy Hatay Metropolitan Municipality, which competes in the Efeler League, Çukurova Municipality Adana Demirspor of the Sultans League, Hatay Erzin Yeşilkent in the Men’s 1st League, Gaziantep Genclikspor of the 15th Group in the Women’s 2nd League, and Imamoğlu Municipality from the 13th Group were all affected by the earthquake.
Not to mention, Adana Metropolitan Municipality and Seyhan Municipality, all the teams in the Men’s 2nd League 5th Group, and the GAP Youth and Elazig Aksaray Youth clubs from the 6th Group were also affected by the devastating earthquake.
Among the wrestlers who participated in the Feb. 12 Tournament held in Kahramanmaraş, some of the names from the Turkish wrestlers who were among the detritus were salvaged.
It was reported that wrestlers from France, Kosovo and Uzbekistan were evacuated.
Basketballer Aydoğan under rubble It is reported that as of Wednesday Nilay Aydoğan, the national basketball player of Çankaya University, who plays in the ING Türkiye Women’s Basketball Süper Lig, was still trapped under the rubble in Malatya.
The Gaziantep Basketball team, one of the regional teams in the Turkish Basketball Süper Lig, could not return to Gaziantep thanks to their weekend match against Büyükçekmece.
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Fortunately for them, the team also traveled to Germany for the FIBA European Cup challenge.
Women’s Basketball Süper Lig team Tufan Metalurji Hatay Metropolitan Belediyespor, Women’s Basketball League teams Elaziğ Special Provincial Administration, Tarsus Municipality and Elaziğ Basketball were the teams affected in the region.
Speaking to reporters,President Erdoğan said another 49,133 people were injured and a total of 6,444 buildings collapsed in the earthquake.
As of Tuesday morning, AFAD stated that 79,110 aid personnel are working in the region as part of relief efforts.
Tuesday evening, Vice President Fuat Oktay noted that they have started using all airports to organize aid efforts, and helicopters were set to continue work throughout the night as part of disaster relief efforts. Over 450,000 people have been sheltering in student dormitories, he added.
In an earlier news conference, Orhan Tatar, head of the Directorate of Earthquake and Risk Reduction called on all citizens to refrain from entering damaged buildings since unpredictable aftershocks could instantly cause them to collapse. He also called on citizens to not use telephones unless it is an emergency.
Two major earthquakes and 648 aftershocks, that occured since Monday according to the official data from AFAD, also affected sea levels, which rose particularly in the Iskenderun district of Hatay.
Roads, squares and workplaces in the coastal area are flooded, while buildings and workplaces on the boulevard were evacuated due to risks.
After two major earthquakes that shook Türkiye, the sea level rose on the coastal road in the Çay neighborhood of Hatay’s Iskenderun district and overflowed the area near Mete Aslan Boulevard.
The sea level rose in Iskenderun district of Hatay, following 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes that ocurred on Monday, Iskenderun, southeastern Türkiye, Feb. 8, 2023. (DHA Photo) The sea level rose in Iskenderun district of Hatay, following 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes that ocurred on Monday, Iskenderun, southeastern Türkiye, Feb. 8, 2023. (DHA Photo) People, who visited the streets after the earthquake, were surprised that sea waters had flooded the roads, while it was notable that the sea did not recede even though it has been two days since the earthquake.
The Iskenderun District Governorate also warned people of the region not to enter damaged houses due to potential dangers posed by sea-water overflow in the coastal area. Citizens tried to remain in parks and closed neighborhood markets after the disaster.
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Meanwhile resuce operations are continuing in all 10 provinces, with consoling news coming in from worsely hit provinces Hatay and Kahramanmaraş, where an 80-year old citizen named Abdurrahman and 3-year old Arif Kaan were resuced from the rubble, among others.
Two strong earthquakes on Monday jolted the southeastern part of the country. The earthquakes also hit several neighboring countries in the region, including Syria and Lebanon. Syria, already reeling from a decadelong civil war, has been hit particularly badly with over 2,500 deaths and thousands of injuries.
Türkiye announced the closure of schools until Feb. 13 across the country and declared a week of mourning. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Tuesday also announced that a three-month state of emergency had been declared in the 10 provinces hit the worst by the deadly earthquakes
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan arrived in Kahramanmaraş after a series of high-magnitude earthquakes that shook 10 provinces and said that all the country’s resources have been mobilized, calling for unity.
Speaking to reporters, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan updated the latest death toll to 8,574. He said another 49,133 people were injured and a total of 6,444 buildings collapsed in the earthquake.
Türkiye has taken action with all its institutions since Monday’s deadly quakes, the president added, underlining that all resources have been mobilized.
“Our citizens should not worry, we will never allow them to stay on the street,” he said and highlighted that earthquake victims can stay in contracted hotels in Antalya, Alanya and Mersin provinces.
Erdoğan visited the epicenter of the 7.7 magnitude earthquake, Kahramanmaraş, and will then continue to Hatay province.
The 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude earthquakes, centered in the Kahramanmaras province, struck 10 provinces and affected more than 13 million people.
More than 7,000 soldiers, according to the Turkey’s Defence Minister, Hulusi Akar, have been dispatched on disaster and relief duties in the country.
The death toll in the two countries soared to more than 8,700 on Wednesday morning, with the majority of the casualties reported in Turkey.
According to the Turkish state media, no fewer than 6,234 people had died and 37,011 were injured. In government-controlled parts of Syria, at least 812 people were killed and 1,449 injured, according to state media.
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In Syria’s rebel-held northwest, civil defense workers reported 1,280 deaths and more than 2,600 injured — a number they said they expected to rise significantly with hundreds still trapped under rubble.
Latest information says Australia is sending an urban search-and-rescue team of up to 72 people to Turkey to help local authorities who are working against time, and freezing temperatures, to dig people out of the rubble following two large earthquakes.
The passenger flights to Kahramanmaraş, Hatay and Gaziantep airports were suspended after a major 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Türkiye’s southeast province early Monday morning.
The flights were halted so that planes carrying rescue teams and relief supplies could reach the region as quickly as possible.
Currently, only planes carrying aid and rescue teams are allowed to land and take off from the two airports. Hatay Airport, whose runway was damaged because of the earthquake, was closed for all flights.
The earthquake that hit 10 Turkish provinces and northern Syria occurred at a depth of 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) in the Pazarcık district of Kahramanmaraş at 4:17 a.m. local time (1:17 a.m. GMT), according to the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD). The earthquake left over 1,500 people dead and more than 9,000 others injured.
Rescue operations are underway in Hatay and the affected areas, with the AFAD, the National Medical Rescue Team (UMKE), 112 emergency health services, police, gendarmerie and fire brigade teams being dispatched to the districts to ramp up the rescue work.
In Iskenderun, a part of the State Hospital, the Catholic Church, Mithatpaşa Primary School and many buildings tumbled to the ground, while most roads remained blocked off for regular vehicles.
Türkiye’s first nuclear power plant (NPP), now under construction in the country’s south, suffered no damage from the earthquakes that jolted the region on Monday morning, officials said.
“Our experts did not detect any damage to the buildings, equipment or cranes in the field. Construction and assembly work continues,” said Anastasia Zoteeva, head of the Akkuyu Nuclear project company, adding that the earthquake was felt at a magnitude of approximately 3 in the region in Mersin, where the plant is being built.
According to Zoteeva, state civil defense and emergency protection units are cooperating with the plant’s emergency units and are preparing to send equipment and personnel to the region.
The 7.7 magnitude quake struck at 4.17 a.m. (1:17 a.m. GMT) in Türkiye’s southern province of Kahramanmaraş, according to the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), affecting neighboring provinces, leaving over 1,500 dead and more than 9,000 injured.
Akkuyu on Türkiye’s Mediterranean coast will be the country’s first nuclear-powered power plant. The plant, expected to have an installed capacity of 4,800 megawatts and four reactors, is set to begin producing power later this year
At least 1,600 people died Monday in Türkiye when two major earthquakes and 145 aftershocks struck the southeast of the country, officials said.
Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said 1,651 people were killed and 11,119 others were injured following the earthquakes, which were felt in 11 provinces, including Malatya, Şanlıurfa, Osmaniye and Diyarbakır, although the toll threatened to climb much higher because of the heavy damage.
According to the country’s disaster agency, the strong earthquakes originated in the southern province of Kahramanmaraş.
Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said the 7.7 magnitude quake struck at 4.17 a.m. (1:17 a.m. GMT) and was centered in the Pazarcık district.
The quake occurred at a depth of 7 kilometers (4.3 miles).
It was followed by a 6.4 magnitude quake that struck southeastern Gaziantep province.
A third earthquake with a 6.5 magnitude also hit Gaziantep.
The initial earthquake was also felt in other southeastern provinces, including Diyarbakır and neighboring countries including Lebanon and Syria.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan took to Twitter to convey get-well wishes to citizens affected by the initial earthquake.
He added that AFAD and other units are “on alert.”
He noted that rescue teams were immediately dispatched to the province affected by the earthquake.
“Our Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Health, the AFAD, provincial governorships and all other institutions started their work rapidly.”
President Erdoğan who arrived at the Presidency of AFAD to coordinate the studies regarding the 7.7 magnitude earthquake, said that Türkiye was shaken by the biggest disaster since the 1939 Erzincan earthquake in the last century, adding: ”According to the findings so far, 1,014 of our citizens have lost their lives and 7,634 of our citizens have been injured. The number of people rescued from under the rubble has reached 2,470. The number of demolished buildings is 2,834.”
”Its center was determined as the Pazarcık district of Kahramanmaraş and its moment magnitude was measured as 7.7 according to the last evaluation. The earthquake was felt over a wide area,” the president maintained.
“The earthquake caused destruction in Kahramanmaraş, as well as in Hatay, Gaziantep, Kilis, Osmaniye, Malatya, Adıyaman, Diyarbakır, Şanlıurfa, Adana provinces,” Erdoğan noted.
”Despite minor damage in other provinces relatively close to the earthquake center, it is understood that the real destruction has taken place here. Serious destructions have also occurred in the cities of our southern neighbor Syria, close to our borders. Our state has taken action with all its institutions since the earthquake occurred.”
“We are also coordinating our work after the earthquake. We hope that we will get through this disaster together as soon as possible and with the least damage. We will continue our work.”
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu also said that six earthquakes with a magnitude above 6.0 hit the country early Monday.
Western Syria A powerful earthquake killed dozens and injured hundreds in northern and western Syria early on Monday, state media said, as rescue teams battled heavy rain and sleet in a search for survivors in the rubble of collapsed buildings.
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“No official numbers yet but dozens reported dead and hundreds injured, many trapped under the rubble,” the force, known as the White Helmets, said in a Twitter message.
Several buildings in the affected areas had already endured damage during Syria’s nearly 12-year civil war
Türkiye declared seven days of national mourning after catastrophic earthquakes and 145 aftershocks devastated the country’s southeastern provinces, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Monday.
In a message posted on his official Twitter account, the president said the country has declared a week of mourning and will lower its flags to half-mast at home and at diplomatic missions across the world until Feb. 12, 2023.
At least 1,651 people were killed while 11,119 others were injured following magnitudes 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes with an epicenter in Kahramanmaraş province devastated 10 provinces in the country’s southeast.
Tremors from the earthquake that rocked Türkiye and neighboring Syria on Monday were felt as far away as Greenland, the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland said.
Finland has issued the first commercial export license for military material to Türkiye since 2019, a key demand for Ankara to approve Helsinki’s NATO bid, the country’s defense ministry said Wednesday.
Riikka Pitkanen, a special adviser at Finland’s defense ministry, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the export license granted concerned steel that would be used for armor.
The move comes amid a spat that saw Türkiye on Tuesday indefinitely postponing upcoming talks with Finland and Sweden on their application to join the military alliance after a weekend protest in Stockholm that drew condemnation from Ankara.
The three nations reached an agreement on how to proceed in Madrid last June, but President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said Sweden, in particular, is not keeping its side of the bargain.
On Monday, Erdoğan said that Sweden should not expect Türkiye’s support for its NATO membership after a protest near the Turkish embassy in Stockholm on the weekend including the burning of the Quran.
Of NATO’s 30 members, only the parliaments of Türkiye and Hungary have not ratified entry for Sweden and Finland.
The two countries formally applied to join NATO last year after Russia invaded Ukraine, abandoning decades of military non-alignment.
Türkiye has voiced objections due to the two countries’ tolerance and support for terrorist groups.
Ankara also requested the lifting of the arms export restrictions that Sweden and Finland imposed after Türkiye’s military operation seeking to clear northern Syria east of the Euphrates of the PKK terrorist group and its Syrian offshoot YPG in 2019.
Finnish Defense Minister Antti Kaikkonen previously said that they would consider resuming arms exports to Türkiye.
Swedish authorities in September last year authorized the resumption of exports of military equipment to Türkiye.
“Since October 2019, no commercial export licenses have been issued to Turkey,” Pitkanen said.
Defense Minister Hulusi Akar held a meeting with his Syrian counterpart Ali Mahmud Abbas in Moscow for the first time in 11 years.
Akar and the head of the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) Hakan Fidan headed to Russia’s capital Moscow for discussions on Wednesday. Syrian and Russian intelligence chiefs also attended the meeting, the Defense Ministry said. (Watch Video Here)
“Syrian crisis, refugee issue and efforts of joint fight against all terror organisations on Syrian soil were discussed in the constructive meeting,” the ministry added.
Turkish, Russian, Syrian defense ministers and intelligence chiefs also agreed to continue tripartite meetings to ensure stability in Syria and the region, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.
Akar and Fidan’s delegation departed from the Esenboğa Airport in (Watch Video Here) Ankara early Wednesday.
No further information was provided about the issues that were discussed in the meeting.
Turkish officials frequently say that Ankara is determined to continue to push for a diplomatic solution to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as the war wages on.
Türkiye is one of the most active countries working to ensure a permanent cease-fire between Ukraine and Russia. Its delicately balanced act of assuming a role as a mediator by keeping communication channels with both warring sides open provides a glimmer of hope in diplomatic efforts to (Watch Video Here) find a solution and achieve peace in the Ukraine crisis. With its unique position of friendly relations with Russia and Ukraine, Türkiye has won widespread praise for its push to end the war.
Since the beginning of the conflict, Ankara has offered to mediate between the two sides and host peace talks, underlining its support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. While Ankara has opposed international sanctions designed to isolate Moscow, it also closed its straits to prevent some Russian vessels from crossing through them. (Watch Video Here)
Eight members of the Syrian National Army were killed in clashes with regime troops that raged Monday in the country’s northwest, the opposition group Faylaq al-Sham said.
The group said six fighters were killed and three more wounded in an offensive launched by Syrian regime forces backed by the PKK’s Syrian wing, the (Watch Video Here) YPG on Sunday night.
It later said two more fighters had been killed in the clashes in the Afrin region near the Turkish border, bringing the death toll to eight.
Faylaq al-Sham is an alliance of pro-Turkey opposition groups considered close to the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. (Watch Video Here)
An Agence France-Presse (AFP) correspondent said that the fighting died down early Monday evening.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has a vast network of sources, said the regime troops and YPG took control of two Faylaq al-Sham positions in intense fighting involving heavy weapons. (Watch Video Here)
Exchanges of fire occur regularly between Syrian regime forces and pro-Turkish opposition fighters who control part of the border.
Faylaq al-Sham has taken part in Turkish offensives launched since 2016 in northern Syria, mainly against the YPG.
Monday’s fighting was unrelated to recent Turkish threats to launch a ground offensive in northern Syria; several sources told AFP. (Watch Video Here)
The Free Syrian Army had no clue that a militant killed in an operation in Syria’s southern Jassem village back in mid-October was the leader of the Daesh terrorist group, an activist said.
Syrian opposition activists and state media apparently did not know that the man killed was Daesh leader Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi and identified him as Abu Abdul-Rahman al-Iraqi.
Conducted by opposition fighters allied with Syrian regime troops, the operation lasted two days and started on Oct. 14, the day after a bombing on a bus in a suburb of the capital Damascus. That attack killed 18 Syrian soldiers and wounded at least 27 others.
Syrian state media at the time reported that authorities received information that Daesh members have hideouts in the northern neighborhoods of Jassem, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) south of Damascus. Syrian troops were joined by former opposition forces who had reconciled with the government in 2018 and were allowed to stay and keep their weapons in the southern province of Daraa, and together they began an operation against the suspected militant hideouts, state news agency SANA said.
Amid the intensity of the fighting, an Iraqi Daesh commander known as Abu Abdul-Rahman al-Iraqi, made his family escape from the house where he was staying and once they were out and he was totally surrounded, the Iraqi citizen detonated an explosive belt he was wearing, killing himself, according to Rami Abdurrahman who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor.
In a nearby house, opposition forces surrounded and blew up the hideout of two other Daesh militants, a Lebanese and a Syrian, killing both of them, Abdurrahman said.
According to Syria’s state news agency SANA, three opposition forces were killed and seven others were wounded in the battle in Jassem that lasted from the late hours of Oct. 14 until the next day. During the fighting, Syrian troops imposed a curfew on the village, SANA said.
The operation did not get much attention outside Syria at the time, but on Wednesday, a Daesh spokesperson released an audio saying that the group’s leader al-Qurayshi was killed in battle recently without giving further details.
“We were taken by surprise that the man killed was the leader of Daesh,” said Ahmed al-Masalmeh. He is an opposition activist from Daraa who now lives in Jordan but remains in contact with opposition forces back home. He added that the information they had at the time was that the man killed was Abu Abdul-Rahman al-Iraqi who was believed to be the Daesh commander in southern Syria.
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Al-Masalmeh said the opposition in southern Syria had reliable information that a senior Daesh commander was based in the country’s south after another commander was killed in the summer in the region.
Hours after Daesh made the announcement, the U.S. military said al-Qurayshi was killed in mid-October adding that the operation was conducted by the Syrian opposition in Daraa.
The latest killing shows that the three Deash leaders, who were all Iraqis, were killed in Syria in recent years outside the areas the militant group once purported to rule. Two were killed by the U.S. military in Syria’s opposition-held northwestern province of Idlib while the third was killed in southern Syria far from the former domains of the so-called caliphate.
Little had been known about al-Qurayshi, who took over the group’s leadership following the death of his predecessor, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, in a U.S. raid in February in northwest Syria.
The group’s founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was hunted down by the Americans in a raid in Idlib in October 2019.
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Carlo Ancelotti’s team successfully added to their four cups from 2014 to 2018, and their triumph meant European teams have won the past 10 editions of the tournament.
The footage of the raid carried out by the military opposition in Syria’s southern Daraa province, in which Daesh terror group’s leader Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi was allegedly killed, was released on Thursday.
The footage shows moments of the raid with heavy weapons on the house where the Daesh leader was allegedly located.
On Oct.15, the military opposition in Syria announced they killed a group of Daesh members in Daraa.
The opposition group, when contacted by Anadolu Agency (AA), said that they carried out an operation at three different locations in Daraa on Oct. 14-15 and they eliminated about 30 Daesh terrorists.
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On Wednesday, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said that a former Daesh leader was killed in Syria’s Daraa province last month.
Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi was killed in mid-October during a Free Syrian Army operation, the command said.
“CENTCOM and our partners remain focused on the enduring defeat of ISIS,” spokesperson Col. Joe Buccino said in a statement, using an alternate acronym for Daesh.
The Daesh terror group earlier confirmed the death of its leader in an audio statement. The death is the second of a Daesh leader following a February U.S. raid in northwestern Syria that led to the death of Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, the predecessor of the man killed last month
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This was disclosed by the Police Public Relations Officer, Bauchi State Command, Ahmed Wakil, a Superintendent of Police, in a terse Whatsapp message on Sunday.
Türkiye receives support when it fights the Daesh terrorist group but not in its fight against the PKK, Ömer Çelik, the spokesperson for Türkiye’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) said on Thursday.
Çelik emphasized during a televised interview on Habertürk TV that if counterterrorism operations were not carried out on Türkiye’s border, terrorist structures would exist as statelets there.
Çelik said the PKK’s course of action in Syria and Iraq is obviously guided by an entity that transcends the terrorist organization.
“Who is this? We are talking about whether it is a more collective structure. Judging by the way things are going, it seems to have received strong support. We’ve seen this before in Afghanistan. The U.S. used Russia. There was a proxy war,” he said.
The PKK is a designated terrorist organization in the U.S., Türkiye and the European Union, and Washington’s support for its Syrian affiliate, the YPG, has been a major strain on bilateral relations with Ankara.
The U.S. primarily partnered with the YPG in northeastern Syria in its fight against the Daesh terrorist group. On the other hand, Türkiye strongly opposed the YPG terrorist group’s presence in northern Syria. Ankara has long objected to the U.S.’ support for the YPG, a group that poses a threat to Türkiye and terrorizes local people, destroying their homes and forcing them to flee.
Under the pretext of fighting Daesh, the U.S. has provided military training and given truckloads of military support to YPG terrorists, despite its NATO ally’s security concerns.
Underlining that one cannot support one terrorist group to defeat another, Türkiye conducted its own counterterrorism operations, over the course of which it has managed to remove a significant number of terrorists from the region.
He said the threat at Türkiye’s frontiers would have increased if the Russia-Ukraine war had not taken place.
“If the Russia-Ukraine war had not occurred, imagine the equation where there is no war today. The threat on our borders would have grown even more.”
“After all, it is not a choice but an existential necessity for Türkiye when it is threatened, including a distance of 30 kilometers from our border, to deploy and strike,” he said.
Çelik added that these military operations would continue in order to secure Türkiye’s national security, noting that they have uninterrupted contact with the people of the region and all groups.
“The longer this process takes, the more terrorist organizations begin to settle. The state and social structures here face great threats. Then, meeting with Syria and reopening the doors of communication come to the fore as a mandatory opening for the region,” he added.
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He said it is crucial to have powerful state structures surrounding Türkiye because they care about the territorial integrity of Syria and believe that the terrorist group threatens both Syria and Türkiye.
Recently, Türkiye launched Operation Claw-Sword, a cross-border aerial campaign against the PKK terrorist group and its Syrian wing, the YPG, which have illegal hideouts across the Iraqi and Syrian borders where they plan attacks on Turkish soil.
The country’s air operation followed a PKK/YPG terrorist attack on Nov. 13 on Istanbul’s crowded Istiklal Street that killed six people and left 81 injured.
After the air operation was launched, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also signaled a ground operation to northern Iraq and northern Syria to eliminate the terrorist threat, adding, “This is not limited to just an air operation.”
The president specified northern Syria’s PKK/YPG-controlled Tal Rifaat, Manbij and Ain al-Arab (also known as Kobani) regions as possible targets to clear of terrorists.
Tal Rifaat lies 15 kilometers (9 miles) south of the border with Türkiye. The PKK/YPG controls the city and surrounding villages, and Russian troops are present in the area. The Syrian National Army (SNA) controls areas surrounding Tal Rifaat from the north, while Russian-backed Syrian troops control zones mostly to the south.
Russian troops are deployed in some PKK/YPG-controlled border areas of northern Syria following a 2019 agreement that sought to avert a previous Turkish operation threat.
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Buhari, according to a statement issued on Saturday night by the Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, will unveil the equipment at the Force Headquarters in Abuja.
Arocket attack by the PKK terrorist group’s Syrian branch YPG killed at least two civilians and injured two others in northern Syria on Thursday.
YPG/PKK terrorists mounted a rocket attack in the town of Tuffaha in Tal Abyad city, the local sources said, adding that one of the rockets hit a civilian house.
The injured were transferred to the Tal Abyad hospital for medical treatment.
Tal Abyad was cleared of PKK terrorist organization’s Syrian wing, the YPG in October 2019 with Türkiye’s Operation Peace Spring.
Türkiye has warned allied countries not to support PKK/YPG terror group for any reason, including in the pretext of fighting the Daesh terrorist organization, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said in the day.
“In the recent talks with the allied countries, necessary warnings and reminders were made to them not to support the PKK/YPG, a bloody terrorist organization that attacks our borders and our people. For whatever reason, including the pretext of fighting Daesh, do not allow the use of their own flag and uniforms that will make it difficult to distinguish them from terrorists, keeping terrorists away from their areas. Cut off all relations with terrorist organizations as soon as possible,” Akar told the reporters.
Akar informed that the PKK/YPG has recently targeted civilian settlements and carried out “vile and bloody” attacks on innocent citizens, regardless of children, women, students, or teachers.
“The attitudes of those who perceive the Daesh terrorist organization as a danger from thousands of kilometers away, about our necessary measures against terrorist organizations that target our civilian settlements, including schools, and massacre our innocent people, are unacceptable,” the minister underscored.
Regarding the U.S. statements on Türkiye’s possible Syria ground operation, Akar said: “They asked us to reevaluate. We also explained our sensitivities and wanted the promises to be kept. We stressed they should understand us.”
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Recently, Türkiye launched Operation Claw-Sword, a cross-border aerial campaign against the PKK terrorist group and its Syrian wing, the YPG, which have illegal hideouts across the Iraqi and Syrian borders where they plan attacks on Turkish soil.
The country’s air operation followed a PKK/YPG terrorist attack on Nov. 13 on Istanbul’s crowded Istiklal Street that killed six people and left 81 injured.
The Turkish Defense Ministry said the operation was carried out in line with the right of self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter.
After the air operation was launched, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also signaled a ground operation in northern Iraq and northern Syria to eliminate the terrorist threat, adding: “This is not limited to just an air operation.”
The president specified northern Syria’s YPG-controlled Tal Rifaat, Manbij and Ain al-Arab (Kobani) regions as possible targets to clear of terrorists.
The Turkish leader has threatened a new military operation into northern Syria since May and upped those threats in the wake of this month’s attack. Erdoğan has repeatedly called for a 30-kilometer (18-mile) safe zone to protect Türkiye against cross-border attacks from Syrian territory.
“We know the identity, location and track record of the terrorists. We also know very well who patronizes, arms and encourages terrorists,” Erdoğan also recently said, referring to the U.S. support for the YPG.
The PKK is a designated terrorist organization in the U.S., Türkiye and the European Union, and Washington’s support for its Syrian affiliate has been a major strain on bilateral relations with Ankara. The PKK/YPG has controlled much of northeastern Syria after the forces of Syrian regime leader Bashar Assad withdrew in 2012.
The U.S. primarily partnered with PKK/YPG terrorists in northeastern Syria in its fight against the Daesh terrorist group. On the other hand, Türkiye strongly opposed the PKK/YPG’s presence in northern Syria.
Under the pretext of fighting Daesh, the U.S. has provided military training and given truckloads of military support to the PKK/YPG, despite its NATO ally’s security concerns. Underlining that one cannot support one terrorist group to defeat another, Türkiye has conducted its counterterrorism operations throughout, removing a significant number of terrorists from the region.
Since 2016, Ankara has launched a trio of successful anti-terror operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019).
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As the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) are ready for a fresh ground operation against terrorist groups in northern Syria, Menagh Military Air Base, Maraanaz and Tal Rifaat are among the primary targets.
The Turkish forces are preparing for the fifth operation in northern Syria. Together with them, the Syrian National Army (SNA), which will support the land operation, completed its preparations. Now all eyes are turned to Ankara, awaiting the next order.
Menagh Military Air Base, which has strategic importance in the north of Aleppo, is the primary target of the TSK.
The fighters of the SNA, who were on red alert on the front line, and the Menagh Military Air Base, which has become unusable, were photographed. The military airport, which has been under the occupation of the terrorist organization PKK’s Syrian branch YPG since 2016, is located in the village of Menagh, in Azaz.
Harassment shots are fired every day between the SNA and PKK/YPG terrorists on the front line. With Operation Claw-Sword, Turkish soldiers have been hitting terrorist targets in the Menagh line for several days with air and ground support fire elements.
No one lives in the village anymore, where 2,000 people lived before the war. The airport, which was used as the country’s fourth flight training ground before the civil war in Syria, has been razed to the ground. It is seen that the runway where planes and helicopters landed is covered with grass.
The terrorists, who seized the airport with the air support of Russia in 2016, changed the name of the airport to the name of the leader of a terrorist organization. After the terrorist group took over the region, nearly 200,000 civilians living in Tal Rifaat, Menagh and Maraanaz regions had to migrate to regions close to Türkiye and the Turkish border.
In the occupation of the PKK/YPG, attacks are constantly being carried out from these regions to safe areas in northern Syria, especially Afrin and Azaz. From time to time, attacks on regions close to the Turkish border threaten the security of the region.
Türkiye is more determined than ever to secure its Syrian border from attacks by PKK-linked YPG terrorists, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said last week, insisting that a ground operation would start “at the most convenient time.”
Türkiye’s air operation in northern Iraq and Syria to clear the regions of terrorists is “just the beginning,” Erdoğan said, adding that the country will launch a ground operation in Syria “when convenient.”
“Our operations with planes, cannons and drones are only the beginning. Our determination to secure all our southern border … with a safe zone is stronger today than ever before,” Erdoğan said.
“While we press ahead with uninterrupted air raids, we will crack down on terrorists also by land at the most convenient time for us,” he said.
The president specified northern Syria’s YPG-controlled Tal Rifaat, Manbij and Ain al-Arab (also known as Kobani) regions as possible targets to clear of terrorists.
“We have formed part of this corridor (and) will take care of it starting with places such as Tal Rifaat, Manbij and Ain al-Arab, which are the sources of trouble,” he underlined.
The PKK/YPG mostly carries out terrorist attacks in Manbij, Ain al-Arab and the Tal Rifaat districts of Aleppo. The terrorist group also uses those areas as bases for its attacks.
Türkiye launched Operation Claw-Sword, a cross-border aerial campaign against the PKK terrorist group and its Syrian wing, the YPG, which have illegal hideouts across the Iraqi and Syrian borders where they plan attacks on Turkish soil. The country’s air operation followed a PKK/YPG terrorist attack on Nov. 13 on Istanbul’s crowded Istiklal Street that killed six people and left 81 injured.
After the air operation was launched, President Erdoğan also signaled a ground operation to northern Iraq and northern Syria to eliminate the terror threat, saying, “This is not limited to just an air operation.”
The Turkish leader has threatened a new military operation into northern Syria since May and upped those threats in the wake of this month’s attack. Erdoğan has repeatedly called for a 30-kilometer (18.6-mile) “safe zone” to protect Türkiye against cross-border attacks from Syrian territory.
The PKK is a designated terrorist organization in the United States, Türkiye and the European Union, and Washington’s support for its Syrian affiliate has been a major strain on bilateral relations with Ankara. The PKK/YPG has controlled much of northeastern Syria after the forces of Syrian regime leader Bashar Assad withdrew in 2012. The U.S. primarily partnered with PKK/YPG terrorists in northeastern Syria in its fight against the Daesh terrorist group. On the other hand, Türkiye strongly opposed the PKK/YPG’s presence in northern Syria.
Under the pretext of fighting Daesh, the U.S. has provided military training and given truckloads of military support to the PKK/YPG, despite its NATO ally’s security concerns. Underlining that one cannot support one terrorist group to defeat another, Türkiye conducted its counterterrorism operations throughout, removing a significant number of terrorists from the region.
Since 2016, Ankara has launched a trio of successful counterterrorism operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018) and Peace Spring (2019)
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The president, represented by the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, also called on all Nigerians to work for the success of the elections to help…
As the first week of the Claw-Sword operation is left behind, retribution fire of the Turkish army toward terrorist targets is continuing and the Turkish and Syrian armies have set their eyes on clearing the Shahba district of terrorism.
Warplanes hit northern Syria’s Tal Rifaat, Marenaz town and Menagh on Saturday night.
Terrorist targets are also being hit in the Shahba district, which was occupied by YPG terrorists in 2016 and declared as the so-called Shahba Canton. The YPG is holding captive hundreds of villages in Shahba, which is vital for the YPG/PKK in order to realize their aim of establishing a terror corridor on Türkiye’s border and link the “cantons” on the east and west of the Euphrates River.
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The Syrian National Army also contributes to the fight against terrorism and keeps watch at the military bases established on the border. SNA soldiers are currently preparing for a ground operation to Shahba to clear it of terrorists.
If Manbij and Tal Rifaat are cleared of the PKK/YPG terrorist group, the regions it occupied six years ago will be cleared of terrorism. Safe areas created in northern Syria will expand. The PKK/YPG terrorist organization will be wiped out from the west of the Euphrates.
The PKK/YPG mostly carries out terrorist attacks in Manbij, Ain al-Arab (also known as Kobani) and the Tal Rifaat district of Aleppo. The terrorist group uses those areas as bases for its attacks.
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A former top official of the CBN, who spoke to Saturday PUNCH anonymously, echoed a similar sentiment that the Mint might not have the capacity to print more naira notes…
Türkiye-backed Syrian opposition forces are preparing for a ground operation against PKK’s Syrian branch YPG in northern Syria.
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As part of Operation Claw-Sword, the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) continues to strike terrorist targets in northern Syria and Iraq with air and ground fire support elements.
Many points in northern Syria, especially Hassakeh, Qamishli, Tal Tamir and Tal Rifaat, came under fire. While the TSK continues its operation in the region, the Syrian National Army (SNA) is waiting for an operation order
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It is out of the question for Türkiye to harm the coalition forces or civilians, Defense Minister Akar said on Friday in response to the allegation the TSK hit a US observation point in northern Syria.
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Turkish and Russian defense ministers discussed bilateral and regional defense and security issues in a phone call Thursday. According to the Turkish Defense Ministry, Hulusi Akar told his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu that Türkiye has given the necessary retaliation to the increased harassment and attacks aimed at disrupting the stability in the region while also targeting civilian settlements and citizens.
The defense chiefs exchanged views on bilateral matters as well as regional defense and security issues, a ministry statement said.
Turkish defense chief told his Russian counterpart that Türkiye “has given and will continue to give the necessary response to harassments and attacks aimed at disrupting the stability in the region and also targeting our citizens and civilian settlement areas.”
Akar stressed Ankara’s top priority is to permanently prevent the terrorist threat and corridor and to eliminate terrorist organizations in northern Syria along Türkiye’s border.
The importance of complying with the previously reached agreements on this issue was once again emphasized between the ministers, according to the statement.
Regarding Ukraine, Akar expressed contentment over the contribution and cooperation Russia has shown in the extension of the Black Sea grain initiative, which has made a great contribution to the solution of the global food crisis, according to the ministry.
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Early on Sunday, Türkiye launched Operation Claw-Sword, a cross-border aerial campaign against the terror group PKK/YPG, which has illegal hideouts across the Iraqi and Syrian borders where they plan and sometimes execute attacks on Turkish soil.
Turkish officials stressed that the operation is in line with international law and the nation’s right to self-defense under U.N. resolutions.
Türkiye will continue fighting terrorism within its borders and beyond until the threat is eliminated, the nation’s president said earlier in the day.
“We will continue this struggle inside and outside the borders until the terrorist threat to our country is completely over,” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in a Teachers’ Day address in the capital Ankara.
Erdoğan said the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) has been destroying terror nests in operations carried out in both northern Iraq and Syria, near the Turkish border.
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The ASUU president added that in order to adequately assess the extent of the harm caused by the crisis brought on by the country’s currency redesign, developmental economists would need…
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Monday signaled a ground operation in northern Iraq and northern Syria to eliminate the terrorist threat, adding that Türkiye will not remain silent against terrorism.
“First of all, this operation in northern Iraq and northern Syria is not an operation that was carried out with random thoughts by saying ‘who would say what?’ or ‘how would that happen?’
“As we’ve said before if someone disturbs our country and lands, we will make them pay the price. So, there are terrorist organizations in our south that are planning many attacks or that carry out such attacks and pose a threat (to Türkiye),” Erdoğan told reporters on the presidential plane returning from his Qatar trip.
Erdoğan’s remarks came after Türkiye launched early Sunday Operation Claw-Sword, a cross-border aerial campaign against the terrorist group PKK and its Syrian branch YPG, which has illegal hideouts across the Iraqi and Syrian borders where they plan attacks on Turkish soil.
“This is not limited to just an air operation,” Erdoğan stressed, adding that the relevant units will do their consultations and take steps accordingly.
Türkiye’s air operation followed last Sunday’s terrorist attack on Istanbul’s crowded Istiklal Street that killed at least six people and left 81 injured.
The Defense Ministry said the operation was carried out in line with the right of self-defense under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter.
Erdoğan said nearly 70 aircraft, including armed drones, took part in the operation and added that a total of 89 terror targets, including shelters, bunkers, caves, tunnels and ammunition depots were destroyed.
“At this point, 45 terrorist targets at a depth of approximately 140 kilometers (87 miles) in northern Iraq, and 44 targets at a depth of about 20 kilometers in Syria were hit,” he added.
Asked if Türkiye discussed this operation with Russia and the United States, Erdoğan said: “We have not had any conversations with (U.S. President Joe) Biden or (Russian President Vladimir) Putin regarding this operation. However, both Biden and Putin already know that we can do such things in this region at any time.”
Erdoğan recalled the Sochi deal between Türkiye and Russia to remove YPG/PKK terrorists from northeastern Syria bordering Türkiye.
“They had the responsibility to clear the terrorists from the area. Unfortunately, even though we reminded them many times over and over, they did not do this.
“We said that we would not remain silent against this, and that we would take steps against the terrorists there if they could not do it,” he said.
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Türkiye is with the United States in NATO, Erdoğan also said, noting, however, that Washington has unfortunately sent thousands of equipment, ammunition, and weapons to the terror zones in Syria.
During his talks with Biden in Indonesia, Erdoğan said: “I told him: ‘We are together with you in NATO, we are two important allies. Since such a threat came to us from the south, you are putting us in trouble by giving support to the terrorist organizations here. Of course, we cannot live with these problems. When necessary, we will have to give the necessary answer to them.’ Of course, they can’t say anything. We have done what is necessary at this point, we are doing it, and we will continue to do so.”
The PKK is a designated terrorist organization in the U.S., Türkiye and the European Union and Washington’s support for its Syrian affiliate has been a major strain on bilateral relations with Ankara. The YPG has controlled much of northeastern Syria after the forces of Syrian regime leader Bashar Assad withdrew in 2012. The U.S. primarily partnered with YPG terrorists in northeastern Syria in its fight against the Daesh terrorist group. On the other hand, Türkiye strongly opposed the YPG’s presence in northern Syria.
Under the pretext of fighting Daesh, the U.S. has provided military training and given truckloads of military support to the YPG, despite its NATO ally’s security concerns. Underlining that one cannot support one terrorist group to defeat another, Türkiye conducted its counterterrorism operations, throughout which it has managed to remove a significant number of terrorists from the region.
Türkiye is ready to rid northern Syria’s Tal Rifaat and Manbij areas, near the Turkish border, of terrorist elements in a bid to eliminate the terror threat from the region, President Erdoğan said earlier this year.
“We are taking another step in establishing a 30-kilometer security zone along our southern border. We will clean up Tal Rifaat and Manbij,” he stressed adding that the planned military operations will gradually continue in other parts of northern Syria.
Erdoğan has said as the U.S. and Russia failed to live up to their commitments to provide such a safe zone in the border region. In October 2019, Russia expressed commitment to removing the terrorist group from Tal Rifaat and Manbij after reaching an agreement with Türkiye during Operation Peace Spring. Moscow also promised that the terrorists would be removed 30 kilometers from the border on the M4 road and in the area outside the Operation Peace Spring area. Likewise, then-U.S. Vice President Mike Pence pledged to Türkiye that the YPG/PKK terrorist group would withdraw from the region of Operation Peace Spring.
Ankara has launched several cross-border operations into Syria since 2016 and controls some territories in the north with the goal of pushing away the YPG/PKK and establishing a 30-kilometer-deep safe zone. Since 2016, Türkiye has launched a trio of successful counterterrorism operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018) and Peace Spring (2019).
Also, the PKK terrorist group often hides out in northern Iraq, just across Türkiye’s southern border, to plot terrorist attacks in the country. The Turkish military regularly conducts cross-border operations in northern Iraq. Türkiye has long been stressing that it will not tolerate terrorist threats posed against its national security and has called on Iraqi officials to take the necessary steps to eliminate the terrorist group. Ankara previously noted that if the expected steps were not taken, it would not shy away from targeting terrorist threats.
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Nweke said: “Our attention has been drawn to two news items concocted from the imagination of mischievous individuals and published on AnchorNews and TrendOnline platforms.
Syrian regime forces shelled tent settlements housing families displaced by the country’s conflict in the northwest early Sunday, killing at least six people and wounding dozens.
The shelling is the latest violation of a truce reached between Russia and Türkiye in March 2020 that ended a Russian-backed regime offensive on Idlib province that is the last major opposition-held stronghold in Syria.
The truce has been repeatedly violated over the past two years killing and wounding scores of people.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, reported that regime forces fired about 30 rockets toward opposition-held areas, including the Maram camp Sunday morning killing six and wounding 25. It said the dead included two children and one woman.
The tent settlement, known as the Maram camp, is just northwest of the provincial capital of Idlib.
Local civil defense officials reported that six people were killed, including two children and a woman, and 66 injured in shelling targeting at least three camps west of the capital.
On another account, the White Helmets civil defense group reported that the number of injured was at 75.
“Six civilians, including two children and a woman, were killed and 75 others injured after the regime forces and Russia committed a massacre west Idlib today, targeting IDP (internally displaced people) camps with surface-to-surface missiles loaded with internationally prohibited cluster bombs,” the group wrote on Twitter.
The Idlib region bordering Türkiye is home to about 3 million people and is one of the last pockets to oppose Damascus.
For years, the Assad regime has ignored the needs and safety of the Syrian people, only eyeing further territory gains and crushing the opposition. With this aim, the regime has for years bombed civilian facilities such as schools, hospitals and residential areas, causing the displacement of almost half of the country’s population.
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NMDPRA also assured that independent fuel marketers under the aegis of Independent Petrol Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) will now get petrol at the ex-depot price of N172 per litre…
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan warned against the legitimization of anti-Islam sentiment, which has been restricting the freedom of worship and other freedoms for Muslims in different places across the world.
Speaking at an Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting in Istanbul, Erdoğan said attacks targeting Muslim communities have also been on the rise.
The issue of Islamophobia has become a growing threat across Europe, as several countries enact policies institutionalizing it, according to the European Islamophobia Report 2021.
It said countries such as the United Kingdom and France became “the main spots of anti-Muslim hatred and Islamophobic incidents.”
Erdoğan has been a vocal critic of the rise of Islamophobia amid Western silence and inaction in the face of the growing problem, which affects millions of Muslims.
He also called on Muslim countries to enhance cooperation amid ongoing problems.
“We cannot overcome attacks against the Muslim world without increasing cooperation on all fronts, from Kashmir to Palestine, from Western Thrace to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC),” he said.
The president also criticized the West for its hypocrisy regarding the Daesh terrorist group, saying that French cement giant Lafarge’s support for terrorism has been proven in the courts.
“Even though we are the only country that was involved in close combat and won a victory against Daesh, we are subjected to dirty accusations claiming otherwise,” he said.
French cement giant Lafarge will pay more than three-quarters of a billion dollars after pleading guilty to U.S. charges of providing material support to two designated terrorist groups including Daesh in Iraq and Syria.
Lafarge paid the terrorist groups from 2013 through 2014 for protection and to allow the continued operation of a cement plant in northern Syria run by Lafarge’s local subsidiary, Lafarge Cement Syria (LCS). In total, nearly $6 million was sent to the two groups, according to prosecutors.
The payments allowed the company’s employees to pass through checkpoints surrounding the Jalabiya cement plant and the company “eventually agreed” to pay Daesh based on the volume of cement it sold, which executives likened to paying “taxes,” according to the U.S. Justice Department.
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