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UNICEF: Over 650 children were killed in Syria last year

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At least 652 children were killed in Syria in 2016, making it the worst year yet for the country’s rising generation, the United Nations’ child relief agency (UNICEFF) said on Monday, according to CBC News.

According to the source, there was no letup to attacks on schools, hospitals, playgrounds, parks and homes last year as the Syrian government, its opponents and the allies of both sides showed callous disregard for the laws of war.

UNICEF said at least 255 children were killed in or near schools last year and 1.7 million youngsters are out of school. One of every three schools in Syria is unusable, some because armed groups occupy them. An additional 2.3 million Syrian children are refugees elsewhere in the Middle East.

The figures come in a UNICEF report released two days before the sixth anniversary of the popular uprising that escalated into civil war.

The report warns that coping mechanisms and medical care are eroding quickly in Syria, driving children into child labour, early marriage and combat. Dozens are dying from preventable diseases.

Syrian govt calls on UN to force Turkey to pull its troops from Syria

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DAMASCUS,— The Syrian government has called on the United Nations to force Turkey to pull “its invasion forces” out of Syria, state media said on Friday.

Turkey’s military shelled Syrian government forces and their allies in northern Syria on Thursday, causing deaths and injuries, state-run SANA news agency reported.

Turkey launched its first major military incursion into northern Syria on August 24, 2016, deploying tanks and air power in support of rebel groups of Free Syrian Army FSA opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Turkey’s operation aims to stop the Kurdish YPG forces from extending areas under their control and connecting Syrian Kurdistan’s Kobani and Hasaka in the east with Afrin canton in the west and cleaning the border area from Islamic State..

Syria’s foreign ministry urged the U.N. secretary general and security council to “force Turkey to withdraw its invasion forces from Syrian land and stop the attacks”, SANA said.

The Syrian government blames Turkey for “killing tens of thousands of its innocent sons and destroying Syrian infrastructure”, it added.

Northern Syria has become an increasingly complex battlefield in the multi-sided war, with the Russian-backed Syrian army, Turkish-backed rebels and U.S.-backed militias all waging separate campaigns against Islamic State.

Ankara is particularly concerned about the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia which it considers to be an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) that has fought a three-decade insurgency inside Turkey.

Turkey fears the creation of an autonomous Kurdish region in Syrian Kurdistan — similar to the Kurdish region in Iraqi Kurdistan — would spur the separatist ambitions of Turkey’s own Kurds.

Syrian Kurdistan’s ruling PYD party has established three autonomous zones, or Cantons of Jazeera, Kobani and Afrin and a Kurdish government across Syrian Kurdistan in 2013. On March 17, 2016 Syria’s Kurds declared a federal region in Syrian Kurdistan. On Dec. 30, 2016 Syrian Kurds approved a blueprint for a system of federal government in Syrian Kurdistan, reaffirming their plans for autonomy in areas they have controlled during the civil war.

Syria: Twin blasts in Damascus leave 40 killed, 120 injured

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At least 40 people were killed and 120 got injured in two blasts in Damascus on Saturday, Lebanon’s Al-Manar television reported, according to TASS agency.

The Syrian authorities have not published official data on the victims.
Earlier on Saturday, SANA reported a double explosion in Damascus’s Bab Musalla district. The agency said self-made explosive devices went off near the Bab Saghir city cemetery.

 

Syrian Foreign Minister Alludes to Ottoman Turkey’s Guilt of Genocide

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YEREVAN—On the occasion of 25 years of diplomatic ties, Armenian and Syrian Foreign Ministers Edward Nalbandian and Walid Muallem exchanged messages on March 6, the latter noting that “one of the aggressors attacking the people of Syria is the same party that executed the Genocide against Armenian people,” alluding to the Ottoman Turkish Empire.

Nalbandian emphasized in his address that Armenia condemns terrorism and upholds the policy of international peace and security, which includes the Syrian Crisis. Armenia further highlighted that Armenia has provided humanitarian aid to the Syrian people as needed.

According to the Armenian Foreign Ministry’s press statement, Muallem in his message said that Syria appreciates Armenia’s position regarding terrorist aggression against Syria. He pointed out that one of the parties engaged in aggression against the Syrian people perpetrated genocide against the Armenian people.

“That policy is based on the dreams of autocratic rule, which is doomed to fail and will have the worst consequences,” the Syrian Minister continued, referring to Turkey’s denial policy.

Muallem said that relations between Armenia and Syria “reflect the historical ties between the Syrian and Armenian peoples” and in turn build upon their political, economic, social and cultural relations.

Nalbandian suggested prospects of expansion of Armenian-Syrian cooperation, and highlighted that “the Armenian people won’t forget the great humanitarian aid that Syrian people provided to the survivors of the Armenian Genocide.”

The Armenian and Syrian ministers wished each other peace and prosperity, as efforts to strengthen diplomatic relations will soon develop.

Syria: Report Kurd Emptying Al-Malkiya of Christians & non-kurd, 50% of Hasaka Christians have left

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SDF soldiers (source: Wikipedia)

BY Sarah Abed,

The situation in the North East of Syria regarding the Kurds seems to be a topic of confusion for most. Understandably so as they have been made to appear by US politicians and news outlets as the most effective fighters against terrorism in Syria. Although they have in fact been successful in driving out terrorists in some areas there is information that needs to be discussed that explains the other half of the story that is purposely hidden in the Kurdish and mainstream media news outlets.  We have only been hearing from the Kurdish side now it’s time for the Syrians in Kurdish held areas to have their chance to tell us about the hardships they have been put under by the Kurds.  

I have been actively collecting information and conducting interviews with Syrians who live in Kurdish held areas since 2015. Some reached out to me in hopes that their message will reach the West. They have read what the Kurdish and Western mainstream media news says about the situation in their area and are disheartened that the truth is not being told.

As a Syrian America who was born in Al Qamishly and having experienced living there before the war I felt it was my moral obligation to make sure their voices were being heard. In this article the second in a series that focuses on the situation in the lesser known and often misreported North East of Syria we will discuss in more detail how life has changed for Syrians due to the Kurds taking on an illegal leadership role in the area.

Treatment of non-Kurds by the minority Kurd population in Al Hasaka (also referred to as Hasaka) governorate is unethical and criminal. 

The minority Kurd population in Qamishly treats the majority non-Kurd population poorly. They are trying to impose their will on everyone by force. They pretty much have the Hasaka governorate under their control and those that oppose them are usually driven out of their homes. They are monopolizing everything for themselves trying to maintain self-Governance. They are placing unqualified people in positions of power, there is no law whatsoever to control the area. They are willing to take anyone who agrees to fight with them, even if they are criminals they get them out of jail immediately so that they can grow their army.  PKK fighters were brought into Syria from the Qandil Mountains in Turkey and made managers and heads of institutions in the Hasaka governorate. They are very authoritative and Syrians fear them. Kurds differentiate and provide better treatment to the Yazidi and Kurds that are displaced in Syrian than the Syrian Arabs. All passages from Turkey and North Iraq are under Kurdish control.

The Syrian government condemns separatist Kurdish ambitions and vows to keep Syria united as one country.

Lately, Kurds have been more vocal about their desire to create a federation. The areas they want to claim are Al-Malkiya to Efrin, the entire border line with Turkey including Al-Malkiya, Qamishli, Hassaka, Ein Arab, Al-bab, Efrin, in addition to the rural villages.  They have also mentioned that if they are able to liberate Al Raqqah they will add that to their federation.  As can be seen in their SDF insignia. The USA’s support to the SDF as was mentioned in more detail in the first article which can be read (here- please insert a link to the first article) has had a negative impact on Syrians and infringed on their sovereignty. USA is preparing to build a second military base in Syria at Tel-Baidar.

The NATO-aligned Kurdish minority corrupts the Syrian educational system.

Education which was once an area of pride for the Hasaka region has now become one of the worst catastrophe’s as a result of the Kurds.  They have imposed a new school curriculum unaccredited by the Syrian State. Almost all government schools are now under Kurdish control. Kurds are teaching Kurdi in all of the nongovernment elementary schools, next year they will implement this in all middle schools under their control and the following year their plan is to implement this in high schools as well. Syrians in Kurdish areas are not able to study in Kurdi and have either pulled their children out of the Kurdi schools or send their children to Syriac schools which have limited space, at the moment they have 1,800 students. The only other option is to send their children to schools that are government held but farther away from their homes. Even Kurdish teachers are struggling with teaching the Kurdi curriculum. There is one private University Qurtuba in the Hasaka region.

 Illegal Western sanctions are benefitting the un-elected Kurdish minority that is imposing its undemocratic will on the community.

All daily activities are monitored by the Kurds. Social life in general has seen a drastic decline. Before the war the streets were bustling with movement and music. Restaurants were opened on every corner. Now people are afraid of assembling for fear of being targeted by terrorists. An example of this took place in Al Qamishly when a restaurant was targeted by a suicide bomber in December 2015 and at least 16 people were killed. Kurds demanding federalism make up 30% of population. Churches and mosques are practicing their religious rituals quite normally. I wrote about a specific Syriac church that one of the individuals I interviewed goes to every Sunday and also included pictures in this article

Living in isolation

The general consensus of Syrians in the Hasaka area is that they feel isolated from the rest of the country. They feel that Syrians in other parts of the country do not know much about their living conditions. The only way to travel outside of the Hasaka region is via plane.  The airport in Al Qamishly is operating, but until about a year ago it was simply too expensive for the average citizen to travel via air. An airplane ticket from Al Qamishly to Damascus reached 80,000 Syrian Pounds (3 times the average salary in the country) which would equate to about $160 USD. About a year ago, two new airlines started operating in Syria, so the price decreased and it became more affordable but is still out of many people’s budget.

Efforts to balkanize Syria are increasing the displacement of Syrians and causing Christians to flee Syria

Migration has become a major issue. Just this past month, more than 80 Christian families have left Qamishli, Al-Malikiya and Al-Qahtaniya. Most of those families took asylum in Belgium, Australia and Sweden, and most likely they will not return as long as the situation in the country unstable, said Samir one of my contacts in Al Qamishly . Al-Malkiya is almost empty of Christians now. It is estimated that 50% of Hasaka Christians have left; the majority of those who have left to Turkey were Christians (different ethnicities). Also a fair number of Kurds also left to Turkey.

Humanitarian aid is being provided by the UN, WFP, UNHCR, Armenian and Syriac churchs.  

UN is participating is helping people; teaching governmental curriculum for free to anyone who wants it, distributing food to families in need, and coordinating with different UN organizations operating in Al Hasaka. WFP (World food program) is also providing nutritional support. Also they are implementing development programs, like supporting bread bakeries and maintaining general hygiene. Armenian and Syriac church’s have also been helping citizens but their resources are very limited.

Concluding remarks:

Imperialists are instrumentalizing the Kurdish minority to balkanize Syria, to destroy its nation-state self-determination, to destroy its sovereignty, and to destroy its territorial integrity.  These violations derogate international law, and undermine world peace, prosperity, and democracy.

Whereas the Syrian government and its allies are aligned with the forces of international and national law and order, the West and its allies — including all of the terrorists in Syria, and a minority of the Kurdish population – continue to be perpetrators of the highest crimes according to Nuremburg principles.

If the West succeeds in carving out a part of Syria, ostensibly to serve Kurdish interests, more Western military installations will be built on Syrian soil, and the Kurds will soon discover that their new polity, in whatever form it may take, will become a corrupt stooge “government” at the service of Empire.

Sarah Abed is a Syrian American independent investigative political commentator who focuses on exposing the lies and propaganda in mainstream media news and social media. She is a truth advocate who uses her social media accounts and website The Rabbit Hole www.sarahabed.com to counter the fictitious stories and allegations that are part of a well-funded, highly intellectual, emotionally driven media campaign against Syria. Her goal is to help end the war in Syria by educating the masses. She has spoken on radio shows and contributed to news publications.

Source: http://www.globalresearch.ca/empire-uses-kurds-as-pawns-in-its-imperial-pursuits-in-syria/5577978

 

 

 

 

 

Report: US deploys force in Manbij as ‘visible sign of deterrence’ – Pentagon

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A small number of US troops were sent to the northern Syrian town of Manbij to deter conflict between the US-backed Kurdish forces and Turkey-backed rebels, the Pentagon has confirmed. Syrian troops have also moved into the area to serve as a buffer.

US troops were first spotted in Manbij on Saturday, following the reports of a deal between the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces and the Syrian government to hand over some 20 villages in a zone between Manbij and Al-Bab, recently taken by Turkish-backed forces.

“They are certainly aware of where we are, and we are aware of where they are. There is no intention between the two of there being any conflict against any party other than ISIS [Islamic State],” Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis told reporters, referring to the US and Syrian forces.

The US-backed SDF is mostly comprised of Kurdish militia, considered terrorists by Turkey. Washington has cultivated the SDF as a proxy force on the ground against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) independent of the Syrian army, which is supported by Russia and Iran.

https://youtu.be/WQs-7khZ9nc

US troops were sent to Manbij after “the increase in Turkish treats to occupy the city,” Sharfan Darwish, spokesman for the Manbij Military Council, told Reuters. Turkish-backed forces have clashed with SDF troops west of Manbij over the weekend and even on Monday, Darwish confirmed.

Last week, the US-backed group struck a deal with Russia to turn over up to 20 villages west of Manbij to the Syrian army, creating a buffer zone between the Kurdish-dominated militia and the Turks. While implementation of the deal has been delayed, five villages were handed over on Monday, Darwish said.

SDF forces liberated Manbij from IS in August 2016, just days before Ankara announced “Operation Euphrates Shield.” Turkish-backed Syrian rebels, along with Turkish armor and artillery, have since pushed IS back and captured the key stronghold of Al-Bab, only to see further advance checked by Syrian government troops that linked up with the SDF south of the city.

US presence in the area was intended to keep all groups focused on fighting IS, the Pentagon said on Monday.

Syrian pilot whose plane crashed in Turkey says aircraft was shot down -Anadolu Agency

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(Reuters) A Syrian air force pilot who bailed out as his warplane crashed on Turkish territory told a Turkish rescue team his MiG-23 had been shot down, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Sunday.

The 56-year-old pilot was identified as Mehmet Sufhan, and medical staff said he was not in critical condition despite some fractures in his spine. He is being treated at a hospital in the Hatay region, a hospital spokeswoman said on Sunday.

In an initial statement to Turkish authorities, Sufhan said his aircraft was shot down on its way to strike rural areas near Idlib in northern Syria, Anadolu reported. He said he had taken off from Latakia in Syria.

Dogan news agency said the pilot, who crashed on Saturday, had been found around 40 km (25 miles) from the wreckage. He was first taken to a gendarmerie base and then to hospital.

Syrian state television quoted an army source on Saturday saying the air force had lost contact with a fighter jet on a mission near the Turkish border. It gave no details.

It was unclear why the aircraft had crashed, whether it had been attacked or suffered technical failure.

Combat operations by many militia and government forces come close to Turkey’s long frontier with Syria.

Turkey has been one of the foremost critics of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and supports rebels fighting him in the country’s six-year-old war. It currently has armed forces involved in operations along the Syrian side of the frontier.

Syrian state media said on Saturday its forces had been expanding control over former Islamic State-held villages in northwest Syria, an area close to Turkey’s Hatay region where the aircraft crashed.

(Reuters)

Turkish annexation of northern Syria displaced 66,000 people

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The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says a total of 66,000 people have been displaced due to fresh fighting in northern Syria, where Turkey has been carrying out operations. 

The agency said on Sunday that 39,766 people have been forced out of their homes in the Syrian city of al-Bab and the nearby town of Tadif which Turkish forces are trying to control.

Displaced people have fled north to militant-controlled areas where “high contamination” of unexploded bombs and booby traps planted by retreating terrorists is further complicating the situation, it added.

Turkey launched a major military incursion into Syria in August 2016 in a move denounced by Damascus as a breach of its sovereignty.

Ankara claimed at the time that its military campaign was aimed at stopping Kurdish advances and driving away Daesh from the Turkish-Syrian border but since then it has occupied at least two major Syrian cities.

Turkey has lately announced plans to advance into the Syrian city of Manbij after seizing al-Bab. Manbij is currently held by the so-called Syria Democratic Forces (SDF), a US-backed outfit of mostly Kurdish militants.

Additionally, OCHA estimated that 26,000 people have left their homes east of al-Bab, where Syrian government forces are engaged in an offensive against Daesh.

The Syrian army troops and allied fighters have been fighting against different foreign-backed terrorist groups wreaking havoc in the Arab country since 2011.

More than half of Syria’s population have been displaced over the past six years.

 

U.S. forces look on as Turks, Kurds clash in north Syria

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MANBIJ, Syria— US soldiers aboard Humvee armoured vehicles have been watching from a distance as two of their allies, Turkish-backed forces and a Kurdish-led alliance, battle it out for control of Manbij in Syrian Kurdistan (northern Syria).

An AFP correspondent on Friday saw the American soldiers on patrol north of the city of Manbij, just miles from the fierce clashes taking place further west.

Turkish forces and allied Syrian rebels have tried since Wednesday to capture Manbij, a former bastion of the Islamic State group, now under the control of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance.

The SDF is dominated by fighters known as the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) which Ankara brands as “terrorists”.

On August 24, 2016, Turkey, along with the Free Syrian Army, launched an incursion into northern Syria, east of Afrin canton to stop the US-backed Kurdish YPG forces from extending areas under their control and connecting Syrian Kurdistan’s Kobani and Hasaka in the east with Afrin canton in the west.

Turkey-backed forces also also focused on cleaning the area in northern Syria from the Islamic State (IS) and have captured a number of towns from IS jihadists, including Al-Bab near the Turkish border.

Turkey fears the creation of an autonomous Kurdish region in Syrian Kurdistan — similar to the Kurdish region in Iraqi Kurdistan — would spur the separatist ambitions of Turkey’s own Kurds.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan this week said the next target would be Manbij, in Aleppo province.

And on Thursday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu threatened to strike the YPG unless they pull out of the northern city.

The SDF is dominated by fighters known as the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) which Ankara brands as “terrorists”.

On August 24, 2016, Turkey, along with the Free Syrian Army, launched an incursion into northern Syria, east of Afrin canton to stop the US-backed Kurdish YPG forces from extending areas under their control and connecting Syrian Kurdistan’s Kobani and Hasaka in the east with Afrin canton in the west.

Turkey-backed forces also also focused on cleaning the area in northern Syria from the Islamic State (IS) and have captured a number of towns from IS jihadists, including Al-Bab near the Turkish border.

Turkey fears the creation of an autonomous Kurdish region in Syrian Kurdistan — similar to the Kurdish region in Iraqi Kurdistan — would spur the separatist ambitions of Turkey’s own Kurds.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan this week said the next target would be Manbij, in Aleppo province.

And on Thursday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu threatened to strike the YPG unless they pull out of the northern city.

But Votel’s spokesman, Colonel John Thomas, said that, while the general supported a peaceful transition of Manbij to a “thriving city”, he did not say if the US would stop any Turkish move towards it.

The United States has special operations forces advising the SDF on the ground in Syria, but no combat units.

Sherfan Darwish, spokesman of the Manbij Military Council which is part of the SDF, tried to play down the absence of US forces in Manbij.

“The coalition is on patrol along the Sarjur river (north of Manbij) and there is coordination with the coalition at the highest level,” Darwish told AFP.

“All our fighters in Manbij were trained by the Americans,” he added.

Syrian Kurdistan’s ruling PYD has established three autonomous zones, or Cantons of Jazeera, Kobani and Afrin and a Kurdish government across Syrian Kurdistan in 2013. On March 17, 2016 Syria’s Kurds declared a federal region in Syrian Kurdistan. On Dec. 30, 2016 Syrian Kurds approved a blueprint for a system of federal government in Syrian Kurdistan, reaffirming their plans for autonomy in areas they have controlled during the civil war.

Source: http://ekurd.net/us-forces-turks-kurds-syria-2017-03-04

 

Syrian envoy criticizes Turkish ‘aggression’ at peace talks

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The head of the Syrian government delegation at the Geneva peace talks has criticized Turkey’s “aggression” and said his nation has the right to defend itself from foreign forces on its soil.

Bashar Ja’afari, who is also his country’s ambassador at the United Nations, said Damascus considers the presence of Turkish troops on Syrian soil “a military aggression,” The Associated Press reported.

He said on March 2 that the Syrian forces “reserve our right to use our all the means available … to expel the Turkish forces from our territory.”

Ja’afari was referring to Turkey’s ongoing Euphrates Shield operation, which recently saw the capture of northern Syrian town of al-Bab from the kurdish YPJ just last week.

Ja’afari had also lambasted an opposition delegation at the Geneva negotiations, saying it’s “holding the talks hostage” by refusing to have the issue of counter-terrorism on the agenda.

At a March 3 press conference, opposition delegation chairman Naser al-Hariri said his delegation’s talks with U.N. special envoy Staffan de Mistura had focused largely on proposals for a period of political transition.

“Our ultimate aim is a safe and stable Syria,” al-Hariri said. “We will continue negotiations in hopes of creating a modern Syria that can serve as a model for other countries.”

Describing the talks as “constructive”, he went on to note that members of his delegation would meet with the U.N. envoy again midday on March 4 to discuss the same topic.

On the ground, the Syrian army said on March 2 that it had recaptured the ancient city of Palmyra from ISIL for the second time in a year, with help from allied forces and Russian warplanes.

ISIL seized Palmyra in a surprise advance in December last year, after having been driven out eight months before.

“With backing from the Syrian and Russian air forces, units of our armed forces recaptured the city of Palmyra, in cooperation with the allies,” the military said in a statement.

Meanwhile, al-Qaeda confirmed that a U.S. airstrike in Syria earlier this week killed its deputy leader of, known as Abu al-Khayr al-Masri. The death brings a significant blow to the terror network and points to the central role Syria has taken in its operations.

Al-Masri, a veteran Egyptian militant, was the deputy of al-Qaeda’s leader Ayman al-Zawahri, and the organization’s senior figure in Syria. He coordinated al-Qaeda’s work with other militant groups and played a direct role in developing external plots, according to a U.S. counterterrorism official, who was not authorized to discuss the issue and spoke on condition of anonymity.