Thursday, February 12

Tag: Syrian government

Syria air strikes: Theresa May faces MPs’ questions
16Apr By Faraz ShauketalyNo Comments
World

Syria air strikes: Theresa May faces MPs’ questions

Theresa May is to face MPs' questions about her decision to authorize air strikes against the Syrian government. Opposition parties say MPs should have been consulted before the UK joined the US and France in bombing three Syrian sites, in response to a suspected chemical attack on the town of Douma. Labour has called for the law to be changed for any future interventions. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson promised MPs would have "abundant time" to have their say. Sites near Damascus and Homs were hit on Saturday in response to the alleged chemical attack on Douma on 7 April. Both Syria, which denies any chemical use, and Russia, which provides military support to the Syrian government, have reacted angrily to the action.   UK prime ministers do not legally need to co...
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Syria war: Air strikes resume hours after UN approves ceasefire
25Feb By Faraz ShauketalyNo Comments
World

Syria war: Air strikes resume hours after UN approves ceasefire

Air strikes by the Syrian government on a rebel-held enclave have continued despite a ceasefire resolution passed by the UN Security Council on Friday. Hundreds of people have been killed in a week of bombardment of the Eastern Ghouta enclave near the capital. The Security Council unanimously called for a 30-day truce "without delay", but some areas are not covered. On Sunday Iran, an ally of the Syrian government, said it would target Damascus suburbs held by "terrorists". The UN resolution was agreed to allow for aid deliveries and medical evacuations, but operations against the biggest jihadist rebel groups are not covered by the truce. What happened on Sunday? Activist groups in Syria say government air strikes took place in the rebel enclave soon after the resolution was a...
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Turkey warns Assad not to intervene in Kurdish enclave
20Feb By Faraz ShauketalyNo Comments
World

Turkey warns Assad not to intervene in Kurdish enclave

Ankara says Syrian government will face military response if it comes to aid of Kurds in Afrin Turkey warned the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad that it risked a military confrontation with Ankara if it intervened in an ongoing war in the Kurdish enclave of Afrin, in a further escalation of tensions that hint at the possible widening of an already complex conflict. Reports emerged earlier on Monday that pro-Assad militiamen would enter Afrin to assist local Kurdish militias fighting against an incursion by the Turkish military and Syrian rebels affiliated with Ankara. The reports on Syrian state TV prompted a rebuke by Turkey’s president and foreign minister, who warned that the Assad regime risked a confrontation with the Turkish army. The Turkish leader, Recep ...
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Syria war: Dozens of civilians killed in Eastern Ghouta strikes
20Feb By Faraz ShauketalyNo Comments
World

Syria war: Dozens of civilians killed in Eastern Ghouta strikes

Bombardments by Syrian government forces have killed dozens of civilians in the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta area outside Damascus, activists say. At least 77 civilians, including 20 children, were killed in air strikes and rocket fire on Monday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The army is believed to be preparing a ground offensive. Urging a halt to the bombardment, a UN official said the situation was spiralling out of control. Almost 400,000 people live in the Eastern Ghouta, which has been under siege since 2013. It is the last remaining opposition-held enclave near the capital Damascus. Syrian forces stepped up their campaign to retake the area earlier this month, reportedly killing hundreds of people and injuring many more. It led to a rare ceasefire to ...
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