Warning: Undefined array key "rbname" in /data/rantburg.com/www/pgrecentorg.php on line 14
Hello !
Recent Appearances... Rantburg

Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Sednaya Prison stories: 2 reported tortured to death at hands of the Syrian gov’t
2023-08-11


Activist from Daraa killed in Sednaya Prison

[NPASyria] On Thursday, the family of activist Khalil Ibrahim from Daraa city, southern Syria, revealed that their son was tortured to death in Sednaya Prison, in Rif Dimashq.

A local source informed North Press "Khalil was a media activist. He were tossed into the calaboose for a year in Sednaya before revealing that he was tortured to death in the prison."

The source added that the family of the activist received the news of his death today, and that they were frequently visiting him.

Musa hails from the town of Izraa in eastern Daraa governorate, said the source, adding he was a doing the compulsory military service of the Syrian government forces before the arrest in a military base in Hama.

A source indicated that the reason for the arrest was because of a post on his Facebook account criticizing Syrian government.

Detainee tortured to death in Saydnaya prison

[NPASyria] A detainee from the town of Tafas in Daraa Governorate in southern Syria was tortured to death in Saydnaya prison after five years of detention, a local source said on Thursday.

The parents of Ali al-Mibasbas, who was killed under torture in Saydnaya prison in Rif Dimashq, received his certificate of death and his personal documentations from the Civil Affairs Directorate of the Syrian government, the source told North Press.

The infamous Saydnaya Prison is located 30 kilometers north of Damascus. The prison is affiliated with the Syrian Ministry of Defense and is run by the Military Police. It has gained a bad reputation after guards in the prison used excessive force against some detainees who staged a revolt in 2008. The prison is comprised of two buildings and can take between 10,000 and 20,000 prisoners.

Since the beginning of the Syrian crisis in 2011, the prison has become the final destination for the those who oppose the government whether civilians or military members.

Al-Mibasbas’ parents used to visit their sons frequently but a while before his death they were banned from visiting him under the pretext of receiving treatment, the source added.

The source pointed out that al-Mibasbas had defected from the Syrian government forces at the beginning of the protests in 2011, however, he turned himself to the government forces in 2018 to settle his status as a response to an amnesty decree issued by Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
Supressor of the Damascenes...
In July 2018, the opposition armed factions and Syrian the government forces reached a ceasefire agreement mediated by Russia in the opposition-held areas in Daraa. Under the deal, the opposition armed factions agreed to hand over their weapons in exchange for staying in Daraa, and those who opposed the agreement they were sent to Idlib, which is under the control of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, formerly al-Nusra, before that it was called something else
...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State...
(HTS, formerly al-Nusra
...formally Jabhat an-Nusrah li-Ahli al-Sham (Support Front for the People of the Levant), also known as al-Qaeda in the Levant. They aim to establish a pan-Arab caliphate. Not the same one as the Islamic State, though .. ...
Front).
Related:
Saydnaya prison: 2023-05-08 Daraa: 2 gov’t soldiers maimed in west, yoot 'toes up' in north, farmer killed by cycle of violence, prisoner’s body to be sent home
Saydnaya prison: 2022-04-04 Government forces hand over body of detainee to his family in Daraa
Saydnaya prison: 2022-04-04 Syrian forces handed over body of detainee, who was arrested and tortured in Saydnaya prison
Link


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Afrin: SNA arrests man for participating in Syria’s Jindires protests, force 2 Yezidi to convert to Islam
2023-04-02
Ottoman Turkic catspaws once again behaving badly.
[NPASyria] The military police linked to the Ottoman Turkish-backed Syrian opposition factions, also known as the Syrian National Army (SNA), arrested on Friday a man from the village of Dik Obassi, in Afrin’s Bulbul district north of Aleppo for participating in the Jindires protests.

An exclusive source told North Press that members of the military police raided the house of Salah Hamo, 44, and arrested him under the charge of participating in the Jindires protests following the killing of five civilian Kurds on the eve of Newroz by Ahrar al-Sharqiya bad boys.

On the eve of Newroz, March 20, Lions of Islam of Ahrar al-Sharqiya faction opened fire on local residents celebrating Newroz, a Kurdish national holiday, in Jindires, 20 km west of Afrin, killing five Kurdish men.

Following the crime, massive public demonstrations took place in Jindires and other areas in Afrin.

The source added that Hamo was accused of other charges, such as receiving funding from abroad and the intention of wanting to arm Kurds in the region through voice notes on his phone, enticing contacts towards mutiny and arming themselves against Ottoman Turkish-backed opposition factions, attest to, the authorities say.

On March 27, Lions of Islam of the SNA Sham Legion arrested Khalil Ibrahim, 35, and Omar Omar, 20, from the village of Baye, in the Sherawa district, following their participation in Jindires protests.

The Monitoring and Documentation Department of North Press recorded the arrest of six people in Afrin under the charge of participating in Jindires protests and raising the flag of Kurdistan of Iraq. Ahrar al-Sharqiya severely beat and injured two persons for the same reason.

On March 23, Kurdish protestors and relatives of the victims of the Jindires killings demanded the prosecution of the perpetrators and the exit of SNA factions from Afrin in a statement.

SNA factions force 2 Yazidi men to convert to Islam in Syria’s Afrin

[NPASyria] Recently, a video has been circulated in Afrin, northwest Syria, in which two Yazidi men appeared with an unidentified sheikh, announcing their conversion to Islam. The video sparked controversy on social media.

Ali Isso, executive director of Ezdina Foundation, wrote on his Facebook page, "The two people, who are residents of the village of Qibar [in Afrin], were subjected to blackmail and a choice between imprisonment or conversion to Islam."

"The video was filmed inside one of the headquarters of the Ottoman Turkish-backed armed opposition factions, also known as Syria National Army (SNA), in Afrin," he added.

The two people are Sheikh Aref and Haider Aref, while the sheikh who appeared with them is called "Ziyuk", according to Isso.

The video is "documentary of all the testimonies that some Yazidis submitted to the International Investigation Committee earlier, in which they repeatedly confirmed that they were given the choice between arrest or conversion to Islam, and some of them were severely tortured for refusing to convert to Islam," according to Esso.

While other pages on social media said, "The truth is known to everyone, but the video proves the involvement of the SNA factions in changing the city’s features in all respects."

The city of Afrin and its countryside were occupied by The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire...
in 2018 following military operation "Olive Branch" to push away the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) under the pretext of protecting Turkey’s "national security."

The operation caused the displacement of about 300,000 of the original inhabitants of the Kurds of Afrin who have been taking shelter in 40 villages and five camps in Shahba region since then.
Related:
Afrin: 2023-03-30 SNA on high alert over HTS's new movement in Syria's Afrin
Afrin: 2023-03-30 Thread connecting Newroz crime in Syria’s Jindires with ISIS
Afrin: 2023-03-29 Afrin forest decreased by half since Turkish invasion – PAX
Related:
Bulbul district: 2022-11-15 Turkish Intelligence Arrests 17 People In Syria’s Aleppo Over Istanbul Blast
Bulbul district: 2021-07-01 35 murders in Syria's Turkish-occupied Afrin in 6 months
Bulbul district: 2019-11-18 Turkish military turn civilian houses in Afrin into military points
Related:
Yazidi: 2023-03-30 Thread connecting Newroz crime in Syria’s Jindires with ISIS
Yazidi: 2023-03-29 Canada to dismiss repatriation ruling for 4 ISIS-linked nationals in Syria
Yazidi: 2023-03-28 Excavation work completed in mass graves near Sinjar district, Iraq
Link


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Turkish-backed SNA faction arrests 2 people in Syria’ Afrin
2023-03-29
[NPASyria] On Monday, bully boyz of Sham Legion, a faction affiliated with the Ottoman Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA), arrested two people in Afrin countryside, northwestern Syria, following their participation in Jindires protests.

Exclusive sources told North Press that bully boyz of Sham Legion arrested Khalil Ibrahim, 35, and Omar Omar, 20, from the village of Baye in the Sherawa district under the pretext of participating in Jindires protests.

On the eve of Newroz, March 20, bully boyz of Ahrar al-Sharqiya faction opened fire on local residents celebrating Newroz, a Kurdish national occasion, in the town of Jindires, 20 km west of Afrin, killing five Kurdish men.

Following the crime, massive public demonstrations took place in Jindires and other areas in Afrin.

The Monitoring and Documentation Department of North Press recorded the arrest of six people in Afrin under the charge of participating in protests in Jindires and raising flags of Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Jaish al-Sharqiya faction assaulted and beat two people for the same reason.

On March 23, Kurdish protestors and relatives of the victims of Jindires crime demanded in a statement to prosecute the perpetrators and the ousting of the SNA factions from Afrin regions.
Link


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Fierce clashes in Syria's Daraa
2023-03-27
[NPASYRIA] One person was killed and two others were maimed due to festivities between the Eighth Legion, affiliated with Syrian government forces and an gang in the town of Inkhil, in the northern countryside of Daraa.

A local source told North Press that Khalil Ibrahim al-Farwan was killed and his young brother Othman was injured in stray bullets due to festivities between the aforementioned parties.

Kinan al-Eid, a soldier of the Eight Legion, was injured during the festivities that have been taking place till the moment of preparing the report, according to the source.

The festivities broke out on Saturday between the Eight Legion, led by Abdulhakim al-Eid, also known as Abu al-Hakam, and another group, led by Menyar al-Qaderi, as the former accuses the latter of kidnappings, robberies and violations against the civilians.

The people of the city demanded that the parties get out of the city to avoid hurting the civilians.

The residents held a meeting to discuss the ongoing incidents in the city, but they have not reached any solutions, according to the source.

In July 2018, the opposition armed factions and the government forces reached a ceasefire agreement mediated by Russia in the opposition-held areas in Daraa. Under the deal, the opposition armed factions agreed to hand over their heavy weapons in exchange for staying in Daraa, and those oppose the agreement would go to Idlib, which is under the control of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, formerly al-Nusra, before that it was called something else
...al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, from which sprang the Islamic State...
(HTS, formerly al-Nusra
...formally Jabhat an-Nusrah li-Ahli al-Sham (Support Front for the People of the Levant), also known as al-Qaeda in the Levant. They aim to establish a pan-Arab caliphate. Not the same one as the Islamic State, though .. ...
Front).

Since the government forces re-captured Daraa in line with the 2018 agreement, the governorate has been living in a state of security chaos, with one or two daily liquidations targeting soldiers and officers of the government forces, not to mention the spread of thefts.

Link


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
3 health workers killed in northern Syria, Turkish-backed militia blamed
2019-10-27
[Rudaw] A Ottoman Turkish-backed Syrian militia is accused of killing three medical workers in northern Syria, as evidence accumulates of possible war crimes committed by the gangs during their campaign against Kurdish forces.

The Kurdish Red Islamic Thingy has confirmed that three of their paramedics, who had disappeared on October 13 near Suluk, southeast of the border town Gire Spi (Tel Abyad), are dead. "Their bodies were found dumped in the sewer. Reports indicate that Ottoman Turkish-backed Ahrar al-Sharqiya was responsible for what is widely regarded as a ’field execution’ targeting health workers," reported the Rojava Information Centre on Saturday morning.

The three paramedics have been identified as Media Bouzan, Hafin Khalil Ibrahim, and Mohammed Bouzan Sidi.

The Ottoman Turkish army is using Syrian militia groups as their boots on the ground, but these men, who often film their own violations, have been accused of multiple atrocities that American officials admit could constitute war crimes and for which The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor...
would be culpable.

Turkey's presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin has said they "will investigate alleged war crimes," but reiterated Ankara's stance that the Kurdish forces are a terror organization.

The Kurdish Red Islamic Thingy (KRC), which is the primary medical aid agency on the ground after international organizations pulled their staff out of northern Syria a week after the crisis began citing insecurity, says four of their staff have been killed and five injured, "all of whom are targeted directly."

The fourth health worker killed was paramedic Hail al-Saleh who died on October 17 of wounds sustained in shelling of a medical point near Sari Kani three days earlier.

"Targeting health personnel and centers according to the international humanitarian law is a war crime, and the criminal must be punished," the KRC said in a statement Friday evening.

The KRC has documented multiple attacks on or near health facilities, hospitals, trauma stations, and ambulances.

Parts of the main east-west highway across northern Syria, the M4, have been closed because of the military operation. "As a result, aid transportation is being done through alternate routes, however these do not allow for the same volume of supplies to be transported given the condition of the roads," the United Nations
...an organization conceived in the belief that we're just one big happy world, with the sort of results you'd expect from such nonsense...
’ humanitarian affairs office (OCHA) said in its most recent update, as of October 24.

Turkey’s Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said on Saturday morning that the Kurdish withdrawal is "going as planned."
Link


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Hezbollah mourns the death of one of its soldiers in eastern Syria
2019-04-20
[ALMASDARNEWS] Hezbollah mourned the loss of one its soldier this week after he was reportedly killed in the eastern countryside of the Homs Governorate.

According to Hezbollah media relations, Khalil Ibrahim Qassem (AKA Hisham Murtada) of ’Eita al-Sha’ab in Leb’s Natabieh Governorate was killed while on patrol in eastern Homs.

Hezbollah did not state how the soldier was killed; however, he was likely one of the personnel killed in the latest Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
(ISIS/ISIS/IS/ISIS).

The Lebanese group has been active in Syria since April 2013; they have participated in several battles across the country, including al-Qusayr, Qalamoun, Aleppo, Palmyra, Deir Ezzor, and al-Zabadani.

As of now, Hezbollah is mostly concentrated along the Lebanese border and in the eastern region of Syria, where they are embedded with Iraqi and Iranian groups near the border city of Albukamal.
Link


Arabia
Saudi State Security: Three wanted in terror related activities killed in Qatif
2018-09-28
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Soddy Arabia
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face...
state security stated that three wanted in terrorist related activities were killed in Qatif province on Wednesday, after festivities with the security forces.

The Spokesman for the kingdom’s State Security said that after a monitoring and surveillance operation, the three wanted in casese linked to terror were detected in a house located in the neighborhood of al-Qouikeb in the center of Qatif province.

The front man added that festivities erupted when the hard boyz found that they are surrounded by the security forces, refusing to surrender and opening fire which prompted the security forces to retaliate and killing .

The three are Saudi nationals Mohammed Hassa Ahmad al- Zayed, Moufeed Hamza Ali al-Alwan and Khalil Ibrahim Hassan al-Moslem.

Also, three security members were slightly injured, while none of the residents and passers-by in the neighborhood were harmed.

Link


Iraq
Eight Islamic State terrorists arrested, search ongoing for 12 others in Mosul: Official
2018-08-08
Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) ‐ Eight members of the Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
group were incarcerated
Into the paddy wagon wit' yez!
Tuesday in a security campaign in djinn-infested Mosul
... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn...
city, the latest in a series of arrests against the IS dormant cells in the country, a security official was quoted as saying.

"Security forces received information that 20 Islamic State snuffies had sneaked into al-Zanjily district in western Mosul to carry out terrorist attacks against residents there," Major Khalil Ibrahim told IKH News on Tuesday.

"Immediately, the troops launched a security campaign in search of the IS terrorists, managing to arrest eight of them," Ibrahim said, adding that 12 other Death Eaters managed to escape into an unknown location.

According to Ibrahim, "among the arrestees are IS leaders of Arab and Ottoman Turkish origins." He added that a manhunt was launched in search of the other IS terrorists.

Moreover, a security source pointed out that an army force found four tunnels containing light weapons, ammunition, and cell phones in the area between Rabia city and the Syrian territories (135 km northwest of Mosul).
Link


Iraq
Mosul clearance continues: more bodies found, big turban and 3 trailing turbanettes tied up
2018-05-23


Iraqi relief workers recover bodies of 75 people in Mosul’s Old City

Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) – Iraqi relief workers recovered on Tuesday bodies of 75 people who were buried under the rubble of destroyed homes in the western side of Mosul’s Old City.

The civil defense directorate in Nineveh told Al-Aan online newspaper that the recovered bodies were found in Shaikh Ibrahim, Jamea’ al-Masfa and al-Qulaiat districts in Mosul’s Old City.

On Friday, Nofal al-Aakob, the governor of Nineveh, declared the Old City in Mosul empty of bodies under the rubble.

Islamic State’s chief of mortar missile stock arrested in western Mosul

Mosul (IraqiNews.com) The Iraqi Interior Ministry has announced arresting Islamic State militant in charge of the mortar missile stock in western Mosul.

In a statement on Tuesday, Maj. Gen. Saad Maan, spokesperson for the ministry, said “Nineveh police depended on information from the intelligence to arrest Islamic State member in charge of the mortar missile stock.”

The militant, according to the statement, “was arrested in al-Bikr district, in west of Mosul.”

Iraqi security arrest three foreign Islamic State women in Mosul

Nineveh (Iraqinews.com) – Iraqi troops arrested on Tuesday three foreign women of Islamic State in Mosul city while trying to flee the country into Syria.

Captain Khalil Ibrahim, from the 15th division of the Iraqi army, told SNG agency that the trio, including two Syrians and a Turkish, were found to have been working for Islamic State’s Hisbah “vigilantism” Diwan during the terrorist group’s capture of Mosul in 2014.

They were taken to the Nineveh operations command for interrogation over crimes they committed against Mosul residents, Ibrahim pointed out.
Link


Arabia
Dubai raids Asian international gang who ‘stole $3.2 million’
2018-03-26
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] An international gang of 25 members who stole $3.2 million from bank accounts in Asian countries was enjugged
Drop the rod and step away witcher hands up!
in Dubai following a raid by Dubai Police in cooperation with Thai authorities.

Major General Khalil Ibrahim al-Mansouri, the assistant commandant of criminal affairs at Dubai Police told the Khaleej Times that they received information about the whereabouts of the gang that consisted of men and women, 24 of which were Thai and one was from Taiwan.

"After locating their hiding place, which is located in a residential area, our team raided and arrested all members of the gang consisting of men and women with about 150 smart phones and 40 laptops, as well as some technical devices that helped them commit these kinds of crimes," al- Mansouri told the newspaper.

In a video released by the Dubai Police’s official Twitter account, the task force is shown barging into the suspected apartment and cuffing the gang members laying them face down on the floor. The video also shows the confiscated items which included several mobile phones and laptops.

Al-Marri added that the gang chose a residential area as their hideout to give the impression that they were a normal Asian family. He praised the efforts of the task forces at the general department of criminal investigations in finding the criminals.

The victims, who were from Thailand and other Asian countries, were deceived to transfer funds from their accounts to fake accounts in East Asian countries.

The gang members had already been accused of fraud in Thailand, the newspaper reported.

Al-Marri attributed the success of the operation to the good relations between the UAE and other countries in the field of fighting crime regionally and internationally.

Link


Iraq
Mosul Offensive News
2017-02-16


16 ISIS fighters die in likely work accident

Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) Sixteen Islamic State militants died Wednesday after a mysterious blast hit a group training camp in southern Mosul, according to an Iraqi police officer.

Captain Khalil Ibrahim told Bas News that “a mysterious blast took place inside one of Daesh (Islamic State) encampment in al-Hawi, south of Mosul, leaving 16 militants dead and others seriously wounded.”
IS members cordoned the camp off and casualties were taken to the city’s forensic medicine facility, according to Ibrahim.

On January 24th, Iraqi government forces, backed by a U.S.-led coalition and popular paramilitaries, recaptured eastern Mosul from Islamic State, achieving the most remarkable victory in three months of battles against the extremist group.

Islamic State had lost at least 3000 fighters in battles at the eastern section, but is vigorously building up its defenses in the west for the decisive battle. It has also carried out several attacks on recaptured areas in the east over the past weeks, leaving civilian and security deaths.

The group, however, has reportedly lost many of its leaders in the battles, and is grappling with internal divisions which saw many commanders mysteriously assassinated, and reached their peak this week with reports talking about discussions to replace its supreme leader.

2 Iraqi militiamen die in fighting near Tal Abta area

Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) This morning, two members of the Islamic State group blew up themselves on a checkpoint of al-Hashd al-Shaabi, south of Mosul, killing and wounding a number of its members, Captain Udai Bashar, member of al-Hashd al-Shaabi said.

Bashar said in a press statement, “Two suicide bombers blew up themselves near a checkpoint belonging to al-Hashd al-Shaabi in Tal Abta area, south of Mosul.”

“The two blasts resulted in the killing of 5 members of al-Hashd al-Shaabi, as well as wounding others with serious injuries,” Bashar added.
Link


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Two Syrians Freed for Ransom, Kidnappers Still Hold a Third
2014-07-23
[An Nahar] Two Syrian nationals who were kidnapped in Baalbek Monday were freed on Tuesday for a $20,000 ransom, the state-run National News Agency stated.

Khalil Ibrahim al-Ali and his brother Abdel Karim and Zaydan Salman al-Hamad, all Syrians, were kidnapped Monday night in al-Hillanyieh on the Baalbek road in the Bekaa region.

Al-Ali brothers were freed for a $20,000 ransom, but the kidnappers still hold al-Hamad and demand a $500,000 ransom to free him.
Link



Warning: Undefined property: stdClass::$T in /data/rantburg.com/www/pgrecentorg.php on line 132
-12 More