The head of the Syrian Democratic Forces has said that the Kurdish-led group will announce an amnesty for all those detained for fighting against it during recent clashes in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor.
Dozens of people have been killed since Arab tribal fighters revolted against the SDF in Deir Ezzor last week, the first such uprising since the Kurdish-led force, with US support, drove ISIS from the region more than four years ago.
The violence started when the SDF detained Arab chief Ahmad Al Khabil, who led the affiliated Deir Ezzor Military Council, on August 27.
“After we discussed the recent situation in Deir Ezzor with tribal sheikhs and notable figures from Raqqa, and at their request, they were assigned to communicate with Sheikh Ibrahim Al Hafel, and we will work to announce an amnesty for the detainees,” Gen Mazloum Abdi said on Thursday on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Sheikh Ibrahim, leader of the Okeidat tribe, sent Arab fighters against the SDF.
Gen Abdi also pledged to meet Arab tribal demands in eastern Syria and fix "mistakes" he said had been made in administering the region, seeking to defuse tensions that fuelled days of deadly fighting.
"We already released half that were arrested, and we will release the rest," he said in a video call with Reuters from north-east Syria.
He promised to host a wide-ranging meeting with Arab tribal notables and other representatives from Deir Ezzor to address longstanding grievances, from education and the economy to security.
Arab residents have complained about the Kurdish-led administration, saying it discriminates against them and does not give them their share of the region's oil wealth.
Asked about how he was planning to address grievances, Gen Abdi broadly acknowledged flaws in how inclusive local councils were of various tribes.
"There are gaps, and there were mistakes on the ground," he said.
The fighting in the eastern Syrian province left 90 people dead and raised fears of further conflict in a region where extremists and foreign powers are still present.
Porsche Taycan Turbo specs
Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors
Transmission: two-speed
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Range: 450km
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
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- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The biog
Born: Kuwait in 1986
Family: She is the youngest of seven siblings
Time in the UAE: 10 years
Hobbies: audiobooks and fitness: she works out every day, enjoying kickboxing and basketball
More on animal trafficking
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
The Old Slave and the Mastiff
Patrick Chamoiseau
Translated from the French and Creole by Linda Coverdale
OPINIONS ON PALESTINE & ISRAEL
The 24-man squad:
Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea), Simon Mignolet (Liverpool), Koen Casteels (VfL Wolfsburg).
Defenders: Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham), Thomas Meunier (Paris Saint-Germain), Thomas Vermaelen (Barcelona), Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham), Dedryck Boyata (Celtic), Vincent Kompany (Manchester City).
Midfielders: Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United), Axel Witsel (Tianjin Quanjian), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Nacer Chadli (West Bromwich Albion), Leander Dendoncker (Anderlecht), Thorgan Hazard (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Youri Tielemans (Monaco), Mousa Dembele (Tottenham Hotspur).
Forwards: Michy Batshuayi (Chelsea/Dortmund), Yannick Carrasco (Dalian Yifang), Adnan Januzaj (Real Sociedad), Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United), Dries Mertens (Napoli).
Standby player: Laurent Ciman (Los Angeles FC).
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Torque: 1075Nm
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Price: On request
