Syrian fighters supported by Turkish air power on Thursday clashed with the mostly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces militia at a new front on the Euphrates.
The violence marks an expansion of a conflict n eastern Syria in which hundreds have been killed since the fall of Bashar Al Assad on December 8.
A spill over from the Syrian civil war, the Arab-Kurdish conflict, has indirectly pitted Turkey and the US against each other, with Washington the only major power left backing Syria's armed Kurds. But the US, diplomats say, has been encouraging the SDF to talk to the new rulers in Damascus, led by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS), a group formerly linked with Al Qaeda.
A Telegram group affiliated with the attacking forces said fighting broke out in Deir Hafer, an area near an artificial lake, formerly called Assad lake, in Aleppo province.
The forces comprise the Syrian National Army (SNA) and Arab militiamen who defected from the SDF after the fall of the Assad regime. The SNA is a Turkish proxy set up by Ankara in northern Syria in 2015. A video circulated by SNA supporters on social media purportedly showed Turkish drone attacks on Kurdish positions in Deir Hafer overnight.
An SDF statement said "international powers should play their role" by "putting pressure on the Turkish occupation [forces] to stop their attacks".
The group remains committed to "participating in the political process to build a new Syria", it added.
In the past three weeks, fighting in the east has been mainly around the Tishreen Dam in the north, where the SDF on Wednesday said 20 civilians had been killed by Turkish drone attacks on the area. There was no independent confirmation of the death toll.
The tribal east, especially in the Euphrates Valley, is the source of most of Syria's oil and gas. Output was 200,000 barrels a day before 2011 but has fallen by 75 per cent since. The area also contains the bulk of the US military presence in Syria.
At least several hundred people have been killed in the east since the fall of the Assad regime. The death toll was made up of SDF and anti-SDF fighters, as well civilians killed in a crackdown by the SDF on an Arab uprising last month.
In Damascus, the Syrian News Agency reported that Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra on Thursday met representatives of Arab tribes, many of whom are from the east, in a show of support for the new HTS-dominated order.
Mr Abu Qasra said talks were continuing with the SDF on bringing "state institutions" into the east, as well as control of energy resources and the border with Iraq.
The Kurdish "file" is being dealt with deftly but "we are ready for all probabilities", said Mr Aby Qasra, who is also an HTS commander..
His forces, considered the most lethal faction in the country along with the SDF, have not participated in any significant way in the latest clashes in the east, but they took control over several areas in the eastern Raqqa and Deir Ezzor governorates after the SDF pulled out in recent weeks.
A western diplomat said US officials were engaged with Turkish authorities in talks in Ankara about the future of east Syria, with the US pressuring the SDF to "put forth a wide vision of the Kurdish role in a future Syria".
The SDF has been the ground component in the US fight in Syria against ISIS, which still maintains a presence in the east. An estimated 10,000 to 12,000 people who the SDF says are linked to ISIS are imprisoned in the east.
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, meanwhile, Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani revealed the country's HTS-led interim government has been in contact with the new Trump administration in the US, without revealing details. Talking to Damascus would help the US achieve security and stability in the region, he said.
Other IPL batting records
Most sixes: 292 – Chris Gayle
Most fours: 491 – Gautam Gambhir
Highest individual score: 175 not out – Chris Gayle (for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors in 2013)
Highest strike-rate: 177.29 – Andre Russell
Highest strike-rate in an innings: 422.22 – Chris Morris (for Delhi Daredevils against Rising Pune Supergiant in 2017)
Highest average: 52.16 – Vijay Shankar
Most centuries: 6 – Chris Gayle
Most fifties: 36 – Gautam Gambhir
Fastest hundred (balls faced): 30 – Chris Gayle (for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors in 2013)
Fastest fifty (balls faced): 14 – Lokesh Rahul (for Kings XI Punjab against Delhi Daredevils in 2018)
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
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OTHER IPL BOWLING RECORDS
Best bowling figures: 6-14 – Sohail Tanvir (for Rajasthan Royals against Chennai Super Kings in 2008)
Best average: 16.36 – Andrew Tye
Best economy rate: 6.53 – Sunil Narine
Best strike-rate: 12.83 – Andrew Tye
Best strike-rate in an innings: 1.50 – Suresh Raina (for Chennai Super Kings against Rajasthan Royals in 2011)
Most runs conceded in an innings: 70 – Basil Thampi (for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2018)
Most hat-tricks: 3 – Amit Mishra
Most dot-balls: 1,128 – Harbhajan Singh
Most maiden overs bowled: 14 – Praveen Kumar
Most four-wicket hauls: 6 – Sunil Narine
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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What is dialysis?
Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.
It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.
There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.
In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.
In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.
It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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10pm: Beyond Reason
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
