Five aid workers have been abducted in Syria while delivering supplies to the besieged province of Sweida this week, in what their colleagues told The National was an alarming development.
On Monday, seven of eight vehicles carrying privately donated aid from the Damascus suburb of Jaramana were ambushed and looted by unknown assailants. The attack prevented critical supplies from reaching Sweida, where residents face severe shortages of food, electricity and water.
“One of the eight cars in the convoy was able to escape after a large number of people on motorbikes surrounded them,” an aid worker in Jaramana who was co-ordinating with the convoy told The National. “Out of the eight vehicles, only one reached Sweida. The rest were looted and sent back.”
Three workers from Sweida who were also co-ordinating with the convoy confirmed the information.
Residents of Sweida say the besieged province is in a state of disaster following last month’s clashes between armed tribesmen, supported by government forces, and Druze fighters. A ceasefire and government-imposed lockdown declared on July 19 have left Sweida reliant on sporadic aid deliveries.
Sweida residents say that some pro-government tribal fighters, many of whom withdrew from the province following the ceasefire, remain stationed along key roads into the province, hindering the entry of goods.
Another aid volunteer said the convoy, had it arrived in the province, would have helped “around 2,000 to 4,000 households. There were also 250 doses of cancer medications, other medications, baby formula and diapers”.
All aid volunteers interviewed by The National spoke on the condition of anonymity, fearing retaliation and aid access restrictions.
With about 192,000 people internally displaced in the province since the July clashes and relief trickling through the single crossing, private donors and international aid groups have mobilised to deliver convoys, which must be co-ordinated with Syrian authorities.
“They’d been sharing their live GPS location with us,” one of the relief volunteers in Sweida said of the missing aid workers. “After a while we realised they had stopped moving.”
There was gunfire. The cars were looted. And the men are still being held
Aid worker in Sweida
One abducted man, Aabed Abu Fakhr, managed to call a colleague, while another phoned his wife.
“From the calls it was clear they were being watched, but they reassured us they were all right,” said the Jaramana-based volunteer who was speaking to Mr Fakhr.
But the men have not been heard from since Tuesday despite efforts to secure their release.
The Jaramana City Endowment Committee, which organised Monday’s convoy, said it had obtained government approval for the delivery. The abducted men were identified as Samir Barakat, Aabed Abu Fakhr, Yamen Al Sahnawi, Radwan Al Sahnawi and Fidaa Azzam.
A video showing three of the five abducted men was uploaded to social media on Thursday evening. Yamen and Radwan Al Sahnawi, believed to be held elsewhere, did not appear in the footage. Also seen were two Druze men who activists said had been kidnapped from the Damascus suburb of Zablatani earlier this month and are apparently also being held for ransom.
In the video, the abducted men sit around a communal plate of mleaheyeh, a fermented yogurt dish commonly eaten by Syrian Bedouin, as a man behind the camera insists they are being treated as guests. “These men are are our family, not captives — but we want our [captured] men and women to be freed,” he says.
It was not clear when the footage was filmed.
The four aid workers familiar with the case said a Syrian General Security official – who had co-ordinated previous aid deliveries on behalf of the endowment – is now mediating between the kidnappers and the families.
“At first they talked about a prisoner exchange,” said the Jaramana aid worker. “But when we asked for names, they didn’t send any. We haven’t heard from the men since Tuesday. We don’t know if they’re OK.”
The National sought comment from the Ministry of Interior, which oversees the General Security Service, but received no response.
The Jaramana aid worker warned the abductions were an “alarming precedent”.
“These are aid workers. Kidnapping people delivering humanitarian relief will affect the entire province,” he said.
The only route into Sweida has seen repeated attacks in recent weeks. Last Friday, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent reported that a convoy was “directly targeted by gunfire”, damaging several vehicles. A Red Crescent volunteer in Sweida said armed men blocked the road and fired on the first three lorries.
“Problems on the road are common,” he said. “And the aid entering Sweida is so little compared to the need on the ground.”
The Syrian government denies it is imposing a siege. But the province remains inaccessible except through a single humanitarian crossing, which requires prior co-ordination with authorities for entry and exit.
Bread is rationed, supermarket shelves are bare and residents of rural towns survive on harvests from their orchards, sending what they can to the city. The fuel shortage has rendered water pumping stations inoperable, reducing supply to critical levels, according to the UN, and damage to infrastructure has further disrupted electricity, internet and telecoms. And journalists are barred from entering the province, hindering independent verification and the spread of news from inside.
A spokesman for the Red Crescent called on armed groups to “refrain from targeting humanitarian efforts and to facilitate aid access to the affected families in the southern region”.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says more than 1,600 people have been killed since the sectarian violence erupted on July 13 – including 429 summary executions by government forces.
World Cup warm-up fixtures
Friday, May 24:
- Pakistan v Afghanistan (Bristol)
- Sri Lanka v South Africa (Cardiff)
Saturday, May 25
- England v Australia (Southampton)
- India v New Zealand (The Oval, London)
Sunday, May 26
- South Africa v West Indies (Bristol)
- Pakistan v Bangladesh (Cardiff)
Monday, May 27
- Australia v Sri Lanka (Southampton)
- England v Afghanistan (The Oval, London)
Tuesday, May 28
- West Indies v New Zealand (Bristol)
- Bangladesh v India (Cardiff)
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Jetour T1 specs
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South Africa World Cup squad
South Africa: Faf du Plessis (c), Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock (w), JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Dale Steyn, Rassie van der Dussen.
Long Shot
Director: Jonathan Levine
Starring: Charlize Theron, Seth Rogan
Four stars
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Pakistan: Sarfaraz Ahmed (c), Babar Azam (vc), Abid Ali, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Mohammad Hasnain, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Shadab Khan, Usman Shinwari, Wahab Riaz
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5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap Dh70,000 1,400m
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6pm: UAE Matyrs Trophy (PA) Maiden Dh80,000 1,600m
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6.30pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Apprentice Championship (PA) Prestige Dh100,000 1,600m
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7pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Ladies World Championship (PA) Prestige Dh125,000 1,600m
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Day 5, Dubai Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Given the problems Sri Lanka have had in recent times, it was apt the winning catch was taken by Dinesh Chandimal. He is one of seven different captains Sri Lanka have had in just the past two years. He leads in understated fashion, but by example. His century in the first innings of this series set the shock win in motion.
Stat of the day This was the ninth Test Pakistan have lost in their past 11 matches, a run that started when they lost the final match of their three-Test series against West Indies in Sharjah last year. They have not drawn a match in almost two years and 19 matches, since they were held by England at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi in 2015.
The verdict Mickey Arthur basically acknowledged he had erred by basing Pakistan’s gameplan around three seam bowlers and asking for pitches with plenty of grass in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. Why would Pakistan want to change the method that has treated them so well on these grounds in the past 10 years? It is unlikely Misbah-ul-Haq would have made the same mistake.
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- 2013: The Westgate shopping mall attack, 62 civilians, five Kenyan soldiers and four gunmen are killed.
- 2014: A series of bombings and shootings across Kenya sees scores of civilians killed.
- 2015: Four gunmen attack Garissa University College in northeastern Kenya and take over 700 students hostage, killing those who identified as Christian; 148 die and 79 more are injured.
- 2016: An attack on a Kenyan military base in El Adde Somalia kills 180 soldiers.
- 2017: A suicide truck bombing outside the Safari Hotel in Mogadishu kills 587 people and destroys several city blocks, making it the deadliest attack by the group and the worst in Somalia’s history.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
Key products and UAE prices
iPhone XS
With a 5.8-inch screen, it will be an advance version of the iPhone X. It will be dual sim and comes with better battery life, a faster processor and better camera. A new gold colour will be available.
Price: Dh4,229
iPhone XS Max
It is expected to be a grander version of the iPhone X with a 6.5-inch screen; an inch bigger than the screen of the iPhone 8 Plus.
Price: Dh4,649
iPhone XR
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Apple Watch Series 4
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
OPINIONS ON PALESTINE & ISRAEL
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (all kick-offs UAE time)
Hertha Berlin v Union Berlin (10.30pm)
Saturday
Freiburg v Werder Bremen (5.30pm)
Paderborn v Hoffenheim (5.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Borussia Dortmund (5.30pm)
Borussia Monchengladbach v Bayer Leverkusen (5.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm)
Sunday
Schalke v Augsburg (3.30pm)
Mainz v RB Leipzig (5.30pm)
Cologne v Fortuna Dusseldorf (8pm)
More on Quran memorisation:
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
City's slump
L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
L - Tottenham, 2-1
What's in the deal?
Agreement aims to boost trade by £25.5bn a year in the long run, compared with a total of £42.6bn in 2024
India will slash levies on medical devices, machinery, cosmetics, soft drinks and lamb.
India will also cut automotive tariffs to 10% under a quota from over 100% currently.
Indian employees in the UK will receive three years exemption from social security payments
India expects 99% of exports to benefit from zero duty, raising opportunities for textiles, marine products, footwear and jewellery
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
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Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Brighton 1
Gross (50' pen)
Tottenham 1
Kane (48)
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
FA CUP FINAL
Manchester City 6
(D Silva 26', Sterling 38', 81', 87', De Bruyne 61', Jesus 68')
Watford 0
Man of the match: Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
EU's%2020-point%20migration%20plan
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Palestine and Israel - live updates
