BEIRUT: Turkish forces and their rebel allies have entered Syria's Kurdish-majority city of Afrin and taken control of several districts, a war monitor said on Sunday.
"Fighting is ongoing inside the city, where Turkish forces and allied rebels have seized some neighbourhoods," the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.
Pro-Ankara Syrian rebels said they "broke into the city from the eastern and western sides" to seize the neighbourhoods of Ashrafieh and Jamiliyyeh.
Civilians hiding in basements inside the city could hear fighting outside and people shouting "God is greatest", one resident told AFP.
Turkish-led forces have advanced rapidly into the Kurdish enclave around Afrin city near the Turkish border since launching an assault on it almost two months ago.
They are fighting the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia, which Ankara considers a "terrorist" offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
But the Kurdish militia has also formed the backbone of an American-backed alliance that has expelled the Islamic State jihadist group from large parts of Syria.
More than 1,500 Kurdish fighters have been killed in a two-month assault by Turkish forces and allied Syrian rebels on the Kurdish enclave of Afrin, a monitor said Sunday.
Most of them were killed air strikes and artillery fire, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.
More than 400 pro-Ankara rebels had been killed since January 20, the Observatory said.
Meanwhile the Observatory says more than 280 civilians have been killed in the offensive since January 20, but Ankara denies the reports and says it takes the "utmost care" to avoid civilian casualties.
More than 200,000 civilians have fled Afrin city in the past three days, the Observatory says.
Turkey-led forces enter Syria's Afrin city: monitor
Turkey-led forces enter Syria's Afrin city: monitor
Kuwait draws $725m in new FDI in 2024–25, KDIPA says
JEDDAH: Kuwait attracted about 222.9 million Kuwaiti dinars ($725 million) in new foreign direct investment during the 2024–2025 fiscal year, as the Gulf state seeks to boost private-sector activity and diversify its economy.
The inflows were approved between April 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025, under Kuwait’s foreign investment framework, the Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority said in its 10th annual report released this month.
Approved investments during the period originated from countries including Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the US, as well as the UK, China and the Netherlands, according to data cited by the state-run Kuwait News Agency.
“The authority noted that cumulative approved investments from January 1, 2015, to March 31, 2025, increased to 1.97 billion dinars, spread across 105 investment entities from 34 countries, covering 16 vital sectors,” KUNA reported.
KDIPA said these investments have supported the national economy through job creation, local talent development, technology transfer and localization, increased domestic content, and higher exports.
Sheikh Meshaal Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, director general of KDIPA, said: “Investments have facilitated job creation, technology transfer, and export enhancement, with expenditures by licensed entities increasing by 17.6 percent to reach 1.09 billion dinars between 2015-2023.”
He added: “The first decade of KDIPA’s journey has demonstrated Kuwait’s ability to attract value-added investments and maximize their impact in supporting economic development, thanks to institutional work and close cooperation with our partners in both the public and private sectors.”
Al-Sabah said KDIPA had strengthened its Gulf relations through active participation in high-level meetings, committees, and regional economic initiatives.
“Locally, it enhanced cooperation with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and with more than 15 other government entities to ensure the completion of investment licensing procedures, facilitating approvals, and granting incentives in accordance with its law, in addition to developing a digital integration mechanism to streamline procedures for investors,” he said, according to the report.
He emphasized that the annual report marks a key milestone in tracking progress, providing updates on developments, analyzing operational and investment trends, and identifying challenges and risks, along with ways to address them.
“This aims to advance work methodology, improve decision-making processes, adjust course of action, and enhance performance in a manner that embraces credibility, transparency, and professionalism, while monitoring progress, evaluating efforts, and being more future-ready,” he concluded.
KDIPA noted that the report coincides with the 10th anniversary of its establishment as Kuwait’s official authority for promoting the country and attracting value-added investments.
