DAMASCUS: Marie Colvin and Remi Ochlik, journalists, were struck by a rocket on the morning of Feb. 22, 2012, in the neighborhood of Baba Amr in Homs at the beginning of the Syrian civil war. In federal court in Washington, DC, on Monday, evidence was submitted in a lawsuit accusing the Syrian government of targeting and murdering Colvin, a US citizen raised on Long Island, as she sought to cover the war.
The Intercept — in an article headlined “How the Assad regime tracked and killed Marie Colvin for reporting on war crimes in Syria” — describes how the Colvin family filed video and nearly 2,000 pages of evidence, including military intelligence memoranda and testimony from Syrian defectors, as part of the federal civil lawsuit. The documents provide detailed and unprecedented evidence to support the claim that Colvin was deliberately hunted and killed as part of a policy by the Assad regime to eliminate journalists.
The Center for Justice & Accountability, a San Francisco-based human rights group, built the case following a six-year investigation. “Three factors came together to create the conditions for the attack: The regime’s intent to target journalists, its access to powerful surveillance capabilities, and an absence of international political will to prevent atrocities in Syria,” says The Intercept.
How the Assad regime tracked and killed Marie Colvin for reporting on war crimes in Syria — The Intercept
How the Assad regime tracked and killed Marie Colvin for reporting on war crimes in Syria — The Intercept
Syrian Democratic Forces withdraws from east of Aleppo
RIYADH: Syrian Democratic Forces have withdrawn from positions east of Aleppo, according to SDF head Mazloum Abdi.
He announced Friday that SDF will withdraw from east of Aleppo at 7 AM local time on Saturday and redeploy them to areas east of the Euphrates, citing calls from friendly countries and mediators.
Hours earlier, a U.S. military designation had visited Deir Hafer and met with SDF officials in an apparent attempt to tamp down tensions.
The U.S. has good relations with both sides and has urged calm. A spokesperson for the U.S. military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Shortly before Abdi’s announcement, interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa had announced issuance of a decree strengthening Kurdish rights.
A wave of displacement
Earlier in the day, hundreds of people carrying their belongings arrived in government-held areas in northern Syria ahead of the anticipated offensive by Syrian troops on territory held by Kurdish-led fighters.
Many of the civilians who fled were seen using side roads to reach government-held areas because the main highway was blocked at a checkpoint in the town of Deir Hafer controlled by the SDF.
The Syrian army said late Wednesday that civilians would be able to evacuate through the “humanitarian corridor” from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and then extended the evacuation period another day, saying the SDF had stopped civilians from leaving.
There had been limited exchanges of fire between the two sides in the area before that.
Men, women and children arrived on the government side of the line in cars and pickup trucks that were packed with bags of clothes, mattresses and other belongings. They were met by local officials who directed them to shelters.
* with input from Reuters, AP
