Daesh commander detained in Lebanon after crossing from Syria

Lebanon’s police say they have detained a Syrian citizen who was a military commander with Daesh. (AP)
Updated 24 April 2018
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Daesh commander detained in Lebanon after crossing from Syria

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s police say they have detained a Syrian citizen who was a military commander with Daesh in the central Syrian province of Homs.
The Internal Security Forces said in a statement Tuesday that the man was detained earlier this month in the northern town of Zgharta after entering Lebanon illegally from Syria.
It identified him as a Syrian citizen born in 1982 without giving his name.
The statement said the Daesh fighter confessed to being “a military cadre” who took part in many battles in Syria including the capture of the historic town of Palmyra that the extremists held for months and destroyed some of its invaluable archaeological sites.
Daesh carried out many deadly attacks in Lebanon in recent years that left scores dead.


US envoy calls for ceasefire deal in northeastern Syria to be maintained

Updated 58 min 14 sec ago
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US envoy calls for ceasefire deal in northeastern Syria to be maintained

  • Tom Barrack, ambassador to Turkiye and special envoy for Syria, reiterates Washington’s support for Jan. 18 integration agreement between Syria’s government and Syrian Democratic Forces

LONDON: Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkiye and special envoy for Syria, on Monday reiterated Washington’s desire to ensure the ceasefire agreement in northeastern Syria between Syria’s government and the Syrian Democratic Forces continues.

In a message posted on social media platform X, he wrote: “Productive phone call this evening with his excellency Masoud Barzani to discuss the situation in Syria and the importance of maintaining the ceasefire and ensuring humanitarian assistance to those in need, especially in Kobani.”

Barzani has been the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party since 1979, and served as president of Kurdistan region between 2005 and 2017.

The current present, Nechirvan Barzani, previously welcomed a recent decree by the Syrian president, Ahmad Al-Sharaa, officially recognizing the Kurdish population as an integral part of the country.

Barrack reiterated Washington’s support for efforts to advance the Jan. 18 agreement between Syria’s government and the SDF to integrate the latter into state institutions. The SDF is a Kurdish-led faction led by Mazloum Abdi that operates in northeastern Syria and recently clashed with government forces.

On Saturday, the Syrian Arab News Agency reported that the Syrian Ministry of Defense had announced a 15-day extension of the ceasefire deal.