Kuwait emir accepts post-election government resignation

Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber al-Sabah gestures in greeting upon arrival to attend the opening of the 5th regular session at the country's National Assembly (parliament) in Kuwait City on October 20, 2020. (File/AFP)
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Updated 06 December 2020
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Kuwait emir accepts post-election government resignation

DUBAI: Kuwait’s prime minister submitted his government’s resignation on Sunday in a routine procedure after parliamentary elections that took place on Saturday, state news agency KUNA said.

Kuwait’s emir accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah and asked the cabinet to stay on in a caretaker capacity until a new government is appointed.

“I have keenly supervised the general elections of the new National Assembly to hold the polls freely, transparently and with utmost objectivity despite the very strict precautions warranted by the novel coronavirus,” Sheikh Sabah Khaled said.

The prime minister noted that he was appointed as head of the government on November 19, last year and that the decree tasked him with the formation of the government during “this crucial period.”


Syrian government says it controls prison in Raqqa with Daesh-linked detainees

Updated 23 January 2026
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Syrian government says it controls prison in Raqqa with Daesh-linked detainees

  • Prison holds detainees linked to Daesh, and witnessed ⁠clashes in its vicinity between advancing Syrian government forces and Kurdish fighters

Syria’s Interior Ministry said on Friday it had taken over Al-Aktan prison in the city of Raqqa ​in northeastern Syria, a facility that was formerly under the control of Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

The prison has been holding detainees linked to the militant group Daesh, and witnessed clashes in its vicinity this week between advancing Syrian government forces and the SDF.

It ‌was not ‌immediately clear how many ‌Daesh ⁠detainees ​remain in Al-Aktan ‌prison as the US military has started transferring up to 7,000 prisoners linked to the militant Islamist group from Syrian jails to neighboring Iraq. US officials say the detainees are citizens of many countries, including in Europe.

“Specialized teams were ⁠formed from the counter-terrorism department and other relevant authorities to ‌take over the tasks of guarding ‍and securing the prison ‍and controlling the security situation inside it,” ‍the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

Under a sweeping integration deal agreed on Sunday, responsibility for prisons housing Daesh detainees was meant to be transferred to ​the Syrian government.

The SDF said on Monday it was battling Syrian government forces near ⁠Al-Aktan and that the seizure of the prison by the government forces “could have serious security repercussions that threaten stability and pave the way for a return to chaos and terrorism.”

The US transfer of Daesh prisoners follows the rapid collapse of Kurdish-led forces in northeast Syria. Concerns over prison security intensified after the escape on Tuesday of roughly 200 low-level Daesh fighters from Syria’s ‌Shaddadi prison. Syrian government forces later recaptured many of them.