BEIRUT: A war monitor said a senior commander from the security forces in northeast Syria’s semi-autonomous Kurdish-led administration was killed on Tuesday in a blast near a prison in Hasakah province.
“A commander in the Kurdish security forces was killed and another person was wounded” in an explosion near the prison in Umm Farsan on the outskirts of the city of Qamishli “at the same time as a Turkish drone was flying in the area,” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The commander in the Asayish security forces had played “a prominent role in leading military operations against the Daesh group in Raqqa province,” a former bastion of the jihadists in Syria, said the Britain-based Observatory.
A local Kurdish news agency reported “the sound of an explosion... resulting from the targeting of a car” in the area.
The incident came a day after Syria’s Kurdish authorities in Hasakah province released 50 Syrian prisoners accused of belonging to Daesh as part of a general amnesty deal, an official had told AFP.
The Kurds have established a semi-autonomous administration spanning swathes of the north and northeast.
The US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces spearheaded the battle that dislodged Daesh group militants from their last scraps of Syrian territory in 2019.
Turkiye sees the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), which dominate the SDF, as an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which it considers a “terrorist” group.
The Turkish army, which has troops and proxies in northern Syria, regularly carries out strikes in Kurdish-held areas.
Turkiye controls two large strips of territory along the border after expelling Kurdish forces in successive campaigns.
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Syria blast kills senior commander in Kurdish security forces: monitor
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Syria blast kills senior commander in Kurdish security forces: monitor
- The commander in the Asayish security forces had played “a prominent role in leading military operations against the Daesh group in Raqqa province“
- The Kurds have established a semi-autonomous administration spanning swathes of the north and northeast
Italy wants military to stay in Lebanon after peacekeepers leave
- Defense Minister Guido Crosetto says Italy will continue to 'do its part' even after UNIFIL mission ends next year
ROME: Italy said Monday it intends to keep a military presence in Lebanon even after the UN peacekeeping force it belongs to leaves as planned from December 31, 2026.
“Even after (the peacekeeping force) UNIFIL, Italy will continue to do its part, supporting with conviction the international presence and supporting the capacity development of the Lebanese armed forces,” Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said during a visit to Lebanon, according to a statement.
Asked by AFP if this meant Italy wanted to maintain a military presence in the country, a ministry spokesman confirmed that this was the case.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has acted as a buffer between Israel and Lebanon since 1978, remaining after Israel ended an occupation of southern Lebanon in 2000.
Lebanon had wanted UNIFIL to stay.
But the UN Security Council voted in August to allow only one final extension for UNIFIL after pressure from Israel and its US ally to end the mandate.
UNIFIL is currently led by Italian Major General Diodato Abagnara and numbers 9,923 troops from 49 countries, according to the force’s website.
Italy is the second biggest contributing country with 1,099 soldiers deployed after Indonesia which has 1,232 soldiers.
Israel has hailed the termination of UNIFIL and urged the Beirut government to exert its authority after an Israeli military campaign which devastated Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah.
Under a truce between Israel and Hezbollah, the long-fledgling Lebanese national army has been deploying in southern Lebanon and dismantling Hezbollah’s infrastructure.
“Support is needed to strengthen the Lebanese armed forces, so that they are in the best possible position to defend the country, ensuring security and respect for its borders,” Crosetto said in Monday’s statement.
“We will guarantee our presence in multilateral and bilateral contexts,” he said.
“Even after (the peacekeeping force) UNIFIL, Italy will continue to do its part, supporting with conviction the international presence and supporting the capacity development of the Lebanese armed forces,” Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said during a visit to Lebanon, according to a statement.
Asked by AFP if this meant Italy wanted to maintain a military presence in the country, a ministry spokesman confirmed that this was the case.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has acted as a buffer between Israel and Lebanon since 1978, remaining after Israel ended an occupation of southern Lebanon in 2000.
Lebanon had wanted UNIFIL to stay.
But the UN Security Council voted in August to allow only one final extension for UNIFIL after pressure from Israel and its US ally to end the mandate.
UNIFIL is currently led by Italian Major General Diodato Abagnara and numbers 9,923 troops from 49 countries, according to the force’s website.
Italy is the second biggest contributing country with 1,099 soldiers deployed after Indonesia which has 1,232 soldiers.
Israel has hailed the termination of UNIFIL and urged the Beirut government to exert its authority after an Israeli military campaign which devastated Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah.
Under a truce between Israel and Hezbollah, the long-fledgling Lebanese national army has been deploying in southern Lebanon and dismantling Hezbollah’s infrastructure.
“Support is needed to strengthen the Lebanese armed forces, so that they are in the best possible position to defend the country, ensuring security and respect for its borders,” Crosetto said in Monday’s statement.
“We will guarantee our presence in multilateral and bilateral contexts,” he said.
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