Interim government forces led by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham killed two people on Sunday in Syria's Alawite areas in the central governorate of Homs, residents said.
A municipal worker said the people were killed in an HTS raid on Al Fukani village, near the provincial capital of Homs. The attacking force also apprehended dozens of mostly young men on suspicion of having been enforcers for the regime of former president Bashar Al Assad, he said.
“They came with a list of people they said are wanted for having blood on their hands,” he told The National, adding that those killed were the sons of a wanted man. “Some households resisted but most opened their doors.”
A doctor in the city of Homs said he treated several people injured in clashes from an overnight search of the neighbourhoods of Al Nuzha and Al Zahra, where HTS personnel armed with automatic rifles detained dozens of people. “At this rate, there will be only women and children left in the two districts,” he said.
They came with a list of people wanted for having blood on their hands. Some households resisted but most opened their doors
Municipal worker
Hours before the raids, the Military Operations division of HTS urged anyone with the rank of captain or above in the Assad regime's military to surrender to so-called settlement centres, where their record would be examined.
“Any officer who is tardy will be subject to legal accountability,” a Military Operations statement said.
HTS, which has origins in the extremist Al Nusra Front and Al Qaeda, has extended its control over most of the country since ousting Mr Al Assad in December, marking a Sunni political ascendancy decades after Alawite officers took power in a 1963 coup.
The 54-year rule of Mr Al Assad and his father, Hafez Al Assad, involved widespread killings and mass disappearances, mainly among the majority Sunni population, especially after the outbreak of a 2011 uprising demanding an end to the family's rule. Alawites comprised about 10 per cent of Syria's 22 million population on the eve of the uprising.
Syria is at the crossroads of the Middle East's struggles. The downfall of Mr Al Assad has forced Shiite Iran and its Hezbollah ally to pull out of the country, in a major shift of the politico-religious dynamics in the region.
But US, Turkish and Russian forces remain stationed in Syria, backing different factions in conflicts that started in late 2011 after the authorities killed thousands of civilians in the crackdown on mass pro-democracy demonstrations.
HTS, which has been methodically replacing the mostly Alawite general managers in the government, previously vowed to persecute elements of the former regime it said have been involved in the atrocities. But the group, led by Ahmad Al Shara, is also seeking outside support to rebuild the country.
On Sunday, Asaad Al Shibani, the Foreign Minister in the new administration and a long-time associate of Mr Al Shara, met in Doha with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman.
Sheikh Mohammed expressed Qatar's support for the unity of Syria and “meeting the expectations of its people for a decent living and building a state of law and institutions”, the official Qatari news agency said.
Western powers, alarmed by HTS incursions into Alawite coastal areas in the last three weeks, have been urging Mr Al Shara to avoid bloodshed. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, who met Mr Al Shara in Damascus two days ago, said she had urged his government to avoid “acts of vengeance against groups within the population” and to refrain from subjecting the justice and education systems to religious dogma.
In an interview with the Financial Times, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the state of flux in Syria could usher in “incredible possibility, especially after the horrors of the Assad dictatorship”.
“But we’ve seen too many times when one dictator’s been replaced by another,” he warned.
Memories in ruins: Syrians in Idlib struggle to rebuild
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
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Top financial tips for graduates
Araminta Robertson, of the Financially Mint blog, shares her financial advice for university leavers:
1. Build digital or technical skills: After graduation, people can find it extremely hard to find jobs. From programming to digital marketing, your early twenties are for building skills. Future employers will want people with tech skills.
2. Side hustle: At 16, I lived in a village and started teaching online, as well as doing work as a virtual assistant and marketer. There are six skills you can use online: translation; teaching; programming; digital marketing; design and writing. If you master two, you’ll always be able to make money.
3. Networking: Knowing how to make connections is extremely useful. Use LinkedIn to find people who have the job you want, connect and ask to meet for coffee. Ask how they did it and if they know anyone who can help you. I secured quite a few clients this way.
4. Pay yourself first: The minute you receive any income, put about 15 per cent aside into a savings account you won’t touch, to go towards your emergency fund or to start investing. I do 20 per cent. It helped me start saving immediately.
Zimbabwe v UAE, ODI series
All matches at the Harare Sports Club
- 1st ODI, Wednesday, April 10
- 2nd ODI, Friday, April 12
- 3rd ODI, Sunday, April 14
- 4th ODI, Sunday, April 16
Squads:
- UAE: Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
- Zimbabwe: Peter Moor (captain), Solomon Mire, Brian Chari, Regis Chakabva, Sean Williams, Timycen Maruma, Sikandar Raza, Donald Tiripano, Kyle Jarvis, Tendai Chatara, Chris Mpofu, Craig Ervine, Brandon Mavuta, Ainsley Ndlovu, Tony Munyonga, Elton Chigumbura
Spain drain
CONVICTED
Lionel Messi Found guilty in 2016 of of using companies in Belize, Britain, Switzerland and Uruguay to avoid paying €4.1m in taxes on income earned from image rights. Sentenced to 21 months in jail and fined more than €2m. But prison sentence has since been replaced by another fine of €252,000.
Javier Mascherano Accepted one-year suspended sentence in January 2016 for tax fraud after found guilty of failing to pay €1.5m in taxes for 2011 and 2012. Unlike Messi he avoided trial by admitting to tax evasion.
Angel di Maria Argentina and Paris Saint-Germain star Angel di Maria was fined and given a 16-month prison sentence for tax fraud during his time at Real Madrid. But he is unlikely to go to prison as is normal in Spain for first offences for non-violent crimes carrying sentence of less than two years.
SUSPECTED
Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid's star striker, accused of evading €14.7m in taxes, appears in court on Monday. Portuguese star faces four charges of fraud through offshore companies.
Jose Mourinho Manchester United manager accused of evading €3.3m in tax in 2011 and 2012, during time in charge at Real Madrid. But Gestifute, which represents him, says he has already settled matter with Spanish tax authorities.
Samuel Eto'o In November 2016, Spanish prosecutors sought jail sentence of 10 years and fines totalling €18m for Cameroonian, accused of failing to pay €3.9m in taxes during time at Barcelona from 2004 to 2009.
Radamel Falcao Colombian striker Falcao suspected of failing to correctly declare €7.4m of income earned from image rights between 2012 and 2013 while at Atletico Madrid. He has since paid €8.2m to Spanish tax authorities, a sum that includes interest on the original amount.
Jorge Mendes Portuguese super-agent put under official investigation last month by Spanish court investigating alleged tax evasion by Falcao, a client of his. He defended himself, telling closed-door hearing he "never" advised players in tax matters.
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Day 1, Dubai Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Sadeera Samarawickrama set pulses racing with his strokeplay on his introduction to Test cricket. It reached a feverish peak when he stepped down the wicket and launched Yasir Shah, who many regard as the world’s leading spinner, back over his head for six. No matter that he was out soon after: it felt as though the future had arrived.
Stat of the day - 5 The last time Sri Lanka played a Test in Dubai – they won here in 2013 – they had four players in their XI who were known as wicketkeepers. This time they have gone one better. Each of Dinesh Chandimal, Kaushal Silva, Samarawickrama, Kusal Mendis, and Niroshan Dickwella – the nominated gloveman here – can keep wicket.
The verdict Sri Lanka want to make history by becoming the first team to beat Pakistan in a full Test series in the UAE. They could not have made a better start, first by winning the toss, then by scoring freely on an easy-paced pitch. The fact Yasir Shah found some turn on Day 1, too, will have interested their own spin bowlers.
Iraq negotiating over Iran sanctions impact
- US sanctions on Iran’s energy industry and exports took effect on Monday, November 5.
- Washington issued formal waivers to eight buyers of Iranian oil, allowing them to continue limited imports. Iraq did not receive a waiver.
- Iraq’s government is cooperating with the US to contain Iranian influence in the country, and increased Iraqi oil production is helping to make up for Iranian crude that sanctions are blocking from markets, US officials say.
- Iraq, the second-biggest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, pumped last month at a record 4.78 million barrels a day, former Oil Minister Jabbar Al-Luaibi said on Oct. 20. Iraq exported 3.83 million barrels a day last month, according to tanker tracking and data from port agents.
- Iraq has been working to restore production at its northern Kirkuk oil field. Kirkuk could add 200,000 barrels a day of oil to Iraq’s total output, Hook said.
- The country stopped trucking Kirkuk oil to Iran about three weeks ago, in line with U.S. sanctions, according to four people with knowledge of the matter who asked not to be identified because they aren’t allowed to speak to media.
- Oil exports from Iran, OPEC’s third-largest supplier, have slumped since President Donald Trump announced in May that he’d reimpose sanctions. Iran shipped about 1.76 million barrels a day in October out of 3.42 million in total production, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
- Benchmark Brent crude fell 47 cents to $72.70 a barrel in London trading at 7:26 a.m. local time. U.S. West Texas Intermediate was 25 cents lower at $62.85 a barrel in New York. WTI held near the lowest level in seven months as concerns of a tightening market eased after the U.S. granted its waivers to buyers of Iranian crude.
