Fighters from the Syrian Democratic Forces are still hoping for some autonomy for Kurdish areas of the country. EPA
Fighters from the Syrian Democratic Forces are still hoping for some autonomy for Kurdish areas of the country. EPA
Fighters from the Syrian Democratic Forces are still hoping for some autonomy for Kurdish areas of the country. EPA
Fighters from the Syrian Democratic Forces are still hoping for some autonomy for Kurdish areas of the country. EPA

Kurdish militia cedes control to regime in Aleppo and north-east Syria


Khaled Yacoub Oweis
  • English
  • Arabic

Kurdish militias have ceded a significant degree of control over two strategic areas in Syria under a deal with the new regime to join the post-Bashar Al Assad order, sources said on Sunday, in a development that strengthens the fledging central authorities, but major issues remain unresolved between the two sides.

Syria's President Ahmad Al Shara and the country's most powerful Kurdish figure, militia chief Mazloum Abdi, signed an agreement on March 10 to end hostilities in Aleppo and the resource-rich eastern part of the country, and bring the two areas under the control of the new authorities. Mr Abdi heads the US-backed, mostly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces, which played a main role in the American-led fight against ISIS.

In Aleppo, government forces started joint patrols on Sunday with SDF units in Sheikh Maqsoud, the main Kurdish neighbourhood of the city, the official Syrian news agency said. An SDF component, called the People's Protection Units, began a partial withdrawal from the neighbourhood towards eastern Syria this month.

Sheikh Maqsoud lies on a hill that overlooks the main road to Turkey. The joint patrols aim at "strengthening security in the area", the agency reported.

On the edge of Aleppo governorate, government forces on Saturday took control of the Tishreen Dam on the Euphrates river, which had been in SDF hands for a decade. Attacks in the first two month this year by the Syrian National Army, a Turkish backed militia allied with Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS), failed to dislodge the Kurdish fighters from the dam.

An official in the SDF told The National that US forces were briefly at the dam on Saturday to ensure implementation of the deal, reached after talks between US and Turkish officials in Ankara. The Syrian technicians running the dam will remain but will be augmented by new staff from Damascus. The Syrian National Army has also withdrawn from the vicinity of the dam under the agreement, the official said.

Kurdish issue

The Kurdish issue has emerged as one of the most complex in the country since HTS, an armed group formerly affiliated with Al Qaeda, led the rebel offensive that toppled Mr Al Assad and installed the new government in Damascus. HTS is ideologically opposed to the secular SDF, which had given up its project for a separate canton in Syria but is still hoping for some autonomy for Kurdish areas of the country.

Asked about the wider deal between Mr Al Shara and Mr Abdi, the official said joint committees have been meeting to resolve thorny issues. Among them are SDF integration in the new army being set up by HTS, securing the east against ISIS and composition of local government that would replace the SDF-dominated administration. "None of these issues have been decided," he said.

The Kurdish question has emerged as a key issue for Syria's President Ahmed Al Shara as he seeks to cement control of the country. Reuters
The Kurdish question has emerged as a key issue for Syria's President Ahmed Al Shara as he seeks to cement control of the country. Reuters

Unlike the autonomous Kurdish zone in northern Iraq, which is overwhelmingly populated by Kurds, Aleppo and eastern Syria are mixed between Arabs and Kurds. Kurdish people constituted 10 per cent of Syria's population in 2010, the last year before the revolt against Al Assad family rule.

Kurdish militia predecessors of the SDF helped the former regime crush the peaceful protests that comprised the initial phase of the revolt. They also helped it capture rebel areas of the country in the subsequent civil war.

An alliance with the US helped Mr Abdi acquire much territory in the east, inside Aleppo and in its countryside. But these territorial gains have been diminishing since the fall of Mr Al Assad, with a large number of Arab fighters in the SDF deserting the group and joining Turkish-backed forces. However, the SDF still controls major territory in the east, near the border with Turkey, which account for most of Syria's oil and commodities production.

Turkey regards the SDF as a major security threat because of the group's links with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which launched attacks on Turkey from Syria in the 1980s and 1990s. In 2011, the PKK started returning to Syria from its base in northern Iraq.

"Shara, Turkey, America and us want to solve the issue of the east peacefully," the SDF official said. "It is all now with the committees."

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Other workplace saving schemes
  • The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
  • Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
  • National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
  • In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
  • Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
The biogs

Name: Zinah Madi

Occupation: Co-founder of Dots and links

Nationality: Syrian

Family: Married, Mother of Tala, 18, Sharif, 14, Kareem, 2

Favourite Quote: “There is only one way to succeed in anything, and that is to give it everything.”

 

Name: Razan Nabulsi

Occupation: Co-founder of Dots and Links

Nationality: Jordanian

Family: Married, Mother of Yahya, 3.5

Favourite Quote: A Chinese proverb that says: “Be not afraid of moving slowly, be afraid only of standing still.”

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

Rating: 4.5/5

Who are the Soroptimists?

The first Soroptimists club was founded in Oakland, California in 1921. The name comes from the Latin word soror which means sister, combined with optima, meaning the best.

The organisation said its name is best interpreted as ‘the best for women’.

Since then the group has grown exponentially around the world and is officially affiliated with the United Nations. The organisation also counts Queen Mathilde of Belgium among its ranks.

The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo

Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 6-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km

Price: Dh133,900

On sale: now 

David Haye record

Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4

hall of shame

SUNDERLAND 2002-03

No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.

SUNDERLAND 2005-06

Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.

HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19

Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.

ASTON VILLA 2015-16

Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.

FULHAM 2018-19

Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.

LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.

BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66

NO OTHER LAND

Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal

Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham

Rating: 3.5/5

Wicked: For Good

Director: Jon M Chu

Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater

Rating: 4/5

PROFILE BOX

Company name: Overwrite.ai

Founder: Ayman Alashkar

Started: Established in 2020

Based: Dubai International Financial Centre, Dubai

Sector: PropTech

Initial investment: Self-funded by founder

Funding stage: Seed funding, in talks with angel investors

HAEMOGLOBIN DISORDERS EXPLAINED

Thalassaemia is part of a family of genetic conditions affecting the blood known as haemoglobin disorders.

Haemoglobin is a substance in the red blood cells that carries oxygen and a lack of it triggers anemia, leaving patients very weak, short of breath and pale.

The most severe type of the condition is typically inherited when both parents are carriers. Those patients often require regular blood transfusions - about 450 of the UAE's 2,000 thalassaemia patients - though frequent transfusions can lead to too much iron in the body and heart and liver problems.

The condition mainly affects people of Mediterranean, South Asian, South-East Asian and Middle Eastern origin. Saudi Arabia recorded 45,892 cases of carriers between 2004 and 2014.

A World Health Organisation study estimated that globally there are at least 950,000 'new carrier couples' every year and annually there are 1.33 million at-risk pregnancies.

The bio

Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Favourite travel destination: Maldives and south of France

Favourite pastime: Family and friends, meditation, discovering new cuisines

Favourite Movie: Joker (2019). I didn’t like it while I was watching it but then afterwards I loved it. I loved the psychology behind it.

Favourite Author: My father for sure

Favourite Artist: Damien Hurst

Test

Director: S Sashikanth

Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan

Star rating: 2/5

The biog

Name: Mohammed Imtiaz

From: Gujranwala, Pakistan

Arrived in the UAE: 1976

Favourite clothes to make: Suit

Cost of a hand-made suit: From Dh550

 

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Desert Warrior

Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley

Director: Rupert Wyatt

Rating: 3/5

The specs: 2018 Kia Picanto

Price: From Dh39,500

Engine: 1.2L inline four-cylinder

Transmission: Four-speed auto

Power: 86hp @ 6,000rpm

Torque: 122Nm @ 4,000rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 6.0L / 100km

The biog

Favourite books: 'Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life' by Jane D. Mathews and ‘The Moment of Lift’ by Melinda Gates

Favourite travel destination: Greece, a blend of ancient history and captivating nature. It always has given me a sense of joy, endless possibilities, positive energy and wonderful people that make you feel at home.

Favourite pastime: travelling and experiencing different cultures across the globe.

Favourite quote: “In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders” - Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook.

Favourite Movie: Mona Lisa Smile 

Favourite Author: Kahlil Gibran

Favourite Artist: Meryl Streep

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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026

1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years

If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.

2. E-invoicing in the UAE

Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption. 

3. More tax audits

Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks. 

4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime

Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.

5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit

There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.

6. Further transfer pricing enforcement

Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes. 

7. Limited time periods for audits

Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion. 

8. Pillar 2 implementation 

Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.

9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services

Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations. 

10. Substance and CbC reporting focus

Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity. 

Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer

Play-off fixtures

Two-legged ties to be played November 9-11 and November 12-14

 

  • Northern Ireland v Switzerland
  • Croatia v Greece
  • Denmark v Ireland
  • Sweden v Italy
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Updated: April 13, 2025, 1:21 PM