The Syrian government is massing forces to push further into rebel-held territory in the country's north-west after seizing a key town and surrounding a Turkish military observation post, a war monitor said on Saturday.
The town of Khan Sheikhoun in the Idlib region fell on Wednesday after years under rebel control, and on Friday troops overran the countryside to the south, encircling a Turkish observation post there.
"The day after they controlled the area south of Khan Sheikhoun, regime forces are massing in the area north of it," said Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
They are "preparing to continue their advance towards the area of Maaret Al Numan", a town about 25 kilometres to the north, he said.
That area has come under intense Russian and regime aerial bombardment and been depleted of almost all of its residents in the past two weeks, the Observatory says.
After Khan Sheikhoun, Maaret Al Numan is the next rebel-held town on a highway running from the capital Damascus to the Syria's second city of Aleppo, which was retaken from opposition fighters in late 2016.
The Idlib region of some three million people lies on the border with Turkey. Turkish troops have been deployed at a dozen points around it in an attempt to set up a buffer zone that was part of a failed truce
brokered between Turkey and Russia last year.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed the situation in Syria with his Russian counterpart on Friday and will visit Moscow on Tuesday for talks with Vladimir Putin, the Turkish presidency said.
Meanwhile, Turkey's attempt to create a safe zone along its border with north-eastern Syria received a boost on Saturday after the US-backed forces that control the area said they would co-operate.
Mazloum Kobani, the head of the Syrian Democratic Forces led by the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, said his alliance would back the agreement reached between Washington and Ankara.
The US Central Command said late on Friday that the SDF – which expelled ISIS from their last patch of territory in eastern Syria in March – had destroyed outposts in the border area.
"This demonstrates SDF's commitment to support implementation of the security mechanism framework," Centcom said.
Turkey and the US have agreed to set up a joint operations centre to oversee the creation of the "safe zone" that Ankara says is necessary to protect it from the YPG, which it considers a terrorist group.
Little is known about its size or how it will work, but Ankara has said there would be observation posts and joint patrols.
UAE squad
Men's draw: Victor Scvortov and Khalifa Al Hosani, (both 73 kilograms), Sergiu Toma and Mihail Marchitan (90kg), Ivan Remarenco (100kg), Ahmed Al Naqbi (60kg), Musabah Al Shamsi and Ahmed Al Hosani (66kg)
Women’s draw: Maitha Al Neyadi (57kg)
More on Quran memorisation:
GAC GS8 Specs
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How it works
1) The liquid nanoclay is a mixture of water and clay that aims to convert desert land to fertile ground
2) Instead of water draining straight through the sand, it apparently helps the soil retain water
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Meatless Days
Sara Suleri, with an introduction by Kamila Shamsie
Penguin
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
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A new relationship with the old country
Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates
The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.
ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.
DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
Signed
Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed
'The Batman'
Stars:Robert Pattinson
Director:Matt Reeves
Rating: 5/5
