Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of ex-Libyan leader, reportedly shot dead

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Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of late Libyan dictator Moamer Gaddafi, was killed on Tuesday, his political office has said. Saif al-Islam was killed in a “treacherous and cowardly” act, in which four masked men stormed his residence in the western Libyan city of Zintan, the office said. His lawyer Khaled al-Zaidi confirmed to dpa that Saif al-Islam Gaddafi was “assassinated at his home.” The al-Arabiya news channel reported that the 53-year-old was shot dead in the garden of his residence in Zintan, citing sources close to the Gaddafi family. Saif al-Islam was the second-eldest son of the long-time Libyan leader, who ruled the North African country for more than four decades. Before his father’s overthrow and death in 2011, al-Islam led a reform project aimed at modernizing the country politically and bringing it closer to the West. Many of these efforts were soon reversed in order not to upset the balance of power in his father’s government. Gaddafi’s death followed months of m...
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Syrian state forces deploy in Kurdish-run city under ceasefire deal

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By Khalil Ashawi and Firas Makdesi Reuters

Syrian government security forces deployed in a Kurdish-controlled city in the northeast on Monday, a first step towards implementing a U.S.-backed ceasefire deal that foresees the Kurdish-run regions being merged with Damascus.

The deal, declared on ​Friday, staved off the prospect of further confrontation between President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which lost swathes of ‌eastern and northern Syria to government troops in January.

Reuters journalists saw a convoy of more than 30 interior ministry vehicles begin moving towards the ethnically-mixed city of Hasakah from its outskirts in the ‌early afternoon. Sources in the city said they entered shortly afterwards.

Members of the Kurdish Asayish security force observed as the convoy entered the city.

Government forces are expected to be stationed in Syrian state buildings in Hasakah’s so-called “security zone”, a Syrian official and a Kurdish security source told Reuters ahead of the deployment.

The accord declared on Friday foresees a phased integration of Kurdish fighters with government forces. The United States has hailed the agreement as a historic milestone towards unity and reconciliation after 14 years ⁠of civil war.

The SDF was once Washington’s main Syrian ally, ‌playing a vital part in the fight against Islamic State militants.

But its status weakened as President Donald Trump built ties with Sharaa, a former al Qaeda commander who has now brought almost all of Syria back under the authority of Damascus.

The ‍deal announced on Friday includes the formation of a military division that will include three SDF brigades, in addition to a brigade for forces in the SDF-held town of Kobani, also known as Ain al-Arab, which will be affiliated to the state-controlled governorate of Aleppo.

A convoy of 20 aid trucks entered Ain al-Arab, state-run Ekhbariya TV reported.

The deal also provides ​for governing bodies in SDF-held areas to be merged with state institutions.

The Syrian state news agency SANA reported that interior ministry forces had begun deploying in ‌rural areas near Ain al-Arab on Monday.

Since rebels toppled President Bashar al-Assad 14 months ago, Sharaa’s efforts to bring the fractured nation under central rule have been complicated by deadly violence last year against Alawites and Druze, fuelling suspicion of his rule among minority communities despite his promises to protect them.

ANALYST SEES GAPS OVER INTEGRATION

SDF commander Mazloum Abdi, in comments to Kurdish broadcaster Ronahi published on Saturday, said there was an agreement on a limited number of government security forces entering the security zones of both Hasakah and Qamishli, another SDF-held city on the Turkish border.

Their mission would be only administrative, to follow up on the process ⁠of the integration of the Asayish, he said.

Abdi said government forces would not enter Kurdish ​villages and cities, adding that their administration would remain in the hands of their residents and ​local forces.

Nawar Rahawi, director of the government-affiliated Hasakah media centre, told Reuters that some 125 to 150 members of the security forces had entered Hasakah on Monday, and another 15 to 20 vehicles would enter on Tuesday if the entry goes smoothly.

“If things go ‍smoothly, as all Syrians hope, the process ⁠of integrating the Syrian Democratic Forces with the Syrian government forces will begin,” he said.

But Noah Bonsey, a senior adviser with the International Crisis Group think-tank, said statements from both sides since Friday indicated gaps over how the integration of the SDF and Kurdish-run governing bodies in the ⁠northeast will pan out.

“What the practical details of integration look like will determine what continuing role SDF elements play on the ground, how much autonomy they retain, and how significant and extensive ‌government command and control is,” he said.



from The Times Of Earth https://ift.tt/FBcQeG3

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