Syrian minister: we are ready to negotiate with Kurds

Qamishlo: War-torn Syria’s information minister said that the government is ready to negotiate with the country’s Kurds, who have declared autonomy in the north, referring to them as a “major partner” in the fight against Islamic State (IS). “Kurds are part of the Syrian nation. We are ready to negotiate with the Kurds as a part of the local administrative body inside Syria’s borders,” minister Omran al- Zoubi said in an interview broadcast Friday by state television. “Kurds are a major partner in the fight against ISIS, a threat we are facing together,” he added. “We are ready to negotiate with Kurds under the Syrian national law and regulations.” The minister’s comments coincided with municipal elections by the autonomous government in Syrian Kurdistan, or Rojava, on Friday. Voters in the three cantons of Jazeera, Afrin and Kobani are voting for representatives for local governments. According to reports from the Rojava Independent High Electoral Commission, some Syrian media outlets have published misleading times and locations for the elections, with the aim of dampening voter turnout…rudaw.net | Ekurd.net

74 Islamic State militants killed in Kobani and Tel Temir

YPG (People’s Defense Units) Press Centre reported in a written statement that 74 Islamic State group (IS) militants were killed in clashes in Tel Temir and Kobani. 5 Kurdish YPG/YPJ fighters have also lost their lives. YPG said that IS militants continued their attacks on and around Tel Temir during Thursday night after reinforcing their units with more groups of fighters, mostly foreigners, and heavy weapons brought in from various parts of Iraq such as Raqqa, Aleppo and Hol. The statement said that Defense Units inflicted severe blows on the IS militants by giving a strong response to the attacks with tanks and heavy weapons they carried out against Menacir village and surrounding areas to the west of Tel Temir. All the attacks of the IS were repelled and 34 jihadi militants were killed in clashes that lasted all day long, YPG said. The statement said that one fighter of the Defense Units has been martyred in short-lasting clashes at various points around Tel Temir Thursday night…anfenglish.com | Ekurd.net

Syria plunged into darkness: Satellite images show how 83% of lights have gone out

Satellite images highlight the devastation caused by four years of conflict in Syria, with most of the country now plunged into darkness. Eighty-three per cent of the lights have gone out in Syria as a humanitarian crisis continues to grip the country, according to scientists at the Wuhan University in China. In Aleppo, one of the cities hardest hit by civil war and Isis’s insurgency, a staggering 93 per cent of the city is now in the dark. The research was conducted by academics in co-operation with the WithSyria coalition of 130 non-governmental organisations. Eleven million civilians have been displaced by a conflict that has killed 200,000 more. An estimated 75,000 people died in 2014 – the bloodiest year since fighting broke out in 2011. A third of refugees remain internally displaced while others have fled to Turkey, Syria, Jordan and Egypt…independent.co.uk

Municipal elections called off in Syrian Tel Tamir because of IS fighting

Qamishli: Friday’s municipal elections were postponed in Tel Tamir because of fighting between Islamic State group (IS) militants and Kurdish forces that Syrian Kurdistan (northern Syria), an election official said. No new date has been set for Tel Tamir to elect candidates for municipal posts, said Ezadin Farhan, co-leader of the Independent High Electoral Commission. The cantons of Afrin, Jazeera and Kobani in Syria’s Kurdish regions, Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava), are electing representatives in municipal polls on Friday. IS fighters showered mortars on Tal Tamir Thursday, as they tried to fight off an offensive on a village south of the predominantly Syrian-Kurdish town by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG). The YPG launched a military operation two weeks ago to push ISIS out of the town of Tal Hamis, which is near Tal Tamir, in the canton of Cizire…rudaw.net | Ekurd.net

Comments

Comments