Skip to main content

Home/ CULF 3331: "Middle Eastern Revolutions"/ Group items tagged crossing

Rss Feed Group items tagged

fcastro2

Syrian aircraft bomb area near captured Jordan crossing | Reuters - 0 views

  • Syrian military aircraft bombed areas close to its main crossing into Jordan on Thursday, witnesses and a group monitoring the conflict said, hours after insurgents had captured the border post
  • Insurgents fighting the government of President Bashar al-Assad said they had seized the Nasib crossing in southern Syria late on Wednesday, putting most of 370-km (230-mile) border area stretching up to Israel in the hands of the rebels
  • weaken the regime's hold in the south and to increase the areas under our control
  • ...5 more annotations...
  • he al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front also said it had captured the crossing but rival rebels denied this and accused them of looting after the crossing fell into rebel hands.
  • Jordan closed its side of the crossing on Wednesday. A Jordanian source said on Thursday the kingdom had stepped up security and redeployed some troops to the border
  • The Syrian army, which accuses the staunch U.S. ally of harboring rebels on its soil, said the kingdom had deployed its troops inside the crossing after the rebels took control. Amman denies providing training and arms for the insurgents
  • ordan has pressured rebels in the past not to overrun the Nasib crossing so the highway could stay open to trade and traffic with Damascus
  • Nasib, one of Syria's last official border crossings, is now crucial for importing goods into a country hit hard by Western sanctions
  •  
    Tensions are rising even higher as the Syrian government take actions to regain the crossing to Jordan. This crossing was lost to the rebels not long ago and has closed an important crossing. 
fcastro2

Main Syria-Jordan Crossing Under Insurgent Assault - NYTimes.com - 0 views

  • The main border crossing between Syria and Jordan remained closed and chaotic on Friday, with insurgents
  • wrangling for control two days after they seized and looted the crucial gateway.
  • he power struggle at the Nasib crossing, coupled with Syrian government airstrikes that hit nearby on Thursday, is the latest cross-border spillover from Syria’s four-year war, and it has led to new tensions between Jordan and Syria.
  • ...7 more annotations...
  • witnesses said as many as 22 were being held either for ransom or as bargaining chips.
  • border would remain closed indefinitely until the authorities could guarantee security there.
  • The chaos on the border was a blow to Syria’s government, which lost the last crossing it had still controlled along the 230-mile border. But it could also be embarrassing for Jordan, the United States and other allies involved in a covert program to train insurgents who, they insist, are relatively nationalist and moderate.
  • admitted in an interview that some members of army-affiliated battalions had taken part in the looting, but he insisted that they had not coordinated with Nusra.
  • “I admit there was chaos and looting even by members of the Free Syrian Army, but we are working on returning some of the stolen goods and equipment,”
  • He said that factions linked to the Free Syrian Army had seized the border crossing without Nusra fighters, who rushed in later to take credit. Antigovernment activists in the area have said that a deal was made with Nusra to remain in the background.
  • Nusra and Free Syrian Army groups were controlling different parts of the complex, with a Free Syrian Army group called the Southern Falcons objecting to Nusra’s efforts to seize control of the crossing and its spoils. He said a Nusra fighter told him they were holding 22 drivers, not for ransom, but as a way to put pressure on the Free Syrian Army “to let Nusra run the whole place.
  •  
    A Syrian and Jordan border crossing has now been closed due to tensions between the "freedom fighters" and other similar groups. 
kbrisba

Tunisia reopens crossing point on border with Libya Anadolu Agency - 1 views

  •  
    Earlier this month, the residents of Ben Gardane declared a strike that led to the closure of the border crossing to demand lifting a 30 dinar tax imposed on foreigners crossing into Tunisia from Libya. Saturday Libyan vehicles crossed into Tunisia's border for the first time after the three week protest. According to the Tunisian security officials the protest was ended "swiftly" and "peacefully".
fcastro2

Turkey shuts border crossings as fighting worsens around Syria's Aleppo | Reuters - 0 views

  • Turkey has closed two border crossings with Syria as a security precaution as fighting around the northern Syrian city of Aleppo intensifies
  • crossings at Oncupinar and Cilvegozu in Turkey's southern Hatay province have been shut to vehicles and individuals crossing from Syria since Monday,
  • "Turkey has some security concerns and it is natural for measures to be taken based on the threat assessment conducted
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • Humanitarian aid will not be affected, the government official said. Syrians with passports are still allowed to cross into Syria
  • Turkey has kept its borders open to refugees since the start of Syria's civil war four years ago, but it has come under criticism for doing too little to keep foreign fighters crossing and joining militant groups including Islamic State
  • divided between government forces and insurgent groups fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad in a conflict estimated to have killed 200,000 people
  • The closure of the Turkish border posts also comes after an air strike on Sunday
  •  
    After fighting increased in Syria, Turkey decided to close dow two border crossings that lead to Syria as a precaution. Until this point, Turkey has kept its borders open to Syrian refugees and even so it still has been criticized for doing too little to stop foreign fighters from entering Syria. 
cbrock5654

Turkey to allow Peshmerga, not PKK, to enter Kobane | Middle East Eye - 0 views

  •  
    After mounting domestic and international political pressure, the Foreign Minister of Turkey Mevlut Cavusoglu announced that Turkey will allow some Kurdish forces to cross the border into Syria to fight the Islamic State in the Syrian town of Kobane. Turkey will not allow all Kurdish forces to fight, and will only allow the Peshmerga, rather than the PKK, to cross the border. "Peshmerga" is a Kurdish word for armed fighters, but more specifically refers to nationalist soldiers for an independent Kurdish state.
fcastro2

Turkey arrests 19 foreigners heading to Syria - 0 views

  • Security forces in southern Turkey have arrested 19 foreigners as they tried to enter Syria illegally
  • those arrested included a pregnant woman, one of 13 Indonesians, a French citizen, two Russians, two Libyans and someone from Kyrgyzstan
  • arrested at checkpoints established by the Turkish government along the border with Syria in an effort to stop people crossing over to join ISIS
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • Western governments and media have blamed Ankara for not doing enough to prevent the flow of foreigners into Syria
  • more than 12,500 people have been blocked from entering Turkey and that the government has deported more than 1,150 people since January
  • Turkey is doing its bit [to stop the flow into Syria] and will continue to do so
  •  
    There are still numerous foreigners attempting to enter Syria in order to join the group ISIS. Many of these foreigners attempt to go through Turkey and while some Western countries criticize Turkey on the number of people still crossing, the Prime Minister believes he is doing as much as he can. 
ralph0

PressTV-Erdogan army fighting in Syria: Assad - 0 views

  •  
    Assad is pointing the finger at Turkey and Saudi Arabia. He claims that Erdogan's forces are heavily involved in Syria, and that they are "crossing a red line." I will be curious to follow the relations between these two countries.
kevinobkirchner

Egypt says killed 26 Sinai 'terrorists' over last week | Middle East Eye - 0 views

  •  
    In the week leading up to 9/28/14 the Egyptian army has killed 26 terrorists and arrested 84 others. The operations took place mainly in and around the Sinai peninsula and include the destruction of 18 cross border tunnels between Egypt and Gaza and thwarting illegal immigration of 148 people. This was part of a larger ongoing operation against unknown militants in Sinai that rose up after the ousting of Mohamed Morsi last summer.
micklethwait

The flower men of Saudi Arabia are so violent even the police are scared to cross them ... - 0 views

  •  
    "Meet the flower men of Saudi Arabia: They've lived in a remote mountain fortresses for 2,000 years (but don't be fooled by the head-dresses - they are so violent even the police are scared of them)"
kbrisba

South Tunisia in strike over export tax and man's death - Al Jazeera English - 0 views

  •  
    Southern Tunisia lives largely off illegal cross-border trade. A strike has been staged following deadly clashes between police and demonstrators after the seizure of contraband fuel. Unions are demanding job creation schemes, the lifting of an export tax imposed on goods imposed in October. It is estimated that about 328,000 tonnes of contraband products pass through Ras Jedir annually. Smuggling was costing the Tunisian exchequer at least $675m a year.
mwrightc

ISIS Detainee Tells U.S. of Militants' Plan to Use Mustard Gas - The New York Times - 0 views

  • The Islamic State’s use of chemical weapons in Iraq and Syria has been known, but Mr. Afari’s capture has provided the United States with the opportunity to learn detailed information about the group’s secretive program, including where chemical agents were being stored and produced.
  • Mr. al-Afari was captured last month by a new Special Operations force made up primarily of Delta Force commandos shortly after they arrived in Iraq. They are the first major American combat force on the ground there since the United States pulled out of the country at the end of 2011.
  • Until recently, the United States has largely targeted Islamic State fighters with airstrikes. But the 200-member Special Operations team has been assigned to both kill and capture Islamic State operatives, the latter for use in gathering intelligence. Military officials said the team had set up safe houses and worked with Iraqi and Kurdish forces to establish informant networks and conduct raids on Islamic State leaders and other important militants.
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • Under interrogation, Mr. Afari, told his captors how the group had weaponized sulfur mustard and loaded it into artillery shells, the officials said.
  • Sleiman Daoud al-Afari
  •  
    US special forces were able to take an ISIS member into custody. Through questioning, the military men were able to learn that ISIS is now beginning to make plans to use mustard gas as a chemical weapon. The Red Cross has been identified because of the possible use of chemical weapons.
  •  
    An Islamic State detainee currently in American custody at a temporary detention facility in Erbil, Iraq, is a specialist in chemical weapons whom American military officials are questioning about the militant Sunni group's plans to use the banned substances in Iraq and Syria, Defense officials said. The member of ISIS who is probably dead at this point reports say, told the miltants that they were planning on using mustard gas with upcoming attacks planned.
ccfuentez

Inside Mali's human-trafficking underworld in Gao - BBC News - 0 views

  • When the next truck is ready to head out into the desert, the containers will be filled with water and given to the dozen migrants.Each has paid up to $400 (£270) for the uncertain ride to Algeria.
  • I reckon the migrants have a 10% chance of reaching where they want to go. But the way I see it, it's their choice,'' says Moussa, a 26-year-old ''coaxer''.
  • "He was given $800 or $1,000. And now he is facing going back without a penny. It's shameful. It's enough to drive you mad."
  •  
    Human trafficking is the only way some people are able to leave their African country and make it to Europe. People leave with all of their savings in an attempt to cross the desert for a better life, but only have a 10% chance of having a successful journey.
atownen

UN says EU-Turkey refugee deal would violate law - AJE News - 0 views

  •  
    UN says the deal between the EU and Turkey regarding Syria's refugees would not be "consistent with European law" and is not consistent with International law. Turkey offered to take back all refugees and migrants who cross into Europe from its soil in return for more money, quicker visa travel for Turkish peoples, and faster EU membership talks.
fcastro2

France, Britain dismiss calls to renew relations with Syria's Assad | Reuters - 0 views

  • France and Britain dismissed on Friday any suggestion of restoring relations with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, saying this would likely end all hope of a political transition and push moderates into the arms of radical Islamist groups.
  • With the rise of Islamic State insurgents, some European |Union member states are critical of the position in Paris and London and say it might be time to re-establish communication with Damascus given that a four-year-old revolt has failed to overthrow Assad
  • "In reality, Bashar represents injustice, chaos and terror. We, France and Britain, say no to all three
  • ...7 more annotations...
  • the French and British foreign ministers hit back at those who sought a rapprochement with Assad by saying he was using the fear of Islamic State, which has seized wide areas of northern and eastern Syria, to win back international support
  • countries would have to work with Assad to defeat Islamic State, while the U.N. envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said earlier this month that Assad must be part of the solution for defusing the conflict in Syria
  • This week a four-man cross-party delegation of French parliamentarians traveled to Syria and some met with Assad, and triggering a national debate on the issue
  • An initially peaceful street uprising against Assad has spiraled into a civil war that has seen a level of suffering some diplomats see as justifying contacts with Damascus in pursuit of a political solution
  • Britain and France see Assad's departure as a precondition of peace negotiations but the collapse of his government has become less likely as the war grinds on inconclusively
  • For our own security, we must defeat Islamic State in Syria. We need a partner that can act against extremists. We need a negotiated political settlement
  • compromise would be needed between elements of the existing government and relatively moderate opponents of Assad.
  •  
    Both Britain and France have shunned Syrian President Assad in their quest to fight terrorism. They oppose all that the Syrian government stands for and this is why they will continue to dismiss the Syrian government and any ties with them. 
nfyffe

Iran forces kill PJAK terrorists: Cmdr. - 2 views

  •  
    Iranian military troops have killed a number of terrorists from the so-called Party for Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK) group seeking to cross the western borders into the country, a senior Iranian commander says.
nfyffe

Turkey to let Iraqi Kurds join Kobane battle - 3 views

  •  
    Turkey has said it will allow Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga fighters to cross its borders and join Syrian Kurdish forces battling the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in the Syrian town of Kobane. The reported shift in Turkish policy came after a phone call between US President Barack Obama and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
jreyesc

ISIS plotting Trojan Horse campaign by smuggling militants into western Europ... - 0 views

  • ISIS is plotting to smuggle militants into Western Europe disguised as refugees so that they can launch devastating terror attacks
  • Relaxed border controls would allow IS militants to blend in with the thousands of genuine refugees spilling over the border in search of safety
  • ISIS was moving away from plans to conduct aircraft hijackings for fear of tight security - and that they were looking to land a new strategy.
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • Because hundreds of refugees cross the Syrian-Turkish border every day, the jihadists have a good chance of remaining unnoticed in the crowds.
  • Kobane is a town of key strategic importance to both ISIS and the Kurdish resistance due to its close proximity to the largely porous Turkish border. 
  •  
    Members of the Islamic State are being smuggled into Western Europe to plan attacks there. This is a very being problem because of what could happen if they enters these countries. According to the US intelligence sources, this is going to be very hard to control since they mix in with the refugees as well as they carry fake European passaports.
alarsso

SNC chief reassures minorities on post-Assad Syria - Your Middle East - 0 views

  • "A future Syria will be pluralist, middle-class and democratic," Abdel Basset Sayda told German radio and television network Deutsche Welle.
  • We want to reassure all people,"
  • We see this as a national necessity."
  • ...8 more annotations...
  • Syria's Muslim Brotherhood, a key opponent of Assad's
  • regime
  • "There will be no room for ideological, nationalist or religious extremism."
  • vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on Syria
  • Western nations calling for sanctions against Assad,
  • The Syrian National Council
  • "We have a concrete plan and keep contact with all opposition groups inside and outside Syria.
  • Syrian forces launched an all-out assault on opposition strongholds in Damascus Friday, a day after rebels seized crossings on the Iraqi and Turkish borders on the 16-month conflict's deadliest day so far.
1 - 20 of 32 Next ›
Showing 20 items per page