Reported troop entry into Manbij comes after Kurdish YPG asked for government help in preventing a ‘Turkish invasion’.

Syria’s army says it has entered the flashpoint city of Manbij, according to state media, after the country’s main Kurdish armed group invited government forces to take control of the northern area and protect it from a threatened Turkish offensive.

State-run Sana news agency said the army raised Syria’s flag in Manbij on Friday. 

It also pledged to guarantee “full security for all Syrian citizens and others present in the area”, according to Saba.

However, Reporter Mohammed Adow, reporting from Gaziantep on the Turkish border, said residents of Manbij dispute the Syrian army’s claim. 

“Manbij residents who we spoke to have said that they have not seen any sign of Syrian forces in their city but what we know is that Syrian government troops have already been on the outskirts of the city, where they were part of an international coalition that is fighting remnants of ISIL,” he said. 

The military declaration came moments after the People’s Protection Unit, or YPG, made an appeal to President Bashar al-Assad’s government to prevent a “Turkish invasion”.

Turkey, which views the YPG as a “terrorist” group, had threatened a military operation against Manbij to remove the Kurdish-led forces there. Turkey and its allied fighters have been amassing troops around the city in recent days.

Our correspondent said the YPG’s appeal was a “tactic by its fighters to avoid confrontation with the Turkish forces who they of course know they are no match for”.

The Turkish threats triggered the US announcement it would withdraw troops from Syria. A timetable for the withdrawal has not yet been made public.

But the surprise US decision rattled allies and the US Syrian Kurdish partners, who scrambled to find new allies to protect their Kurdish-administered areas in northern Syria.

Assad’s government has said it welcomes the Kurdish group returning under its authority.

But government officials have stated they will not consider an autonomous area, a main demand for the Kurds.

There was no immediate response from Turkey or the US.

Russia welcomed the Syrian army’s entry into Manbij.

“Of course, this will help in stabilising the situation. The enlargement of the zone under the control of government forces… is without doubt a positive trend,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Sami Nader, director of the Levant Institute for Strategic Studies, said Syrian troop entry into Manbij, if confirmed, was a “significant development”. 

“It is a solution all regional powers can accept because Turkey doesn’t want US troops in Manbij, while the other players don’t want Turkish troops there,” he told media from Beirut. 

Aljazeera

Nasheman News : An earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale rocked Indonesia’s Papua Barat province on Friday, officials said. There was, however, no report of any casualty.

The earthquake had an epicentre of 26 km under Manokwari town, but no tsunami warning was issued, Xinhua news agency quoted an meteorology official as saying.

No major damage or casualty has been reported, Indonesia’s national disaster management agency spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.

“The tremors only triggered panic, people were rushing outside their houses. The jolts were strongly felt for five minutes,” added.

This comes days after a tsunami struck the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra on December 22, shortly after the Anak Krakatau volcano erupted in the Sunda Strait. At least 430 people were killed after the volcanic eruption triggered a massive tsunami. 

Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of great seismic and volcanic activity.

Nasheman News : The Syrian air defences were triggered on Tuesday evening to a heavy Israeli missile attack that targeted areas in the countryside of the capital Damascus, media reported.

The Israeli attack was carried out from inside the Lebanese airspace, said the state TV, adding that the air defences have intercepted a number of missiles, some of which were intercepted while over Lebanon.

The residents in Damascus heard a series of explosions in the capital and saw the flaring air defence missiles chasing targets in the sky, Xinhua news agency reported.

Meanwhile, Lebanese reports said Israeli warplanes infiltrated the Lebanese airspace on Tuesday evening at the time of the attack.

The official media outlets haven’t given details about the targeted sites, but said the air defences were responding to the attack over the western countryside of Damascus.

For its side, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said that the Israeli missile attack targeted areas in the western and southwestern countryside of Damascus.

It said a number of missiles hit three targets, which it claimed are weapon depots that belong to the Lebanese Hezbollah group.

The Israeli attack is the latest in a string of missiles strikes targeting Syrian positions throughout the crisis over the pretext that they are targeting positions of Iranian-backed forces and allied Hezbollah fighters.

The last attack was late last month and targeted military positions in the town of Kisweh in the western countryside of Damascus.

In September, Moscow equipped Damascus with the S-300 air defence missile system, but local reports said that this advanced system hasn’t been used yet.

Nasheman News : At least 28 civilians, one police officer and three attackers were killed after a deadly explosion and ensuing gun firing rocked a government office near a diplomatic district in Afghan capital on Monday, spokesman of Ministry of Interior Affairs said on Tuesday.

Around 20 people, including three policemen, were also wounded. Figures about the casualties may change, spokesman Najib Danish said in a brief message sent to the media, Xinhua news agency reported.

The latest information found that 357 people were rescued by the Afghan Special Operations Forces from the targeted building, he said.

The attack occurred on Monday afternoon when a suicide bomber detonated a car bomb outside the targeted office, which provides service to family members of soldiers and ordinary people who lost their lives during the war or terrorist attacks.

At least two gunmen made their way inside the building after the blast, spreading bullets on the people inside before security forces’ arrival.

The attack occurred in Makruyan-e-Awal locality near Shashdarak, where several foreign embassies located.

The area also gives home to several apartment buildings and several government offices, including Afghan Ministry of Public Works.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.

NIndian firm India Ports Global Limited on Monday took over the operations of the Shaheed Behesti Port at Chabahar on the southeastern coast of Iran, being jointly developed by India, Iran and Afghanistan.

The company opened its office following the first meeting of the follow-up committee for implementation of the trilateral Chabahar Agreement between India, Afghanistan and Iran at the level of Joint Secretary/ Director General, said a statement issued by the External Affairs Ministry.

“Positive and constructive discussions were held between the three sides on full operationalisation of the Trilateral Transit Agreement for international transit and transport through the Chabahar port,” the statement said.

“They agreed on the routes for the trade and transit corridors between the three countries,” it said.

“It was agreed to finalise at the earliest the protocol to harmonise transit, roads, customs, and consular matters.

“It was agreed to allow cargo movement at Chabahar using TIR Convention provisions.”

The Convention on International Transport of Goods Under Cover of TIR Carnets (TIR Convention) is a multilateral treaty aimed at simplifying and harmonising the administrative formalities of international road transport.

TIR stands for “Transports Internationaux Routiers” or ‘International Road Transports.’

According to the ministry statement, during Monday’s meeting, it was decided to hold an event to promote and popularise the potential of Chabahar on February 26, 2019.

“Also, a study would be initiated for determining measures to make the route attractive, decrease logistic costs and pave the way for smooth operationalisation of the Chabahar Agreement,” it stated.

India is investing $500 million to develop the Chabahar port and a road link from there to Afghanistan to give access to that country, bypassing Pakistan.

The port is also a key link in the International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC), a 7,200-km-long multi-modal network of ship, rail and road routes to move freight between India, Iran, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Central Asia and Europe.

Last month, the US waived India from its fresh sanctions on Iran’s oil imports and development of the crucial Chabahar port.

Despite President Donald Trump’s animosity towards Iran, the US had to give the exemption to Chabahar to enable Indian assistance to reach Afghanistan, where Washington is mired in a 17-year war against the Taliban, the Al Qaeda and their allies.

Without access to Chabahar, Afghanistan would be forced to depend solely on Pakistan for a sea passage.

The US has pulled out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) that Tehran had signed with the five permanent members (P5) of the UN Security Council, Germany and the European Union and imposed the new sanctions on Iran over its alleged nuclear programme.

Nasheman News : A “resurgent” Al Qaeda is looking to carry out terror attacks on passenger planes and airports, UK Security Minister Ben Wallace has warned following the widespread chaos at the country’s Gatwick Airport over multiple drone sightings that triggered security concerns and led to numerous flight cancellations.

In an interview with British newspaper The Sunday Times, Wallace said Al Qaeda — the group behind the World Trade Centre attacks that killed almost 3,000 people in the US on September 11, 2001 — “still aspires for aviation attacks” and was developing technology to bring down airliners.

“The aviation threat is real. Al Qaeda have reorganized. They are pushing more and more plots towards Europe and have become familiar with the new methods,” he said.

The rise of the Islamic State overshadowed the Al Qaeda threat in recent years — particularly after its most prominent leader, Osama bin Laden, was taken down by the US forces in Pakistan’s Abbottabad in 2011.

But Wallace said the danger had never truly diminished. “Al Qaeda sat quietly in the corner and tried to work out what the 21st century looked like while IS became the latest terrorist boy band.” 

“But they have not gone away,” he said.

Al Qaeda and its affiliates are now active in Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen, Libya and other countries in the Middle East under a new generation of leaders. Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden’s former deputy, is still its spiritual head.

Wallace said improvements in airport security meant terrorists were less likely to smuggle explosive through terminal security systems.

“They have explored other ways of getting bombs on planes. We’ve talked publicly about an insider threat issue. If you can’t get in the front door, you’re going to try to get in the back door,” he told the Times.

Wallace said British intelligence chiefs were concerned about US President Donald Tump’s decision to pull out troops from Syria and said that it will create a “new safe haven for Islamists to launch attacks on the West”.

Wallace’s statements came amid several drone sightings at Gatwick Airport over the weekend that triggered a security concern and led dozens of flights to be cancelled.

However, according to the British authorities the incident was not terror-related.

New departments to be formed to ensure operations are in line with national security policy and human rights law.2 hours ago

Saudi Arabia has said it is creating government bodies to boost oversight of its intelligence operations, in the wake of international outrage over journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder.
     
The kingdom has said Khashoggi was killed inside its Istanbul consulate on October 2 in a “rogue operation” led by the then Deputy Intelligence Chief Ahmad al-Assiri and Royal Court Adviser Saud al-Qahtani, both of whom have been sacked.
     
King Salman subsequently ordered a restructuring of the main intelligence agency under the supervision of his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), who has faced global criticism over the journalist’s murder even though the government denies he was involved.
     
A committee headed by the prince has approved the creation of three departments to ensure intelligence operations are in line with the national security policy, international human rights law and “approved procedures”, the official Saudi Press Agency said on Thursday.
     
The statement made no mention of Khashoggi.

Bessma Momani, professor of political science at the University of Waterloo, said the modifications were an attempt to shift attention away from the crown prince.

“I think the optics of reform are clear,” she told Al Jazeera. “The message being portrayed here is that there are checks and balances in the system, that there is oversight, but frankly is doesn’t really address a bigger cloud hanging over the crown prince, that he was implicated in ordering this murder of Khashoggi.

“The key issue doesn’t go away, but I think the cosmetic restructuring is meant to try and deflect attention.”

“The idea here is that these three departments are going to be overseen by this committee, and this committee is going to be the crown prince. It really is, I think, quite difficult to see it as a genuine effort.”

The intense global backlash over Khashoggi’s killing has tarnished the prince’s international reputation and left the oil-rich kingdom diplomatically weakened, analysts say.
     
It has also cast a fresh spotlight on the Saudi-led conflict in Yemen, which is gripped by what the United Nations describes as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
     
The US Senate voted last week to end American military support for Riyadh’s military campaign in Yemen, and separately held Prince Mohammed responsible for Khashoggi’s killing.
     
Earlier this week, Saudi Arabia slammed the Senate resolutions as “blatant interference”, warning that the move could have repercussions on its strategic ties with Washington.

Canberra, Australian Border Force (ABF) staff are regularly subjected to sexual harassment and bullying at work, an internal review has found.

The 2017 review of ABF culture, published by the Guardian Australia on Friday, uncovered “alarming levels of sexual harassment and bullying” within the organization, Xinhua news agency reported.

It revealed that the ABF was fostering a culture of nepotism and favouritism since it was established as an amalgamation of customs and immigration in 2015.

The report concluded that women, older employees, people with disabilities and ethnically diverse people were being unconsciously discriminated against at the ABF.

A separate report published by Fairfax Media earlier in December revealed that 22 per cent of ABF staff said they had experienced bullying or harassment at work in a 12-month period.

New Delhi,India has made it clear that Pakistan has no say whatsoever on Jinnah House, the sea-facing bungalow in Mumbai of founder of Pakistan Muhammad Ali which is in the process of being turned into a cultural and convention centre.

“Pakistan is not in the picture,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said on Thursday in response to a question at a media briefing. 

“They have no locus standi as far as this property is concerned,” Kumar said. “It is a government of India property.”

His remarks came after the Pakistan Foreign Office earlier in the day said that Islamabad would not relinquish its claim over the property.

Jinnah’s daughter Dina Wadia had moved the Bombay High Court in August 2007 claiming ownership of the property on the ground that she was sole legal heir of Jinnah.

After she passed away in December last year, her son and Wadia group chairman Nusli Wadia is carrying on the litigation process. 

“We are actually in the process of renovating it and putting it to effective use on the lines of what we do with Hyderabad House in New Delhi,” Kumar said.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, in a letter to Mumbai BJP legislator Mangal Prabhat Lodha, said that the Prime Minister’s Office has approved the property to be transferred to her ministry.

[Nasheman news] Washington The Donald Trump-led US administration announced that it has started returning US troops home from Syria after claiming a victory in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) without revealing any detailed timetable.

“We have started returning US home as we transition to the next phase of this campaign,” said White House Spokesperson Sarah Sanders in a statement on Wednesday, claiming that America has “defeated the territorial caliphate”. 

Pentagon later echoed the White House claim, saying that the US military has already begun the process of bringing the US forces back while emphasizing the continuity of the campaign, Xinhua news agency reported.

“The Coalition has liberated the IS-held territory, but the campaign against IS is not over,” Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said in a tweet. 

All US State Department personnel are being evacuated from Syria within 24 hours, informed sources said. 

An official also revealed that the time-frame for the troops withdrawal from the war-torn Arab country is expected to be between 60 and 100 days.

However, a senior Trump administration official, during a background briefing held on Wednesday afternoon, did not directly answer reporters’ questions on how the administration intends to withdraw the troops or whether there will a deadline for that.

Sanders’ statement came about one hour after US President Donald Trump hinted in a tweet about imminent US troop withdrawal from Syria. 

“We have defeated the IS in Syria, my only reason for being there during the Trump Presidency,” Trump tweeted on Wednesday morning. 

Earlier on Wednesday, the US media cited anonymous officials as saying that the US is planning a “rapid” and “full” withdrawal of troops from Syria. 

Currently, there are more than 2,000 US soldiers deployed in Syria. 

Trump has long voiced his desire to bring the US troops back home when possible, while senior administration officials including Defence Secretary James Mattis have advocated for a longer-term military deployment in Syria to secure a victory against the IS. 

Meanwhile, the Trump administration’s claim about victory against the IS has been questioned.

“I strongly disagree. It has morphed into other forms of extremism and the threat is very much alive,” tweeted British Defence Minister Tobias Ellwood, following Trump’s claim on the social media. 

Senior Republican Senator Lindsey Graham warned “devastating consequences” for US troops quitting Syria.

“An American withdrawal at this time would be a big win for IS, Iran, Bashar al Assad of Syria, and Russia,” the lawmaker from the state of South Carolina said in a statement on Wednesday.