DAMASCUS: Daesh militants shot and killed two children during an operation to liberate a group of hostages from southern Syria that were being held by the extremist group since July, a father and activists said Friday.
Nashaat Abu Ammar, a resident of Sweida whose wife, two sons and daughter were among those being held by Daesh, said his 8-year-old son Raafat was among the two boys shot dead during the Syrian army raid to free the hostages. A 13-year-old boy, Qusay, was also killed.
“They shot him in his mother’s lap,” Abu Ammar told The Associated Press by telephone from Sweida, his voice breaking up with emotion.
State media reported Thursday evening that troops liberated the 19 women and children held by Daesh in a military operation in central Syria, triggering celebrations in Sweida. “My happiness is huge,” Abu Ammar, reached by the AP, said then.
His happiness was crushed hours later when the group of hostages arrived in Sweida. Among them was the body of Raafat and his 13-year-old cousin. His wife appeared very frail, he said, adding that the group was barely being fed to stay alive.
The 19 women and children were among 30 people kidnapped by Daesh in Sweida on July 25 when militants of the extremist group ambushed residents and went on a killing spree that left at least 216 people dead.
The rare attacks in the province, populated mainly by Syria’s minority Druze, came amid a government offensive elsewhere in the country’s south. The coordinated attacks across the province, which included several suicide bombings, shattered the calm of a region that had been largely spared from the worst of the violence of Syria’s seven-year long civil war.
Since July, one woman died in Daesh custody while another was shot dead by the extremists. In August, a 19-year-old man was also killed in detention.
Six other hostages, two women and four children, were freed in an exchange with the government last month. Negotiations were expected to free the remaining hostages but the talks failed and Syrian troops launched a broad offensive against Daesh in southern Syria.
2 killed children among liberated Syrian hostages held by Daesh
2 killed children among liberated Syrian hostages held by Daesh
- Daesh militants shot and killed two children during an operation to liberate a group of hostages from southern Syria that were being held by the extremist group since July
- Nashaat Abu Ammar said his 8-year-old son Raafat was among the two boys shot dead during the Syrian army raid to free the hostages
UAE, Egypt sign MoU in ‘significant milestone’ for Arab space cooperation
- Agreement covers joint projects and knowledge exchange in areas such as satellite technology, earth observation and space research
- Signing coincided with the African Space Agency’s headquarters opening in Cairo
DUBAI: The UAE and Egypt have signed a memorandum of understanding to boost collaboration in peaceful space activities, marking what Emirati officials described as a “significant milestone” in Arab space cooperation, state news agency WAM reported on Wednesday.
The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the 11th meeting of the Arab Space Cooperation Group and the “NewSpace Africa” conference in Cairo, with the UAE delegation led by Salem Butti Al-Qubaisi, director-general of the UAE Space Agency.
“The MoU represents a significant milestone in Arab space cooperation and reflects the UAE’s strategic vision, which sees space as a gateway to sustainable development, knowledge exchange and innovative solutions to shared challenges,” Al-Qubaisi said.
He highlighted that partnering with Egypt reinforced the UAE’s commitment to investing in people, localizing scientific expertise and developing a competitive, innovation-driven knowledge economy. He said that these goals aligned with broader regional ambitions for prosperity and stability.
The MoU establishes a long-term framework for cooperation in civil space programs, including the exchange of expertise, research and technology, and the implementation of joint projects supporting both countries’ sustainable development goals.
Planned areas of collaboration include communications technologies, satellite navigation and timing, Earth observation, remote sensing, space situational awareness, remote asset management and R&D in emerging and advanced technologies.
The UAE delegation also attended the opening ceremony of the African Space Agency’s new headquarters at Egyptian Space City, an event that drew senior officials, ministers and space-sector leaders from across Africa.
At least 12 killed overnight by Israeli strikes in Gaza
- The pre-dawn strikes hit three houses in the urban Nuseirat refugee camp
- Israel has carried out daily strikes on Gaza since ending its ceasefire with Hamas last month
At least 12 people including children were killed overnight in Gaza by Israeli strikes, hospital workers said Wednesday.
The pre-dawn strikes hit three houses in the urban Nuseirat refugee camp, according to staff at the Al-Aqsa hospital, which received the bodies. Among the dead were three children, including two brothers whose bodies arrived in pieces, according to the hospital’s morgue.
Israel has carried out daily strikes on Gaza since ending its ceasefire with Hamas last month. It has cut off the territory’s 2 million Palestinians from all imports, including food and medicine, since the beginning of March in what it says is an attempt to pressure the militant group to release hostages.
The strikes come after more than two dozen people were killed earlier this week in Gaza City and Beit Lahiya.
Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza has killed more than 52,000 Palestinians, according to the territory’s Health Ministry.
UAE arrests cell smuggling weapons to Sudanese army
- UAE Attorney-General says security forces arrested a cell involved in unauthorized trafficking of military equipment to the Sudanese Armed Forces
DUBAI: UAE security services thwarted an attempt to illegally transfer weapons and military equipment to the Sudanese Armed Forces, Emirates News Agency reported.
“The country’s security services foiled an attempt to illegally smuggle weapons and military equipment to the Sudanese Armed Forces,” read a statement on WAM.
UAE Attorney-General Hamad Saif Al-Shamsi said authorities prevented the illegal transfer of “a quantity of military equipment to the Sudanese Armed Forces following the arrest of members of a cell involved in unauthorized mediation, brokering and illicit trafficking of military equipment, without obtaining the necessary licenses.”
The statement said the defendants were arrested during an inspection of ammunition in a private aircraft at one of the country’s airports.
Authorities seized about 5 million rounds of 7.62x54mmR ammunition found on the plane.
Al-Shamsi said the investigation revealed the involvement of some Sudanese military leaders, including former intelligence chief Salah Gosh who is a political figure close to General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan. Several Sudanese businessmen were also implicated.
US official tells UN top court ‘serious concerns’ over UNRWA impartiality
THE HAGUE: A US official on Wednesday told the International Court of Justice there were “serious concerns” about the impartiality of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA.
ICJ judges are holding a week of hearings to help them formulate an advisory opinion on Israel’s obligations toward UN agencies delivering aid to Palestinians in Gaza.
“There are serious concerns about UNRWA’s impartiality, including information that Hamas has used UNRWA facilities and that UNRWA staff participated in the October 7th terrorist attack against Israel,” said Josh Simmons from the US State Department legal team.
Syrian state media says 11 dead in new clashes near Damascus
- Clashes erupted overnight between security forces and “outlaw groups” near Damascus
DAMASCUS: Syria state media said Wednesday that 11 people had been killed in clashes that erupted overnight between security forces and “outlaw groups” near Damascus.
“The number of dead after outlaw groups targeted civilians and security forces” in the Sahnaya area “has risen to 11 dead and a number of wounded,” state news agency SANA said, citing a health ministry statement, without elaborating on the identity of those killed.
