Bashar Assad Archives

US eases restrictions on aid for new Syrian government

January 6, 2025

The U.S. is easing its restrictions on aid to the rebel groups now governing Syria. It’s a step toward support for the Islamist rebels leading the country.

But it’s also a sign of caution from the U.S. as they wait to see whether the government will keep its promises to protect the rights of women and ethnic minorities.

The Treasury Department issued waivers on Monday, Jan. 6, allowing electricity, oil and gas into Syria for six months.

The U.S. tightened sanctions on Syria during the country’s 13-year civil war, which ended with last month’s rebel victory.

The Wall Street Journal spoke to a senior U.S. diplomat who said Syria will stay on the state sponsors of terrorism list. The diplomat added that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the group leading the new government, will also stay on the U.S. list of terrorist organizations.

It echoes what President Joe Biden said about the group after they first toppled President Bashar Assad last month.

“Make no mistake, some of the rebel groups that took down Assad have their own grim record of terrorism and human rights abuses,” President Biden said on Dec. 8. “We’ve taken note of statements by the leaders of these rebel groups in recent days. And they are saying the right things now. But as they take on greater responsibility, we will assess not just their words, but their actions.”

This isn’t the U.S. government’s first move toward easing restrictions on its new Syrian counterpart. The U.S. removed a $10 million bounty on the leader of HTS, which it had issued because of the group’s early links to Al-Qaeda.

US precision strike in Syria: 2 ISIS operatives killed, weapons destroyed

December 24, 2024

The U.S. military conducted a precision airstrike in Syria’s Dayr az Zawr Province on Monday, Dec. 23, killing two ISIS operatives and wounding a third. The operation also destroyed a truckload of weapons the group was transporting. The strike occurred in an area previously under the control of Syrian and Russian forces.

This airstrike is part of an ongoing U.S. effort to disrupt ISIS operations and prevent the terror group from regaining strength. It follows a series of recent strikes in the same region, including one last week that killed ISIS leader Abu Yusif and another operative. In total, U.S. forces report eliminating 12 ISIS operatives in Syria over the past week.

CENTCOM Commander General Michael Erik Kurilla underscored the importance of these actions, particularly as ISIS attempts to reorganize and free more than 8,000 of its members currently held in detention facilities. He emphasized that the U.S., in coordination with regional allies, remains committed to preventing ISIS from regaining strength or planning future attacks.

These operations are part of Operation Inherent Resolve, a coalition campaign against ISIS that began in 2014. According to Airwars.org, the coalition has conducted approximately 35,000 airstrikes across Iraq and Syria over the past decade, nearly 20,000 of which targeted ISIS positions and infrastructure in Syria.

While these efforts have significantly weakened ISIS and led to the loss of nearly all its territorial control, U.S. officials warn that the group remains a persistent threat.

At least 100,000 corpses believed to be killed under Assad regime found in Syria

December 17, 2024

The Syrian Emergency Task Force, a U.S.-based anti-Assad advocacy group announced on Monday, Dec. 16, the discovery of a mass grave just north of Damascus filled with at least 100,000 corpses killed by former Syrian dictator Bashar Assad’s government. Mouaz Moustafa, the head of the advocacy group, said it’s just one of five mass graves he’s found over the years.

Moustafa said he believes 100,000 corpses is “the most conservative estimate,” alleging that there are likely more mass graves than the five sites. He also said these include the remains of U.S., British and other foreign citizens.

Moustafa told Reuters the evidence is based on the testimonies of workers who escaped Syria, accusing the intelligence branch of the Syrian air force of being in charge of transporting the bodies to mass graves after the victims died from torture.

The advocacy group also said the grave sites are unsecured and need to be preserved for evidence in future investigations.

Assad is reportedly estimated to have killed hundreds of thousands of Syrians since 2011. The regime launched a crackdown on protests against his rule, which eventually grew into a civil war.

Assad, who escaped to Moscow, denied any allegations of human rights violations. The Assad family ruled Syria for nearly 60 y ears and is accused of torture and mass executions of prisoners.

US urges American citizens to leave Syria amid violence and terrorism

December 16, 2024

The United States urged Americans in Syria to leave the country on Monday, Dec. 16, after the fall of the Assad regime earlier this month. The U.S. government warned the situation in Syria has become “volatile” and “unpredictable” with acts of violence and “terrorism” in the aftermath of a bloody civil war.

The U.S. instructed citizens unable to get out to “be prepared to shelter in place” for long periods. Officials added the U.S. government can “not provide any routine or emergency consular services to U.S. citizens in Syria.”

The United States also noted the U.S. Embassy in Damascus suspended its operations in 2012 and advised American citizens to contact the “U.S. Embassy in the country they plan to enter.”

Dictator Bashar Assad’s rule ended just over a week ago. He has been reportedly granted asylum in Moscow after he was overthrown by Syrian rebels.

The warning to Americans also comes as a more widespread conflict plays out.

Israeli airstrikes targeting missile warehouses along Syria’s coast rocked the region on Monday in what officials called the “most violent strikes” in more than a decade.

While rebels control much of Syria, the territory remains divided among different militant groups backed by foreign countries, including the United States and Turkey.

Syrian rebels find drug stockpile tying Assad regime to black market trade

December 13, 2024

Days after the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria, more information is coming out about how the regime used the sale of drugs, particularly one found on the black market. Syrian rebels discovered millions of pills of Captagon, a banned drug previously prescribed for ADHD and narcolepsy.

The drug, known for its effects on increasing focus and energy, is one of the most common illicit drugs in Syria and the Middle East region.

A fighter with Syria’s ruling Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebel group said the factory was linked to the former president’s brother and has been accused of being a kingpin in the black-market Captagon trade.

The drug was a huge part of Syria’s economy, bringing in billions for the fallen regime.

A 2022 investigation by the French outlet AFP found Syria to be the world’s largest narco state, with Captagon becoming its largest export, more so than all of its legal exports combined.

An HTS fighter said the rebels burned the supplies they found, citing the harm of the drug to the Syrian public.

However, experts on illicit drugs say even when authorities crack down on manufacturing, other ones pop up shortly thereafter. That means that the destruction of the newly discovered haul will probably only disrupt the market for Captagon for a short time.

Former Syrian guard indicted on torture charges in US

December 13, 2024

A former Syrian guard faces torture charges nearly 20 years after his alleged crimes. U.S. prosecutors called the allegations “chilling” and “heinous.”

Samir Ousman Alsheikh moved to the U.S. in 2020 and lived in South Carolina. Documents from the indictment said the former prison guard led the Damascus Central Prison before migrating to America.

A federal grand jury indicted the 72-year-old Thursday for allegedly torturing prisoners who opposed former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Allegations against Alsheikh

These allegations date back to 2005 when U.S. officials said Alsheikh had a hand in causing “severe physical and mental pain.”

Over three years, he allegedly sent prisoners to Adra Prison’s “Punishment Wing,” where guards inflicted abuse. Documents said guards beat prisoners while their bodies hung from the ceiling. Sometimes, guards used a torture device to fold prisoner bodies in half at the waist, possibly fracturing spines.

The Justice Department said these charges prove the U.S. will not allow war criminals to escape accountability.

“The victims of such violent treatment continue to suffer long after the physical acts of torture have ceased,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

Authorities arrested Alsheikh at the Los Angeles airport for separate charges.

Prosecutors said Alsheikh hid his previous employment as a prison guard when applying for U.S. citizenship and a green card.

Assad regime falls

The charges come after Syrian rebels overturned Assad’s government and condemned the years of torture thousands faced while imprisoned.

If convicted, Alsheikh could spend up to 50 years in prison for multiple counts of torture, immigration fraud and conspiracy to commit torture.

In a statement, Alsheikh’s lawyers denied the charges, calling them false and politically motivated.

Missing American freed from Syrian prison after 7 months

December 12, 2024

A Missouri man reported missing in Hungary has been found. The American said he spent months in a Syrian prison and he’s not in a rush to get back home.

Travis Timmerman said he’s on a mission from his Lord and his imprisonment made him stronger. Timmerman reappeared in Syria on Thursday, Dec. 12, reportedly walking the streets barefoot.

A video emerged overnight, capturing the missing man just days after thousands of people were released from Syrian prisons amid the fall of President Bashar Assad. In the video, Timmerman could be seen eating and telling the person behind the camera his name and where he’s from.

Timmerman’s identity was originally mistaken for missing American journalist Austin Tice, who has been held by Syria since 2012.

The 29-year-old was in Europe before he started a Christian pilgrimage and attempted to cross in Damascus. Timmerman said he was detained by officials for seven months.

“I entered the Syrian border illegally,” Timmerman said. “I crossed the mountains between Lebanon and Syria and I was living in that mountain for three days and three nights without food or water.”

When Timmerman recounted his imprisonment, he said he was well fed and always had water. He said for him, the time in a cell made him stronger.

“I was never beaten, the only really bad part was that I couldn’t go to the bathroom when I wanted to,” Timmerman told CBS News. “I was only let out three times a day to go to the bathroom.”

Rebel forces broke into the prison where Timmerman was held. He said his cell door was broken down. Once freed, Timmerman said he slept outside and walked barefoot for a few days trying to make his way out of the country.

On Thursday, Timmerman was surrounded by reporters after being spotted. As they circled around the newly-found American, he told them he’s not a journalist.

Help was offered repeatedly, but Timmerman said he wants to stay.

“No, I’m OK for right now,” he said.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken commented on Timmerman being found. He said the United States is working to bring back an American citizen that was found. Blinken said he can’t provide details, but the government is trying to get him out of Syria.

Missing person reports were put out by Missouri and Budapest authorities. Timmerman was last seen at a church in Hungary’s capital and according to officials he had “left of an unknown location, with no sign of life.”

A Facebook from a friend of the family said Timmerman hadn’t been seen since June.

Timmerman said he plans to continue his journey and would look into contacting his family.

US looks to prevent ISIS resurgence in Syria amid rebel conflict

December 12, 2024

The Assad regime ruled Syria with brutality for decades. Less than a week after Syrian rebels toppled the regime, the U.S. got to work to prevent ISIS from filling the void.

While rebels from the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) and the Free Syrian Army have begun to form a new government in the capital Damascus, dozens of other organizations are trying to win control in different parts of the country.

Efforts to keep ISIS at bay

In that chaos, the U.S. launched dozens of airstrikes on ISIS targets.

The groups competing for power in Syria have a complicated mix of allies. The U.S., for example, relies on the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a group made up mostly of fighters who are ethnically Kurdish.

Syria’s neighbor Turkey has its own domestic issues with Kurds looking for independence and considers the SDF a terrorist organization.

Both the U.S. and Turkey supported the fall of the Assad regime, but Turkey backed different groups looking to take over. Those groups have launched attacks on the SDF.

In the face of the attacks, a top SDF commander told CNN the group needed to move some of the ISIS detainees held in more than 20 prisons and camps across Syria. The commander said they’ve had to stop most of their anti-ISIS activities to fight the Turkish-backed rebels.

ISIS resurgence threats

ISIS came out of yearslong hiding in Syria. The SDF’s top commander said they’ve seen more ISIS activity in areas under SDF control.

U.S. officials are talking with Turkish counterparts to try to ensure the conflict doesn’t let ISIS rebuild in Syria.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Turkey for meetings with the country’s government about Syria’s uncertainty.

The U.S. has about 900 troops stationed in Syria to help anti-ISIS groups keep the terrorist organization from trying to establish another caliphate.

President-elect Donald Trump may change that. He said last week the U.S. “should have nothing to do with” the situation in Syria.

Progress in ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas

December 12, 2024

As most of the attention in the Middle East this week has been on the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, progress is now being reported in ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas. The potential ceasefire would be for a period of 60 days.

A new plan, proposed by Egypt and supported by the United States, would see the militant group agree that it would allow Israeli forces to remain in Gaza, at least temporarily, when the fighting stops. Also, Hamas has now handed over a list of hostages, including some American citizens, that it would release.

Israel believes that 96 hostages, taken by the terror group in the October 2023 attack, remain in Gaza. However, the Israel Defense Forces has confirmed at least 30 are dead. Seven of the remaining hostages are Americans.

Mediators said a ceasefire deal would entail the release of up to 30 hostages now held in Gaza. That release would include women and the elderly.

In exchange, Israel would free Palestinian prisoners and allow greater humanitarian aid to make its way into Gaza.

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan is expected to be in the region to push for the deal. Analysts believe Hamas is more open to compromise since its ally, the Islamic militant group Hezbollah, agreed to a ceasefire with Israel to curb fighting in Lebanon in November.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has confirmed there are developments in the ceasefire talks. However, it’s too early to tell whether an agreement will be reached.

Israel launches 480 strikes in Syria, moves troops beyond buffer zone

December 11, 2024

After the fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad, Israel is on the offensive –– carrying out 480 strikes in Syria in the two days following the collapse of Assad’s government. Israeli troops also deployed into and beyond the Golan Heights, a demilitarized zone Israel has administered for over 50 years.

A Syrian activist group reported Tuesday, Dec. 10, that Israeli troops made it to a town about 15 miles outside of Damascus, Syria’s capital.

A spokesperson for Israeli forces told CNN that they were operating beyond the buffer zone but denied that they were advancing toward Damascus.

Israeli leaders are celebrating the fall of Assad’s government, which received backing from Iran. Now, with virtually no defenses, Israel is working to destroy Syrian weapons, airfields and manufacturing sites.

Israeli strikes have already destroyed most of Syria’s strategic weapons stockpiles and sites where chemical weapons were reportedly held. Speaking with journalists Monday, Dec. 9, the Israeli foreign minister said he hoped it would prevent the weapons from falling “into the hands of extremists.”

Many of the strikes centered on the port city of Latakia, home to Syria’s navy. It’s the same city where the U.S. and other nations struck a research facility that was also believed to be linked to chemical weapons.

The Latakia region is also a center for Syria’s minority group of Alawite Muslims, a group to which both Assad and his father, Hafez Assad, belonged. However, people in the region brought down a statue of Hafez Assad –– who also served as president of Syria –– after his son’s ouster.

The rebels who overthrew Assad’s government are now establishing a government of their own.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the rebel government could pay a big price if it allows Iran to operate in Syria or provides weapons to Hezbollah, the anti-Israel militant group in neighboring Lebanon. However, the one thing both groups have in common is their dislike of Iran and its meddling in Syria.

US eases restrictions on aid for new Syrian government

US precision strike in Syria: 2 ISIS operatives killed, weapons destroyed

At least 100,000 corpses believed to be killed under Assad regime found in Syria

US urges American citizens to leave Syria amid violence and terrorism

Syrian rebels find drug stockpile tying Assad regime to black market trade

Former Syrian guard indicted on torture charges in US

Allegations against Alsheikh

Assad regime falls

Missing American freed from Syrian prison after 7 months

US looks to prevent ISIS resurgence in Syria amid rebel conflict

Efforts to keep ISIS at bay

ISIS resurgence threats

Progress in ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas

Israel launches 480 strikes in Syria, moves troops beyond buffer zone

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