Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 13 June 2017
Syrian troops battle rebels in Daraa, advance on Iraq border

By PHILIP ISSA the opposition forces have
Associated Press been cornered. He said
BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian gov- the Syrian government was
ernment forces and rebels determined to “link up to
were locked in their heavi- pro-Iranian forces on the
est fighting yet in Daraa on Iraqi side of the border.”
Monday, as opposition ac- In Daraa, rebels and gov-
tivists feared troops would ernment forces were fight-
try and retake the southern ing for control of the city’s
city despite a “de-escala- Palestinian refugee camp,
tion agreement.”Pro-gov- a built-up residential area.
ernment forces meanwhile Local resident and me-
advanced to a second dia activist Ahmad al-Ma-
location along the border salmeh said it was the third
with Iraq, where they are time in eight days that pro-
expected to link up with government forces tried to
state-sanctioned militias on advance with tanks under
the other side. Most of the the cover of airstrikes.
desert territory is controlled “Today’s campaign was
by the Islamic State group. the most vicious yet,” al-
The state-affiliated Ikh- Masalmeh said.Major Issam
bariya TV station hailed This frame grab from video provided on Sunday, June 11, 2017, by Nabaa Media, a al-Rais, a spokesman for
the government’s second Syrian opposition media outlet, that is consistent with independent AP reporting, shows the rebels’ Southern Front
contact with Iraq with a black smoke rising over buildings that were hit by Syrian government forces bombard- division fighting in the city,
triumphant step by its cor- ment, in Daraa city, southern Syria. Syrian opposition activists said Monday that govern- said the battle was “life or
respondent Rabih Dibi over ment forces have intensified their bombardment of the contested city of Daraa, which death.”Rais said 17 fight-
the berm border. connects Damascus to the Jordanian border. ers from the government’s
There was no one to greet (Nabaa Media, via AP) side had been killed in
him on the other side, but the fighting in the last two
he promised “the brotherly from Lebanon to Afghani- On Friday, the Syrian coali- position fighters at the days. It was not clear how
forces of Iraq” would link stan.Iran’s state-affiliated tion established its first toe- Tanf and Zakf desert out- many rebels were killed.A
up with them soon. Tasnim News Agency pub- hold on the Iraqi border in posts dozens of kilometers Syrian general, who spoke
Iran sponsors both the Iraqi lished photos of Gen. Qas- three years, with the help (miles) to the south.Former to The Associated Press on
militias and the forces ar- sem Soleimani, head of the of Russian airstrikes against U.S. Ambassador to Syria condition of anonymity be-
riving at the border on the Revolutionary Guard’s elite Islamic State militants. Robert Ford, now a Senior cause he is not authorized
Syrian side, including Syrian Quds Force, praying with The troops bypassed U.S. Fellow at the Washington- to speak to the media,
army units, as well as mili- Afghan fighters on the Syr- special operations forces based Middle East Insti- blamed the fighting in Da-
tias organized by Tehran ian side of the border. embedded with local op- tute, warned in a brief that raa on the rebels. q
Lawyer calls Egypt’s president

a ‘traitor’ over Red Sea islands

By HAMZA HENDAWI to Saudi Arabia but were
Associated Press placed under Egypt’s pro-
CAIRO (AP) — A lead- tection in the 1950s in an-
ing Egyptian rights lawyer ticipation of Israeli attacks.
widely expected to run El-Sissi has repeatedly em-
in next year’s presidential phasized that his govern-
election has called Presi- ment would never cede
dent Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi Egyptian territory or keep
a “traitor” over his govern- what belongs to others.
ment’s decision to hand “The president is a traitor
over two Red Sea islands to and the prime minister is a
Saudi Arabia. traitor,” said Ali, who un-
Khaled Ali made his com- successfully ran in the 2012
ment during a meeting of presidential elections won
opposition parties called by the Islamist Moham-
Sunday to denounce an med Morsi. “Whoever will
ongoing review by lawmak- be content to lower the
ers of the April 2016 agree- Egyptian flag on Tiran and
ment that surrendered the Sanafir and raise the Saudi
islands to the Saudis. flag in its place is a traitor,”
A video of his address said Ali.
before the meeting was Already, there is a court
posted on social media case accusing Ali of mak-
on Monday. He could now ing an obscene finger ges-
face legal consequences ture on the street outside
for publicly insulting the the courthouse where the
president. transfer of the islands was
Egypt’s government main- annulled in January. If con-
tains that the islands of Tiran victed in a final ruling, he
and Sanafir at the mouth of could face up to six months
the Gulf of Aqaba belong in prison or a fine.q