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Syria: Sweida Residents Call for Dismissing Security Official

Syrians visit the residence of spiritual leader Hikmat al-Hijri, local media outlet "Suwayda 24"
Syrians visit the residence of spiritual leader Hikmat al-Hijri, local media outlet "Suwayda 24"
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Syria: Sweida Residents Call for Dismissing Security Official

Syrians visit the residence of spiritual leader Hikmat al-Hijri, local media outlet "Suwayda 24"
Syrians visit the residence of spiritual leader Hikmat al-Hijri, local media outlet "Suwayda 24"

Tension prevailed in the countryside of west Daraa Thursday after the “Fourth Division” of the Syrian regime’s army, led by Maher Assad, warned to attack the region.

The Fourth Division had threatened to launch a wide-scale ground and air operation in western Daraa if opposition factions failed to expel six former fighters and commanders from the area to north Syria, hand over their heavy and medium weapons and allow the Division to set up checkpoints around Tafas.

Opposition activists said that for the second consecutive day, the central committees in Daraa, in addition to representatives of the Russian-backed 5th Corps and tribal leaders negotiated with officers from the Fourth Division and the pro-regime security committee in Daraa, in the presence of a Russian general, to prevent a military escalation.

Elders and the central committees have rejected to expel the fighters to northern Syria, except for one commander called Abu Tareq Al-Subayhi.

So far, there have been no reports on the outcome of the talks, although the deadline granted by the Russians and the 4th Division to attack the area passed Thursday.

On Wednesday, regime fighter jets flew over the western countryside of Daraa for the first time since President Bashar Assad’s forces took back control of the province in 2018.

In the nearby Sweida province, local sources said Thursday that pro-regime security apparatuses released Siraj Rajeh al-Sahnawi, a resident from the village of Al-Genina in rural Sweida.

The arrest had triggered discontent in several areas of the province, amid calls for the dismissal of the head of the military intelligence branch in the southern region, after he insulted spiritual leader of the Druze community, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri.

On Wednesday, hundreds of residents from the province and the southern region visited the sheikh in a show of support.

On Thursday, the spiritual leadership of the Druze sect issued a statement on behalf of Hijri, calling for calm.

It said the Sheikh received several phone calls from Syrian officials to apologize for what happened and to demand the release of Sahnawi.

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Kabbashi: Sudan War Nearing End, Arms Proliferation Poses Major Threat

Shams al-Din Kabbashi, a member of Sudan’s Sovereign Council and deputy commander of the army, said his government has no objection to delivering aid to other states, provided guarantees are in place (Sudan News Agency)
Shams al-Din Kabbashi, a member of Sudan’s Sovereign Council and deputy commander of the army, said his government has no objection to delivering aid to other states, provided guarantees are in place (Sudan News Agency)
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Kabbashi: Sudan War Nearing End, Arms Proliferation Poses Major Threat

Shams al-Din Kabbashi, a member of Sudan’s Sovereign Council and deputy commander of the army, said his government has no objection to delivering aid to other states, provided guarantees are in place (Sudan News Agency)
Shams al-Din Kabbashi, a member of Sudan’s Sovereign Council and deputy commander of the army, said his government has no objection to delivering aid to other states, provided guarantees are in place (Sudan News Agency)

The war in Sudan is nearing its end, a top military official said on Saturday, warning that the widespread availability of weapons could pose one of the biggest threats to the country’s stability in the post-war period.
Shams al-Din Kabbashi, a member of Sudan’s Sovereign Council and deputy commander of the army, told state governors in the temporary capital of Port Sudan that arms proliferation is a “major danger awaiting the state.”
“The areas that have been retaken must be handed over to the police for administration,” Kabbashi said, stressing that civilian policing, not military control, should take over in recaptured territories.
He also pointed to the need to redeploy troops currently stationed at checkpoints and security outposts in liberated regions. “We need these forces on other frontlines,” he said.
Kabbashi described the rise in hate speech triggered by the conflict as “unacceptable” and warned that Sudan would face deep social challenges once the fighting stops.
According to Kabbashi, the Sudanese armed forces are in a strong position after initial setbacks at the start of the war, as the military seeks to shift focus to restoring internal security and supporting civil governance in liberated areas.
“The situation of the armed forces and supporting units is more than good,” said Kabbashi. “We were in a bad place at the beginning of the war — now we are more than fine.”
Kabbashi added that army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan is highly focused on ensuring public safety across the country, calling security “a top priority, ahead of all other services.”
He warned, however, that Sudan faces deeper challenges beyond the battlefield. “The plot against Sudan is bigger than the militia we’re fighting — they are only the front,” Kabbashi said, referring to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) without naming them directly.
He pointed to rising crime, widespread weapons, and looting as major security threats that emerged during the war, saying state authorities would have a significant role to play in restoring order.
Kabbashi urged state governors to back police forces in their efforts to maintain law and order, emphasizing that police support is “urgently needed” during the current transitional phase.