US Voices Concern over Intra-Kurdish Tension in Northeastern Syria

An American military vehicle seen in the Qamishli countryside in northeastern Syria, April 20, 2022. (AFP)
An American military vehicle seen in the Qamishli countryside in northeastern Syria, April 20, 2022. (AFP)
TT

US Voices Concern over Intra-Kurdish Tension in Northeastern Syria

An American military vehicle seen in the Qamishli countryside in northeastern Syria, April 20, 2022. (AFP)
An American military vehicle seen in the Qamishli countryside in northeastern Syria, April 20, 2022. (AFP)

The US Embassy in Syria voiced its concern over the recent attacks on the Kurdish National Council (KNC) offices in northeast Syria.

“The United States is deeply concerned by the recent attacks on several KNC offices in northeast Syria,” the embassy said in a statement on Friday.

“Intimidation and violence have no place in political discourse, and we urge all parties to engage peacefully in pursuit of resolutions that benefit all concerned,” it added.

In response, the General Council of the Syrian Democratic Union Party denied responsibility for the attack.

In a statement, the council said the Turkish raid on the strongholds of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the Qandil Mountains of the Kurdistan region of Iraq fell within “the comprehensive attack on our people and freedom fighters by the Turkish fascism.”

It continued: “Instead of [the Kurdish Council] standing up against this policy of genocide, it accuses our party of burning its offices…”

The party also pointed to the violations committed by the pro-Turkish Syrian armed factions in the areas of Turkish influence in northern Syria.

“The [Kurdish Council] has not yet dared to make a statement against the Turkish occupation… and is still affiliated to the Syrian coalition that practices a policy of extermination against our people in Afrin and Ras al-Ain (Sarkani)…,” according to the statement.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that an Iranian commander, along with other leaders and members of Iranian-backed militias, met with supporters of the state security service and elders of the Tayih tribe in Al-Qamishli city in Al-Hasakah countryside.

According to Observatory sources, the meeting discussed the establishment of a military council under the supervision of Iranian advisers in order to confront the deployment of American and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the areas east of the Euphrates.

The rights monitor noted that the meeting was held as a part of Iranian efforts to expand in Syria and lure regime affiliates to work for them, with Russia being preoccupied with its war in Ukraine.

Separately, the local Ein al-Euphrates Network said a number of fighters of the Russian Wagner militia arrived in the Abu Rasin district, located in the far north of al-Hasakah governorate, amid an escalation of Turkish attacks in the area.

The network indicated that the SDF General Command demanded that the Russian forces deployed in al-Hasakah reinforce their positions, following attacks by Turkish drones on SDF positions and military checkpoints.



Gaza: Polio Vaccine Campaign Kicks off a day Before Expected Pause in Fighting

A health worker administers a polio vaccine to a child at a hospital in Khan Younis, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
A health worker administers a polio vaccine to a child at a hospital in Khan Younis, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
TT

Gaza: Polio Vaccine Campaign Kicks off a day Before Expected Pause in Fighting

A health worker administers a polio vaccine to a child at a hospital in Khan Younis, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
A health worker administers a polio vaccine to a child at a hospital in Khan Younis, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

A campaign to inoculate children in Gaza against polio and prevent the spread of the virus began on Saturday, Gaza's Health Ministry said, as Palestinians in both the Hamas-governed enclave and the occupied West Bank reeled from Israel's ongoing military offensives.

Children in Gaza began receiving vaccines, the health ministry told a news conference, a day before the large-scale vaccine rollout and planned pause in fighting agreed to by Israel and the UN World Health Organization. The WHO confirmed the larger campaign would begin Sunday.

“There must be a ceasefire so that the teams can reach everyone targeted by this campaign,” said Dr. Yousef Abu Al-Rish, deputy health minister, describing scenes of sewage running through crowded tent camps in Gaza.

Associated Press journalists saw about 10 infants receiving vaccine doses at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis.

Israel is expected to pause some operations in Gaza on Sunday to allow health workers to administer vaccines to some 650,000 Palestinian children. Officials said the pause would last at least nine hours and is unrelated to ongoing cease-fire negotiations.

“We will vaccinate up to 10-year-olds and God willing we will be fine,” said Dr. Bassam Abu Ahmed, general coordinator of public health programs at Al-Quds University.

The vaccination campaign comes after the first polio case in 25 years in Gaza was discovered this month. Doctors concluded a 10-month-old had been partially paralyzed by a mutated strain of the virus after not being vaccinated due to fighting.

Healthcare workers in Gaza have been warning of the potential for a polio outbreak for months. The humanitarian crisis has deepened during the war that broke out after Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many were militants.

Hours earlier, the Health Ministry said hospitals received 89 dead on Saturday, including 26 who died in an overnight Israeli bombardment, and 205 wounded — one of the highest daily tallies in months.