Tensions Mount between Iran Revolutionary Guards, Syrian Regime Officers in Albou Kamal

Members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in Deir Ezzor, eastern Syria.
Members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in Deir Ezzor, eastern Syria.
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Tensions Mount between Iran Revolutionary Guards, Syrian Regime Officers in Albou Kamal

Members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in Deir Ezzor, eastern Syria.
Members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in Deir Ezzor, eastern Syria.

Syrian opposition media reported on mounting tensions between Iranian Revolutionary Guard commanders and Syrian regime officers in Syria’s Euphrates region.

Iran is accusing regime officers stationed in Albou Kamal, a city situated east of Deir Ezzor governorate, of staging operations against Iran proxy militias in the area.

Syria’s Eye of Euphrates news network reported that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard had summoned four regime officers, some who occupy posts in the military security apparatus.

They were given a strongly worded message by a Revolutionary Guard commander who goes by the alias “Haj Sajad” during a meeting in Albou Kamal.

Haj Sajad informed the officers that recent attacks that targeted Revolutionary Guard fighters in Albou Kamal city and its countryside were staged by regime officers.

He added that Iranian intelligence has opened investigations to identity attackers.

Based on testimonies of eyewitnesses, the Iranian commander ruled out the involvement of ISIS in the operation.

Locals reported spotting the person who targeted the Revolutionary Guard members, last Thursday, in one of Albou Kamal valleys and confirmed that he was wearing a Syrian regime military uniform.

Haj Sajad also revealed that “the motorcycle used by the bomber had been found abandoned near a farm.”

Revolutionary Guard fighters stationed in Albou Kamal desert were attacked twice this month. The first attack was on December 7.

Later, a drone strike near the Sabikhan town in Deir Ezzor hit a convoy of three vehicles transporting military experts who were assigned as an “inspection committee” from Iraq.

The experts - two Iraqis and an Iranian national - were killed.

They were initially deployed to probe Revolutionary Guard positions in Deir Ezzor and near the Syria-Iraq borders.

Eye of the Euphrates reported that the inspection committee had entered Syrian territories at the end of last week. It consisted of 15 military experts, divided into three groups, and each group includes experts from Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan.



Sudan Gold Mine Collapse Kills 10, Injures 21

Workers break rocks at a gold mine near Abu Delelq in Gadarif State, Sudan. (Reuters)
Workers break rocks at a gold mine near Abu Delelq in Gadarif State, Sudan. (Reuters)
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Sudan Gold Mine Collapse Kills 10, Injures 21

Workers break rocks at a gold mine near Abu Delelq in Gadarif State, Sudan. (Reuters)
Workers break rocks at a gold mine near Abu Delelq in Gadarif State, Sudan. (Reuters)

A gold mine collapsed in northern Sudan killing at least 10 people and injuring 21 others, two survivors told AFP on Sunday after overnight rescue efforts.

Shafts of the Awny mining area near Sudan's border with Egypt collapsed on Saturday.

By Sunday morning "10 bodies had been recovered and 21 injured miners pulled out", said one of the survivors who was working at the mine when it collapsed, requesting anonymity for security reasons.

Another survivor, also requesting anonymity, told AFP the rescue operation was "being carried out by the miners themselves" with little equipment available.

More miners were feared dead under the rubble and survivors said the search for the missing was ongoing.

Many young Sudanese have joined a dangerous gold rush, working in unregulated mines with their hands and rudimentary tools for meagre daily wages.

They face chemical poisoning and regular mine collapses.

Last week at least 82 people were killed and dozens injured in a collapse in the southern Kordofan region.

Artisanal and small-scale mining, which takes place in unofficial zones or decommissioned mines, accounts for the majority of gold extracted in Sudan.

Even before the war pushed nearly 20 million Sudanese into severe hunger, artisanal mining employed more than two million people, according to industry figures.


CIA Chief Meets Egypt's Sisi in Cairo

FILED - 18 October 2023, Egypt, Cairo: President of Egypt Abdel Fattah El-Sisi is pictured in Cairo. Photo: Michael Kappeler/dpa Pool/dpa
FILED - 18 October 2023, Egypt, Cairo: President of Egypt Abdel Fattah El-Sisi is pictured in Cairo. Photo: Michael Kappeler/dpa Pool/dpa
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CIA Chief Meets Egypt's Sisi in Cairo

FILED - 18 October 2023, Egypt, Cairo: President of Egypt Abdel Fattah El-Sisi is pictured in Cairo. Photo: Michael Kappeler/dpa Pool/dpa
FILED - 18 October 2023, Egypt, Cairo: President of Egypt Abdel Fattah El-Sisi is pictured in Cairo. Photo: Michael Kappeler/dpa Pool/dpa

US Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi Sunday in a rare visit to Cairo, as the United States warned of rapid escalation in the Middle East war.

Sisi's office said the meeting, attended by Egypt's spy chief Hassan Rashad, discussed the wars in Iran, the Gaza Strip and Sudan, as well as attacks on Gulf countries and threats to maritime security.

Sisi stressed "the paramount importance of settling regional crises through political and diplomatic tracks," according to a presidency statement.

"This military conflict has the potential to escalate rapidly," it warned.

Sisi's office said Ratcliffe on Sunday "lauded Egypt's pivotal role in supporting efforts aimed at reaching peaceful, comprehensive settlements to regional crises".

 

 

 

 

 


Arab Parliament Condemns Houthi Militia Attack Targeting Riyadh

Arab Parliament Condemns Houthi Militia Attack Targeting Riyadh
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Arab Parliament Condemns Houthi Militia Attack Targeting Riyadh

Arab Parliament Condemns Houthi Militia Attack Targeting Riyadh

The Arab Parliament has strongly denounced the terrorist Houthi militia's continued attacks, including the attack targeting Riyadh, stressing that it constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and a threat to Arab national security and regional stability.

In a statement on Sunday, Arab Parliament Speaker Mohammed Al-Yamahi expressed the parliament's full solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its support for the measures it takes to defend itself against any attacks targeting its security and territorial integrity, SPA reported.

Al-Yamahi called on the international community, particularly the UN Security Council, to assume its legal and political responsibilities to stop these blatant attacks, ensure that they are not repeated, and hold those responsible accountable.