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Nov 30 • 6 tweets • 8 min read
NEW - #ISIS announce the death of leader Abu al-Hassan al-Qurashi -- "killed in action," but no details as to when or where.

His replacement is named as Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini.
Lots of rumor swirling re. #ISIS's leader's death.

- Some (linked to #SDF) say he was killed in a joint US-SDF raid in NE #Syria.

- Some (linked to opposition) say he was killed in #Idlib, either (a) Nov 19 during a reported #HTS SSG raid, or (b) Nov 26 in an unreported op.
- And still others (mostly observers) think this is all a ruse & #ISIS leader Abu al-Hassan is still alive.

As always with #Syria, it'll take time for reality to emerge. Time to do some digging.
BREAKING -- @CENTCOM confirms the death of #ISIS leader Abu al-Hassan.

The operation took place in #Daraa in mid-October & was conducted with the #FSA's @SyrianFree_Army (formerly Maghawir al-Thowra). Image
@CENTCOM @SyrianFree_Army This is a little puzzling -- as @SyrianFree_Army has no presence in #Daraa.

However, semi-independent #FSA factions in #Daraa (that succumbed to "reconciliation" in 2018) have been battling #ISIS cells in #Daraa city since late-October.

If there's a link there, fascinating.
@CENTCOM @SyrianFree_Army As it happens, @MEI_Syria has *just* published a new piece by @mohammed_nomad covering the recent spate of #FSA-#ISIS fighting in #Daraa.

It's full of details & background & well worth reading, given today's news.

mei.edu/publications/i… Image

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More from @Charles_Lister

Charles Lister Profile picture
Nov 29
As with most things @BBCRosAtkins, this was good.

One thing — as @GaryLineker admits, the @BBC (& the West writ large) failed to hold #Russia to account in ‘18 (amid FAR worse crimes/abuse). Time to acknowledge there’s probably a reason why. Nobody’s willing to go there, though.
@BBCRosAtkins @GaryLineker @BBC A tale of double-standards:

2018, batting away criticism of #Russia:

- "Who are we to start getting judgmental on who should have the World Cup?"

2022, on #Qatar:

- "It’s the most controversial World Cup in history.. corruption.. migrant workers.. women's rights.. LGBTQ.."
@BBCRosAtkins @GaryLineker @BBC And now news that @GaryLineker was paid ~$2 million by #Qatar for coverage of the Champions League until 2012 -- including *after* #Qatar won the World Cup bid and before any of the reforms that followed.

Some consistency would be nice.

dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsne…
Read 5 tweets
Charles Lister Profile picture
Nov 11
The @UN's Alena Douhan (from #Belarus) just wrote a 6,500-word report on sanctions & human rights in #Syria.

She visited #Syria for 12 days -- but only spent time in #Assad-held areas.

Her conclusion?

Lift all sanctions. Finance reconstruction. Nothing was the regime's fault. Image
@UN That the @UN calls Douhan an "independent human rights expert" is staggering.

She made no effort to visit areas not controlled by #Assad's regime & goes out of her way to thank the regime for how "transparent & constructive" it was during her visit.

Yes, I bet they were. Image
@UN Throughout her 6,500-word report, the @UN's "expert" makes repeated citations to "data & reports received during my visit."

Guess what? All that "transparent" data blames #Syria's ills on foreign powers. There's a surprise.

But our "expert" doesn't question that. Of course not.
Read 10 tweets
Charles Lister Profile picture
Nov 10
It is clear that 2022 has seen a surge in momentum, particularly amid Western governments, on repatriations from al-Hol & al-Roj in NE #Syria.

BUT, 519 in 2022 represents just 4% of the third country women & children in the camps. And we're starting with the easy caseload first.
Increasing momentum on NE #Syria repatriations is welcome news -- but to take full advantage of it, the repatriation process needs to be made much easier.

Most cases, from start to finish, can take 12-18 months, which is far too long -- most of the obstacles are in NE #Syria.
There's also a clear need for more centralized multinational leadership on the al-Hol/Roj crisis -- the @ICRC have established a special coordinator's office & the US Govt now has a senior inter-agency working group.

But there's no international leader to better coordinate.
Read 7 tweets
Charles Lister Profile picture
Nov 1
As #Syria fatigue sets in & concerns over refugee flows increase, some states within the #EU have begun pushing hard for a softer stance towards #Assad's regime -- some are even engaging.

The #EU itself may not change its policy, but actions by member states could pull it apart.
Concern within & between core #EU member states has risen markedly in recent months -- it's why I wrote this @ForeignPolicy piece.

Arguing that #Ukraine will deter internal #EU division on #Syria is not just wrong -- it's being proven inaccurate almost daily in #Brussels.
@ForeignPolicy Again, the #EU is unlikely to change its long-established policy on #Syria anytime soon -- but actions taken by an increasingly long list of individual states is already beginning to undermine the credibility & practical value of the #EU's official position.

That's v. worrying.
Read 6 tweets
Charles Lister Profile picture
Nov 1
In recent days, #Somalia has been all over international headlines -- why?

#AlShabab killed 120+ in a double car bomb attack outside the Education Ministry in #Mogadishu.

That's to be expected, of course. It was a massive attack & the deadliest there for 5yrs. ImageImageImage
BUT another #Somalia story of enormous significance has struggled to win the attention of international media:

- #Somalia is on the brink of the worst famine seen in 50+ years.

Aid experts say this imminent famine will be worse than the one in 2011 -- when 260,000 died. Image
#Somalia's impending famine has attracted occasional reporting, but nothing like the blanket coverage after a terror attack.

Reasons for why are disturbing.

Barring nuclear war in #Ukraine, there's nothing on earth that threatens to match the disaster approaching #Somalia. Image
Read 4 tweets
Charles Lister Profile picture
Oct 10
Last decade, the #Obama admin chose diplomacy with #Russia, betraying #Syria's opposition & abandoning millions in favor of a hopeless mission.

To see those who defended that policy -- while slamming those of us who critiqued it -- now doing a 180 is galling, to say the least.
Whether in 2013 after 1,000 civilians were killed by nerve gas; or 2015 when #Russia intervened; or 2017 when we submitted to #Moscow's "de-escalation" ruse -- the #Obama admin line, across the board, was:

- 'You want WW3? Really?'
- 'Challenging #Russia is just impossible.'
The #Obama admin's appeasement of #Russia & repeated insistence that #Putin was a logical actor with whom we could reach peaceful compromise damned #Syria into intractable misery -- & contributed to much bigger knock-on effects:

Refugee waves & far right populism... & #Ukraine.
Read 4 tweets

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