The Syrian Islamist leader, whose group led the offensive that overthrew the president’s regime Bashar Al Assad, yesterday he met the UN envoy Geir Pedersen during his visit to Damascus, he reported the AFP, citing a statement released on the Syrian Salafist group’s Telegram channel. Abu Mohammed al-Julanileader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which now uses its real name Ahmed al-Sharaadiscussed with Pedersen “the changes that have occurred on the political scene that make it necessary to update” a 2015 United Nations Security Council resolution “to adapt it to the new reality,” the statement reads. United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254 United Nations 2015, to which the rebel statement refers, outlined a roadmap for a political solution in Syria and also included the designation of the Al-Nusra Front as a “terrorist group” HTS a was once part of the Al-Nusra Front, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda and is considered a terrorist organization by many Western governments. HTS subsequently broke away from the Al-Nusra Front and gave priority to the fight against al-Qaeda and it Islamic Stateof which al-Julani was critical, describing his self-proclaimed caliphate in parts of Syria and Iraq as “illegitimate.” Tuesday, Pedersen acknowledged that “the listing of Al-Nusra by the United Nations Security Council as a terrorist organization was obviously a complicating factor in efforts to find a way out.” However, he stressed “the importance of considering HTS in the context of the Syrian civil war.” A few hours earlier, the UN envoy for Syria had called for a swift end to Western sanctions following the president’s ouster Bashar Al Assad“We hope to see a rapid end to the sanctions, so that we can see a real mobilization for the reconstruction of Syria,” Pedersen told journalists during his visit to Damascus.
UN silence on moral policing
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s statement on Sunday noted that Ahmed al-Sharaa stressed “the need to focus on Syrian territorial unity, reconstruction and achieving economic development.” He also underlined “the importance of providing a safe environment for the return of refugees and of providing economic and political support to this end.” UN envoy Geir Pedersen had nothing to say about al-Sharaa’s statement on Saturday that the new Syrian regime would operate under Sharia law (Islamic law). Speaking in Damascus, the jihadist leader stated that the regime’s moral police will operate under the direction of the Minister of the Interior and will be under the supervision of religious leaders and mullahs: «The task of the moral police will be to ensure that the population applies the Sharia law and, in doing so, will give priority to the path of dawah (proselytism) and education, rather than acting through force.” This is because according to al-Sharaa “the use of brute force demonstrates our inability to transmit Sharia to the people”. However, al-Sharaa added, the new regime will not hesitate to use force against those who try to prevent it from implementing Sharia: “Jihad is mandatory for this reason,” he stressed.
Danger of unexploded mines
Millions of munitions and unexploded landmines continue to pose a deadly threat in Syria, a devastating legacy of the conflict that erupted 13 years ago following anti-government protests that were quashed with extreme violence. These orders spread across the territory constitute a real danger for the tens of thousands of Syrians who are returning to their homes after the fall of Bashar Al Assad’s regime. Entire areas of the country are contaminated with unexploded explosives, putting civilian lives at risk. The Halo Trust organization has launched an appeal to the international community for immediate intervention aimed at reclaiming the territory. The danger is particularly high for children, who could confuse smaller devices with toys, increasing the risk of fatal accidents. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” he says Damian O’BrienSyria program manager for Halo Trust, an organization specializing in the clearance and destruction of unexploded ordnance. Tens of thousands of people pass through heavily mined areas every day, with avoidable lethal consequences. According to Halo Trust, the explosives are scattered across different types of terrain, from agricultural fields to villages to cities, with a particular concentration in western Syria, in areas around Aleppo, Homs and Damascus. Many of the Syrians returning home from Lebanon and Turkey are forced to pass through these high-risk areas, further exacerbating an already dramatic situation.
