Syria troops withdraw from Druze heartland amid deadly clashes
An AFP photographer counted at least 15 bodies in Sweida's city center after government forces departed. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported over 370 deaths since Sunday in fighting between Druze fighters, Sunni Bedouin tribes, and Syrian army forces.
Israel launched airstrikes against Syrian troops during their brief deployment, targeting both Sweida and Damascus. The strikes were meant to pressure the government into withdrawing, with Israel warning of further escalation. Sharaa condemned the attacks but acknowledged US mediation in preventing wider conflict.
'We are keen on holding accountable those who transgressed and abused our Druze people, as they are under the protection and responsibility of the state,' Sharaa said in a televised address. He promised to safeguard the Druze minority, which has faced repeated violence under his interim government.
The US, working to rebuild ties with Syria, confirmed a diplomatic agreement to restore calm. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated, 'All sides agreed on specific steps that will bring this troubling and horrifying situation to an end.'
Israel, home to a significant Druze population, has positioned itself as a protector of the minority, though analysts suggest its actions aim to keep Syrian forces away from the Golan Heights. Despite recent diplomatic contact, Israel remains distrustful of Syria's Islamist leadership. - AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
TikTok Germany moderators raise alarm over layoff plans
BERLIN: Content moderators at the German branch of social media giant TikTok sounded the alarm Thursday about what they say is a plan to replace them with artificial intelligence, potentially putting platform users at risk. Around 50 people gathered for a protest near the offices of TikTok Germany, among them some of the 150-strong "trust and safety" department in Berlin, who say management are threatening to fire them en masse. Holding a banner reading "we trained your machines, pay us what we deserve", the protestors said TikTok had already overseen one round of layoffs last year and demanded it reverse plans to fully close the department. The content moderators are tasked with keeping content such as hate speech, misinformation and pornography off the platform, which claimed more than 20 million users in Germany as of late 2023. The row in Germany comes amid a global trend of social media companies reducing their use of human fact-checkers and turning to AI instead. In October, TikTok – which has 1.5 billion users worldwide and is a division of Chinese tech giant ByteDance – announced hundreds of job losses worldwide as part of a shift to AI-assisted content moderation. TikTok did not reply to an AFP request for comment. The moderators at TikTok Germany are being supported by the union who say that the company has refused to negotiate and that strike action is being prepared if this continues. One of the moderators, 32-year-old Benjamin Karkowski, said that staff had been "shocked" when they learned of TikTok's current plans via a message from management. Another one of the moderators, 36-year-old Sara Tegge, says that the artificial intelligence used by the company "cannot tell whether content discriminates against certain groups and it can't judge the danger of certain content". She cited an example in which the AI flagged innocuous content about Berlin's annual LGBT+ pride as breaking TikTok's guidelines on political protests. If the company moves ahead with its plans she "certainly fears" users may be exposed to greater danger. Showing support at Thursday's demonstration was Werner Graf, leader of the Green party's lawmakers in Berlin's state assembly. "These people have been fighting so that the Internet isn't permanently overwhelmed" with "fake news and hate speech", he said. "We in the political arena must make clear that checking content... can't simply be left up to AI, we must legislate to make sure it's done by humans," he went on. – AFP
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Trump gains Native American support amid economic concerns
TUBA CITY: Rising gas prices and economic frustrations have led some Native American voters to shift their political allegiance toward US president Donald Trump, marking a surprising trend in traditionally Democratic-leaning communities. Nita Mexican, a 77-year-old Navajo Nation resident, voted for Trump last November, citing his hardline stance on immigration and focus on American jobs. 'America has to come first,' she told AFP. 'Us Natives, we are Americans and we should have the jobs first.' Mexican, a former power plant worker, lives in Tuba City, a remote Arizona desert town within the vast Navajo reservation. She and her husband spend $40 (RM170) daily on gasoline to tend to their sheep, a financial strain worsened by inflation. 'Sometimes we don't have enough to get groceries for the both of us,' she admitted. Trump made notable gains in Navajo County during the last election, doubling his margin from 2020. Similar shifts were seen in other Native American communities, where economic concerns outweighed traditional Democratic loyalty. However, not all residents support Trump. Gilberta Cortes, a 42-year-old mother, criticises his policies and rhetoric, including his mockery of Senator Elizabeth Warren's Native heritage. 'You see a lot of racism,' she said. 'When I go out, I feel like I'm just walking on eggshells.' Others worry about Trump's environmental policies and potential cuts to federal assistance programs. Elbert Yazzie, a Navajo resident, fears reduced food aid will hurt low-income families. 'They voted for him because they thought there would be more jobs,' he said. 'But instead, he's cutting off food stamps.' - AFP
Malaysiakini
an hour ago
- Malaysiakini
Amanah VP: PAS obsessed with toppling Anwar as Kelantan spirals
Amanah vice-president Mahfuz Omar has accused PAS of prioritising efforts to unseat Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim over addressing pressing issues in Kelantan, including drug abuse, smuggling, and rising social problems. The former PAS leader, in a statement today, claimed the Islamist party has become more invested in 'street strategies and TikTok propaganda' over governance.
