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Telegraph
3 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
How a roadside robbery triggered an unexpected new Middle East war
Vegetable seller Fadlallah Dawara was on his way home on Sunday night when his truck was hijacked by a group of armed men. Mr Dawara was pulled out of his car, beaten, and abandoned – blindfolded – on the side of the road. Attackers confiscated seven million Syrian pounds (about £400), his phone and absconded with his truck, vegetables and all. That account, given to media in Suwayda, a south-western city in Syria, is what sparked tit-for-tat kidnappings in retaliation, which then swelled into deadly clashes between local rival militias. By Monday, the Syrian government had sent its forces into the surrounding countryside in an attempt to restore order. Israel, worried about a foreign military build-up near its territory, sent fighter jets to attack the Syrian tanks. The next two days would see tensions rising to a fever pitch as Syrian government forces advanced deeper into Suwayda. The Israeli military stepped up its strikes, bombing around the city, and also in Damascus, the capital of Syria – including the ministry of defence, pictured below. A first ceasefire fell apart within hours; it remains to be seen if a second one, agreed Thursday, will hold. Some estimates put the death toll at around 300 people, though true figures remain unclear given an internet and electricity blackout in Suwayda. This latest spate of intense, deadly violence appears to be the most significant threat facing the ability of Syria's new government to consolidate control over the richly diverse country after a surprise rebel offensive toppled longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad last December. Syria's new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, who led the rebel coalition that toppled Assad, and others he installed at the top of the government are primarily Sunni Muslim, prompting worries of discrimination and violence amongst the country's many religious and ethnic minorities. Those concerns only deepened in March, when sectarian killings swept through the Alawite religious minority, a sect to which the former leader Assad belongs. One estimate put the full death count at 1,500 Syrian Alwites massacred, according to Reuters. Fears that revenge killings would continue have lingered, and many remain terrified that the new guard – despite noises to the contrary – will eventually revert to the dark, deadly, authoritarian ways of the old guard. 'The attacks are very similar to the previous regime's methodology where they would completely decimate civilian areas to make an example to anyone who wishes to stand up in the face of the government's tyranny,' said Abu Jawad, 29, a member of the Druze minority in Syria, whose name has been changed for fear of retribution. He accused the Syrian government of covering up its violent actions, which range from 'looting, beating, and dehumanising civilians all the way to rape and civilian executions.' Mr Dawara, the vegetable seller robbed, setting off the violent events of the last four days, is also Druze, an Arab sect of about one million people who primarily live in Syria, Lebanon and Israel. Sectarian violence that in recent days swept Suwayda, a stronghold of the Druze community, was primarily between Druze militias and Bedouin tribes that took revenge, first in response to the attack against Mr Dawara. A few videos, some unverified, began emerging online, showing men in military attire forcibly shaving off the moustaches of Druze men – a serious, provocative attack as they are considered an important cultural and religious symbol for the sect. In one, an elderly cleric – now identified as Sheikh Merhej Shahin, 80 – is seen, in front of his home as a man in military gear shaves off his moustache. The video started circulating online on Tuesday, and his family lost touch with him for a few hours after, with calls to his phone unanswered. Finally, after hours, someone picked up. 'My aunt repeatedly tried to call him, and at around 8pm, someone answered her call and mockingly told her he met his end,' Christine Shahin, the late sheikh's granddaughter, said. When Syrian government forces started advancing, his family begged him to leave, but he insisted on staying to bury his grandson, who had been killed a day earlier by sniper fire. Local Druze fighters, suspicious of Mr al-Sharaa's pledge to protect all Syrians, have clashed against Syrian government forces, ambushing and executing some, while taking others hostage, as experts have noted based on various videos emerging online. Concern that the violence could spiral out of concern prompted Hikmat al-Hijri, one of the three most senior Druze spiritual leaders in Syria, to issue an unprecedented statement, directly calling the leaders of the US, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Jordan to take a stand against such persecution. 'Save Suwayda,' he wrote in a statement. 'For our people are being exterminated and being killed in cold blood, with the killer not distinguishing between young and old, woman or child, doctor or sheikh, and they are destroying churches and houses of worship. 'These are massacres being committed before the world's eyes and the silence continues to kill,' he wrote. 'We call on the international community to bear its humanitarian and ethical responsibilities to stop these systematic and organised massacres.' Mr al-Hijri's stance doesn't represent the views of all Druze, as many want nothing to do with Israel, instead believing that Israel is exploiting instability in Syria to advance its own domestic security interests, rather than doing so on behalf of the Druze as the military claims. 'Israel has been bombing long before any of the [latest] aggression toward the Druze sect even began,' said Abu Jawad. 'The Israelis are using this false claim of 'protecting the Druze' to further the divide between the people of Syria and the Druze community…we never asked for our country to be attacked by foreign occupation aggressors.' Either way, the violence underscores some of the biggest challenges the Syrian government still needs to contend with: how to handle aggression from neighbouring Israel, and how best to agree a security arrangement in minority areas, like Suwayda, where locals would rather have members of their own communities, rather than government fighters, installed to maintain order going forward. As night fell on Thursday, Syrians with friends and family in Suwayda were waiting desperately for any news of their loved ones – hard to come by, as communications largely remained down. Nearing 9pm, video surfaced online showing piles of dead bodies in the corridors and beds of a hospital in the city – a massacre that had purportedly taken place earlier, and a reminder that the bloodshed was perhaps far from over.
Khaleej Times
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
UAE condemns terrorist attack on buses in Pakistan
Authorities retrieved bullet-ridden bodies of nine passengers kidnapped by armed men in a spate of bus attacks The United Arab Emirates has condemned in the strongest terms the terrorist attack targeting buses in Balochistan, southwest of Pakistan, which resulted in a number of deaths to innocent people. Authorities retrieved from Pakistan's mountains the bullet-ridden bodies of nine passengers kidnapped by armed men in a spate of bus attacks in the troubled southwestern province of Balochistan, officials said on Friday. In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) affirmed that the UAE expresses its strong condemnation of these criminal acts and its permanent rejection of all forms of violence and terrorism aimed at undermining security and stability. The Ministry expressed its sincere condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims, and to the government and people of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan over this deplorable crime.
Al Jazeera
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Nigeria says troops kill dozens of gunmen in northwest and northeast
Nigeria's military and security forces have killed dozens of armed men in separate operations in the northwest and the northeast of the country, authorities have said. Security forces killed at least 30 gunmen after armed attacks in the restive northwest, Nasir Mua'zu, Katsina state's commissioner for internal affairs, said on Thursday. He claimed 'criminals' were raiding three villages on Tuesday when they were killed by government forces. A joint police and military operation was launched on Wednesday after hundreds of armed men attacked several villages, Mua'zu added in a statement. He said a civilian, two soldiers and three policemen were also killed. 'Our gallant security forces successfully repelled the attackers … Thirty of the criminals were neutralised through coordinated air strikes as they attempted to escape,' Mua'zu said. 'We are working tirelessly with federal security agencies to ensure the safety of all citizens.' Separately, in Nigeria's northeast, the military 'neutralised' 24 armed fighters in days of coordinated operations, an army statement said on Thursday. TROOPS OF OPERATION HADIN KAI NEUTRALIZE 24 BOKO HARAM INSURGENTS AND RECOVER WEAPONS IN OFFENSIVE OPERATIONS BETWEEN 4 – 9 JULY 2025 In continuation of the series of coordinated offensive operations across the North East Theatre of operations, troops of Operation HADIN KAI… — Nigerian Army (@HQNigerianArmy) July 10, 2025 Nigerian troops backed by air support and local forces killed several fighters from Boko Haram and the ISIL affiliate in West Africa Province (ISWAP) in operations between July 4 and 9, the army wrote on X. The operations were carried out in restive Borno state and surrounding regions, said the statement by Reuben Kovangiya, an army spokesman for the military operations. 'The neutralisation of 24 insurgents with close air support underscores the determination, collaboration, and concerted efforts by the troops of OPHK [Operation Hadin Kai], to ensure terrorists are placed on the back foot, thereby creating conducive environment for socioeconomic activities to thrive in the North East region,' Kovangiya said. Northeast Nigeria has faced attacks since the 2000s from armed gangs as well as groups like Boko Haram and ISWAP. The Boko Haram insurgency has killed some 35,000 civilians since 2009, and more than two million people have been displaced, according to the United Nations. Meanwhile, in the central and northwest regions, criminal gangs and banditry are rife. Katsina is part of an area that has for years been terrorised by gangs who stage deadly raids and kidnappings and burn homes after looting them. The gangs maintain camps in forests straddling Zamfara, Katsina, and Kaduna states in the northwest, and Niger in the country's centre, and have carried out mass kidnappings of students from schools. Last month, state officials signed a peace pact with a dozen bandit leaders, hoping to bring lasting respite ahead of the planting season. Nigerian authorities' claims of deadly operations against members of armed gangs have been disputed in the past.
Daily Mail
14-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Crypto chief's daughter and her husband fight off three men trying to kidnap her in Paris
The daughter of a cryptocurrency company executive and her two-year-old child were the victims of a violent attempted kidnapping in Paris, France. The 34-year-old was walking down Rue Pache in the French capital on Monday when three armed men approached her. The group tried to force her and her toddler into a white van after hitting the child's father, who tried to intervene. Footage filmed by an onlooker from his apartment window also shows the woman - believed to be the daughter of a top crypto exec - grab a handgun belonging to the attackers before throwing it away. In the footage, as he is being beaten, the father appears to be yelling: 'Help! She's pregnant!' The victims' screams eventually attracted attention, which led to the attackers fleeing in their van. Passers-by can be seen arriving on the scene ready to assist, with one desperately throwing a fire extinguisher at the van. The vehicle was later abandoned on a nearby street, according to Le Parisien. The outlet also said the child, who did not appear in the video, had tear gas in his eyes. One witness, 61-year-old Jean-Jacques, said: 'I heard screaming so I went outside. 'I saw hooded and armed men running away and I turned my head and saw a man with a bloody head, he was lying on the ground. There was blood everywhere. 'I cauterized the wound.' Jean-Jacques, who is in his 60s, said he treated the mother and child for teargas in their eyes, cleaning them with saline solution. Others joined in the rescue, before the kidnappers fled, leaving a fake gun lying on the ground. One man grabbed a fire extinguisher to try to scare the kidnappers away. They then abandoned their stolen vehicle a few streets away. Another witness, a local worker, suggested the public response helped drive off the attackers, adding: 'There were lots of people at the windows. Some filmed the scene. Many were yelling [to] call the police.' The Paris Judicial Police's Anti-Banditism Brigade (BRB), who declined to name the daughter of the cryptocurrency CEO or her father, is now investigating the attempted kidnapping. 'They arrived in a Chronopost van and attempted to take the mother away from her child,' said an investigating source, referring to the postal delivery firm. 'Her partner managed to fight the three kidnappers off,' the source added, The armed assailants are being hunted, but police have not yet revealed any details behind their motives. However, the incident follows another cryptocurrency related kidnapping in the capital just days earlier. On May 1, the father of a crypto entrepreneur spent more than 48 hours in a Paris building after being taken captive. During the incident, the victim was injured and a ransom demand for several million was made, according to French media. His finger was cut off, with his captors filming the horrific act to send to his son. Eventually, police smashed down the door and used non-lethal grenades to apprehend the kidnappers. Five people have now been arrested and taken into custody. Bruno Retailleau, the interior minister, wrote at the time: 'A huge congratulations to the investigators who did an exceptional job freeing this man and arresting his captors.' A police source said the victim's wife told investigators that her husband and son, who owned a crypto marketing firm in Malta, had received threats in the past. In January, David Balland, a co-founder of French crypto firm Ledger, had his hand mutilated while he and his wife were kidnapped and held captive for several hours. The couple were found a day later after being tortured by the kidnappers, who demanded a $11million ransom. And last December, the 56-year-old father of a French cryptocurrency influencer based in Dubai was the target of an alleged kidnapping in eastern France, local media reported. Attackers arrived at the man's home, tied up his wife and daughter and forced him into a car. He was only discovered 24 hours later, tied up in the boot of a car in Normandy, France. Cryptocurrency holders in other nations have also been targeted by opportunistic criminals. Last November, three teenagers lured a man in Las Vegas after a crypto event he hosted and abducted him at gunpoint at his home before forcing him into a car and driving him into the desert. They gained access to his crypto wallets and drained $4million worth of cryptocurrency and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). In Canada in 2022, self-proclaimed 'Crypto-King' Aiden Pleterski was kidnapped in downtown Toronto by victims of his alleged Ponzi scheme.
Times
13-05-2025
- Times
Gang tries to kidnap crypto tycoon's daughter in central Paris
Armed men are being hunted in Paris after a failed attempt to kidnap the daughter of a cryptocurrency entrepreneur and her two-year-old in the heart of the French capital. Video shot from nearby buildings and the street showed a violent struggle after three masked men descended from a delivery van in the Rue Pache in the 11th Arrondissement and grabbed the woman and her child. The child's father intervened and fought the would-be kidnappers until they gave up and jumped into the back of the van, which drove away. It was later found abandoned in a nearby street. Police told the newspaper Le Parisien that the woman is the daughter of the head of a cryptocurrency platform. There was no word on her condition or
