DOCSLIB.ORG

Spotlight on Global Jihad

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Spotlight on Global Jihad Spotlight on Global Jihad (April 23-29, 2015) Main events of the week1 This week, fighting continued in Iraq between ISIS and the Iraqi Army and Shiite militias in the Sunni province of Al-Anbar (the cities of Ramadi and Al-Baghdadi). At this stage, the Iraqi Army appears to have repelled ISIS’s attempts to take over these cities. ISIS also attacked border crossings between Iraq and Jordan (Tarbil) and between Iraq and Saudi Arabia (Arar). The attack on the Tarbil crossing stopped the movement of passengers and trucks between Iraq and Jordan. The attack illustrates the economic and security threat posed to Jordan inherent in the activity of jihadi organizations near its borders with Iraq and Syria. In Syria’s Idlib province, the Al-Nusra Front and its allies managed to take over the town of Jisr al-Shughur, about 45 km southwest of Idlib, near the road leading to Latakia, on the coastal plain. They also took over the Al-Qirmid army camp, southeast of Idlib. The achievements of the Al-Nusra Front and its allies in the Idlib province may now pose a threat to the Syrian regime’s strongholds on the coastal plain, and the city of Latakia in particular. ISIS continues to establish itself in Libya, amid clashes with the Libyan Army and with rival Islamist militias. ISIS claimed responsibility for the bomb explosion at the Spanish Embassy in Tripoli, the latest in a series of attacks against foreign embassies in Tripoli in recent months. In addition, an ISIS network was uncovered in Saudi Arabia, which had intended to carry out attacks against Saudi government targets and against the US Embassy in Riyadh. The international campaign against ISIS US and coalition airstrikes This week, the US and coalition forces continued their airstrikes against ISIS targets. During the week, over one hundred airstrikes were carried out in Syria and Iraq. Following are the locations of the main airstrikes (CENTCOM website): 1 The weekly publication Spotlight on Global Jihad monitors developments among ISIS and global jihad organizations in Syria and Iraq and in the Middle East as a whole. The publication also monitors terrorist activities around the world, directed, supported or inspired by the global jihad organizations in the Middle East. 066-15 2 Syria - the airstrikes were concentrated in Al-Hasakah, Deir al-Zor and Kobani (Ayn al-Arab). The airstrikes damaged ISIS’s tactical units, battle positions, an IED storage depot, and vehicles. Iraq - airstrikes were carried out in Baiji, Fallujah, Ramadi, Rawa, Tal Afar, Al- Qaim, Mosul, Kirkuk and Sinjar. The airstrikes damaged ISIS’s tactical units, trucks, armored vehicles, heavy machinery, battle positions, buildings, checkpoints, weapons stores, and tunnels. Statement by a senior US official about the campaign against ISIS A senior official in the Obama administration said that the United States was looking for ways to speed up and streamline the airstrikes against ISIS. This statement was made in response to a complaint made by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi during his visit to the United States, that the United States is taking too long to respond (to events on the ground) by means of airstrikes. The senior official mentioned battles in built-up areas, when fighters on both sides are in motion and pilots are not always able to immediately identify ISIS operatives from the air. He said that the US is considering training Iraqi special forces to help the US identify targets, thereby improving the quality of the airstrikes (New York Times, April 23, 2015). 066-15 3 Main developments in Syria Map of Syria (Google Earth) Damascus and its environs: the Al-Yarmouk refugee camp and the city of Al-Hajar al-Aswad Palestinian organizations fighting against ISIS (most of them supporters of the Syrian regime) made significant progress on the ground during the week. It is estimated that Palestinian forces now control around 40% of the Al-Yarmouk refugee camp. ISIS and its supporters control around 40%. Lines of contact between the two sides constitute around 20% of the camp (Sama, 24 April 2015). This week, battles between ISIS and its opponents continued in the city of Al-Hajar al-Aswad, bordering on the Al-Yarmouk refugee camp. According to Khaled Abd al-Majid, secretary of the coalition of Palestinian forces fighting in the camp and secretary general of the pro-Syrian Palestinian Popular Struggle Front (PPSF), ISIS operatives barricaded themselves in several areas in the southern part of the Al-Yarmouk refugee camp (around Al-Wasim Mosque and Filastin Hospital). A PPSF operative, Abu Kifah Ukazi, said that the fighters in the camp managed to liberate a large part of the Al-Rija area, located in the southern part of the camp (Sama, April 22, 2015). 066-15 4 Weapons that fell into the hands of ISIS On April 26, 2015, the Twitter account of ISIS’s information office in the Damascus province posted photos of weapons that fell into the hands of ISIS during a battle between ISIS and forces of the Syrian regime in the area of Jabal Mihassah, around 120 km northeast of Damascus. The weapons that fell into ISIS’s hands include a T- 55 tank, Kalashnikov assault rifles, RPG launchers, a 12-tube mobile rocket launcher, anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapons, etc. (ISIS-affiliated Twitter account; dump.to, April 26, 2015). Left: 12-tube mobile rocket launcher. Right: T-55 tank that fell into the hands of ISIS operatives. (dump.to, April 26, 2015) Idlib province The Al-Nusra Front and additional Islamic organizations in the coalition that occupied the city of Idlib (Jaysh al-Fatah) continue to exert pressure on the Syrian regime throughout the entire province. This week, the coalition recorded achievements in two attacks designed to remove Syrian forces from two outposts in the Idlib province. The battle zones in the Idlib province: Jisr al-Shughur - the rebels took control of the city, which dominates the road leading from Idlib to Latakia (located about 45 km southwest of Idlib and about 76 km northeast of Latakia, along the coast). The Al-Nusra Front and its allies announced that the city had been liberated from the forces of the Syrian regime. Some of the photos posted on the Al-Nusra Front’s official Twitter account indicate that the operatives control checkpoints in the city center and the government hospital, which served as a Syrian Army base (The Al-Nusra Front’s official Twitter account, April 22, 2015). 066-15 5 The Al-Qirmid army camp - the rebels took control of the camp, which is located about 12 km southeast of Jisr al-Shughur. The Al-Nusra Front claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing attack at a checkpoint located near the army base. In addition, forty Al-Nusra Front operatives attacked the army camp and clashed with Syrian Army forces. On April 27, 2015, the Al-Nusra Front carried out a second suicide bombing attack in the area and managed to occupy the camp (The Al-Nusra Front’s media foundation, April 27, 2015). Right: The city of Jisr al-Shughur, located near the road to Latakia (left), a stronghold of the Syrian regime (Google Maps) Left: Map showing the control of the city of Jisr al-Shughur published by the Al-Nusra Front. Right: Al-Nusra Front operatives in the Jisr Ash-Shughur city center (The Al-Nusra Front’s Twitter account, April 22, 2015) 066-15 6 On April 22, 2015, the Al-Nusra Front published an official announcement intended for the residents of Jisr al-Shughur, calling on them to remain in their homes. According to the announcement, Al-Nusra Front operatives were at the entrance to the city. Another announcement was intended for the Alawite residents of the area, calling on them to fight against the forces of the Assad regime and to return to “the proper way according to Islam” (The Al-Nusra Front’s official Twitter account, April 22, 2015). Al-Nusra Front operatives in the streets of Jisr al-Shughur after it was taken over from the Syrian Army (The Al-Nusra Front’s official Twitter account, April 25, 2015) Hence, the Al-Nusra Front and its allies (Jaysh al-Fatah) continue to exert pressure on the Syrian regime in the Idlib province in northwest Syria. In the month that has passed since the takeover of the city of Idlib, they expanded their areas of control and managed to occupy the city of Jisr al-Shughur and the Al-Qirmid army camp, south of Idlib. On the other hand, the Syrian Army’s “counter-offensive” over the city of Idlib, which was reported in the media, has not yet taken place. In the ITIC’s assessment, the achievements of the rebels in the Idlib province may pose a substantial threat to the Syrian regime’s strongholds on the coastal plain, with an emphasis of the city of Latakia. Homs province According to media reports, the Syrian Army recorded several achievements in the battles against ISIS operatives in the Homs province. The Syrian Army reportedly expanded its presence in the province’s Jubb al-Jarrah region. The Syrian Army is fighting against ISIS operatives, with the goal of preventing them from reaching the 066-15 7 city. The Syrian Army reportedly surrounded the city in order to try to prevent ISIS operatives from entering it (Al-Mayadeen, April 23, 2015). According to the Lebanese newspaper As-Safir, after fierce battles, Syrian Army forces managed to regain control over the Sha’er, Jahar and Al-Moher oil and gas fields in the eastern part of the Homs province, which had previously been occupied by ISIS.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • In Numbers Highlights
    WFP Syria Crisis Regional Response Situation Report September 2018 In Numbers Highlights 5.6 million refugees from Syria • In September, WFP reached more than 3.2 million refugees – out of a total of 5.6 million registered Syrian refugees – and 3.2 million Syrian refugees assisted in July host community members across Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, USD 4.0 billion injected into local economies of and Turkey through various food and cash-based assistance Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey programmes under the Country Strategic Plan (CSPs) in Egypt and Lebanon, and Transitional Interim CSPs in the three through cash-based transfers, local food countries. procurement and other expenditure since 2012. • Self-organized refugee returns verified by UNHCR in 2018 totalled 28,251 as of September 2018. Results from UNHCR People assisted 49% 51% return intention surveys showed that voluntary repatriation in safety and dignity remains the preferred durable solution for September 2018 Syrian refugees in the region. Overall: Situation Update Regional Refugee US$ 4.4 billion and Resilience Plan Regional WFP share: • As of September 2018, there are around 5.6 million refugees (3RP) 2018-2019 US$ 1.5 billion from Syria in the neighbouring countries of Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey. • According to UNHCR’s Return Perception and Intention WFP Net Funding Requirements Surveys conducted in 2018, 76 percent of Syrian refugees (November 2018 – April 2019)* hoped to return to Syria one day, up from 51 percent in 2017, while 19 percent noted that they do not want to come back. Voluntary repatriation in safety and dignity remains the Regional US$ 307.4 million preferred durable solution for Syrian refugees in the region.
    [Show full text]
  • In Numbers Highlights
    WFP Syria Crisis Regional Response Situation Report August 2018 In Numbers Highlights 5.6 million refugees from Syria • In August, WFP reached an estimated 3.0 million refugees – out of a total of 5.6 million registered Syrian refugees – and 3.0 million Syrian refugees assisted in July host community members across Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, USD 4.0 billion injected into local economies of and Turkey through various food and cash-based assistance Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey programmes under the Country Strategic Plan (CSPs) in Egypt and Lebanon and Transitional Interim CSPs in the three through cash-based transfers, local food countries. procurement and other expenditure since 2012. • Self-organized refugee returns registered by UNHCR in 2018 totalled 23,416 as of August 2018. The United Nations People assisted 49% 51% maintains that it does not promote refugee returns to Syria until conditions for voluntary, safe and dignified returns are in August 2018 place. Overall: Situation Update Regional Refugee US$ 4.4 billion and Resilience Plan Regional WFP share: • As of August 2018, there are around 5.6 million refugees from (3RP) 2018-2019 US$ 1.5 billion Syria in the neighbouring countries of Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey. WFP Net Funding Requirements Jordan (October 2018 – March 2019)* • The Nasib border crossing between Syria and Jordan remains closed for now. Media reports in August said that the crossing is ready to receive Syrian refugees’ return from Jordan. Nasib Regional US$ 256.4 million has been vital for the transport of goods from Lebanon and Syria to Jordan and the Gulf states until it was closed off in Egypt US$ 14.8 million 2015, when it fell to Syrian opposition factions.
    [Show full text]
  • Syrian Armed Opposition Powerbrokers
    March 2016 Jennifer Cafarella and Genevieve Casagrande MIDDLE EAST SECURITY REPORT 29 SYRIAN ARMED OPPOSITION POWERBROKERS Cover: A rebel fighter of the Southern Front of the Free Syrian Army gestures while standing with his fellow fighter near their weapons at the front line in the north-west countryside of Deraa March 3, 2015. Syrian government forces have taken control of villages in southern Syria, state media said on Saturday, part of a campaign they started this month against insurgents posing one of the biggest remaining threats to Damascus. Picture taken March 3, 2015. REUTERS/Stringer All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. ©2016 by the Institute for the Study of War. Published in 2016 in the United States of America by the Institute for the Study of War. 1400 16th Street NW, Suite 515 | Washington, DC 20036 www.understandingwar.org Jennifer Cafarella and Genevieve Casagrande MIDDLE EAST SECURITY REPORT 29 SYRIAN ARMED OPPOSITION POWERBROKERS ABOUT THE AUTHORS Jennifer Cafarella is the Evans Hanson Fellow at the Institute for the Study of War where she focuses on the Syrian Civil War and opposition groups. Her research focuses particularly on the al Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al Nusra and their military capabilities, modes of governance, and long-term strategic vision. She is the author of Likely Courses of Action in the Syrian Civil War: June-December 2015, and Jabhat al-Nusra in Syria: An Islamic Emirate for al-Qaeda.
    [Show full text]
  • An Uncertain Homecoming Views of Syrian Refugees in Jordan on Return, Justice, and Coexistence
    An Uncertain Homecoming Views of Syrian Refugees in Jordan on Return, Justice, and Coexistence INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE An Uncertain Homecoming Views of Syrian Refugees in Jordan on Return, Justice, and Coexistence RESEARCH REPORT Acknowledgments The International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) acknowledges the support of the UK Department for International Development, which funded this research and publication. ICTJ and the authors of the report also gratefully acknowledge all of those who generously gave their time to be interviewed for this report and contributed their experiences and insights. About the Authors Cilina Nasser wrote sections V through XII of this report and led the development of the Introduction and Recommendations. Nasser is a Beirut-based independent researcher and expert on human rights who also works on transitional justice issues. She has worked extensively on investigating human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law, primarily in Syria, but also in other countries in the Middle East and North Africa region, such as Yemen, Libya, and Saudi Arabia. She was a researcher at Amnesty International focusing on countries in crisis and conflict from 2009 to 2015 and, before that, a journalist who covered major events in Lebanon. Zeina Jallad Charpentier wrote sections III, XIII, and XIV of this report. Jallad Charpentier is a legal consultant, researcher, and lecturer in law, whose work focuses on the intersection between international law, human rights law, social mobility, access to justice and resilience of disenfranchised populations, refugees, and impact litigation. She has worked in the United States, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Turkey.
    [Show full text]
  • WFP Syria Regional Situation Report
    WFP Syria Regional In Numbers Situation Report 5.6 million registered Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries November 2018 Month YYYY 42,728 self-organized refugee returns to Syria in 2018 USD 4.0 billion injected into local economies of Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey through WFP’s cash-based transfers, local food procurement, and other expenditures since 2012 2.4 million Syrian refugees Highlights 51% 49% Assistance Rationale and host community • In November, WFP reached approximately 2.4 million • What are the critical humanitarian needs (problems) members assisted refugees from Syria and host community members across the affected population is facing? November 2018 Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey through various •food What assistance is the food programmes security situation? (in-kind and cash). In Egypt andWhat Lebanon, are the WFP key indicators?is operating under Country Strategic Overall: Plans (CSPs), while Transitional Interim Country Strategic Regional Refugee and USD 4.4 billion Plans (TICSPs) are currently in place in Iraq, Jordan and Resilience Plan (3RP) Turkey. 2018-2019 WFP share: USD 1.5 billion Situation Updates WFP Net Funding Requirements Iraq (January - June 2019) • The fluid security situation is making the operating environment in some governorates increasingly Regional USD 313.9 million complicated. Military operations and resurgence of armed groups have prompted WFP Iraq to halt operations in Egypt USD 6.8 million Western Anbar for the foreseeable future. The deterioration of the situation in Ninewa, Anbar, and in Iraq USD 2.3 million some areas of Salah al-Din is slowing growing, threatening future resilience activities. Jordan USD 44.7 million Jordan • The Nasib border crossing between Syria and Jordan was Lebanon USD 81.2 million reopened after being closed for three years.
    [Show full text]
  • Shiite Foreign Militias in Syria
    Shiite Foreign Militias in Syria Iran's role in the Syrian conflict and the ISIS fight By Aaron Hesse- Research Fellow August 2015 Introduction: This paper seeks to identify and elucidate the role that Iran-backed Shiite foreign fighters play in Syria and to compare how often they target the Islamic State in Iraq and Sham (ISIS) and the Syrian opposition. Shiite foreign fighters inside Syria present a major problem for the Syrian opposition forces due to their generally superior morale and fighting abilities. They also pose a long-term threat to American and Western interests due to their role in expanding the Syrian conflict and increasing its sectarian content. Many of these militias arose in Syria for the stated purpose of protecting Shiite religious shrines.i When ISIS burst onto the scene in summer 2014, the goal of fighting ISIS brutality was added on as a second ostensible purpose of the militias. However, contrary to the prevailing narrative that is based mainly on Iraq, the Iran-backed Shiite militias have been of extremely limited value in the ISIS fight in Syria. This paper will attempt to show that these groups work and perform military duties on behalf of the government of Bashar al-Assad and their benefactors in Iran almost exclusively to target the Syrian rebels. The Iran-backed militias have no real interest in fighting ISIS in Syria. This makes Assad, as well as Iran, unreliable partners in the fight to destroy ISIS. Metrics: This paper will focus on the outsized role that Iran-backed Shiite foreign fighters are playing in Syria.
    [Show full text]
  • Middle East Security Report 29
    March 2016 Jennifer Cafarella and Genevieve Casagrande MIDDLE EAST SECURITY REPORT 29 SYRIAN ARMED OPPOSITION POWERBROKERS Cover: A rebel fighter of the Southern Front of the Free Syrian Army gestures while standing with his fellow fighter near their weapons at the front line in the north-west countryside of Deraa March 3, 2015. Syrian government forces have taken control of villages in southern Syria, state media said on Saturday, part of a campaign they started this month against insurgents posing one of the biggest remaining threats to Damascus. Picture taken March 3, 2015. REUTERS/Stringer All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. ©2016 by the Institute for the Study of War. Published in 2016 in the United States of America by the Institute for the Study of War. 1400 16th Street NW, Suite 515 | Washington, DC 20036 www.understandingwar.org Jennifer Cafarella and Genevieve Casagrande MIDDLE EAST SECURITY REPORT 29 SYRIAN ARMED OPPOSITION POWERBROKERS ABOUT THE AUTHORS Jennifer Cafarella is the Evans Hanson Fellow at the Institute for the Study of War where she focuses on the Syrian Civil War and opposition groups. Her research focuses particularly on the al Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al Nusra and their military capabilities, modes of governance, and long-term strategic vision. She is the author of Likely Courses of Action in the Syrian Civil War: June-December 2015, and Jabhat al-Nusra in Syria: An Islamic Emirate for al-Qaeda.
    [Show full text]
  • WFP SYRIA External SITREP
    SYRIA SITUATION CRISIS UPDATE RESPONSE JAN - MARCH 2015 HIGHLIGHTS WFP delivered enough food to support over 4 million people in March, of which almost 15 percent was delivered cross border from Turkey and Jordan While efforts to negotiate access continue, WFP reached less than ten percent of those believed to be in need of assistance in hard to reach and besieged areas Despite donor generosity, shortfalls forced WFP to cut assistance to some 1.8 million Syrian refugees by 30 percent since the beginning of the year Continued targeting/verification efforts have so far reduced WFP’s regional caseload by 226,000 people WFP/Dina Elkassaby 6-year-old Riham waits patiently by the kitchen for her lunch. Spaghetti with onion and tomato sauce; her favorite. For information on WFP’s Syria Crisis Response in 2013 and 2014, please use the QR Code or access through the link: wfp.org/syriainfo SYRIA Up to four million people receive life-saving assistance Over the first quarter of 2015, WFP provided life-saving assistance to up to 4 million civilians in Syria in 12 of the 14 governorates. In January the operations suffered a slow start, due to the initial delays in obtaining the necessary approvals compounded by the onset of heavy winter storms and technical complications on the border with Lebanon, which severely disrupted sea and land transport. In spite of the many constraints affecting the deliveries during the first half of the month, WFP was able to reach 3.4 million people in January, 80 percent of the monthly plan, by speeding the packaging operations and increasing the average delivery rate during the second half of the month, when more favourable weather conditions allowed WFP to resume full-scale transport operations.
    [Show full text]
  • Syria's Economy
    Syria’s Economy: PickingSyria’s up the Economy: Pieces Research Paper David Butter Middle East and North Africa Programme | June 2015 Syria’s Economy Picking up the Pieces Contents Summary 2 Introduction 3 Economic Context of the Uprising and the Slide to Conflict 7 Counting the Cost of the Syrian Conflict 12 Clinging on to Institutional Integrity: Current Realities and Possible Scenarios 28 About the Author 29 Acknowledgments 30 1 | Chatham House Syria’s Economy: Picking up the Pieces Summary • The impact on the Syrian economy of four years of conflict is hard to quantify, and no statistical analysis can adequately convey the scale of the human devastation that the war has wrought. Nevertheless, the task of mitigating the effects of the conflict and planning for the future requires some understanding of the core economic issues. • Syria’s economy has contracted by more than 50 per cent in real terms since 2011, with the biggest losses in output coming in the energy and manufacturing sectors. Agriculture has assumed a bigger role in national output in relative terms, but food production has fallen sharply as a result of the conflict. • The population has shrunk from 21 million to about 17.5 million as a result of outward migration (mainly as refugee flows) and more than a quarter of a million deaths. At least a third of the remaining population is internally displaced. • Inflation has averaged 51 per cent between January 2012 and March 2015, according to the monthly data issued by the government, and the Syrian pound has depreciated by about 80 per cent since the start of the conflict.
    [Show full text]
  • Report Mapping Southern Syria's Armed Opposition
    Report Mapping Southern Syria’s Armed Opposition Osama al-Koshak * Al Jazeera Centre for Studies 13 October 2015 Tel: +974-40158384 [email protected] http://studies.aljazeera.n [AlJazeera] Abstract Syrian opposition forces in Daraa province, located in the country’s south, have maintained their constant military advancement without any significant defeats, and now control sixty-five per cent of the province. Further, they are attempting to secure territorial contiguity with western Damascus. Daraa is different from other provinces due to several particularities, notably: singularity of support sources, a sensitive geopolitical location as well as geographic isolation from the other areas of the revolution, Jordan’s strict control of its borders and the absence of internal and ideological conflicts seen in northern Syria’s provinces. The Southern Front, consisting of a loose assembly of forty-nine factions, has taken lead of the military scene in the province. It is considered the most prominent force on the scene, with the global Islamist jihadist forces, e.g., al-Nusra Front and other local forces, such as the Islamic Muthanna Movement and Ahrar al-Sham, next in the military order. Daraa was not isolated from the emergence of the Islamic State (IS or Daesh), although its effects were limited. Through the Military Operations Center (MOC) of the supporting countries, regional and international forces managed to greatly influence the scene in Daraa through full sponsorship of the so-called “moderate forces” in the Southern Front. Its strategy focused on using the battlefield to win political gains and weaken the regime to reach a settlement.
    [Show full text]
  • Assad's Lethal Peace Deals
    A HOOVER INSTITUTION ESSAY ON A US STRATEGIC VISION IN A CHANGING WORLD Assad’s Lethal Peace Deals MOHAMMED ALAA GHANEM On the night of April 7, 2018, the Assad regime carried out the largest chemical attack since its infamous 2013 sarin massacre, killing over seventy civilians and causing over nine hundred suffocation cases within hours. One week later, a US-British-French coalition responded with missile strikes knocking out three key facilities linked to the Assad regime’s chemical program. These strikes were beneficial in that they introduced at least a modicum of deterrence from further chemical attacks. Policy debate and global public opinion then turned to other matters. But inside Syria, the negative impacts of the Assad regime’s deadly chemical massacre were strongly felt, and they continue to reverberate to this day. Islamism and the International Order International the and Islamism The massacre was perpetrated in the town of Douma, the largest suburb east of the capital, Damascus, and at that time the last town in the capital’s East Ghouta suburbs to resist regime control. The town had been part of a yearlong local ceasefire linked to Russian-declared “de-escalation zones,” before Russia shattered its own ceasefire with a scorched-earth air campaign from February to March 2018 that left 1,500 dead. This relentless assault left most of the once-extensive opposition communities in East Ghouta displaced or conquered by the Assad regime, except for Douma, where a new ceasefire had been signed. This was the context for the April 2018 chemical attack on the town of Douma: it was both a violation of a local ceasefire recently arranged for Douma and the culmination of a monthlong military campaign that shattered a local ceasefire for the larger Ghouta region.
    [Show full text]
  • RSCAS 2019/06 from Rebel Rule to a Post-Capitulation Era in Daraa
    RSCAS 2019/06 Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies The Middle East Directions Programme Wartime and Post-Conflict in Syria From Rebel Rule to a Post-Capitulation Era in Daraa Southern Syria: The Impacts and Outcomes of Rebel Behaviour During Negotiations Abdullah Al-Jabassini European University Institute Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies The Middle East Directions Programm Wartime and Post-Conflict in Syria From Rebel Rule to a Post-Capitulation Era in Daraa Southern Syria: The Impacts and Outcomes of Rebel Behaviour During Negotiations Abdullah Al-Jabassini From Rebel Rule to a Post-Capitulation Era in Daraa Southern Syria: The Impacts and Outcomes of Rebel Behaviour During Negotiations EUI Working Paper RSCAS 2019/06 This text may be downloaded only for personal research purposes. Additional reproduction for other purposes, whether in hard copies or electronically, requires the consent of the author(s), editor(s). If cited or quoted, reference should be made to the full name of the author(s), editor(s), the title, the working paper, or other series, the year and the publisher. ISSN 1028-3625 © Abdullah Al-Jabassini, 2019 Printed in Italy, January 2019 European University Institute Badia Fiesolana I – 50014 San Domenico di Fiesole (FI) Italy www.eui.eu/RSCAS/Publications/ www.eui.eu cadmus.eui.eu Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies The Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, created in 1992 and currently directed by Professor Brigid Laffan, aims to develop inter-disciplinary and comparative research on the major issues facing the process of European integration, European societies and Europe’s place in 21st century global politics.
    [Show full text]