A B O U T I N T E G R I T Y U K Integrity UK is an organisation committed to preventing extremism through innovative approaches to promoting integration, cohesion and social reconciliation within the MENA region and the UK. W E E K L Y D I G E S T 2 M A R C H – 8 M A R C H S Y R I A Politics Hundreds More IS Militants Surrender to SDF as Civilian Evacuation Continues The head of the Press Office of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mustafa Bali, announced on Tuesday morning (5th March) that a humanitarian corridor has been opened to evacuate the remaining civilians from the Baghuz camp, adding that some 3,000 people, including large numbers of Islamic State (IS) militants surrendered to the SDF. Subsequently on Tuesday afternoon, there were reports from Kurdish news agencies that another 2,000 fighters surrendered. Evacuations and reports of surrenders continued throughout the week. One of the most recent and notable such militants is Yago Riedijk, a Dutch citizen and husband of the infamous British IS supporter Shamima Begum. Speaking during an interview, Riedijk admitted fighting for the IS but expressed that he had since sought to abandon the group and desired to return to the Netherlands to live with Begum whose British citizenship has since been revoked. Another foreign militant, Mark Taylor from New Zealand, has also received little sympathy from his homeland, with Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, explicitly ruling out consular assistance to Taylor. Trump: 100% Behind Continued Military Presence in Syria The United States' President, Donald Trump, wrote to the members of the Congress that he now agrees 100% with the continued military presence in Syria. In the letter, which was penned some days earlier, Trump agreed that the gains made in Syria should not be lost, the IS should not return and that Iran should not be emboldened. The letter, in effect, consolidates Trump's decision to remain in Syria, representing a reversal of the decision to withdraw all American troops from Syria. Iran Foreign Minister to Visit Damascus Iranian Foreign Minister, Javad Zarif, announced on Tuesday that he will travel to Damascus this week to meet with the Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad. This comes after a number of news agencies claimed to have confirmed that Zarif's resignation was caused by Assad's unannounced visit, citing the Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Bahram Qassemi. Assad’s invitation of Zarif was widely viewed as an attempt at mending relations with Zarif over the offence caused over the visit, which was reportedly organised by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) rather than the Foreign Ministry. For further information, contact Integrity UK on: [email protected] Impasse Continues Between US & Russia Over Rukban Camp Evacuation Responding to the announcement by Moscow and Damascus that they have an evacuation plan prepared for the camp, Washington stated on Friday evening (1st March) that the plan does not meet “protection standards” prescribed by the United Nations. Subsequently, the camp's Commission of Public and Political Relations sent a letter to the UN, arguing that Moscow and Damascus cannot be trusted. The statement also accused them of blocking aid and worsening the humanitarian conditions in the camp. In turn, Russian officials accused the US forces of preventing the entry of the buses sent to the region to evacuate people, stating that the US turned down the cooperation request. Damascus Sends First Representative to Arab League Since 2011 For the first time since 2011, the Syrian Government sent a representative to a meeting of the Arab League in Amman. Damascus was represented by Speaker of Parliament, Hammouda Sabbah, who described the invitation to attend as a “natural development”. Although Syria has not yet been reinstated to the Arab League, it is nevertheless an indicator of the continued rapprochement between Damascus and the League. EU Adds Seven Syrian Ministers to Sanctions List The European Union announced on Monday that it will add seven ministers of the Syrian Government to the list of persons and entities subject to sanctions, bringing the total number of sanctioned individuals to 277. The sanctioned individuals are all high-profile, recently appointed ministers. Yayladağı/Kassab Border Crossing Between Turkey and Syria Reopens Earlier this week, there were reports that the Yayladağı/Kassab Border Crossing between Turkey's Hatay and Syria's Latakia provinces have been reopened, marking the first time the two sides reactivated one of their borders. News of the opening was accompanied by a number of images of Syrians making preparations to return to the country. However, no announcement towards the opening was made. Security Clashes in Greater Idlib Region Intensify In the Greater Idlib region, there are signs of the situation deteriorating amidst heavy skirmishes and raids even as the shelling continues unabated. Over the course of the weekend, Syrian Arab Army (SAA) shelled southern parts of Idlib and Hama. In response, rebel groups conducted a number of raids on SAA positions. In particular, Ansar al-Tawhid conducted an attack against the SAA near Masasinah, Hama, on Saturday (2nd March) night, claiming to kill at least 40 soldiers. Subsequently on Sunday afternoon, Hayy'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) attacked the SAA positions near the Turkmen Mountain in northern Latakia, claiming to have killed four soldiers and an Iranian officer. These incidents mark some of the bloodiest fighting seen in the region, highlighting the on- going escalation. The Greater Idlib region witnessed further shelling throughout the week. The shelling around Lataminah killed a commander of Jaish al-Izza by the name Majid al-Sayyid. The HTS, in turn, shelled the Joreen Camp in Hama and the Zahra District of Aleppo City. The southern regions of For further information, contact Integrity UK on: [email protected] Greater Idlib witnessed somewhat reduced activity on Wednesday (6th March) before intensifying once again on Thursday. IS Insurgency Continues in Northern and Eastern Syria 13 SDF fighters were killed in Basira as a result of a bike bomb and five more SDF fighters were killed in Basira during a raid at a checkpoint. The IS also claimed the killing of an SDF member in Raqqa and a suicide attack at a meeting between tribal leaders and the SDF in eastern Raqqa. On Thursday (7th March), IS conducted two armed attacks in Jurdhi, Kishkiyah and Abu Hardub in Deir ez-Zour. The Jurdhi attack was reported to have killed three SDF fighters. Activists also reported a grenade attack at an SDF checkpoint in Raqqa City, an IED attack on an SDF patrol in Karama (Raqqa countryside), and a car bomb in western Raqqa City, which is reported to have killed one. Responding to the continued attack, the SDF and the International Coalition launched a number of counter-terror operations focusing on the Khabur River area (near Basira where many attacks have taken place). Local tribes in Hajin also reported the arrest of an IS cell. For further information, contact Integrity UK on: [email protected] .