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Syria has taken full control of all military sites where US forces had previously been deployed, completing a handover that Damascus says reflects the successful absorption of Kurdish-led fighters into national structures
The announcement on Thursday comes after the final convoy of US soldiers and equipment departed Qasrak air base, located in the northeastern governorate of Hasakah, ending a military presence that began in 2014 when US forces entered the fight against ISIL (ISIS) alongside Kurdish fighters who went on to lead what became known as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa received the two most senior figures in the SDF, its military commander, Mazloum Abdi, and the head of its political wing, Ilham Ahmad, in Damascus on Thursday.
Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani and the presidential envoy overseeing the integration process were also present.
Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates welcomed the completed handover of the bases, saying it reflected the government’s efforts to bring the country under a single state authority, including border areas and the northeast, which had long operated outside Damascus’s control
The ministry said the transfer had been carried out in full coordination with the US, pointing to what it described as a constructive relationship that has developed since al-Sharaa met US President Donald Trump at the White House in November.
US Central Command, which is responsible for US troops in the Middle East, told the news agency AFP that US forces “have completed turning over all of our major bases in Syria as part of a deliberate and conditions-based transition”
The handover follows a deal struck in January between Damascus and the SDF, which had governed large swaths of northern and eastern Syria with tacit US backing.
Syrian government forces fought a brief conflict with the SDF and seized control of much of the territory the group controlled before both sides came to a new agreement in March.
Under that deal, Kurdish fighters are being brought into the Syrian national army, Syrian security forces have deployed to the city centres of Hasakah and Qamishli, and control of border crossings and civilian institutions has transferred to Damascus
Syria joined the international coalition against ISIL in November, a milestone that recast Damascus as a partner rather than an obstacle and fundamentally altered the rationale for a continued US military presence in Syria
According to Syria analyst Charles Lister, the last soldiers and equipment were routed overland through Jordan rather than Iraq to reduce exposure to potential attacks by Iranian-backed armed groups operating in the region
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Melbourne, Australia – A multimillion-dollar advertising campaign encouraging Australians to save fuel for “our truckies” is just one of the ways the government is trying to address shortages caused by the war on Iran.
Since early March, the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies are shipped during peacetime, has been effectively closed and shipping traffic has fallen by 95 percent.
Australia’s heavy reliance on oil refined in South East Asian countries which, in turn, import crude oil through the Strait of Hormuz has seen the government turn to “fuel diplomacy” and fuel tax cuts to try to limit price shocks.
But experts told Al Jazeera that such measures are little more than “sugar hits” which will do little to address longer-term problems associated with Australia’s heavy reliance on fossil fuels
Australia imports about 80 percent of the refined fuels it needs, much of it from “regional refining hubs such as Singapore, South Korea and Malaysia, which in turn depend on crude oil imports from the Middle East”, said Hussein Dia, professor of transport technology and sustainability at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne
“While some Asian economies may face more immediate exposure, Australia remains structurally vulnerable due to its reliance on imported refined fuel and extended supply chains,” Dia told Al Jazeera
In a bid to bridge this gap, Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has turned to “fuel diplomacy”, said Dia, with recent visits to Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei, where he has been trying to shore up the supply of fuel and fertiliser
Bowen’s decision not to attend the Santa Marta conference comes despite his role as the president of negotiations at this year’s top climate change conference, COP31.
Australia had lobbied to host COP31 in part to try to improve relations with its Pacific island neighbours, who have long said that uncontrolled climate change poses an existential threat to their survival
Like many other developing countries, Pacific islanders are facing dire consequences from oil and fertiliser price rises, with potentially worse consequences than those suffered by Australians. That includes the island nation of Tuvalu, which spends 25 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) on fuel, and has declared a state of emergency
Christiaan De Beukelaer, senior lecturer in culture and climate at the University of Melbourne, told Al Jazeera that oil price rises “gravely affect our Pacific neighbours, whose biggest worry is now to secure enough supply to keep basic services running”.
“Australia would do well to make significant efforts to reduce fuel demand, by opting for alternatives whenever and wherever available,” De Beukelaer added
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South African opposition politician Julius Malema has been sentenced to prison time for firing a rifle in ⁠the air at a party rally.
Malema, the leader of the far-left opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), was handed a five-year sentence on Thursday by Magistrate Twanet Olivier.
Malema, who is one of South Africa’s most prominent politicians, was convicted last year of charges, including unlawful possession of a ⁠firearm and discharging a weapon in a public place over the 2018 incident at a stadium in the Eastern Cape province
The 45-year-old leader of the fourth-biggest party in parliament had pleaded not guilty, arguing the gun was a toy. His defence said the shots were only intended to be celebratory
“It wasn’t … an impulsive act,” the magistrate said. “It was the event of the evening.
The court sentenced Malema to five years for unlawful possession of a firearm and two years for unlawful possession of ammunition. It gave him fines for ⁠three other offences, including discharging a firearm in a built-up area, with ⁠prison time if he doesn’t pay. The sentences will run at the same time
Within ⁠minutes of the magistrate’s decision being ⁠read out in the court in KuGompo City, formerly East London, on Thursday, Malema’s lawyers applied for leave to appeal – a request that was later granted
Meanwhile, outside the court, hundreds of Malema’s red-clad EFF supporters gathered for the sentencing in the politically charged case
The EFF – a small but vocal party – says the case is an attempt to silence its outspoken leader, who is known for fiery speeches. Party supporters have threatened protests should their leader be jailed
The magistrate stressed it “is not a political party who has been convicted here … it is a person, an individual
The maximum possible sentence was 15 years in prison. If confirmed after all appeals, Thursday’s five-year sentence would bar Malema from serving as a lawmaker
That would be a major setback to the EFF, which has strong support among young South Africans frustrated by the racial inequality that has persisted since the end of white minority rule in 1994
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