International
The US has a “clear interest” in preventing the fragmentation of Syria and stopping the Islamic State
The Secretary of State of the United States, Antony Blinken, said on Monday that his country has a “clear interest” in preventing the “fragmentation” of Syria and stopping a resurgence of the terrorist group Islamic State (IS).
“This moment presents a historic opportunity, but it also carries considerable risks,” the head of US diplomacy said about Syria during an event at the State Department.
Blinken, who described the fall of President Bashar al-Asad as a “defeat” of his allies in Iran, Hezbula and Russia, stressed that “the Syrian people have to be the one who chooses their path and their future.”
He also announced that senior State Department officials have been deployed in the region to analyze the situation with key actors and allies.
“We have a clear interest in doing what we can to avoid the fragmentation of Syria, massive migrations from Syria and, of course, the export of terrorism and extremism from the region to the world,” he stressed.
Blinken also said that the United States has a “strong interest” in preventing a resurgence of IS “given the death and destruction it has caused for so long,” as well as “ensuring that any weapons of mass destruction that remain in Syria do not fall into the wrong hands.”
The head of US diplomacy said that it is “imperative” that human rights in Syria are respected, especially of vulnerable minorities, and that state institutions be preserved.
In that sense, he said that the latest statements of the rebel leaders are “welcome,” but stressed that actions are more important than words.
The Pentagon watches that IS does not take advantage of the collapse
For his part, the head of the Pentagon, Lloyd Austin, warned on Monday that IS could take advantage of the collapse of the Al Asad government in Syria to reorganize.
“As this develops, there is the potential that elements in the area, such as the Islamic State, will try to take advantage of this opportunity and regain capacity,” Austin said in statements from Japan aboard the ship USS George Washington.
Austin was also “surprised” that “the opposition forces advanced as fast as they did.”
“I think everyone expected to see a much firmer resistance from Al Assad’s forces,” he said.
The President of the United States, Joe Biden, said last weekend that Washington’s immediate priority is to prevent the resurgence of the Islamic State, which in 2014 came to control vast areas of Syria and Iraq, in which it proclaimed a “caliphate.”
With this objective, US forces carried out a dozen airstrikes in central Syria on Sunday, reaching 75 targets linked to the terrorist group, according to the Pentagon.
The United States has 900 soldiers deployed in Syria, who will remain in the region as part of the international coalition against IS in order to prevent the jihadist group from taking advantage of the situation to reorganize.
Biden’s advisor travels to Israel with a focus on Gaza and Syria
White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan will travel to Israel this week to hold talks with senior Israeli officials focused on negotiations for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the situation in Syria after the fall of the Al-Assad government.
According to a White House spokesman to EFE, Sullivan will address with senior Israeli officials “a variety of important issues, including efforts to achieve the release of hostages and a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, the latest events in Syria, as well as tensions around Lebanon and Iran.”
Biden announced this weekend that he will send several officials to the region to evaluate the next steps in Syria and that he himself will hold telephone conversations with the leaders of Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and Israel, neighboring countries of Syria.
Sullivan’s trip will be the first official visit of a high-ranking US official publicly announced since the insurgent coalition led by the Levant Liberation Organization (HTS) took control of Damascus.
HTS, which split in 2016 from the Al-Qaeda subsidiary of the Nusra Front, is designated by the United States as a terrorist organization.
International
Texas opens major migrant detention center amid civil rights protests
The East Montana Camp, poised to become one of the largest U.S. migrant detention facilities for housing foreigners awaiting deportation in tents, officially opened on a military base in Texas despite protests from civil rights advocates.
Operations began this Sunday with an initial capacity of approximately 1,000 beds at Fort Bliss, the largest installation of the U.S. Armed Forces Command. Authorities plan to expand the facility to house up to 5,000 people, making it one of the country’s largest migrant detention centers, according to a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official who spoke to EFE.
The center is expected to hold immigrants with final deportation orders, according to Republican Senator from Texas John Cornyn, who visited the site last week.
“These are people with firm deportation orders. They have no legal recourse. They have no legal right to be here,” Cornyn said, as reported by The Hill.
The senator added that the facility must remain open to Congressional oversight and media access, in response to Democratic lawmakers’ complaints about being denied entry to migrant centers, where cases of negligence have been reported.
International
NYPD declares suspicious Times Square package safe after investigation
The police reported that a suspicious package was found near West 43rd Street and Seventh Avenue around 10:30 a.m. local time (14:30 GMT), directly above the Times Square subway station connected to the Port Authority terminal.
The New York Police Department’s Bomb Squad was deployed, and officers closed streets and pedestrian areas for nearly two hours while the package was investigated.
By 11:53 a.m., NYPD officials confirmed that the item was not dangerous, and the streets were reopened shortly afterward.
The incident is still under investigation.
International
Three arrested in Dubai hours after $25 million pink diamond theft
Dubai police reported on Monday that they arrested three thieves just hours after a valuable pink diamond worth $25 million was stolen.
“The General Command of Dubai Police thwarted the theft of a very rare pink diamond valued at $25 million,” the police said in a statement shared by the official UAE news agency, WAM.
According to authorities, a diamond dealer who had brought the gem from Europe was lured to a mansion by a criminal gang under the pretense of a meeting with a wealthy client interested in the piece. However, the diamond was stolen when the dealer arrived, the statement added.
Within eight hours, three suspects from an unspecified Asian country were arrested, “thanks to the efforts of specialized teams and field units, and through the use of the latest artificial intelligence technologies,” the police said.
A video released by Dubai’s media office showed the three men with blurred faces following their arrest.
Dubai is a major hub for diamond trade, and the UAE prides itself on its strict security and stability.
Texas opens major migrant detention center amid civil rights protests
NYPD declares suspicious Times Square package safe after investigation
Three arrested in Dubai hours after $25 million pink diamond theft
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