Qatar accused of funneling millions of dollars to Jabhat al-Nusra: The Times

The Qatari state has been accused of playing a central role in a secret money laundering operation to send hundreds of millions of dollars to jihadists in Syria, according to an investigation by The Times newspaper. A claim issued this week at the High Court in London alleges that a private office of the Gulf state’s monarch was at the heart of clandestine routes by which money was transferred to Jabhat al-Nusra.

Two Qatari banks, several charities, wealthy businessmen, leading politicians and civil servants are among the defendants in a claim for damages lodged by nine Syrians. The claimants allege that each played a part in an alleged conspiracy on behalf of the Qatari state, acting in co-ordination with the Muslim Brotherhood, the Sunni Islamist organization. Qatar is set to host next year’s football World Cup. The conspiracy was driven “by high-ranking members of the Qatari ruling elite” and provided funds to “actively support and facilitate” al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorists in the Syrian civil war, the High Court claim alleges.

Jabhat al-Nusra received hundreds of millions of dollars from Qatari individuals and organisations acting “on behalf of the state of Qatar”, it alleges. Among the named defendants accused of involvement are Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani, Qatar’s former prime minister, and Abdulhadi Mana al-Hajri, the owner of London’s Ritz hotel. Their representatives said the allegations were completely baseless. Categorical denials were issued by every Qatari defendant identified in the claim that was contacted by The Times.

It is alleged in the claim that money was laundered for terrorism via significantly overpriced construction contracts, the purchase of property at inflated prices and overpayments to Syrian migrant workers. The claim alleges the clandestine funding operation was carried out with the Muslim Brotherhood and included meetings in Turkey between prominent Qatari individuals and representatives of jihadist groups operating in Syria. It is claimed that money was transferred from the bank accounts of Qatari companies and charities either to Syria directly or to Turkish banks, where the claimants say it was withdrawn and taken across the border into Syria.

The claim for damages was lodged in the High Court on Wednesday by lawyers representing nine Syrians who allege they suffered severe financial losses or torture, arbitrary detention, threats of execution and other forms of persecution committed by Nusra Front. Among them is a businessman from a prominent Christian family in Syria who was awarded a major hospital construction contract by a Qatari charity. He claims he lost millions of pounds when he refused to participate in the conspiracy. Ben Emmerson QC, of the law firm King & Spalding, is leading the legal team that represents the claimants.

Central to the operation, it is alleged, was the private engineering office of the Amiri Diwan, a Qatari government agency that controls all major construction and development contracts. It receives its directives from Qatar’s emir, Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani. Other defendants alleged to have been involved include:

• Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani, Qatar’s prime minister from 2007 to 2013. His personal wealth is an estimated £2 billion, according to last year’s Sunday Times Rich List.
• Nawaf bin Jassim al-Thani, Hamad’s younger brother, who until March this year chaired a division of Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund that owns a global portfolio of luxury hotels.
• Jassim and Hamad bin Jassim Charitable Foundation, a wealthy charity founded in 2001 and controlled by the bin Jassim al-Thani brothers.
• Abdulhadi Mana al-Hajri, owner of the Ritz hotel in London and brother-in-law of Qatar’s emir.
• Qatar National Bank (QNB), the largest financial institution in the Middle East, which is also the official Qatari bank of the World Cup. It has a UK branch in Mayfair.

The details of their alleged roles are expected to be sent to the court in due course. Also named as defendants are Doha Bank and two Syrian-Qatari businessmen, the brothers Moutaz and Ramez al-Khayyat. Doha Bank is already defending a separate High Court claim lodged by Syrian refugees in 2019. It alleged that the Khayyat brothers, who own a global construction conglomerate, used accounts at the bank to channel extensive funds to Nusra Front. Doha Bank has said the claim is groundless and without merit.

The new claim alleges that QNB and Doha Bank knew or ought to have known that they were being used to transfer funds to terrorists. If they were unaware of this, it is alleged that they acted unlawfully by failing to monitor their accounts. Doha Bank told The Times the allegations were untrue, as did the Khayyat brothers. QNB said the claims had no factual basis and were categorically untrue. Lawyers acting for Hajri, the Ritz owner, said he unequivocally denied “every single aspect of the allegations insofar as they refer to him”. They said: “Our client has never, directly or indirectly, participated in the funding of terrorism and he has never participated in any conspiracy aimed at providing any support whatsoever to [Nusra Front] during the Syrian civil war.”

Lawyers for the private engineering office of the Amiri Diwan said it was a government entity and “was not and will never be part of an unlawful conspiracy to fund a terrorist organization”. That denial was echoed by the head of the bin Jassim Foundation, Said Mathkar al-Hajri, who said the charity and its members “were not and will never be part of an unlawful conspiracy”. Fuller details of each defendant’s alleged participation in terrorism funding will only be submitted to the court by the claimants after the defendants have been served with copies of the documents that were filed this week in London. All the defendants will be entitled to lodge defense documents or argue that the case should not be heard by the English courts. The claim will only proceed if there is sufficient evidence to support it. Some of those against whom allegations are made suggested it was linked to a campaign by rival countries in an attempt to damage Qatar’s reputation in the West.

Foreign ministers from 14 European countries make plea for humanitarian solution in Idlib

Syria – Op-ed by Foreign Ministers of France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, the Netherlands, Estonia, Poland, Lithuania, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Ireland (26 Feb. 2020)

In Idlib, a new humanitarian disaster is playing out, one of the worst in the Syrian crisis that, in nearly a decade, has caused too many such disasters to count. The Syrian regime continues its strategy of military reconquest of the country at any cost, regardless of the consequences for Syrian civilians. Since December, its operations in the north-west have grown in intensity, with support from Russian aircraft. The unremitting air strikes and the dropping of barrel bombs have forced nearly one million Syrians to flee in just a few weeks. Relief structures are saturated. Hundreds of thousands of people – mostly women and children – are seeking shelter in makeshift camps, and are subjected to cold, hunger and epidemics.

In defiance of international humanitarian law, the strikes deliberately targeted hospitals and health centres – and 79 were forced to shut down – schools, and shelters. A total of 298 civilians have been killed in Idlib since 1 January, based on data from the OHCHR.

It is perfectly clear to us that there are radical groups in Idlib. We would never take terrorism lightly. We are fighting terrorism with determination and are on the front lines of the fight against Daesh. But fighting terrorism cannot and must not justify massive violations of international humanitarian law, which we are witnessing every day in north-west Syria.

The United Nations has warned of the risk of an unprecedented humanitarian crisis if the current offensive continues. We call on the Syrian regime and its supporters to end this offensive and to resume the ceasefire established in autumn 2018. We call on them to immediately end hostilities and honour their obligations under international humanitarian law, including the protection of humanitarian workers and medical personnel, who have lost their lives because of their commitment to civilian populations in Idlib. We also call on Russia to continue negotiations with Turkey in order to de-escalate the dire situation in Idlib and contribute to a political solution.

Beyond the urgency of a truce in Idlib, we call on Russia not to block the Security Council in the coming months from renewing the mechanism allowing for desperately needed cross-border humanitarian aid to be transported to north-west Syria ; a mechanism it has already shut down in the north-east, where we now need to identify alternatives to the Al Yaroubiyah crossing. Who can currently claim that the Syrian regime on its own accord will allow aid to reach those in need, when it bears the greatest responsibility for their situation?

Finally, it is important to remember that only a politically negotiated end to the conflict can serve as a durable conclusion to the Syrian crisis.Political normalization cannot happen before a genuine, irreversible political process is firmly underway. Focused on its military strategy, the regime seeks to undermine any type of inclusive political process, by blocking all constitutional discussions planned in Geneva under the aegis of UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen. But the reconquest under way is an illusion and the same causes will produce the same effects: radicalization, instability in Syria and in the region, and exile, in a country where more than half the population is displaced or living as refugees. We have to acknowledge the tremendous efforts Syria’s neighbours are undertaking, to provide shelter to these Syrians that had to leave their homes.

In the face of the tragedy unfolding, Europeans, too, are shouldering their responsibilities. From a humanitarian standpoint, the European Union and its Member States are the largest donors in support of the Syrian population. We will sustain and expand these collective efforts in reaction to the developing crisis in Idlib.

Europe continues to apply pressure on the regime to genuinely engage in the political process. On 17 February, Europeans adopted fresh sanctions that target, on an individual basis, Syrian businesspersons who are fuelling the regime’s war efforts and benefiting from its impact.

It is also our responsibility to fight impunity with regard to the crimes committed in Syria. It is a matter of principle and justice. It is also a necessary condition for sustainable peace, in a Syrian society that has been torn apart by nearly ten years of conflict. We intend to continue to support the mechanisms to fight impunity that have been established by the United Nations, which conduct work to collect proof that will be vital in the preparation of future proceedings against those who are responsible for the most serious crimes: the Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic and the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism. We will also continue our work to refer cases to the International Criminal Court. We will maintain our commitment, including within the framework of our national jurisdictions, to ensure that the crimes committed in Syria do not go unpunished. Such crimes have included the use of chemical weapons, breaching most fundamental norms of international law. We need to establish responsibilities and we need accountability. And we need clarity on what happened to the many detainees and missing persons.

U.S. troops leave northern Syria, cross into Iraq

United States troops have crossed into Iraq from Syria through the Sahela border crossing in the northern province of Dohuk, witnesses said on Monday. More than 100 vehicles carrying troops were seen by witnesses crossing into Iraq, part of the U.S. withdrawal from Syria.

An Iraqi Kurdish security source also told Reuters that U.S. troops had crossed into the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq. About 30 trailers and Hummers carrying heavier duty equipment crossed, with troops in cars coming through, the source added. A second security source in Mosul also said U.S. troops had crossed into Iraq from Sahela.

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Saturday that all of the nearly 1,000 troops withdrawing from northern Syria are expected to move to western Iraq to continue the campaign against Islamic State militants and “to help defend Iraq”.

US military convoy leaves northern Syria through the Sahela border crossing into Iraq. [Photo: Sune Engel Rasmussen/WSJ]

Sources: Syria and Iraq News/Reuters

Assad issues new amnesty, reduces sentences

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad issued a decree Sunday granting amnesty and reducing sentences for all crimes committed before Sept. 14, state news agency SANA said. Similar amnesties have been issued on several occasions — most recently last year — since Syria’s crisis began in March 2011.

According to Sunday’s pardon, life-long terms would replace death sentences, and a 20-year-long sentence at hard labor would replace life-long sentences at hard labor, and a 20-year sentence would replace long-life sentences. Prisoners with incurable diseases including cancer would be freed, it said. The decree stipulated granting a general amnesty for military deserters who turn themselves in within 3 months for those inside the country, and 6 months for those outside the country.

Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad [Photo: SANA]

Sources: Syria & Iraq News/Associated Press/SANA

Syrian troops surround Turkish post near Khan Sheikhoun

A heavily fortified Turkish observation post in the northwestern village of Morek stood surrounded on all sides by Syrian troops Saturday, a testament to the rapid advance of President Bashar al-Assad’s forces in Syria’s northwest over the past three weeks as rebel defenses collapsed.

Syrian authorities took a group of journalists to tour the observation post, several newly captured villages and the town of Khan Sheikhoun, which was a major rebel stronghold until it was taken by government forces earlier this week.

This file aerial view taken on August 3, 2019, shows destroyed buildings in the town of Khan Sheikhun in the southern countryside of the northwestern Idlib province. [Photo: AFP]

In Morek, there was no sign of friction between the Turks and the Syrian troops who took positions hundreds of meters away from the observation post. The journalists were kept about 2 kilometers (1.2 mile) away from the Turkish post.

Relations between Turkey and Syria have deteriorated sharply since Syria’s crisis began in 2011, with Damascus accusing Ankara of undermining its security by allowing thousands of foreign fighters to come battle the Syrian army. Turkey is a strong backer of opposition gunmen fighting Assad’s forces and has 12 observation posts in northwestern Syria as part of an agreement reached last year with Russia, a main backer of the Syrian government.

Farther north, on the road to Khan Sheikhoun, metal black banners could be seen on the roads with signs reading: “Islam is safety,” ″singing is prohibited” and “Islam is the solution.” They appeared to be placed by members of al-Qaida-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the most powerful group in the northwestern province of Idlib, the last major rebel stronghold in Syria. In Khan Sheikhoun, despite widespread damage, most of the buildings were standing as it was far from the front lines. Khan Sheikhoun is important as it sits on the highway linking the capital Damascus with the northern city of Aleppo. The link has been cut by rebels since 2012.

One of the main aims of the Syrian army offensive is to open the highway and workers on Saturday were seen paving parts of it in preparation of opening it on the assumption that Syrian troops will capture more areas farther north. Opposition activists, including the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said government forces are now massing troops to push north in their offensive toward the town of Maaret al-Numan, another major town on the highway known as M5. “The battle was well organized,” a Syrian officer said about their push into Khan Sheikhoun over the past days. “Once we took the hills overlooking Khan Sheikhoun it became easy to take the town.”

During the tour of the town, explosions and heavy machine gun fire could be heard from the distance, while warplanes flew overhead. Syrian soldier Hussein Hassane, 23, said the battle was difficult in the beginning until the rebels’ defenses collapsed and that’s “when we got the orders to enter Khan Sheikhoun. We moved in and the gunmen were either crushed or fled.” If Syrian troops keep moving north, there are two other nearby Turkish posts just on the southern edge of Idlib.

The situation in Idlib is expected to be a main topic during a summit between the presidents of Turkey and Russia in Moscow next week. A Syrian officer in Morek told The Associated Press that Turkish troops and some opposition fighters and their families were inside the sprawling observation post that is surrounded by blast walls. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu had denied any Turkish troops were besieged in Syria. Assad adviser Bouthaina Shaaban told the Lebanon-based Al-Mayadeen TV that the Turkish base in Morek is under siege, adding that the “Syrian army, God willing, will be able to remove all Turkish posts and terrorists.”

The village itself has suffered massive destruction, in which entire buildings were knocked out and only Syrian troops were seen inside as many of its residents fled since the Syrian army began its last offensive on April 30, forcing more than half a million people to leave their homes.

Sources: Syria & Iraq News/Associated Press

Putin says Russia and Syria are not planning assault on Idlib for now

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday he did not rule out Syrian forces, backed by Russian air power, launching a full-scale assault on militants in Syria’s Idlib province, but that such an operation was unpractical for now.

Russia, one of the Syrian government’s staunchest allies, and Turkey brokered a deal in September to create a demilitarized zone in the northwest Idlib region that would be free of all heavy weapons and jihadist fighters. The deal helped avert a government assault on the region, the last major bastion of opponents of President Bashar al-Assad. But Moscow has since complained about escalating violence in the area and said that militants who used to belong to the Nusra Front group are in control of large swaths of territory.

Speaking in Beijing, Putin said that Moscow and Damascus would continue what he called the fight against terrorism and that any militants who tried to break out of Idlib, something he said happened from time to time, were bombed. But Putin said the presence of civilians in parts of Idlib where militants were also active meant the time was not yet ripe for full-scale military operations. “I don’t rule it (a full-scale assault) out, but right now we and our Syrian friends consider that to be inadvisable given this humanitarian element,” Putin told reporters.

Moscow is keen to help Assad retake territory, including eventually Idlib province, but Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan has argued against a Russian-backed offensive in a region that borders his own country. Ankara is concerned about potential refugee flows from Idlib in the event of a military operation, and wants to retain its influence there.

Sources: Syria & Iraq News/Reuters

John Bolton says U.S. military withdrawal from Syria is conditioned on Turkey assuring the safety of YPG

U.S. President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, John Bolton, said Sunday that the U.S. military withdrawal from northeastern Syria is conditioned on defeating the remnants of Daesh, and on Turkey assuring the safety of Kurdish fighters allied with the United States.

Bolton, who traveled to Israel to reassure the U.S. ally of the Trump-ordered withdrawal, said there is no timetable for the pullout of American forces in northeastern Syria, but insisted it’s not an unlimited commitment. “There are objectives that we want to accomplish that condition the withdrawal,” Bolton told reporters in Jerusalem. “The timetable flows from the policy decisions that we need to implement.” Those conditions, he said, included the defeat of remnants of Daesh in Syria, and protections for Kurdish militias who have fought alongside U.S. troops against the extremist group.

Bolton, who is to travel on to Turkey on Monday, said the U.S. is insisting that its Kurdish allies in the fight against Daesh are protected from any planned Turkish offensive. He is to deliver a warning to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan this week. “We don’t think the Turks ought to undertake military action that’s not fully coordinated with and agreed to by the United States,” Bolton said. Trump has stated that he would “not allow Turkey to kill the Kurds,” Bolton said. “That’s what the president said, the ones that fought with us.”

John Bolton [photo by Gage Skidmore/Flickr]

Bolton said the U.S. has asked its Kurdish allies to “stand fast now” and refrain from seeking protection from Russia or Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government. He said Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford would continue negotiations with his Turkish counterparts this week to seek protection for America’s Kurdish allies in Syria. He added that Ambassador Jim Jeffrey, who has been serving since August as the special representative for Syrian engagement and was named last week as the American special envoy for the anti-Islamic State coalition, would travel to Syria this week in an effort to reassure the U.S.’s Kurdish allies that they are not being abandoned.

Bolton said U.S. troops would remain at the critical are of al-Tanf, in southern Syria, to counter growing Iranian activity in the region. He defended the legal basis for the deployment, saying it’s justified by the president’s Constitutional authority, adding “I’m a strong believer in Article II.”

Sources: Syria & Iraq News/Associated Press

U.S. Senator Graham: Trump will talk with Erdoğan to prevent a war between Turkey and the Kurds

U.S. senator Lindsey Graham said on Sunday after a meeting with Donald Trump that the U.S. president plans to talk with Turkish president Erdoğan in order to prevent a war between Turkey and the Kurds.

Lindsey Graham [photo by Gage Skidmore/Flickr]

“We need to be concerned about the Kurds. They stepped up when noboday else would. …. The last thing in the world we want is a war between Turkey and the Kurds that takes pressure off ISIS [Daesh]”, said Graham.

U.S. Senator Graham: Trump will talk with Erdoğan to prevent a war between Turkey and the Kurds https://t.co/wSL7oNAWSf #تركيا #سوريا #Syria pic.twitter.com/LmlX1g3Lze

— Syria & Iraq News (@SyriaIraqNews) December 31, 2018

The President will make sure any withdrawal from Syria will be done in a fashion to ensure:

1) ISIS is permanently destroyed.

2) Iran doesn’t fill in the back end, and

3) our Kurdish allies are protected.

— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) December 30, 2018

Source: Syria & Iraq News

U.S. army commanders recommend letting YPG keep weapons: report

U.S. army commanders planning for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria are recommending that Kurdish fighters battling Daesh be allowed to keep U.S.-supplied weapons, four U.S. officials said according to Reuters, a move that would likely anger NATO ally Turkey. Three of the officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the recommendations were part of discussions on a draft plan by the U.S. military. It is unclear what the Pentagon will ultimately recommend to the White House.

Discussions are still at an early stage inside the Pentagon and no decision has yet been made, the officials said. The plan will then be presented to the White House in the coming days with U.S. President Donald Trump making the final decision. The Pentagon said it would be “inappropriate” and premature to comment on what will happen with the weapons. “Planning is ongoing, and focused on executing a deliberate and controlled withdrawal of forces while taking all measures possible to ensure our troops’ safety,” said Commander Sean Robertson, a Pentagon spokesman. The White House did not comment.

YPG militiamen [archive photo]

Trump last week abruptly ordered a complete withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria, drawing widespread criticism and prompting Defense Secretary Jim Mattis’ resignation. The U.S. officials said Trump’s announcement has upset U.S. commanders, who view his decision as a betrayal of the Kurdish YPG militia, which has led the fight to eradicate Daesh from northeastern Syria. Ankara views the YPG as an extension of a Kurdish insurgency inside Turkey. Turkey has threatened to launch an offensive against the YPG, raising fears of a surge in violence that could harm hundreds of thousands of civilians. The United States told the YPG that they would be armed by Washington until the fight against Daesh was completed, one of the U.S. officials said. “The fight isn’t over. We can’t simply start asking for the weapons back,” said the official.

The proposal to leave U.S.-supplied weapons with the YPG, which could include anti-tank missiles, armored vehicles and mortars, would reassure Kurdish allies that they were not being abandoned. But Turkey wants the United States to take the weapons back, so the commanders’ recommendation, if confirmed, could complicate Trump’s plan to allow Turkey to finish off the fight against Daesh inside Syria. The Pentagon keeps records of the weapons it has supplied to the YPG and their chain of custody. But, the U.S. officials said, it would be nearly impossible to locate all of the equipment. “How are we going to get them back and who is going to take them back?” one of the officials asked.

The debate over whether to leave weapons with the YPG coincides with Trump’s national security adviser John Bolton’s visit to Turkey and Israel next week for talks on Syria. In May 2017, the United States started distributing arms and equipment to the YPG for an offensive against Raqqah, the de facto capital of the self-declared caliphate that Daesh overran in Iraq and Syria in 2014. The United States told Turkey that it would take back the weapons after the defeat of Daesh, which has lost all but a few slivers of territory in northeastern Syria. “The idea that we’d be able to recover them is asinine. So we leave them where they are,” said a U.S. official.

A person familiar with the discussions of the U.S. withdrawal plan said the White House and Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan would oppose the proposal to allow the YPG to keep its U.S.-supplied weapons. The recommendation “is a rejection of Trump’s policy to withdraw from Syria,” said the person, who asked not to be further identified. Turkey has said weapons supplied to the YPG have in the past ended up in the hands of its Kurdish separatists, and described any weapon given to the insurgents as a threat to Turkey’s security. A phone call between Trump and Erdoğan led to the decision to withdraw all U.S. forces from Syria.

In the call two weeks ago, Trump had been expected to deliver a standard warning to the Turkish president over his plan to launch a crossborder attack targeting U.S.-backed Kurdish forces in northeast Syria, U.S. officials said. Instead, in the course of the conversation, Trump reshaped U.S. policy in the Middle East, abandoning a quarter of Syrian territory and handing Turkey the job of finishing off Daesh in Syria.

~Syria & Iraq News/Reuters

Last batch of insurgents leaves Beit Sahm, Babila, and Yalda in South Damascus

Insurgents left an enclave in south Damascus on Thursday, state media said, the last in a string of rebel towns that have surrendered around the capital in recent weeks. State television said 15 buses shuttled fighters out of Beit Sahm, Babila, and Yalda south of the capital. “The towns have become empty of terrorist presence,” a state TV correspondent said from the outskirts of Beit Sahm.

Hundreds of people have left since last week. Under the deal, the buses take fighters and civilians who refuse the return of state rule to insurgent territory in Afrin.

Government forces pounded jihadists in a small adjacent zone also south of Damascus, state news agency SANA said. Daesh terrorists have been holed up there after weeks of intense bombardment on the Hajar al-Aswad district and Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp.

Sources: SANA/Syria & Iraq News