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Syrian Forces Say Turkey is Violating Ceasefire Days After Reaching Agreement

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  • President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Turkey and Syria agreed to a ceasefire and that the U.S. would lift sanctions against Turkey as a result.
  • Many criticized Trump for taking credit for the agreement, as the deal was actually struck by Russia and Turkey the day before.
  • By Thursday, Kurdish forces reported Turkey was already violating the ceasefire.

Trump’s Announcement

President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that Turkey and Syria had agreed to a ceasefire and that the U.S. would be removing sanctions on Turkey as a result.

“This was an outcome created by us, the United States, and nobody else, no other nation,” Trump said. 

“Today’s announcement validates our course of action with Turkey that only a couple of weeks ago were scorned, and now people are saying, ‘Wow. What a great outcome. Congratulations,’” he continued. “It’s too early to me to be congratulated, but we’ve done a good job. We’ve saved a lot of lives.”

Factual Errors in Announcement

However, many of the responses to Trump’s announcement were not so congratulatory.

A number of people criticized the president for taking full credit for the ceasefire because it was actually Turkey and Russia that struck the deal the day before, after agreeing that Russia and Syria will remove Kurdish forces from the region.

“The US played no role at Sochi and its ceasefire expired and Russia and Turkey signed a deal,” Seth Frantzman, the Director of the Middle East Center for Reporting tweeted. “And now the US pretends that the quiet in eastern Syria today is due to its achievement.”

Others also pointed out contradictions between some of the things Trump said in his announcement and what U.S. Special Envoy for Syria Jim Jeffrey said in a testimony before the Senate the same day.

In his speech, Trump said that very few ISIS fighters had escaped from prisons in Northern Syria, and that most of those who escaped had been recaptured.

Those escapes happened after the Kurdish forces who had been guarding the prisons were forced to deal with the Turkish invasion and were unable to properly guard the prisoners.

However, when asked by Senators, Jeffrey said that “over 100” ISIS militants had escaped and that it was unclear where they were.

Trump also applauded his own efforts to reduce the U.S. presence in the Middle East, but just a few weeks ago, the Defense Department announced that it was sending an additional 3,000 troops to Saudi Arabia— nearly triple the 1,000 that were in Syria before Trump’s recent efforts.

In that same announcement, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said the U.S. has deployed 14,000 troops to the Middle East just since May of this year alone.

Trump Criticized for Lifting Sanctions

Many condemned Trump for lifting sanctions on Turkey and so quickly.

Some pointed to a part of Jeffrey’s testimony where he talked about the actions Turkey and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have taken and said, “We’ve seen several incidents which we consider war crimes.”

“Trump announces sanctions against Turkey will be lifted – so Erdogan’s war crimes will go unpunished,” CNN correspondent Sam Vinograd said in a tweet. “Guarantees he’ll just do it again.”

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) also echoed that sentiment.

“It’s unthinkable that Turkey would not suffer consequences for malevolent behavior which was contrary to the interests of the United States and our friends,” he wrote on Twitter.

Others said the lifting of sanctions was premature and that Erdogan could not be trusted, arguing that the U.S. should ensure Turkey follows through on the promises it made before removing them.

“Erdogan has NOT agreed to stop all military operations in #Syria” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) said in a tweet.

Concerns over the effectiveness ceasefire were further justified Thursday when Kurdish forces in Syria said Turkey is already breaking the ceasefire and resuming fighting in some areas. According to Reuters, Syrian forces called on the U.S. to intervene.

See what others are saying: (The Washington Post) (NBC News) (Reuters)

International

95-Year-Old Woman Dies After Police Tases Her in Nursing Home

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The officer involved was suspended with pay and charged with assault.


A 95-year-old Australian woman whom police tasered in a nursing home last week has reportedly died from her injuries.

Clare Nowland, who had dementia and required a walking frame to stand up and move, was living at the Yallambee Lodge in Cooma in southeastern Australia.

At about 4:15 a.m. on May 17, police and paramedics responded to a report of a woman standing outside her room with a steak knife.

They encountered Nowland, then reportedly tried to negotiate with her for several minutes, but she didn’t drop the knife.

The five-foot-two, 95-pound woman walked toward the two officers “at a slow pace,” police said at a news conference, so one of them tasered her.

She fell to the floor and reportedly suffered a fractured skull and a severe brain bleed, causing her to be hospitalized in critical condition.

Nowland passed away in a hospital surrounded by her family, the New South Wales police confirmed in a statement today.

After a week-long investigation, the police force also said that the senior constable involved would appear in court next week to face charges of recklessly causing grievous bodily harm, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and common assault.

NSW police procedure states that tasers should not be used against elderly or disabled people absent exceptional circumstances.

Following the incident, community members, activists, and disability rights advocates expressed bewilderment and anger at what they called an unnecessary use of force, and some are now questioning why law enforcement took so long to prosecute the officer involved.

See what others are saying: (Reuters) (The New York Times) (CNN)

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U.K. Police Face Backlash After Arresting Anti-Monarchy Protesters

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London Mayor Sadiq Khan said that some of the arrests “raise questions” and “investigations are ongoing.”


The Public Order Act

A controversial protest crackdown law in the U.K. is facing criticism after dozens of anti-monarchy protesters were arrested during the coronation ceremony in London over the weekend.

The law, dubbed the “Public Order Act” was passed roughly a week ahead of the coronation for King Charles III. It gives police more power to restrict protesters and limits the tactics protesters can use in public spaces. It was condemned by human rights groups upon its passing, and is facing a new round of heat after 52 people were arrested over coronation protests on Saturday.

In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said protesters were arrested for public order offenses, breach of the peace and conspiracy to cause a public nuisance. The group said it gave advance warning that its “tolerance for any disruption, whether through protest or otherwise, will be low and that we would deal robustly with anyone intent on undermining the celebration.”

It is currently unclear how many of those arrested were detained specifically for violating the Public Order Act, however, some of those arrested believe the new law was used against them.

“Make no mistake. There is no longer a right to peaceful protest in the UK,” Graham Smith, the CEO of anti-monarchy group Republic tweeted after getting arrested. “I have been told many times the monarch is there to defend our freedoms. Now our freedoms are under attack in his name.”

An Attempt to “Diminish” Protests

During a BBC Radio interview, Smith also said he believes the dozens of arrests were premeditated. 

“There was nothing that we did do that could possibly justify even being detained and arrested and held,” Smith claimed. 

“The whole thing was a deliberate attempt to disrupt and diminish our protest.”

Yasmine Ahmed, the U.K. Director of Human Rights Watch, also tweeted that the arrests were “disgraceful.”

“These are scenes you’d expect to see in Russia not the UK,” she wrote. 

When asked about the controversy, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told reporters officers should  do “what they think is best” in an apparent show of support for the Metropolitan Police. 

For his part, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he is looking into the matter.

“Some of the arrests made by police as part of the Coronation event raise questions and whilst investigations are ongoing, I’ve sought urgent clarity from Met leaders on the action taken,” Khan tweeted.

See what others are saying: (The Guardian) (CNN) (The Washington Post)

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Foreign Nationals Make Mad Dash out of Sudan as Conflict Rages

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The conflict’s death toll has surpassed 420, with nearly 4,000 people wounded.


As the 10-day-long power struggle between rival generals tore Sudan apart, foreign governments with citizens in the country scrambled to evacuate them over the weekend.

On Sunday, U.S. special forces landed in the capital Khartoum and carried out nearly 100 American diplomats along with their families and some foreign nationals on helicopters.

An estimated 16,000 Americans, however, remain in the country and U.S. officials said in a statement that a broader evacuation mission would be too dangerous.

Christopher Maier, the assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity warfare, said in a statement that the Pentagon may assist U.S. citizens find safe routes out of Sudan.

“[The Defense Department] is at present considering actions that may include use of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities to be able to observe routes and detect threats,” he said.

Germany and France also reportedly pulled around 700 people out of the country.

More countries followed with similar efforts, including the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Canada, China, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Indonesia.

Yesterday, a convoy carrying some 700 United Nations, NGO, and embassy staff drove to Port Sudan, a popular extraction point now that the airport in Khartoum has closed due to fighting.

Reports of gunmen prowling the capital streets and robbing people trying to escape, as well as looters breaking into abandoned homes and shops, have persuaded most residents to stay indoors.

Heavy gunfire, airstrikes, and artillery shelling have terrorized the city despite several proposed ceasefires.

Over the weekend, the reported death toll topped 420, with nearly 4,000 people injured, though both numbers are likely to be undercounted.

See what others are saying: (The Guardian) (The New York Times) (The Washington Post)

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