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Syria is fighting war against Wahabism, says Ambassador

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Officers from US, UK, Turkey and Israel are helping terror groups, he alleges

Exclusive interview with APN

~By M. Ahmad Kazmi

Syria has been engaged in war against terrorist groups including Daesh (IS) and Nusra Front for last several years. It was preceded by anti President Bashar al-Assad protests widely covered by Arab media. Syrian Army, Iranian military advisors and Hezbollah fighters along with Russian Air force have almost been successful in demolishing Daesh (IS) Caliphate in recent months. Russia has also been supportive of Syrian government at international forums to reverse the whole narrative against Damascus.

Riad Kamel Abbas, the Syrian Ambassador to India is a very active diplomat in the capital. During his years in Delhi he has successfully strengthened friendly ties with Indian government and the people.

Ambassador Riad Kamel Abbas was kind enough to accept APN’s request for an exclusive interview. During the interview he described the ground situation and unveiled the conspiracies hatched by US, Israel and Saudi Arabia against his country. Here are the excerpts:[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1509970872954{padding-top: 10px !important;padding-right: 10px !important;padding-bottom: 10px !important;padding-left: 10px !important;background-color: #d3d3d3 !important;border-radius: 10px !important;}”]What is the overall situation in war against terrorism in Syria?

Thank God, we have liberated 95% percent of our ground from terror groups which is under our army’s control. There are only few areas  like Al-Bukamal, parts of Raqqa and Idlib left for getting liberated. And of course there are few sleeper cells around. I am sure we will defeat them soon, may be before the end of this year.

What is the situation on Raqqa front ?

The Americans have deleted Raqqa from the map killing more than 100,000 civilians.  All the hostages in the prison were killed. Americans did not like our agencies to investigate and interrogate the people in Daesh custody.

I assure that American, British, Turkish and Israeli officers were leading the IS army on the ground that is why America sent their aircraft and take IS leaders and their officers and transported them from Syria to Myanmar, Afghanistan, Libya and other countries to create other problems. Daesh  top leader is under the American control.

US is now supporting its allies on the ground to conduct big battle against Syrian army on Iraq border. Their objective is to keep Syrian army away from their Iraqi counterparts. Their aim is to close the Syrian border with Iraq and stopping their access to Iran.

We are fighting against terrorism on behalf of the whole world. However, Iran, Russia and Hizbollah are on our side. Syrian army has taken its responsibility and is determined to liberate all Syrian territories from the enemies.

And in al-Bukamal, (near Iraq border) the city is under our army’s siege. America and their allies have been supporting the terrorists. I am sure that this area is filled with (army) officers from UK, US, Israel and important IS leaders. Some arrested IS leaders have accepted this during the interrogation.

America is behind any terrorist operation in the world. All terrorist operation are committed by people with Wahabi ideology of Saudi Arabia which is a US puppy.

That means Saudis follow US instructions and terror attacks were conducted by them. Even bomb blasts in America are done by their intelligence agencies to influence public opinion. Where there is American finger there is trouble in the world.

US creates problem in any country which is against American policy.  They are behind any terrorist group on earth. And they have created the problem in Myanmar.

What is Israeli role in Syria?  Recently there were Israeli airstrikes near Damascus?

Israel is behind all happenings in Arab countries. Israeli PM supports terror groups in Syria and especially on the Israeli border. All those terror groups are being helped by weapons, money and even their injured are being treated at hospitals in Tel Aviv. Their aim is to cut links between Iran and Syria.

But now time is changing. Now we are ready if Israel begins war we will respond with tough reaction. We have nothing to lose now. We have lost everything and that is the good time for us to make Israel crying and lose their infrastructure and their people in the Israeli territory. Now our army responds to every Israeli attack. And if Israel begins the war against Syria it will be the last war for Israel.

Now if war starts there will be no Israel on the map as there is consensus among Muslims because of the crazy Israeli policy in the area.

And you have seen that Hezbollah leader (Hasan Nasrullah) has recently announced that if war begins with Israel all Muslims will come for fighting  holy war against Zionists.

In 2012, American intelligence instructed to Bandar Bin Sultan, the former intelligence chief of Saudi Arabia to create sleeper cells in Myanmar. Bandar called Hafiz Taha from Myanmar for the purpose. The aim was to exert pressure on Myanmar and China. They wanted to move their focus from West Asia to East Asia for controlling mineral resources in those areas.

Is there any change in Qatar’s policy towards Syria after having trouble with Saudi Arabia?

After their trouble with Saudi Arabia Muhammed bin Jasim, former foreign minister of Qatar has recently admitted that they supported terror groups in Syria under American instructions and under the eyes of Turkish intelligence and funded by Saudi Arabia. He vindicated our position that the terror groups were not fighting for democracy. Now we don’t need to say what is happening in Syria. They are admitting themselves and accusing each other for supporting terror groups.

We will not forgive those who were involved in Syrian bloodshed. We will never forgive, maybe we forget, but never forgive.

Some people blame that your government has been involved in atrocities against majority Sunni community because of Iranian and Hezbollah influence?

This is a very sensitive issue. Generally I don’t speak on sectarian issues but I will give you an overview. Yes there are about 75% Sunnis in the country. Syria is a secular country and nobody speaks about sectarian issues. If our President is Alawite his wife is Sunni. Two deputy presidents belong to Sunni community. Prime minister, defense, foreign, and home ministers are all Sunnis. Twenty-five out of  30 ministers belong to Sunni community. How the government can fight against Sunni community. All sections of Syrian society have  in fact joined hands to fight against Wahabism.

If the opponents’ claim of sectarian war in the country, why they don’t support a free elections with their observers on the ground. If our president and army is against the majority Sunni community then President Bashar al-Assad will not win the election. Whey they don’t ask for free election in Syria?

All Syrian communities support President against Wahabism. That is why there is no sectarian or civil war in Syria. We are fighting against the foreigners who entered into Syria through Turkey to fight against our government. That means we are fighting against cross border terrorism. We are fighting against Saudi, Qatari and European people who are fighting against our government.

This is a big mistake analysts have committed regarding Syria.

The fighting in Syria is between Hanafi and Wahabi ideology. There is no civilian war or sectarian war. Our defense minister belongs to Sunni community from Hama city. In fact Sunni people are fighting against Wahabi terrorists.

Having passed through war-like situation since 2011, how international community is behaving with Syria?

In the beginning there was some confusion among world leaders. It was considered as if it was a pro-democracy movement. At that time more than 100 countries were against Syrian government. But now they have discovered they the situation was otherwise. Now there are only two-three countries with Wahabi ideaology who can’t come back.  What they will tell to their own people? Now we are in good position and enjoy  support from BRICS countries.

Recently Chief of European intelligence visited Syria begging cooperation from our intelligence. He asked us not to allow their citizens to return home, instead finish them on the ground. Against this favor he offered all help. Now situation is improving and we are close to achieve our goal.

What about India ? Did India cooperating with Syria by sharing intelligence or some other means during Syria’s tough time?

We have cordial relations with India since the independence of our country. There is good cooperation between the two countries including intelligence. But I am not going into the details. Indian stand about Syrian issue was very good and valuable. India has been very clear in asking resolution of the issue by Syrians and favoring political solution without external intervention. That is enough for us. If all countries behave like India we will have no problem in Syria. We thank India for keeping its Ambassador and mission open in Damascus. For other countries time is gone. That is why we prefer India than others.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

India News

MK Stalin predicts frequent PM Modi visits to Tamil Nadu before assembly election

MK Stalin has said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Tamil Nadu more often ahead of the Assembly election, calling the tours politically motivated and questioning the Centre’s support to the state.

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MK Stalin

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin has predicted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will increase his visits to the state as the Assembly election, expected in April or May, draws closer.

Speaking ahead of the polls, the DMK president said the Prime Minister has already begun touring Tamil Nadu and is likely to visit frequently in the coming months. He claimed that such visits could create discomfort within the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), as alliance partners may fear the political impact of repeated appearances.

Stalin calls visit politically motivated

The Chief Minister described the Prime Minister’s scheduled programmes in the state as “politically motivated”. PM Modi is set to attend various events in Madurai in southern Tamil Nadu, including the inauguration of the first phase of the AIIMS hospital project. He is also expected to visit the Thiruparankundram Temple amid the Karthigai Deepam-related controversy and participate in a public meeting organised by the NDA.

Stalin said he has been working for all sections of the population, including those who did not vote for his party. In contrast, he remarked that some leaders are visible in the state only during election time and increase their visits as polls approach.

Criticism over Union Budget allocations

The DMK leader also criticised the BJP-led central government, accusing it of neglecting Tamil Nadu. He pointed out that while approval was recently granted for the Gujarat Metro project, there were no major announcements or allocations for Tamil Nadu in the Union Budget.

Stalin asserted that voters would remember the lack of significant measures for the state. He framed the upcoming election as a contest between Tamil Nadu and the NDA, stating that the state should be governed from Fort St George in Chennai rather than from Delhi.

The ruling DMK is currently allied with several smaller parties and, at present, the Congress, as it seeks a third consecutive term in office. Its principal rival, the AIADMK, is aligned with the BJP as part of the NDA.

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Shashi Tharoor questions Centre over Kerala name change to Keralam

Shashi Tharoor has criticised the Centre’s decision to approve renaming Kerala as Keralam, questioning its impact and pointing to the lack of major projects for the state.

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shashi tharoor

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has criticised the central government over its decision to approve the renaming of Kerala as ‘Keralam’, arguing that the move prioritises symbolism over development.

Reacting to the Union Cabinet’s approval, Tharoor said that the state’s name has always been ‘Keralam’ in Malayalam and questioned the practical impact of introducing the Malayalam term into English usage.

“It has already been ‘Keralam’ in Malayalam. So now, a Malayalam word is coming into English. I don’t know what difference it makes,” he said, adding that the state has not received major projects such as an AIIMS or new institutions from the Centre. He also pointed out that no significant allocations were made for Kerala in the Union Budget.

In a separate post on X, Tharoor raised what he described as a “small linguistic question” about what residents of the state would be called if the name change is implemented. Referring to existing terms such as “Keralite” and “Keralan”, he remarked that alternatives like “Keralamite” sounded like a microbe and “Keralamian” like a rare earth mineral.

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, cleared the proposal on Tuesday. The move comes ahead of the upcoming state Assembly elections, in which 140 members of the legislative assembly are to be elected. The poll schedule is yet to be announced by the Election Commission of India.

The state assembly had earlier passed a resolution seeking the change in official records. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had moved the resolution in 2024, urging the Union government to adopt the name ‘Keralam’ in all languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.

He had stated that the demand for a united Kerala for Malayalam-speaking people dates back to the national freedom movement.

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Tamil Nadu potboiler: Now, Sasikala to launch new party ahead of election

Sasikala has announced the launch of a new political party ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, positioning herself against AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami.

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In a significant political development ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, expelled AIADMK leader V. K. Sasikala has announced that she will float a new political party and contest the polls by fielding her own candidates.

Speaking in Madurai before heading to Pasumpon for a public event, Sasikala said she would unveil her party’s flag later in the evening. She indicated that more details regarding the party’s structure and plans would be shared at the gathering.

The event venue carries political symbolism. Pasumpon is the birthplace of Thevar leader Muthuramalinga Thevar, and Sasikala herself belongs to the influential Thevar community in southern Tamil Nadu. The programme was held as part of birth anniversary events of former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa.

Direct challenge to EPS

Sasikala’s move is being viewed as a direct political challenge to AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS). After Jayalalithaa’s death in 2016, Sasikala briefly took control of the party and had appointed Palaniswami as Chief Minister. However, following her conviction in the disproportionate assets case, she served a four-year prison term, and during that period, she was expelled from the party.

Palaniswami later aligned with O. Panneerselvam, whom Sasikala had earlier removed from the Chief Minister’s post. The two leaders subsequently adopted a dual leadership arrangement within the party and government.

Sasikala remains disqualified from contesting elections until 2027 due to her conviction. Nevertheless, she has stated that she intends to field candidates under her new party banner.

Fragmented Thevar vote base

Over the years, expulsions within the AIADMK — including Sasikala, her nephew TTV Dhinakaran and O Panneerselvam — have led to divisions within the Thevar support base. Political observers have linked this fragmentation to the party’s weakened electoral performance in the elections following Jayalalithaa’s passing.

While Dhinakaran has returned to the NDA fold, reports suggest Palaniswami is opposed to any arrangement that includes Sasikala or Panneerselvam. OPS, meanwhile, has exited the NDA.

Sasikala has repeatedly criticised Palaniswami, describing him as a betrayer, while he maintains that his leadership stems from the support of AIADMK legislators rather than her backing.

The AIADMK has not issued an official statement on Sasikala’s announcement. However, a senior party leader questioned her political standing, pointing out her disqualification from contesting elections and referring to legal issues linked to Jayalalithaa’s death.

With the Assembly polls approaching, Sasikala’s re-entry into active politics could further complicate the opposition space in Tamil Nadu and influence electoral calculations, particularly in the southern districts.

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