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Syria: Terrorists retreat, citizens flee from Eastern Ghouta

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Syria: Terrorists retreat, citizens flee from Eastern Ghouta

Damascus wins civilians confidence

Finally situation in Eastern Ghauta near Damascus has moved forward with successful government’s dual strategy of continuing military operations against the armed groups and facilitating the civilians exit by implementing five-hour-a-day pause in hostilities as suggested by Russian government. So far some 2,000 civilians have left the besieged enclave.

According to Aljazeera, thousands of Syrians are fleeing a government-led offensive on the rebel-held  Eastern Ghouta as President Bashar al-Assad vowed that the fight would continue until the eradication of terrorism.

According to Syrian state media, President Basher al-Assad, in a televised address to the nation on Sunday evening, has vowed to continue operations in Eastern Ghouta.  “We will continue fighting terrorism … and the Ghouta operation is a continuation of fighting terrorism,” he said.

“There is no contradiction between a truce and combat operations. The progress achieved yesterday and the day before in Ghouta by the Syrian Arab Army was made during this truce. Therefore we must continue with the operation in parallel with opening the way for civilians to leave,” he said.

Read More:  Syria: Rescue leaflets for civilians, militants thrown in Eastern Ghouta

Syrian President also dismissed western claims concerning the humanitarian situation as ridiculous and false accusations. “The humanitarian situation which the West speaks of from time to time, is a very ridiculous lie, as ridiculous as the western officials who repeat it,” he said.

State media has claimed that Syrian forces have advanced on several fronts, retaking control of farms and villages. They seized a number of districts including Al-Nashabiyeh and Otaya and had “eradicated terrorist groups”. The Central Military Media said Syrian forces reached the outskirts of Mesraba, in central Ghouta.

Syrian official news agency SANA, in its latest report has claimed that it has undertaken camera tour over al-Nashabiyeh town in Eastern Ghouta after liberating it from Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists.

Meanwhile, London based pro-rebel Syrian Observatory of Human Rights (SOHR) said that some 2,000 civilians had fled regime shelling and clashes in eastern areas to the western parts of the enclave.

“Everyone is on the road. There’s destruction everywhere,” said 35-year-old Abu Khalil, carrying a little girl in his arms with a wound to her face. “Many families are trapped under rubble, the rescue workers just can’t cope,” he said.

Syrian government forces have seized roughly one-quarter of the territory in recent days. They have reached the centre Eastern Ghouta to the edge of Beit Sawa.

Aljazeera reports that Hamza Biqdar, the spokesman of Jaish al-Islam rebel group, has in an audio message, vowed that government forces would be driven from the territory they had captured. He claimed that the rebels had fortified positions to confront the attacking forces.

Read More: 41 Turkish soldiers killed by US backed militia in Syria

The spokesman further said that anti Assad rebels were forced to retreat and regroup in Eastern Ghouta because of the Syrian government’s “scorched earth” policy involving heavy artillery fire, air strikes, and helicopter attacks.

AFP correspondent in Eastern Ghouta saw hundreds of civilians fleeing from the town of Beit in the southeast of the enclave on Sunday.

Earlier on Sunday, SANA had reported that for the seventh consecutive day, Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist organization and the terrorists affiliated to it have prevented the civilians to exit from Ghouta through the safe corridor in al-Wafideen Camp.

Eastern Ghouta, home to some 400,000 people, has been under a crippling siege and daily bombardment for months. Western media has claimed that more than 600 civilians have been killed in the last two weeks alone.

Read More: Syria: US, Russia continue nursing interests amidst bloodshed

Recently, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has expressed his serious concern saying that population of Ghouta is living in “hell on earth”. In one district, 93% of buildings had been damaged or destroyed by December 2017.

United Nations Human rights Council held an emergency meeting on March 2 when its chief Zaid Ra’ad al-Hussain said, “I must emphasise that what we are seeing, in Eastern Ghouta and elsewhere in Syria, are likely war crimes, and potentially, crimes against humanity. The perpetrators of these crimes must know they are being identified; that dossiers are being built up with a view to their prosecution; and that they will be held accountable for what they have done”.

Most of the areas, which were earlier captured by Daesh (IS), Jabhat al-Nusra and other anti Assad groups, have been liberated in recent months. Raqqa, Aleppo, Hama, Deir al-Zaur and several other cities and towns have already been liberated by Syrian forces supported by Hezbollah and Iranian military advisors on the ground and Russian warplanes in the air.

After completion of military operations in Eastern Ghouta Syrian forces will focus in liberating Idlib, where armed groups were transported from other areas during last one year.

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India envoy Dinesh Trivedi meets PM Modi after talks with Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman 

India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi met PM Modi after talks with Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman amid diplomatic tensions.

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India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Tuesday, a day after his meeting with Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in Dhaka.

According to the High Commission of India in Bangladesh, Trivedi sought PM Modi’s guidance on further strengthening the bilateral relationship between India and Bangladesh through a constructive and people-centric approach.

The meeting came a day after Trivedi held discussions with Tarique Rahman on matters of mutual interest and ways to advance ties between the two neighbouring countries.

Dinesh Trivedi Meets Bangladesh PM

During his meeting with Tarique Rahman on Monday, Trivedi conveyed greetings from Prime Minister Modi and reiterated India’s commitment to working with the Bangladeshi administration and its people in a positive, constructive and forward-looking manner.

The two sides discussed issues of mutual interest and explored avenues for strengthening India-Bangladesh relations with a people-centric approach.

The engagement took place at the Prime Minister’s Office in the Cabinet Division at the Bangladesh Secretariat. Trivedi also shared his experience of serving in Dhaka over the previous two months.

Sheikh Hasina Extradition Request

The meeting assumed significance as Bangladesh has expressed hope that India will expedite the extradition process involving former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted following a student-led uprising in 2024.

According to a statement issued by the Bangladesh Prime Minister’s Office, Dhaka also reiterated its request for India to return individuals it alleges were involved in the killing of Shahid Osman Hadi, a prominent figure associated with the July uprising who was shot on December 12, 2025.

Tarique Rahman stressed the need to create a suitable environment to take forward relations between Bangladesh and India.

Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman, Prime Minister’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Humayun Kabir and other officials attended the meeting.

India-Bangladesh Ties Amid Diplomatic Friction

The latest high-level engagements come amid diplomatic tensions between the two countries following a virtual press interaction by Sheikh Hasina in New Delhi on August 5.

The event, organised by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of South Asia to mark the second anniversary of her ouster, prompted strong objections from Dhaka.

During the interaction, Hasina said she remained determined to return to Bangladesh in December and restore democracy, while acknowledging the possibility of imprisonment or a death sentence upon her return.

Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs subsequently registered a strong protest and said the development had affected public sentiment and complicated efforts to strengthen bilateral cooperation.

India has said the government had no involvement in the event. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said it was organised by a private media entity and clarified that New Delhi did not endorse views expressed at the forum.

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Trump, PM Modi will resolve tariff issue over Russian oil trade, says US official

White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro said Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will resolve the issue over US tariff threats linked to India’s Russian oil trade.

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US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will resolve the issue surrounding the threat of US tariffs linked to India’s purchase of Russian oil, White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro said on Tuesday.

Navarro’s remarks came days after the US Senate passed a bill authorising the US President to impose tariffs of up to 100 per cent on the top five purchasers of Russian oil. The measure argues that such purchases directly contribute to financing Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Navarro comments on India’s Russian oil trade

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Navarro said India was not involved in the oil trade with Russia before the Ukraine war began in 2022.

He alleged that India became heavily involved in the trade after Russia’s invasion and sold refined products on behalf of Russia, which he said helped support the Russian war effort.

“Prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, India was not involved in the oil trade with Russia, but afterwards it got heavily involved,” Navarro said.

The White House adviser also claimed that the issue had since been resolved and attributed some of the shift in India’s Russian oil trade to an opinion article he recently wrote in the Financial Times.

Trump and Modi will resolve issue, Navarro says

Navarro said the relationship between Trump and Modi would help address the tariff-related issue.

“The president and your prime minister have a very good working relationship. They are going to work that out amongst themselves,” he said, adding that it was not his place to intervene.

His comments come amid US concerns over countries purchasing Russian oil and proposed measures aimed at imposing additional tariffs on major buyers.

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US Senate passes Russia sanctions bill, India-China face 100% tariff risk

The US Senate has passed a Russia sanctions bill that could allow 100% tariffs on major buyers of Russian oil and gas, including India and China.

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Donald Trump

The US Senate has approved a bipartisan Russia sanctions bill that could allow President Donald Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100% on major buyers of Russian oil or natural gas, including India and China.

The legislation was passed by an 86-11 vote and will now move to the US House of Representatives, which is scheduled to reconvene on August 31.

The bill is named in honour of Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a strong supporter of Ukraine who died on July 11. Graham had pushed for tougher sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine.

India and China among major Russian energy buyers

The legislation gives the US president the power to impose tariffs on the world’s top five purchasers of Russian oil or natural gas.

India and China are among those countries, along with Azerbaijan, Hungary and Slovakia.

The bill also contains an exception for countries importing less than 15% of their natural gas from Russia and taking steps to reduce their dependence on Russian supplies.

What does the Russia sanctions bill contain?

Apart from the proposed tariffs, the legislation includes sanctions targeting Russian President Vladimir Putin, senior Russian political and military officials, financial institutions and energy projects.

The bill would also expand US sanctions to older and reflagged oil tankers allegedly used by Moscow to bypass existing restrictions on Russian oil and energy revenues.

At the same time, the White House would have the option to waive sanctions or restrictions if the president certifies to Congress that doing so is in the national interest.

Bill also extends Iran sanctions law

The legislation also contains a provision related to Iran. It would extend the expiration date of the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 until 2031.

The law penalises companies that invest in Iran’s energy sector.

The bill’s passage in the Senate marks the next step in the US legislative process, but it still needs approval from the House of Representatives before it can move forward.

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