Sarkha seemed like a bold campaign by Alawite activists critical of Syria's government. But the company running it was contracted by British officials (Photo source Facebook). By Ian Cobain, Harun al-Aswad, Mustafa Abu Sneineh A web-based protest movement that claimed to be a grassroots campaign by members of Syria’s Alawite community was actually created on behalf of the … Continue reading REVEALED: How a British-backed media operation tried to turn Alawites against Assad
Naji Jerf, who was shot dead in Turkey in 2015, was editor of children's magazine produced by UK government contractor (Photo source: hentawi.com) By Ian Cobain, Mustafa Abu Sneineh, Harun al-Aswad A prominent Syrian activist was editing a children's magazine that was being published as part of a covert British propaganda campaign when he was murdered by the … Continue reading Syrian activist killed by Islamic State was working on British-backed comic
Fraud, extortion and drug addiction fuel the organised groups taking refugees from Turkey into Europe (Photo source AFP) By Harun al-Aswad in Istanbul On one phone, a man tracks the road using a map application. On another, he is receiving instructions from a group of scouts to bypass police barriers on his route in Istanbul. Such is the … Continue reading Rule of the ribers: Inside one of Turkey’s largest people-smuggling rings
Militant group and rebels detain each others' fighters as controversy over Russia-Turkey deal roils in northwest Syria (Photo source AFP) By Harun al-Aswad Sit-in protests against joint Turkish-Russian patrols on Idlib province’s M4 highway have cracked open divisions between Syrian rebels and a powerful militant group, placing pressure on the ceasefire deal in northwest Syria. On … Continue reading Turkish crackdown on Idlib protest exposes Syrian rebel divisions
A settlement agreement ended an intense battle between rebels and government forces in southwestern province (Photo source AFP) By Harun al-Aswad in Istanbul, Turkey Rebel fighters from Daraa have arrived in northwest Syria as part of a deal with the Syrian government following the heaviest clashes the southwestern province has witnessed in 19 months. The rebels were taken … Continue reading Syria rebels transported to Idlib after heavy fighting in Daraa ends