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Syrian tribal leader Nawaf al-Bashir rejoins Assad regime after years of supporting rebels
[ARA] Sheikh Nawaf al-Bashir, leader of the Baggara tribe in Syria’s eastern Deir ez-Zor Governorate and a former member of the Syrian Parliament, who in 2012 defected from the regime to Turkish-backed rebels and fought the Kurds in northern Syria, is now forming pro-Assad militias and condemns the Syrian opposition.Al-Bashir, whose tribe historically had tensions with the Kurds, in January 2012 apologised during a presser in Istanbul for praising Assad in an interview on the Syrian-state TV. "I apologize to the Syrian people for the words I have said. I now declare that we want nothing but to topple the regime," he said. In thew same conference the Arab tribal leader pledged that he’ll fully support the Syrian opposition against Assad. In July 2012, al-Bashir impeded attempts to reach a consensus on Kurdish rights, after attacking the Kurds during an opposition meeting in Cairo. Posted by: Fred 2017-02-12 |
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