Roving the Middle East for Al-Aan TV. Reporting from Syria, Libya, Iraq & more. Found secret ISIS docs, mobiles & laptops. Horse rider. Arabic
@JenanAlAan
Know her name. This is Sahar Fares. She was a Lebanese female firefighter. 25 years old. She was one of the first responders at
#Beirut
port. She died along with her colleagues trying to extinguish the fire. Her burial is today. RIP Sahar 💔
I can't tell you how scared I am. I can't tell you how sad I am. Many many people in my beautiful city Beirut are injured and dead. The scale of this explosion and the damage is unprecedented. Please keep Beirut and it's people in your prayers. 😢😔
When American troops first arrived in North Syria, kurds received them as heroes with flowers and ululation.
Now terrified Kurds in Syria are throwing tomatoes and stones at departing American forces.
@akhbar
Dads are superheroes.
A girl fell on to train tracks in Egypt. Her dad jumped behind her, hugged her and shielded her little body till the moving train passed.
They both survived.
@akhbar
Amazing. Russian Olympic swimmer Yulia Efimova doesn't have a proper pool to practice in during lockdown. So she does "dry exercise" at home as somebody holds her feet. 😳
Don't even think about doing this at home.
(video from her Instagram account)
I just realized something. The ceasefire will last 120 hours = 5 days.
Erdogan will be meeting Putin in Sochi on October 22nd = 5 days from now.
Putin will decide which way it all goes...
This is confusing. The Turkish - U.S. statement says that the safe zone will be enforced by Turkish armed forces.
Has anybody told them that the Syrian and Russian forces are already inside that zone?
Iconic photo by
@Delilsouleman
.
As the last U.S. troops pull out of Syria, an American soldier wears a YPJ emblem on his uniform as a sign of solidarity with the Kurdish ally they are leaving behind. (The YPJ is the women's unit of YPG, they fiercely fought ISIS).
@akhbar
Exceptional moment in Kuwait.
During the call to prayer, an emotional muazzin now says: "Pray at your homes" instead of "Come to prayer".
This is a big for Muslims, as it only happens in exceptional circumstances.
It shows how serious authorities take
#covid19
threat.
@akhbar
This is a video filmed by someone who was standing on his balcony close to the port of
#Beirut
.
First you see big plumes of smoke followed by small explosions on ground level and finally an enormous explosion.
I hope the person who filmed this is safe.
@akhbar
Since discovery of oil in MidEast, many in region said: U.S. only here to steal our oil.
U.S. denied, claimed it's about democracy, human rights, women etc.
Not sure if Americans realize but these pictures of U.S. troops in northeast Syria are HUGELY damaging to U.S. image.
1/ EXCLUSIVE: I had first TV interview with notorious ISIS member from UK, part of group dubbed "The Beatles".
Accused of beheading reporters, he was caught by Kurds.
I met him face to face. He got angry at me. Interview in English for
@akhbar
.
Part1:
@RichardDawkins
Sir, I don't think it's your cultural upbringing. I think you genuinely have no clue what the azaan is or how it sounds. Fine to me if you don't like it but to qualify this as sounding "agressive" is just really, really silly.
Libyan media is questioning authenticity of CNN's slavery report after tweet by President Trump calling CNN international "a major source of (Fake) news"
@akhbar
There's a saying:
When you visit the Middle East for a week, you write a book.
When you visit for a month, you write an article.
And when you visit for a year, you write nothing.
Let me add: When you've never visited the MidEast, you become a twitter expert.
h/t
@SarahDadouch
1/ Here with English subs.
I got the phone content of top German
#ISIS
widow Omaima Abdi.
1000s of pics show she carries gun, arms her child &marries jihadist Deso Dogg.
She returned to Hamburg &now lives as if nothing happened.
Our EXCLUSIVE
@akhbar
:
Spot the difference.
Erdogan in English: Hagia Sophia's doors will be, as is the case with all our mosques, wide open to all, whether they be foreign or local, Muslim or non-Muslim.
Erdogan in Arabic: Revival of Hagia Sophia is a sign towards return of freedom to AlAqsa mosque.
1/ The fear of the Turkish operation in North Syria is not limited to Kurds. But other minorities as well.
I visited an Assyrian (christian) village, near the Turkish border. There are 14 families still here. They are terrified of what might come. Watch this:
@akhbar
1/
#BREAK
I just spoke to my source in Kobani, NSyria, which is under fire by Turkish army. He told me something incredible:
Acc to him, 1000s of Kurds from Kobani are right now fleeing to a US military base near Lafarge cement factory, to seek US soldiers' protection.
@akhbar
Know her name. This is Rawan Misto. She was 20 years old. She was a waitress in a restaurant close to
#Beirut
port. She was working to financially support her family. She died in the explosion. RIP Rawan 💔
Incompetence kills.
Lebanese Prime Minister says
#Beirut
explosions caused by an estimated 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate left unsecured for 6 years in a warehouse. 6 years! 6 years!
#BeirutBlast
@akhbar
You want to know what many Kurds in Northern Syria think of U.S. President Trump right now?
Well, listen to Mr Suleiman who I met today in Syrian city of Qamishli, meters away from the spot where earlier a shell killed two people.
OMG. When Afghan staff working at Dutch embassy in Kabul checked in for work on Sunday, they found to their disbelief the office was deserted. Without informing their 37 Afghan colleagues, all Dutch embassy staff already moved to a safer location. Afghans then left home.
@akhbar
Dit is ronduit schofterig en getuigt van geen enkel fatsoen. Zonder het aan je eigen personeel te vertellen als een dief in de nacht vertrekken om je eigen hachje te redden. En ze zonder wat voor hulp dan ook achter te laten.
#nrc
#afghanistan
Step 1: U.S. promises Kurds protection if they destroy their fortifications along Turkey border.
Step 2: Kurds destroy their defensive positions.
Step 3: Americans unilaterally decide to leave.
Step 4: Kurds are left with no U.S. support and no defensive positions.
1- For over a month, I've been in Northern Syria.
Despite the poverty & the threat of war, the people here (Kurds & Arabs) have been so generous to me. Its beyond what u imagine.
In this thread, I'll post few photos of some great meals we were invited to. Look at this.
@akhbar
What a video. Watch the owner of al-Jalaa tower in Gaza pleading with an Israeli officer on live TV to let journalists collect their gear before Israel bombs the media tower, which houses
@AP
& Aljazeera.
Know his name. This is Mr. Hassan Haidar. He worked at
#Beirut
port, near the grain silos. He was killed by the explosion. He loved to play the oud and sing. Here he sings a famous song by Lebanese diva Fairouz.
RIP Hassan Haidar 💔
My timeline is driving me crazy.
In London, western leftists passionately defending the right of Muslim women to wear Burqa.
In Egypt, Arab leftists celebrating the decision by famous Egyptian actress to take off her hijab.
#حلا_شيحا
Lockdown is difficult for us all. But what if u are an Olympic sportsman/woman?
To keep in shape, you must train.
So Dutch Olympic swimming champion Sharon van Rouwendaal found a solution: She practices in a tiny inflatable swimming pool tied to a rope!
1/ Blood on the streets of Qamishli, Northern Syria. This afternoon I visited spot in a civilian neighbourhood shortly after two people were killed in Turkish shelling.
As I visited Qamishli, I heard more cracking explosions. We had to run for safety. Scary atmosphere.
@akhbar
Honestly I am almost out of words. It's so overwhelming.
@HaraldDoornbos
and I got our first baby. Its a boy. His name is Rayan and he is the most adorable little guy in this world. 🥳🥰🥰😇💕
I am in Milan, Italy now. I was chosen to receive the Cutuli journalism award for my reporting on ISIS. The award is named after a corageous woman, Italian journalist Maria Grazia Cutuli killed by the Taliban in 2001 in Afghanistan. Here me with Maria's sister & brother.
@akhbar
Italy reported its biggest day-to-day jump in cases of
#COVID19
.
3497 new cases - a 20% increase in 24 hrs.
Authorities cited irresponsible behavior by citizens, who despite warnings headed to beaches or ski resorts, especially after closure of schools.
Before the enormous blast, there was a fire at
#Beirut
port. These firefighters rushed to the spot to extinguish the fire. But then the massive blast happened and everybody you see in this picture was killed. RIP heroes. 😢
@akhbar
Farewell Sahar. Thank you for your service. Thank you for trying. At one point you will see in the video one man held on the shoulders. This is Sahar's fiance saying goodbye.
I'm in N-Syria now.
Each conflicting statement out of Washington has profound effect on Kurds here.
US: We support SDF.
People relax.
Next day Trump: We leave Syria ASAP.
Ppl panic, pack bags.
US army: No, we stay.
For some it's only a game, for people here it's their life.
1/ This is important. I received a copy of the deal between Kurdish SDF & Syrian government, incl some interesting details.
In this thread I'll tweet full text of the deal, which I have translated from Arabic into English.
I also prepared some maps to make it clearer.
@akhbar
If you are abroad and you really want to help
#Lebanon
, there is a way.
Donate to any of the following NGOs who are doing amazing work on the ground.
#Beirut
I see our Fairouz smiling in these photos with
@EmmanuelMacron
and I am just thinking maybe it's a good sign, maybe things will be okay in Lebanon after all.
I know its naive thinking but her smile makes me feel better. 🙏♥️
If you're living in the Middle East, you spend your whole life:
a/ Fearing war
b/ Suffering from war
c/ Escaping war
d/ Recovering from war
e/ Praying for no new war.
It's an exhausting cycle. Generation after generation.
1/ German
#ISIS
widow Omaima Abdi from
#Hamburg
lost phone in Syria. I got its content!
1000s of pics show she carries gun, arms her child &marries jihadist Deso Dogg.
She returned to Hamburg &lives as if nothing happened.
Our EXCLUSIVE report
@akhbar
.
Just when you thought you have seen it all.
A preacher makes a video using a child to demonstrate to men how to hit their wives “the proper way”.
🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️
Video showing aftermath of the massive explosion in Beirut.
The entire country is in shock. These scenes are terrifying. Even a friend who lives 27 kms north of Beirut heard the sound of the explosion.
@akhbar
Their child was born when the
#BeirutBlast
happened. This is a picture of the parents from yesterday, nine days after the explosion. All are well. ♥️♥️♥️
@akhbar
Fake news:
Rebel TV claims YPG/PYD turned Armenian church in Tal Abyad into HQ &put Ocalan pics inside.
I was in same church in 2017. Still in touch w/ ppl there.
Church was never YPG HQ & no Ocalan pics inside. Not in 2017, not now. Pics put there to be filmed, say residents.