US issues new sanctions against Syrian government
WASHINGTON, DC, USA (North Press) – US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the designation of 17 new sanctions against individuals tied to the Syrian government on Wednesday, one day after the three-year anniversary of a Syrian government attack on the town of Armanaz, near Syria’s Idlib.
The sanctions are a continuation the Caesar Act, also known as the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, became law in the United States in 2019. The Act entails a series of sanctions aimed at targeting the Syrian government and any individuals or states which aid it. The act was named after a defector from the Syrian intelligence services, a military photographer codenamed Caesar, who submitted about 55,000 photos documenting the massacres and war crimes committed by Syrian security services against civilians and demonstrators in Syria since 2011.
In a press statement, Pompeo announced 17 new sanctions, one of which is against commander Milad Jedid of the Syrian military’s Russian-backed Fifth Corps. The statement mentioned two other individuals, Nasreen and Rana Ibrahim, the adult sisters of Yasser Ibrahim, the head of the Financial and Economic Office of the Syrian Presidency who was previously sanctioned under the Caesar Act.
The statement elaborated on the US efforts to support Syria, adding, “U.S. sanctions do not target humanitarian-related trade, assistance, or activities. In sharp contrast to the Assad regime and bad actors like the Ibrahims, the United States continues to increase its support for the Syrian people. This includes more than $720 million announced on September 24, which brings the total U.S. humanitarian support for the Syrian people to over $12 billion since the start of the crisis.”
“The Administration’s designations of senior Government of Syria officials, military commanders, and corrupt business leaders will not cease until the Assad regime and its enablers take irreversible steps to end their campaign of violence against the Syrian people and genuinely implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254,” Pompeo concluded.
It is worth noting that this latest round of sanctions was announced one day after the anniversary of an attack on the town of Armanaz, near Idlib, in 2017 by Russian-backed government forces, during which Russian bombing killed 35 people, including three children, according to Human Rights Watch.