US Forces Block Another Russian Convoy as Tensions Rise in Northeast Syria

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US Forces Block Another Russian Convoy as Tensions Rise in Northeast Syria

U.S. forces in northeast Syria again prevented Russian military convoys from touring near the Iraqi border on Friday, in what locals described as an increased escalation between both sides over freedom of navigation in the predominantly Kurdish region. 

A VOA reporter saw American Humvees patrolling the main road of al-Malikiyah town, also known as Derik, in northeast Hasakah province, in what local sources said was an effort to prevent an approaching Russian convoy from passing by the region. 

The sources said the dispute was over the control of M4 highway, al-Malikiyah and Tall Tamr areas that became a dividing line between the two sides following the October 2019 Turkish incursion that forced the U.S. to pull out from much of the Turkey-northeast Syria border region. 

"I see [U.S. and Russian forces] a lot on these roads. They have their own disputes. They block roads here and there. For example, in Xana Sere village and in Derik," a resident of al-Malikiyah, who for security reasons did not want to be named, told VOA. 

Earlier encounter

This was not the first time U.S. forces had encountered Russian patrols in the area. 

Nishan Mohammad, a local reporter, last week told VOA he saw at least three similar standoffs in which U.S. soldiers stopped Russian military vehicles and forced them to head back to their bases. 

Contacted by VOA, Syrian Democratic Forces officials declined to comment on the matter, citing the sensitivity of the issue. 

The U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported Wednesday that U.S. troops had blocked a Russian convoy from al-Kharita village in Hasakah road heading toward Jabal Qazuzana. 

The observatory reported that on the same day, a group of Russian forces from Tall Tamr was heading to Hasakah, only to be barred from further advancing by U.S. troops near a U.S. base in the al-Wazir area. 

SDF intervenes

"Verbal altercations took place between both forces and evolved into raising weapons, but the Syrian Democratic Forces intervened as a mediator between them," the watchdog group said, adding that Russian forces have deployed advanced air defense missile systems at al-Qamishli Airbase in the far northeast as both sides try to extend control over the area. 

U.S. forces were in control of most of northeast Syria until October, when the Turkish military and its allied Syrian militants launched a campaign against the U.S.-backed SDF. Since then, Russian forces and the Syrian government have entered the border region between Turkey and northeast Syria with the aim of filling the area evacuated by the U.S. 

There are still about 500 troops in the area who, according to U.S. officials, are protecting the region's oil fields and preventing Islamic State from reemerging. 

VOA's Sirwan Kajjo contributed to this story from Washington. 

February 01, 2020 at 11:11AM

These Aging Cassettes Recorded Earthquakes Before The 1980 Mount St. Helens Eruption

These Aging Cassettes Recorded Earthquakes Before The 1980 Mount St. Helens Eruption

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Cassette tapes are making a minor comeback among vintage audiophiles, but they've also been used to store massive amounts of scientific data.
February 01, 2020 at 07:18AM

Coronavirus Triggers Warning About Pandemic Preparedness

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Coronavirus Triggers Warning About Pandemic Preparedness

The Latest:

China Expresses Confidence Coronavirus Epidemic Will Be Defeated

US Warns Americans Not to Travel to China

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The number of people infected with the coronavirus seems to grow exponentially as researchers scramble to learn about the pathogen, which has killed hundreds. 

Ending the outbreak is now a global endeavor, combining the efforts of scientists and public health officials in scores of nations. 

The World Health Organization's declaration of the outbreak as a global public health emergency has no specific foundation in international law, but Dr. Tom Frieden, a public health expert, said, "It makes clear that the World Health Organization and global infectious disease experts are taking this very seriously, and it gives the World Health Organization the ability to be more proactive with getting information from countries and sharing information globally." 

Ebola fight

Frieden is no stranger to working to end epidemics. While he was director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Ebola virus exploded in West Africa. Frieden was a frequent visitor there and deployed specialists from the CDC to provide technical support to the region. 

Frieden is no longer with the CDC. He is now president and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives, a global nonprofit public health initiative. 

FILE - Medical staff in protective clothing transport a suspected coronavirus patient from an apartment in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, Jan. 30, 2020.

While some experts have criticized China's handling of the outbreak, Frieden praises the country's efforts. 

"This is an unprecedented situation, and they have been very proactive," he said, pointing out the outbreak started in late December, but by the end of the month, the Chinese government had declared an outbreak. 

'Remarkable' effort

"They've done a remarkable job of getting the testing kits out all over the country so that we can see who is being tested and who's positive. Cordoning off cities is remarkable. And building a thousand-bed hospital in 10 days is remarkable," Frieden said, adding that it's something the U.S. couldn't even attempt to do. 

Frieden also praised China's scientific and health community: "China has remarkable genetic sequencing ability, really unparalleled in the world, and as there are thousands of viruses developed ... we want to sequence them and see if there are changes. I have no doubt that the Chinese experts can do that wonderfully." 

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In a VOA interview, Frieden said one of the things global collaboration can help with is in-depth investigation of the disease and analysis of the risk factors, particularly for severe cases and patient deaths. 

"There is a lot that we still don't know," he said, "but from what we know today, this infection appears to be much less deadly than other coronaviruses, such as SARS [Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome], but also more readily spread than those infections were." 

Frieden acknowledged the disease is scary because it's hard to get reliable information about it quickly, but he added that "nothing that we've seen so far suggests anything like the doomsday scenarios that people may fear." 

Mild infections

The good news for now is that many people appear to have contracted very mild infections, similar to the common cold, another coronavirus. At the same time, infections are proving more severe for the elderly and those with serious health conditions like diabetes. 

The global effort, Frieden said, will help China protect itself and the world. One of the biggest concerns is that the virus could spread to regions with poor health infrastructure that lack laboratories for testing and adequate health care facilities and staff. 

The best method of prevention is a vaccine, but one won't be available for quite some time, perhaps a year. Frieden's advice to protect yourself from getting the novel virus and other microbial diseases is to practice good hygiene and common sense: Wash your hands with soap and water frequently. If you feel ill, see a doctor and isolate yourself from others. 

FILE - A man looks at caged civet cats in a wildlife market in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong province, Jan. 5, 2004.

In addition, to prevent future disease outbreaks, Frieden said wild animals should be banned from food markets. Infected civet cats led to the outbreak of SARS. 

Once this novel virus is contained, Frieden said, we have to improve preparedness for the next deadly pandemic. He noted that new viruses emerge every year. To reduce human suffering, and even economic hardship, governments around the world have to look at the coronavirus as a wakeup call to improve early warning systems, laboratory networks, trained health professionals and rapid response teams, particularly in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. 

The bottom line: The emergence of new deadly viruses is a certainty. The question is whether the world will be prepared. 

February 01, 2020 at 09:53AM