The American-Russian battle in northeast Syria
September 27, 2020, 12:22 pm

The American-Russian battle in northeast Syria

zara saleh

Recently, the United States has increased its military and political presence in Syria’s Kurdish-controlled northeast areas. A days after the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s visit to Syria for the first time since 2012. The Russian delegation's visit took place at the time when Moscow has led a dialogue and then signing a political agreement about the future of Syria between the Syrian Democratic Council and the People’s Will Party that led by Moscow's man Qadri Jameel.

Due to a several number of frequent interactions and incidents between American and Russian armored vehicles, the US decided to deploy the Bradley fighting vehicles in Kurdish controlled areas in northeast Euphrates that aiming to "ensure the protection of Coalition forces and continue to defeat ISIS" as the coalition spokesman US Army said that. Added to that, about 100 American troops were part of the deployment to north-east Syria, as the US troop remained to guard and protect the oil fields.

Simultaneously, the American special envoy for Syria James Jeffrey, who is well-known as Erdogan's friend, has visited the Kurdish controlled region in northeast Syria and attend the Kurdish unity negotiation that were hold in American military base near Hasakah.

Since November 2019, US has sponsored a unity talks between the Kurdish National Council and the Democratic Union Party and its allied Kurdish parties . The both political sides had accepted the American proposal to establish a new political body with participation of other Kurdish parties outside of these two bodies. Whereas, the first step of this Kurdish negotiation has been done in June 2020 and the joint political statement had published. Furthermore, these talks considered as an important political action for US and even the American embassy in Syria described this agreement as “an important first step towards greater political coordination between Syrian Kurdish and political factions.”. However, the Syrian regime and Russia in one side, and the Syrian National Coalition that supported by Turkey had opposed the Kurdish negotiations, and even they considered the Kurdish talks under the US umbrella as attempt to divide the country.

Arguably, the US initiative to sponsor the Kurdish unity talks as well-known as the General Mazloum Abdi initiative, the leader of the Syrian Democratic Forces can be considered as part of American new strategy in northeast Syria, especially after the US decision last October to withdraw part of its troops from the Kurdish areas. Also, it can be understood as a clear political message to Russia first and rising a red card to not enter the northeast Syria. That has been more obvious after the oil deal between the American oil company Delta Crescent Energy and the Kurdish Democratic Forces.

Nevertheless, the Moscow's last minutes game and attempt, before the US election, to win the Kurdish file in Syria and to pull the Kurdish card of from US. That is why Russia had sponsored in Moscow the signing the agreement between the Kurds and the Moscow's platform led by Qadri Jameel's party. Added to that, Moscow has invited the Peace and Freedom Front to meet with the Foreign Minister Lavrov regarding the Syrian talks. The PFF has been established in northeast Syria that include the Kurds, Arab and Syriac.

Alongside that, the US special envoy J. Jaffrey's last visit in Kurdish areas can be considered as an American-Russian struggle for power in northeast Syria, and it can be understand as a James Jeffrey's attempt to ensure that the Kurdish unity negotiation should be finished before the US election and then to be as another success for President Trump.

Zara Saleh

Could the American-Kurdish oil deal bring stability to the region? What would be expected from the fourth round of the Syrian Constitutional Committee?

BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the company’s headquarters in the Seef District.
During the meeting, shareholders approved all items listed on the agenda, including the ratification of the minutes of the previous AGM held on 26 March 2024. The session reviewed and approved the Board’s Annual Report on the company’s activities and financial performance for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2024, and the shareholders expressed their satisfaction with the company’s operational and financial results during the reporting period.
The meeting also reviewed the Independent External Auditor’s Report on the company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024. Subsequently, the shareholders approved the audited financial statements for the fiscal year. Based on the Board’s recommendation, the shareholders approved the distribution of a cash dividend equivalent to 10% of the paid-up share capital.
Furthermore, the shareholders endorsed the allocation of a total amount of BD 172,500 as remuneration to the members of the Board for the year ended 31 December 2024, subject to prior clearance by related authorities.
The extension of the current composition of the Board was approved, which includes ten members and one CBB observer, for a further six-month term, expiring in September 2025, pending no objection from the CBB.
The meeting reviewed and approved the Corporate Governance Report for 2024, which affirmed the company’s full compliance with the corporate governance directives issued by the CBB and other applicable regulatory frameworks. The AGM absolved the Board Members of liability for any of their actions during the year ending on 31st December 2024, in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law.
In alignment with regulatory requirements, the session approved the reappointment of Ernst & Young (EY) as the company’s External Auditors for the fiscal year 2025, covering both the parent company and its subsidiaries—Sinnad and Bahrain FinTech Bay. The Board was authorised to determine the external auditors’ professional fees, subject to approval from the CBB, and the meeting concluded with a discussion of any additional issues as per Article (207) of the Commercial Companies Law.
Speaking on the company’s performance, Mr. Mohamed Al Bastaki, Chairman BENEFIT , stated: “In terms of the financial results for 2024, I am pleased to say that the year gone by has also been proved to be a success in delivering tangible results. Growth rate for 2024 was 19 per cent. Revenue for the year was BD 17 M (US$ 45.3 Million) and net profit was 2 Million ($ 5.3 Million).

Mr. Al Bastaki also announced that the Board had formally adopted a new three-year strategic roadmap to commence in 2025. The strategy encompasses a phased international expansion, optimisation of internal operations, enhanced revenue diversification, long-term sustainability initiatives, and the advancement of innovation and digital transformation initiatives across all service lines.
“I extend my sincere appreciation to the CBB for its continued support of BENEFIT and its pivotal role in fostering a stable and progressive regulatory environment for the Kingdom’s banking and financial sector—an environment that has significantly reinforced Bahrain’s standing as a leading financial hub in the region,” said Mr. Al Bastaki. “I would also like to thank our partner banks and valued customers for their trust, and our shareholders for their ongoing encouragement. The achievements of 2024 set a strong precedent, and I am confident they will serve as a foundation for yet another successful and impactful year ahead.”
Chief Executive of BENEFIT; Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi commented, “The year 2024 represented another pivotal chapter in BENEFIT ’s evolution. We achieved substantial progress in advancing our digital strategy across multiple sectors, while reinforcing our long-term commitment to the development of Bahrain’s financial services and payments landscape. Throughout the year, we remained firmly aligned with our objective of delivering measurable value to our shareholders, strategic partners, and customers. At the same time, we continued to play an active role in enabling Bahrain’s digital economy by introducing innovative solutions and service enhancements that directly address market needs and future opportunities.”
Mr. AlJanahi affirmed that BENEFIT has successfully developed a robust and well-integrated payment network that connects individuals and businesses across Bahrain, accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies in the banking and financial services sector and reinforcing Bahrain’s position as a growing fintech hub, and added, “Our achievements of the past year reflect a long-term vision to establish a resilient electronic payment infrastructure that supports the Kingdom’s digital economy. Key developments in 2024 included the implementation of central authentication for open banking via BENEFIT Pay”
Mr. AlJanahi concluded by thanking the Board for its strategic direction, the company’s staff for their continued dedication, and the Central Bank of Bahrain, member banks, and shareholders for their valuable partnership and confidence in the company’s long-term vision.