PFLP-GC Chief Arrested in Syria: Palestinian official to Al Mayadeen
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Syrian authorities have arrested key leader from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Talal Naji, amid a widening crackdown on Palestinian resistance groups.
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Talal Naji, secretary-general of the PFLP-GC, speaks at the opening of the National Palestinian Conference in Damascus, Syria on Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2008 (AP)
A leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine's General Command was detained in Syria on Saturday, as part of the Syrian authorities' crackdown on Palestinian Resistance Groups.
Talal Naji, Secretary-General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, has been arrested in the Syrian capital, Damascus, according to a Palestinian leader speaking to Al Mayadeen.
Around two weeks ago, Syrian authorities also arrested two senior leaders of the Islamic Jihad Movement: Engineer Khaled Khaled, who heads the Syrian branch, and Engineer Yasser Al-Zafri, who leads the organizational committee, without offering any explanation for the arrests.
Barbara Leaf, the former US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, said a few days ago that Ahmed Al-Sharaa, the head of Syria's transitional phase, had expressed an understanding of so-called Israeli security concerns and pledged not to allow any group or country to threaten "Israel" from Syrian territory.
PIJ arrests in Syria signal regional shift: NYT
Syrian authorities have made a rare move by arresting two senior members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), signaling shifting alliances in the Middle East, The New York Times reported. The arrests reflect Syria’s evolving stance under new leadership, which appears to be distancing itself from Iran.
The report noted that the United States has tied any easing of sanctions on Syria to conditions that include the new government's willingness to take action against extremist groups.
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, who led the coalition that overthrew al-Assad, has been pushing for the lifting of these sanctions, as they persistently hinder economic recovery and postwar rebuilding efforts.
Although certain limitations on humanitarian assistance have been loosened, the majority of the sanctions continue to be strictly enforced.
The detentions occurred simultaneously when a delegation of Republican lawmakers arrived in Damascus, representing the first high-level US congressional visit to Syria in over a decade.
