SDF commander says he is communicating with new U.S. Syria team but the team has not been appointed yet
General Mazloum Abdi, commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)
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General Mazloum Abdi, commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said that communication is underway with the Syria team in the new U.S. administration, while the U.S. Department of State said that the team has not been formed yet.
In an interview with Al-Hadath TV, on January 30, Abdi said that he is optimistic about the new administration and hopes that it will pursue a more realistic policy regarding the Syrian affair.
Hagerty fills Senate team with 13 ex-Trump admin staffers
January 29, 2021 GMT
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Freshman Republican U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty has picked more than a dozen former members of the Trump administration to join his Washington office, including a chief of staff who also worked for former Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and former Sen. Bob Corker.
Hagerty announced 23 additions to his Senate team Thursday, with John Rader leading the office as chief of staff.
Rader most recently served as deputy assistant to the president for strategic initiatives. He also served on the National Security Council under former President Donald Trump and worked alongside Hagerty on Trump’s 2016 transition team.
Saturday, 30 January, 2021 - 08:00
Kurdish fighters from the People’s Protection Units (YPG) talk with members of US forces in Darbasiya, Syria. (Reuters) London – Ibrahim Hamidi
Before US President Joe Biden could complete his “Syria team”, Washington was bombarded by demands during its transitional period to opt for a new approach to tackle the war-torn country. Among them is a phased approach with Damascus based on negotiations with president Bashar Assad.
Kurdish romance
So far, among the appointments to the team is Brett McGurk, who has been selected as coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa at the National Security Council. McGurk was previously described by Ankara as the new Lawrence of Arabia due to his sympathy with the Kurds in their plight against Turkey. In fact, one of the main reasons that prompted his resignation from the previous administration was Donald Trump’s “abandonment�
POLITICO
GOP senator stocks office with 13 former Trump staffers
Judd Deere, the former deputy White House press secretary, will be Hagerty’s deputy chief of staff for communications.
Bill Hagerty speaks to Mike Pompeo Thursday, June 27, 2019. | Jacquelyn Martin, Pool/AP Photo
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As Trump administration alums face a tough job market after the Capitol riot, one new Republican Senate office has turned into a full-employment factory for Trump officials looking for their next gig.
Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) announced on Thursday that he’s hired 13 former Trump administration officials to work in his office.
Judd Deere, the former deputy White House press secretary who stuck it out until the final day of the Trump presidency as the last remaining press spokesperson, will be Hagerty’s deputy chief of staff for communications, while Julia Hahn, who was the deputy White House communications director, will be senior communications adviser. Hagerty himself is a Trump alu
A member of the Syrian Arab-Kurdish forces places a cross in the rubble ahead of a Christmas celebration at the heavily-damaged Armenian Catholic Church of the Martyrs in the city centre of the eastern Syrian city of Raqa on December 26, 2017, following a mine clarence operation at the site a few days earlier. A U.S.-backed offensive ousted the Islamic State group from Raqa in October but the city has been left ravaged by fighting. | DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images
Prominent Christians and human rights activists have urged the Biden administration to end U.S. sanctions on Syria which they say have contributed to the starvation and poverty of its citizens.