The Global News Desk 115

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said on Friday that up to 136 people had been killed in a clash between Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Turkish-backed rebels.  The Observatory claimed that clashes between the SDF and rebels also claimed the lives of 20 innocent people.  Heavy armament and Turkish drone assistance have been applied in a conflict, which is focused on significant locations such as the Tishrin Dam and the Qaraqozak Bridge. Both sides claim gains. 35 SDF soldiers, 81 members of a Turkish-backed militia, and 20 civilians, including a Turkish journalist and two children, were killed in the crossfire in 15 days, according to SOHR. US troops have set up a temporary outpost in northern and eastern Syria to discuss and ease conflicts.  

The United States $10 million prize for detention of Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, the Rebel leader who led the rebellion against President Bashar al-Assad, has been scrapped. A senior U.S. diplomat said Friday that America is ending a current reward for Syria's new leader, citing "positive messages" from a first meeting that included a commitment to fight terrorism. The statement came after Barbara Leaf, the US's senior diplomat for the Middle East, met with Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus, the first time U.S. officials have visited Syria's capital since the start of the civil conflict.  In a digital briefing to journalists on Friday, Barbara A. Leaf, assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs, said that the decision to forgo the prize on Hayat Tahrir al-Sham commander Sharaa is a "policy decision" taken as Washington starts its engagement with the rebel group.

Damascus, Syria  —  Russia has granted asylum to Bashar Assad, the former president of Syria, and his family on humanitarian grounds, according to a Kremlin security source. A Kremlin security source said Assad and his family arrived in Moscow on Sunday and were given asylum.  Additionally, it explained that Russia had given them refuge based on humanitarian grounds. RIA Novosti, a Russian state-run news agency, also confirmed that Asad and his family arrived in Moscow yesterday.  Al-Assad, who resigned after armed groups presently serving as Syria's transitional government forces took over Damascus on Sunday, had reportedly moved to Moscow with his family, according to reputable sources quoted by Russia's Vesti Nedelya news agency.