Kuwait: MP’s brother dies in Syria

As Saudi Arabia turns its attention increasingly to citizens fighting in Syria and other conflicts abroad, Kuwaiti newspapers have reported that Jazaa Al-Shemmari, the brother of MP Sultan Al-Shemmari, was killed while fighting for the Al-Qaeda-linked Jabhat Al-Nusra. According to the Kuwait Times, Jazaa Al-Shemmari had left for Syria eight days before being killed in a battle in Yabroud on 21 March. The Syrian government said it recaptured Yabroud, a strategic town close to the border with Lebanon, on 16 March; according to a report in the Financial Times, rebels had been weakened by a powerplay between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, each of whom was backing rival groups.