A powerful extremist Islamic group has advanced into Turkey's sphere of influence in northern Syria in the past five days, residents said on Tuesday, prompting Ankara to send military reinforcements to the area.
Residents and sources in the opposition to President Bashar Al Assad said a Turkish armoured column crossed the border into Syria on Tuesday to check the advance by militiant organisation Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS) on the city of Azaz in Aleppo governorate.
The group — a coalition of smaller militant organisations, controls the northern rebel-held Idlib governorate. A key component of HTS, a group once known as Jabhat Al Nusra, was once Al Qaeda's Syrian affiliate and widely suspected of receiving covert support from Turkey. HTS, also known simply as Hayat or "council", has held frequent talks with Ankara over the years, although Turkey has officially designated them a terrorist organisation.
Russia intensified air raids on Azaz and other regions in northern Syria over the past week, underscoring the continuing participation of major powers in the Syrian conflict.
“The situation has calmed down since the Turks arrived,” said Rami Al Sayyed, a civil activist in the city. “People also don't want the Hayat to advance further.”
Mr Al Sayyed said three civilians were killed in the fighting, and that it was not clear how many militiamen died.
Clashes since October 8 have resulted in 10 civilian and 28 rebel fighter deaths, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Two years ago, Russia and Turkey came close to war after Syrian government forces and its pro-Iran militia allies attacked Turkish proxies in the north.
Azaz, situated four kilometres from Turkey, is one of the largest cities still controlled by the opposition, 11 years after the conflict started with street demonstrations against five decades of Assad family rule.
The government responded with deadly force and, by the end of 2011, the uprising had become armed.
Russian military intervention in 2015 crucially strengthened the government, dominated by the country's Alawite minority.
But four million people, mostly Sunni Syrian refugees, still live outside its control in the Turkish sphere of influence in northern Syria, partly carved to contain Kurdish militias, who are separately supported by the US and by Moscow.
For years, internecine warfare has raged on and off between the Hayat, the most effective anti-Assad group, and other pro-Turkish factions in the north, over turf, and trade and smuggling routes with Turkey, the Kurdish militias, and even with government controlled areas.
The Hayat is an amalgamation of several radical groups. Among them is the Al Qaeda-linked Al Nusra Front, which has changed its name several times since it was founded a decade ago.
The other anti-Assad factions mostly belong to the Syrian National Army, a de facto Turkish creation.
Othman Birakdar, another civil figure in Idlib, said that the Hayat would not have marched into northern Aleppo without the approval of Turkey.
“Turkey prefers to deal with one actor rather than with the mess that is the Syrian National Army,” Mr Birakdar said.
The Turkish forces deployed near Azaz after the Hayat swept north from its bases in the neighbouring Idlib governorate, overrunning the farming region of Afrin and other areas controlled by the Syrian National Army, which regrouped in Azaz.
A Syrian military defector monitoring the situation in the north said that the Syrian National Army has proven inept at governing the north in the five years since it was formed.
But Turkey cannot hand all of the area to the Hayat because that could invite Russian retaliation, he said.
“It seems Turkey wanted the Hayat to teach the Syrian National Army a lesson but the Hayat went beyond this parameter,” the officer said.
The sweep opened a new frontline between the Hayat and pro-Assad forces in the north, as well as between the group and Kurdish militias, known as the People Protection Units (YPG) in the pocket of Tel Rifaat.
Six years ago, Russian air raids enabled the YPG to capture Tel Rifaat from the anti-Assad rebels.
The US embassy in Syria said on Twitter: “We are alarmed by the recent incursion of Hayat Tahrir Sham, a designated terrorist organisation, into northern Aleppo.”
The embassy, which operates outside Syria, said the Hayat's forces “should be withdrawn from the area immediately”.
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Grand slam winners since July 2003
Who has won major titles since Wimbledon 2003 when Roger Federer won his first grand slam
Roger Federer 19 (8 Wimbledon, 5 Australian Open, 5 US Open, 1 French Open)
Rafael Nadal 16 (10 French Open, 3 US Open, 2 Wimbledon, 1 Australian Open)
Novak Djokovic 12 (6 Australian Open, 3 Wimbledon, 2 US Open, 1 French Open)
Andy Murray 3 (2 Wimbledon, 1 US Open)
Stan Wawrinka 3 (1 Australian Open, 1 French Open, 1 US Open)
Andy Roddick 1 (1 US Open)
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LA LIGA FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Leganes v Getafe (12am)
Levante v Alaves (4pm)
Real Madrid v Sevilla (7pm)
Osasuna v Valladolid (9.30pm)
Sunday
Eibar v Atletico Madrid (12am)
Mallorca v Valencia (3pm)
Real Betis v Real Sociedad (5pm)
Villarreal v Espanyol (7pm)
Athletic Bilbao v Celta Vigo (9.30pm)
Monday
Barcelona v Granada (12am)
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Company: Instabug
Founded: 2013
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Employees: 100
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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
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Company%20profile
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THE BIO
Family: I have three siblings, one older brother (age 25) and two younger sisters, 20 and 13
Favourite book: Asking for my favourite book has to be one of the hardest questions. However a current favourite would be Sidewalk by Mitchell Duneier
Favourite place to travel to: Any walkable city. I also love nature and wildlife
What do you love eating or cooking: I’m constantly in the kitchen. Ever since I changed the way I eat I enjoy choosing and creating what goes into my body. However, nothing can top home cooked food from my parents.
Favorite place to go in the UAE: A quiet beach.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
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BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Cologne v Hoffenheim (11.30pm)
Saturday
Hertha Berlin v RB Leipzig (6.30pm)
Schalke v Fortuna Dusseldof (6.30pm)
Mainz v Union Berlin (6.30pm)
Paderborn v Augsburg (6.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Borussia Dortmund (9.30pm)
Sunday
Borussia Monchengladbach v Werder Bremen (4.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Bayer Leverkusen (6.30pm)
SC Freiburg v Eintracht Frankfurt (9on)
The Gandhi Murder
- 71 - Years since the death of MK Gandhi, also christened India's Father of the Nation
- 34 - Nationalities featured in the film The Gandhi Murder
- 7 - million dollars, the film's budget
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
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Specs
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FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
