The US and Iraq have condemned Iranian cross-border attacks that hit targets in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq on Sunday, killing a member of a Kurdish militia.
The Central Command, the authority responsible for American forces in the Middle East, said on Monday that the missile and drone strikes had taken place “near Erbil” governorate.
Iraq also condemned the attacks on Monday, the state news agency INA reported, citing its foreign ministry.
“The repeated attacks carried out by Iranian and Turkish forces with missiles and drones on the Kurdistan region are a violation of Iraq's sovereignty,” the foreign ministry said.
Nabaz Abdulhamid, mayor of the governorate's eponymous capital, told news outlet Rudaw that Iranian-Kurdish opposition groups were the target of the strikes along the provincial border.
Iran accuses the opposition groups of involvement in anti-government protests that have swept the country since mid September.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a branch of Iran’s armed forces, claimed responsibility for the attack in a post on social media site Telegram, saying its target was “separatist anti-Iranian terrorist groups”.
The Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, a group that has previously been the target of Iranian attacks, said the drones and missiles also struck a refugee camp.
“A member of the peshmerga was killed in an Iranian strike on the area of Koysinjaq”, also known as Koya, Ali Boudaghi, a party official, told AFP on Monday.
The term peshmerga generally refers to Kurdish fighters from northern Iraq who are a part of the official security forces of the Kurdistan regional government.
However, the term is sometimes used to refer to fighters aligned with the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan.
In pictures: Iran's fleets of drones
On Saturday, Esmail Ghaani, commander of the IRGC's Quds Force, was in Baghdad where he reportedly warned that Iran could mount a ground offensive into the semi-autonomous Kurdish region of Iraq to attack dissidents blamed by Tehran for stirring up unrest.
On Monday, Iran hinted at further action in the Kurdish region, should the Kurdistan regional government or the Iraqi central government in Baghdad be unable to stop the activities of separatist groups.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani stressed that Iran “desires that there be no threat to Iran's security from Iraqi territory”.
“We hope that the Iraqi government will prevent the activities of separatist and terrorist groups against the security of Iran and its borders by expanding its sovereignty and deploying border guards at the common border, so that Iran does not have to take other deterrent measures to repel threats,” he said.
About 400 protesters and 50 members of the security forces have died over two months of protests in Iran. Demonstrators initially called for more women’s rights before demanding improved living conditions amid high inflation and shortages of basic goods.
A series of missile and drone attacks on Iraq's Kurdish region last week, which were also aimed at the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan in Koya, killed at least two people.
Those attacks were widely condemned by the UN and the Iraqi government as an infringement of Iraq’s sovereignty.
“Repeated attacks, violating Iraqi sovereignty, must cease,” the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (Unami) said in a statement on Monday.
“Such aggression not only recklessly heightens tensions but also causes tragedy,” it said.
“Whatever external score a neighbouring country is seeking to settle, the use of established diplomatic instruments is the only way forward.
“Iraq should not be used as an arena to settle scores and its territorial integrity must be respected.”
The regional government in Kurdistan said the attacks were an “unjustified and flagrant violation of international norms and good neighbourly relations”.
In footage posted by Iraqi security monitoring account Tammuz Intel on Monday morning — which could not immediately be verified — heavy gunfire could be heard at night, reportedly by Kurdish fighters trying to shoot down an Iranian drone.
A buzzing sound similar to that of a propeller-driven drone could be heard overhead. In other footage posted online, a large explosion could be seen from Koya University.
Koya has been the target of Iranian attacks several times. A salvo of Iranian missiles struck a Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan office there in 2018, killing 18 people.
Fighting with My Family
Director: Stephen Merchant
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Nick Frost, Lena Headey, Florence Pugh, Thomas Whilley, Tori Ellen Ross, Jack Lowden, Olivia Bernstone, Elroy Powell
Four stars
Hydrogen: Market potential
Hydrogen has an estimated $11 trillion market potential, according to Bank of America Securities and is expected to generate $2.5tn in direct revenues and $11tn of indirect infrastructure by 2050 as its production increases six-fold.
"We believe we are reaching the point of harnessing the element that comprises 90 per cent of the universe, effectively and economically,” the bank said in a recent report.
Falling costs of renewable energy and electrolysers used in green hydrogen production is one of the main catalysts for the increasingly bullish sentiment over the element.
The cost of electrolysers used in green hydrogen production has halved over the last five years and will fall to 60 to 90 per cent by the end of the decade, acceding to Haim Israel, equity strategist at Merrill Lynch. A global focus on decarbonisation and sustainability is also a big driver in its development.
Company profile
Date started: December 24, 2018
Founders: Omer Gurel, chief executive and co-founder and Edebali Sener, co-founder and chief technology officer
Based: Dubai Media City
Number of employees: 42 (34 in Dubai and a tech team of eight in Ankara, Turkey)
Sector: ConsumerTech and FinTech
Cashflow: Almost $1 million a year
Funding: Series A funding of $2.5m with Series B plans for May 2020
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
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MATCH INFO
France 3
Umtiti (8'), Griezmann (29' pen), Dembele (63')
Italy 1
Bonucci (36')
match info
Manchester United 3 (Martial 7', 44', 74')
Sheffield United 0
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
The biog
Alwyn Stephen says much of his success is a result of taking an educated chance on business decisions.
His advice to anyone starting out in business is to have no fear as life is about taking on challenges.
“If you have the ambition and dream of something, follow that dream, be positive, determined and set goals.
"Nothing and no-one can stop you from succeeding with the right work application, and a little bit of luck along the way.”
Mr Stephen sells his luxury fragrances at selected perfumeries around the UAE, including the House of Niche Boutique in Al Seef.
He relaxes by spending time with his family at home, and enjoying his wife’s India cooking.
Essentials
The flights
Whether you trek after mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda or the Congo, the most convenient international airport is in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali. There are direct flights from Dubai a couple of days a week with RwandAir. Otherwise, an indirect route is available via Nairobi with Kenya Airways. Flydubai flies to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, via Entebbe in Uganda. Expect to pay from US$350 (Dh1,286) return, including taxes.
The tours
Superb ape-watching tours that take in all three gorilla countries mentioned above are run by Natural World Safaris. In September, the company will be operating a unique Ugandan ape safari guided by well-known primatologist Ben Garrod.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, local operator Kivu Travel can organise pretty much any kind of safari throughout the Virunga National Park and elsewhere in eastern Congo.
Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
