Kurdish authorities in Iraq have foiled an ISIS plot, originating in Al Hol internment camp in neighbouring Syria, to attack the city of Erbil.
Masrour Barzani, Prime Minister of the Kurdish Regional Government, said that a months-long operation had foiled a terrorist cell plotting to attack the capital city.
Mr Barzani said the plot had originated in the controversial Al Hol camp.
“I am deeply concerned that our intelligence points to ISIS operating from Al Hol camp, indicating the group is still capable of crossing borders illegally,” he said.
The cell consisted of five people who had crossed into the Kurdistan region after being smuggled out of Syria, local media reported.
They travelled through Turkey and Iran before reaching northern Iraq, reports said.
The plot involved silenced weapons and bombs, and the group was reportedly acting under orders from ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim Al Qurashi.
Al Hol is a former refugee camp where thousands of Syrian and foreign nationals with links to ISIS are held.
Kurdish security sources confirmed to The National that the cell members were was arrested in Erbil province, in northern Iraq.
Almost 70,000 people were herded into Al Hol from Baghouz, the border town where ISIS made its last stand more than two years ago.
Among them were tens of thousands of foreign nationals from dozens of countries as far afield as the UK and Australia.
International governments have been reluctant to take back their nationals, leaving Syrian Kurdish authorities overwhelmed with tens of thousands of alleged ISIS members in custody, along with women and children.
Violent murders in the camp since the start of the year has left Kurdish authorities begging the international community to help deal with the camp.
Those sympathetic to ISIS openly enforce the group’s extreme interpretation of Sharia in the camp, while hundreds are believed to have escaped.
Yet despite the violence, the Erbil plot is believed to be the first case of Al Hol serving as a base for international terror attacks.
Mr Barzani’s claims the plot originated in the camp are likely to increase pressure on the international community to deal with it.
This month, more than 6,000 heavily armed Kurdish Peshmerga soldiers conducted a major security operation in the camp, in which dozens of arrests were made and hundreds of mobile phones seized.
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Based: Dubai and Los Angeles
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'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
Tori Amos
Native Invader
Decca
