Gunmen opening fire on worshippers at a mosque in Oman show how a terrorist cell made inroads into a peaceful Gulf nation and will lead to increased security in the region, experts said.
ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack which killed six people and wounded dozens, mainly Pakistani residents, at Imam Ali Mosque in Muscat on Monday night.
It shows how ISIS is still a threat to everyone, everywhere in the world, even in a peaceful county like Oman
Farea Al Muslimi,
research fellow at Chatham House
Experts who study extremist organisations said the more than 10-hour siege in a residential neighbourhood had all the hallmarks of the terrorist group.
“This is an unprecedented attack in Oman. No one expected this could happen and I believe many leaders and policymakers are in shock,” said Zana Gul, a lecturer in international politics at the University of Stirling in Scotland.
“Security will ramp up because this incident is a shock to the political system, not just in Oman but across the Gulf region.
“All Gulf countries have a strong, professional security apparatus that controls the region but this has shown there is a loophole.
“Governments will be more rigorous, monitor the situation more carefully and there will be an increase in security operations.”
The attack would also result in intensified security collaboration between Oman and other Gulf states, he said.
Defeated but still active
Followers of ISIS have continued to carry out isolated attacks even after the extremist group was defeated in the areas of Iraq and Syria it seized and declared its caliphate in 2014. The US-led coalition against ISIS and allied Syrian forces freed the last ISIS stronghold in 2019, marking the territorial defeat of the group.
But ISIS has claimed many attacks since in Iraq, Syria and Europe, either through sleeper cells or people acting alone, and an offshoot in Afghanistan, known as ISIS-K, has a strong presence in some areas.
Mr Gul said territorial defeat was not enough to end the ISIS threat and eliminating its ideology was crucial to limiting its ability to recruit.
“ISIS in Iraq is militarily defeated but ideologically is still there,” he said.
“They are absolutely not as powerful as they once were, but political instability, social and economic conditions provide avenues for these cells to continue to carry out dangerous acts.
“If you have a transparent government, a strong economy and employment, ISIS will not be able to recruit more candidates.”
Former US Central Command chief Gen Frank McKenzie, who oversaw the 2019 raid that killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi in Syria, has also highlighted the threat posed by the ability of the terror group to attract followers through literature or the internet, saying this “may be one of the most dangerous methods that ISIS can use to generate attacks”.
The Omani government said it was ready to "confront any challenges" to its national security, in a statement issued after the shooting, and that investigations were under way to determine the motive.
Stoking tension
Mr Gul, who has published several papers on the rise of ISIS and terrorism, said a common pattern was for the group to stoke friction between communities.
The gunmen attacked the mosque in Oman on the eve of Ashura, a day sacred to Shiites.
“One of their key strategies is to divide communities, specifically Sunnis and Shias. The other reason could be that ISIS sleeper cells are trying to provoke tension between communities,” he said.
“In Oman, the Sunni and Shia sects live in tolerance and have friendly relations.”
ISIS broadcast a video claiming responsibility for the attack on Tuesday, with visuals showing three men with assault rifles raising the black ISIS flag.
Survivors told The National about people being gunned down as they ran to the mosque and worshippers shot dead as volunteers attempted to drag them to safety.
“This was a dream case for ISIS – they got the world’s attention with an attack on the most stable country in the Gulf and that is exactly what they want,” said Farea Al Muslimi, a research fellow at Chatham House’s Middle East and North Africa Programme.
“The significance is that as Oman was perceived as an island of peace and stability, this is a brutal reminder of the fact that conflicts are transnational and cross border.
“It shows how ISIS is still a threat to everyone, everywhere in the world, even in a peaceful county like Oman.”
The shooting in Muscat was a reminder of another ISIS attack on a Shiite mosque in Saudi Arabia in 2015, in which a suicide bomber killed at least 21 people.
“It is sufficient to have one incident to disrupt peace and stability in the area,” said Mr Al Muslimi, whose research focuses on Yemen and the wider Gulf region.
“As it becomes more feasible to do this, it becomes more tricky for security organisations to hunt down radicals.”
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Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
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The biog
Simon Nadim has completed 7,000 dives.
The hardest dive in the UAE is the German U-boat 110m down off the Fujairah coast.
As a child, he loved the documentaries of Jacques Cousteau
He also led a team that discovered the long-lost portion of the Ines oil tanker.
If you are interested in diving, he runs the XR Hub Dive Centre in Fujairah
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
The biog
Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi
Age: 23
How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them
Inspiration: My father. He’s a hard working man who has been through a lot to provide us with everything we need
Favourite book: Attitude, emotions and the psychology of cats by Dr Nicholes Dodman
Favourit film: 101 Dalmatians - it remind me of my childhood and began my love of dogs
Word of advice: By being patient, good things will come and by staying positive you’ll have the will to continue to love what you're doing
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Why does a queen bee feast only on royal jelly?
Some facts about bees:
The queen bee eats only royal jelly, an extraordinary food created by worker bees so she lives much longer
The life cycle of a worker bee is from 40-60 days
A queen bee lives for 3-5 years
This allows her to lay millions of eggs and allows the continuity of the bee colony
About 20,000 honey bees and one queen populate each hive
Honey is packed with vital vitamins, minerals, enzymes, water and anti-oxidants.
Apart from honey, five other products are royal jelly, the special food bees feed their queen
Pollen is their protein source, a super food that is nutritious, rich in amino acids
Beewax is used to construct the combs. Due to its anti-fungal, anti-bacterial elements, it is used in skin treatments
Propolis, a resin-like material produced by bees is used to make hives. It has natural antibiotic qualities so works to sterilize hive, protects from disease, keeps their home free from germs. Also used to treat sores, infection, warts
Bee venom is used by bees to protect themselves. Has anti-inflammatory properties, sometimes used to relieve conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, nerve and muscle pain
Honey, royal jelly, pollen have health enhancing qualities
The other three products are used for therapeutic purposes
Is beekeeping dangerous?
As long as you deal with bees gently, you will be safe, says Mohammed Al Najeh, who has worked with bees since he was a boy.
“The biggest mistake people make is they panic when they see a bee. They are small but smart creatures. If you move your hand quickly to hit the bees, this is an aggressive action and bees will defend themselves. They can sense the adrenalin in our body. But if we are calm, they are move away.”
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Who is Mohammed Al Halbousi?
The new speaker of Iraq’s parliament Mohammed Al Halbousi is the youngest person ever to serve in the role.
The 37-year-old was born in Al Garmah in Anbar and studied civil engineering in Baghdad before going into business. His development company Al Hadeed undertook reconstruction contracts rebuilding parts of Fallujah’s infrastructure.
He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.
He is a member of the Al Hal Sunni-based political party and the Sunni-led Coalition of Iraqi Forces, which is Iraq’s largest Sunni alliance with 37 seats from the May 12 election.
He maintains good relations with former Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s State of Law Coaliton, Hadi Al Amiri’s Badr Organisation and Iranian officials.
