Syria has sent 3,000 troops to the border with Iraq to deter infiltration by pro-Iran Iraqi militias, two security officials in Damascus have told The National.
The deployment is the first in the area by the new authorities since Bashar Al Assad was thrown out of office last December and his military disbanded. On Saturday, Syrian fighters skirmished with the Iranian-backed Iraqi Popular Mobilisation Forces – Hashd Al Shaabi – a day after the aerial war between Israel and Iran broke out, officials said.
An Iraqi source dismissed any likelihood of militia movements between Iraq and Syria.
Infantry and drone units have been arriving at the border from the central region of Palmyra since Monday, one official said. Units were also sent from Euphrates River Valley areas that form a frontline controlled by the US-backed, mostly Kurdish, Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the most powerful militia in Syria outside the control of the government.
“We are asserting our control over the border,” a Syrian official said, describing the area as susceptible to instability, adding that the border was mainly manned by police because the threat before the outbreak of conflict was not considered to be great.
Saturday's fight, he said, was brief and intended to “remind us how close to us Iran is”.
Syria, a mostly Sunni country, is ruled by a government created from Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, an umbrella group of anti-Assad militias that once had links with al Qaeda. The government is opposed to Shiite militias in Iraq who enforce Iranian influence. However, Baghdad and Damascus have taken steps to improve relations in the past two months.
The Iraqi source who dismissed concerns about militia movements from Iraq into Syria, a security official, said that “Syrians have not expressed any such concerns or notified us of any deployments for their troops”.
He suggested that the purpose of Syrian troop movement to the border is to put pressure on the SDF. He said the SDF clashed on Saturday with Syrian security forces near the Al Bukamal border crossing between Iraq and Syria, which was recently opened.
“It's not easy for militias to cross the border to Syria now either through the official border crossings or through unofficial ones,” the source said.
He added that the presence of the Syrian army, the US-led coalition, and Israel would be likely to deter any such attempts at Syrian borders.
The source also spoke about security co-operation between Iraq and Syria, particularly at the borders. “We have several understandings and co-operation with the Syrian side mainly for controlling and securing the borders,” he said.
Syria has played a part in the Iran-Israeli conflict. US troops, who are mainly based in east Syria, have fired on Iranian drones aimed at Israel through Syrian airspace, regional sources said.
Most of the US bases in Syria are in SDF controlled areas, within a 60 kilometres of the border with Iraq. However, most of the border is under the control of Damascus.
Iraqi militias launched drone and missile attacks against US forces stationed in Syria during the 13-year civil war.
After the outbreak of the conflict on Friday, Iraq’s most powerful militia leaders said their forces would enter the conflict only if US troops based in Iraq intervened on Israel's behalf. However, one militia said on Monday that it will attack Israel and “anyone who supports it” in Iraq and the broader region.
Syria has been one of few countries in the Middle East that have not condemned the Israeli attack. Strengthening Damascus as a bulwark against Iran and possibly drawing the country into the Abraham Accords were the main reasons the US began normalisating relations with Damascus last month, US officials said.
Since the fall of the Assad regime, it is no longer easy for militias to cross the border to Syria, because they would face hostile local forces, as well as the US and Israeli air power, the Iraqi source said.
The Iraqi militias were a main component of Iranian backing for Mr Al Assad's regime between 2011 and 2024, but they withdrew when Hayat Tahrir Al Sham forces rolled on Damascus in December.
Pointing out new “understandings and security co-operation with the Syrian side”, the official said “militias have no foothold in Syria any more and we don't think they even think about it now.”
The studios taking part (so far)
- Punch
- Vogue Fitness
- Sweat
- Bodytree Studio
- The Hot House
- The Room
- Inspire Sports (Ladies Only)
- Cryo
So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
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Bareilly Ki Barfi
Directed by: Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring: Kriti Sanon, Ayushmann Khurrana, Rajkummar Rao
Three and a half stars
The specs
Engine: 2.4-litre 4-cylinder
Transmission: CVT auto
Power: 181bhp
Torque: 244Nm
Price: Dh122,900
Engine: 80 kWh four-wheel-drive
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 402bhp
Torque: 760Nm
Price: From Dh280,000
