AL HAMRA // As UAE Air Force F-16s and Mirage 2000-9s offered air cover alongside French Rafale 3s, three armoured personnel carriers transporting infantrymen entered deep into enemy territory, engaging with the remaining forces of resistance and blocking them from retaking a compromised hilltop.
The daylight assault involved a full air, ground and naval attack with 4,500 combined Emirati and French troops.
The full-scale military training exercise played out on Umdaddi Hill on the western coast of Abu Dhabi yesterday.
The united forces flexed their muscles under the joint command of Maj Gen (Staff) Pilot Rashad Mohammed Salem Al-Saadi, the UAE military spokesperson, and Rear Admiral Marin Gillier, commander of the French Navy special forces.
By the end of the exercise, they had left their well-armed enemy crippled.
It began after SAT-8 surveillance aircraft were used to locate the positions of the enemy on the hilltop.
"Intelligence reports have revealed air defence sites in the enemy-controlled locations and the information has been fed to the command to take action," Maj Gen Rashad announced over a loudspeaker.
After a shower of missiles were fired by descending Mirage 2000-9s and Rafale 3s, more reports came in from scouts about the air defence sites. With that information, the French Rafales fired guided missiles to eliminate the enemy's air defences.
Next, the UAE sent in its Leclerc Main Battle Tanks (MBTs), firing even more shells at the enemy locations to accurately destroy three targets.
The shelling continued for about 15 minutes before a break to let engineers pass through the area and clear ground for further advancement. UAE Apache Attack helicopters gave the engineers cover, and a path for the advancement of the Leclerc MBTs was quickly cleared.
Next, the Dhibyani armoured personnel carriers carrying the joint UAE French infantry squad - identified as Force 32 - landed on the beach and advanced alongside the Leclerc MBTs.
Five trucks with G6 155 millimetre long-range guns formed an artillery battery and fired deep into enemy territory as Force 32 began to engage the enemy.
When rapid-firing rocket launchers had rained dozens of missiles on the enemy, Force 32 swept the area for any remaining hostile forces.
The coordinated attack, played out in just 90 minutes, was closely watched by Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.
Flanking him were Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Minister of Presidential Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister, and Lt General Hamad Mohammed Thani Al Rumaithi, the Chief of Staff of the UAE Armed Forces.
"There was no relation to what is going on currently in the political scene," said Maj Gen Al Saadi. "This exercise was part of our regular training schedule."
But he added that the operation had worked to raise the readiness of the armed forces. "We are getting more and more prepared and this event enabled us to better our performance on the battlefield and concentrate on joint operations areas that needed more work," said Maj Gen Al Saadi. "Overall, I was very satisfied with the performance."
The hilltop assault is one of several being carried out as part of the fifth Gulf 2012 Military Exercises, conducted between the UAE and French Armed Forces every four years.
The exercises began in 1996, a year after the UAE and France signed a defence agreement.
"This was the largest exercise we have conducted and the first time we used air, land and naval forces at once," said Rear Admiral Marin Gillier, Commander of the French Navy special forces in the UAE. "The UAE forces worked well on a technical level and an operational level in this operation."
The next joint operation will be held in 2016.
amustafa@thenational.ae
How to vote
Canadians living in the UAE can register to vote online and be added to the International Register of Electors.
They'll then be sent a special ballot voting kit by mail either to their address, the Consulate General of Canada to the UAE in Dubai or The Embassy of Canada in Abu Dhabi
Registered voters mark the ballot with their choice and must send it back by 6pm Eastern time on October 21 (2am next Friday)
MATCH INFO
CAF Champions League semi-finals first-leg fixtures
Tuesday:
Primeiro Agosto (ANG) v Esperance (TUN) (8pm UAE)
Al Ahly (EGY) v Entente Setif (ALG) (11PM)
Second legs:
October 23
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Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
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Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE
Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:
• Buy second hand stuff
They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.
• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres
Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.
• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.
Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.
• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home
Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
How to get exposure to gold
Although you can buy gold easily on the Dubai markets, the problem with buying physical bars, coins or jewellery is that you then have storage, security and insurance issues.
A far easier option is to invest in a low-cost exchange traded fund (ETF) that invests in the precious metal instead, for example, ETFS Physical Gold (PHAU) and iShares Physical Gold (SGLN) both track physical gold. The VanEck Vectors Gold Miners ETF invests directly in mining companies.
Alternatively, BlackRock Gold & General seeks to achieve long-term capital growth primarily through an actively managed portfolio of gold mining, commodity and precious-metal related shares. Its largest portfolio holdings include gold miners Newcrest Mining, Barrick Gold Corp, Agnico Eagle Mines and the NewMont Goldcorp.
Brave investors could take on the added risk of buying individual gold mining stocks, many of which have performed wonderfully well lately.
London-listed Centamin is up more than 70 per cent in just three months, although in a sign of its volatility, it is down 5 per cent on two years ago. Trans-Siberian Gold, listed on London's alternative investment market (AIM) for small stocks, has seen its share price almost quadruple from 34p to 124p over the same period, but do not assume this kind of runaway growth can continue for long
However, buying individual equities like these is highly risky, as their share prices can crash just as quickly, which isn't what what you want from a supposedly safe haven.
if you go
The flights
The closest international airport to the TMB trail is Geneva (just over an hour’s drive from the French ski town of Chamonix where most people start and end the walk). Direct flights from the UAE to Geneva are available with Etihad and Emirates from about Dh2,790 including taxes.
The trek
The Tour du Mont Blanc takes about 10 to 14 days to complete if walked in its entirety, but by using the services of a tour operator such as Raw Travel, a shorter “highlights” version allows you to complete the best of the route in a week, from Dh6,750 per person. The trails are blocked by snow from about late October to early May. Most people walk in July and August, but be warned that trails are often uncomfortably busy at this time and it can be very hot. The prime months are June and September.
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
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THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Bio:
Favourite Quote: Prophet Mohammad's quotes There is reward for kindness to every living thing and A good man treats women with honour
Favourite Hobby: Serving poor people
Favourite Book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite food: Fish and vegetables
Favourite place to visit: London
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Company%C2%A0profile
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Famous left-handers
- Marie Curie
- Jimi Hendrix
- Leonardo Di Vinci
- David Bowie
- Paul McCartney
- Albert Einstein
- Jack the Ripper
- Barack Obama
- Helen Keller
- Joan of Arc
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
more from Janine di Giovanni
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
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.
