One Iraqi soldier had already been killed when a concrete block was dropped on his head. His two comrades looked on in terror fearing the crowd of 2,000 fellow Iraqis would turn on them next.
It was shortly after the invasion of Iraq in 2003 and Doug Beattie had just witnessed the murder in the centre of Al Madina and knew something “absolutely wrong” was about to happen.
Using his rifle butt, elbows, and on one occasion his bayonet, he pushed, shoved and jabbed his way through the mob to save the two men.
It was an extraordinary act of bravery for which he received a deserved decoration. But, today, the depth of the challenge he faces as the new leader of the Ulster Unionist Party is potentially more daunting.
The party that ruled Northern Ireland for most of the 20th century finds itself in a politically barren land, bereft of all Westminster MPs, only a handful of representatives in the Stormont Assembly and a shrinking support base.
Mr Beattie, 55, is the sixth UUP leader since David Trimble, the formidable architect of the Northern Ireland peace agreement who left office in 2005.
The former soldier’s endurance on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, where he was also awarded the Military Cross for bravery, suggests the party may have settled upon someone with the resilience to resurrect its fortunes.
Unlike the more hard-line Democratic Unionist Party, the married father of two grown-up children has been quick to appeal to a broader base of supporters, away from the traditional religious tribalism.
"I want to make the UUP a more agile party fit for the 21st century," he told The National. "It's simple things that need to be done, such as attracting more women and young people and being more dynamic than we have been."
Undeterred by the workload of overhauling the dominance of the ruling DUP, Mr Beattie – known by former army colleagues for his “extremely stubborn streak” – believes the major focus should be on preventing the UK from falling apart, with both Scotland and Northern Ireland’s ties weakening.
With Ulster’s cross-border trade threatened by the Brexit agreement and the 1998 Belfast Agreement in danger of unravelling as a result, the new UUP leader insists keeping the UK together is key.
“Unionism is going through momentous change due to mostly Brexit. For me in Northern Ireland, we have to be as inclusive as possible to try and protect the union and to create a union of people who want to live and work together.”
It is partly his experience of witnessing a country’s cohesion broken that has impelled him to take up the post. Following the 2003 American-led invasion of Iraq, the country tore apart along Sunni and Shia lines, much as Northern Ireland had between Roman Catholics and Protestants during the 30 years of the Troubles.
Mr Beattie was on hand to witness the Iraq blood-letting when just a few days into the invasion the 2nd Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment, entered the town of Al Madina, north of Basra.
Commanded by the former SAS officer Col Tim Collins, the battalion captured the town without a shot being fired, despite Saddam Hussein’s army having a large number of armoured vehicles that far outmatched the British four-ton trucks.
At first, all seemed peaceful until the rumbling of a gathering crowd drew Regimental Sgt Major Beattie to the central square.
After witnessing the death of the first soldier, Mr Beattie made the instant decision to get to the remaining pair, despite being on his own.
“I was not really thinking, I just fought through this crowd of 2,000 people with my rifle. I was pushing, hitting people with my rifle butt and once I had to jab somebody in the calf with my bayonet. I got to where they were holding these Baathists and pushed away the people doing them harm. But I suddenly realised that I was alone and thought ‘oh goodness me, what am I going to do now?’ Then, all of a sudden, like the Red Sea parting, a phalanx of British soldiers, led by a colour sergeant, just cut through the crowd like butter until they got to me and they were able to grab these hapless individuals.”
One of the Iraqi soldiers, a grey, unshaven man in his late 30s, turned to Mr Beattie with both hands together, as if in a Christian prayer of thanks, while the other, who was much younger, looked terrified.
Reflecting on his actions 18 years on, Mr Beattie knew it was extremely dangerous taking on an unruly mob close to descending into a riot.
“I knew that I had just a moment where I had the ability to calm them and that the right thing to do was to save the lives of those two individuals who were about to get killed. It was a spur of the moment decision, a strange decision and probably wasn't the right one, in a military context.”
That courage and determination, which was recognised by a Queen’s Commendation for Bravery, will certainly be tested as he seeks to make the UUP a political force once again.
Decency, argues Mr Beattie, along with the right policies, will be the starting point.
“It doesn't matter people’s religion, colour, ethnic background or their cultural identity, if you just make Northern Ireland a place where people want to live. Because you learn a lot from serving in places like Iraq and Afghanistan and seeing the division that you have between different groups, what that does to people and what it means when they come together.”
As the DUP lurches to less tolerant policies, the middle ground might open up for Mr Beattie’s more progressive approach. But in the coming period it may seem that wading through a crowd of 2,000 angry people was an easier path to take.
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
TOURNAMENT INFO
Opening fixtures:
Friday, Oct 5
8pm: Kabul Zwanan v Paktia Panthers
Saturday, Oct 6
4pm: Nangarhar Leopards v Kandahar Knights
8pm: Kabul Zwanan v Balkh Legends
Tickets
Tickets can be bought online at https://www.q-tickets.com/apl/eventlist and at the ticket office at the stadium.
TV info
The tournament will be broadcast live in the UAE on OSN Sports.
Company profile
Date started: January, 2014
Founders: Mike Dawson, Varuna Singh, and Benita Rowe
Based: Dubai
Sector: Education technology
Size: Five employees
Investment: $100,000 from the ExpoLive Innovation Grant programme in 2018 and an initial $30,000 pre-seed investment from the Turn8 Accelerator in 2014. Most of the projects are government funded.
Partners/incubators: Turn8 Accelerator; In5 Innovation Centre; Expo Live Innovation Impact Grant Programme; Dubai Future Accelerators; FHI 360; VSO and Consult and Coach for a Cause (C3)
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Chatham House Rule
A mark of Chatham House’s influence 100 years on since its founding, was Moscow’s formal declaration last month that it was an “undesirable
organisation”.
The depth of knowledge and academics that it drew on
following the Ukraine invasion had broadcast Mr Putin’s chicanery.
The institute is more used to accommodating world leaders,
with Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher among those helping it provide
authoritative commentary on world events.
Chatham House was formally founded as the Royal Institute of
International Affairs following the peace conferences of World War One. Its
founder, Lionel Curtis, wanted a more scientific examination of international affairs
with a transparent exchange of information and ideas.
That arena of debate and analysis was enhanced by the “Chatham
House Rule” states that the contents of any meeting can be discussed outside Chatham
House but no mention can be made identifying individuals who commented.
This has enabled some candid exchanges on difficult subjects
allowing a greater degree of free speech from high-ranking figures.
These meetings are highly valued, so much so that
ambassadors reported them in secret diplomatic cables that – when they were
revealed in the Wikileaks reporting – were thus found to have broken the rule. However,
most speeches are held on the record.
Its research and debate has offered fresh ideas to
policymakers enabling them to more coherently address troubling issues from climate
change to health and food security.
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Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
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- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
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Transmission: 10-speed automatic
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On sale: Now
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
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Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
