SNUNY, IRAQ // Only stray dogs and a dozen armed fighters walk the streets of Snuny, a ghost town at the base of Mount Sinjar where rapid military changes of fortune are written on the walls.
“Smoking is banned” has been scribbled in Arabic outside one cafe. A nearby building bears the warning: “Submit to the Islamic State, you infidels.”
Those messages do not reflect the views of the new management.
Today, flags representing various Kurdish political groups flap furiously in the wind over Snuny, claiming ownership of the town’s barren streets.
But all along the Kurds’ shifting front lines, it is a tenuous hold sustained only with timely air support from the US-led coalition.
Questions remain whether the coalition-backed Kurds can secure strategic crossroads like Snuny and renew an offensive against the ISIL group, which controls a broad swath of northern Iraq from its base in the country’s second-largest city, Mosul.
The Kurds retook Snuny from the Sunni militants last month, but a weeks-old battle has reached a point of stalemate on the other side of the mountain for militant-held Sinjar. To the southeast, the oil-rich city of Kirkuk remains at risk of ISIL recapture.
While ISIL fighters have been forced to retreat from Kobani, the strategic town on Syria's border with Turkey, the battlefield picture suggests they are far from beaten in northern Iraq, where harsh winter weather and thick mud underfoot hampers military moves – and even rear-line positions such as Snuny remain in surprising range of the enemy.
Whichever side triumphs will determine whether the militant group can use the main highway west to funnel weapons and reinforcements to their retreating comrades in Syria.
Just after midnight on Friday, fighters from a Yazidi militia were awoken by the whoosh and thud of mortar shells nearby as ISIL fighters targeted a headquarters of the Kurdish Democratic Party. Such attacks underscore the sense that disparate Kurdish militias drawn from Iraq, Syria and Turkey have yet to consolidate their gains despite strong coalition air support.
And when the literal fog descends, ISIL fighters have demonstrated a clear edge. Last week they retook most of Sinjar during a period of heavy fog that made it impossible for US and other coalition warplanes to offer close air support to the often lightly armed Kurds.
In Kirkuk, Kurdish forces have suffered painful losses from incessant ISIL militant activity. On Friday, militants attacked several Kirkuk targets and the Kurds lost a senior commander and eight of his troops in battle.
Kurdish authorities have since deployed heavy reinforcements to the city, depriving other positions of needed peshmerga fighters.
Overlooking the main highway near Sinjar linking northern Iraq to Syria, dozens of peshmerga fighters remain in a holding position as they await more arms and troops. ISIL fighters sought to overrun them last week but were repelled.
Kurds described their enemy as cunning and relentless.
“They will never give up,” the commander of that position, Brig Gen Bahjat Taymes, said of ISIL fighters dug in barely 100 metres away.
“They are ready to die. They are happy to die.”
* Associated Press
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Results
2pm: Handicap Dh 90,000 1,800m; Winner: Majestic Thunder, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
2.30pm: Handicap Dh120,000 1,950m; Winner: Just A Penny, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson.
3pm: Handicap Dh105,000 1,600m; Winner: Native Appeal, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
3.30pm: Jebel Ali Classic Conditions Dh300,000 1,400m; Winner: Thegreatcollection, Adrie de Vries, Doug Watson.
4pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,600m; Winner: Oktalgano, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
4.30pm: Conditions Dh250,000 1,400m; Winner: Madame Ellingtina, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
5pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,600m; Winner: Mystery Land, Fabrice Veron, Helal Al Alawi.
5.30pm: Handicap Dh85,000 1,000m; Winner: Shanaghai City, Jesus Rosales, Rashed Bouresly.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
Match info
Bournemouth 1 (King 45 1')
Arsenal 2 (Lerma 30' og, Aubameyang 67')
Man of the Match: Sead Kolasinac (Arsenal)
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
Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
- The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
- US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The biog
Hobby: "It is not really a hobby but I am very curious person. I love reading and spend hours on research."
Favourite author: Malcom Gladwell
Favourite travel destination: "Antigua in the Caribbean because I have emotional attachment to it. It is where I got married."
THE DEALS
Hamilton $60m x 2 = $120m
Vettel $45m x 2 = $90m
Ricciardo $35m x 2 = $70m
Verstappen $55m x 3 = $165m
Leclerc $20m x 2 = $40m
TOTAL $485m
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs: 2017 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn
Price, base / as tested: Dhxxx
Engine: 5.7L V8
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 395hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 556Nm @ 3,950rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
ACC%20T20%20Women%E2%80%99s%20Championship
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West Asia rugby, season 2017/18 - Roll of Honour
Western Clubs Champions League - Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners up: Bahrain
Dubai Rugby Sevens - Winners: Dubai Exiles; Runners up: Jebel Ali Dragons
West Asia Premiership - Winners: Jebel Ali Dragons; Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Premiership Cup - Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners up: Dubai Exiles
UAE Premiership - Winners: Dubai Exiles; Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
