American soldiers are seen at the US army base in Qayyara, south of Mosul October 25, 2016. Reuters
American soldiers are seen at the US army base in Qayyara, south of Mosul October 25, 2016. Reuters

Declassified interrogation shows Iran's role in attacking US troops in Iraq



New declassified documents have revealed the role of Iran in helping Iraqi militias attack American forces during the US invasion of the country.

The interrogation of Qais Al Khazali, the leading figure of a major Shiite militia who recently won political power in Iraq, shows how Iran provided weapons and training to Shiite militias for them to launch attacks on American troops and remove them from the country.

Details of his interrogation were uncovered after the Wall Street Journal reviewed the documents declassified by the US Central Command that included the report of his questioning.

The US coalition in Iraq had accused Mr Khazali of planning a 2007 attack on US troops that killed five soldiers. That attack was a planned kidnapping of US soldiers in the Iraqi city of Karbala.

The military subsequently captured him and questioned him, when it appears he bared all about Tehran’s meddling in the country against US forces.

“There are Iranians and Lebanese Hezbollah conducting the training at these bases,” the report was quoted as saying, citing Mr Khazali’s comments in the interrogation.

It continued: “Detainee said that anyone can receive EFP training and Iran does not care who gets it. This is because of the availability and low cost of EFPs.”

The acronym EFP, or explosively formed penetrator, refers to deadly roadside bombs that the US accused Iran of building and smuggling into Iraq. Iraqi militiamen were then trained on how to employ those devices to kill Western military personnel.

Those devices are estimated to have killed and injured hundreds of US and coalition soldiers.

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Read more:

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Iraq forms committee to investigate corruption amid ongoing unrest

Iraq wants exemption from US sanctions on Iran

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The militia chief admitted that some of his men were trained by Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). He even travelled to Iran to obtain funding for his group and met with Iran’s shadowy spy chief, IRGC commander Qassem Soleimani.

“The Iranians are experts in full scale warfare while the Lebanese are experts in urban or guerrilla warfare,” the report said.

After his role with that Iraqi militia and his release from US detention in 2009, Mr Al Khazali has moved into the political fray in Iraq. He now leads the Asaib Ahl Al Haq militia that secured 15 parliamentary seats in the May elections. The US is mulling recognising his militia as a terrorist organisation.

The revelations comes as tensions between Iran and the US have peaked over the landmark nuclear deal signed between Tehran and world powers in 2015. US President Donald Trump removed Washington from the pact in May and has reimposed damaging sanctions on the Iranian economy.

That very deal had lifting sanctions on Iran in return for holding back its nuclear programme. Mr Trump says it was a bad deal as it returned billions of dollars into Iranian hands that it could use for the funding of terrorism across the Middle East, particularly in Yemen, Syria and Lebanon.

Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
 
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
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Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham

Rating: 3.5/5

Specs

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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.

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The smuggler

Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple. 
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.

Khouli conviction

Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.

For sale

A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.

- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico

- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000

- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950

10 tips for entry-level job seekers
  • Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
  • Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
  • Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
  • For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
  • Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
  • Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
  • Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
  • Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
  • Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
  • Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.

Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz

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Test

Director: S Sashikanth

Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan

Star rating: 2/5

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PRO BASH

Thursday’s fixtures

6pm: Hyderabad Nawabs v Pakhtoon Warriors

10pm: Lahore Sikandars v Pakhtoon Blasters

Teams

Chennai Knights, Lahore Sikandars, Pakhtoon Blasters, Abu Dhabi Stars, Abu Dhabi Dragons, Pakhtoon Warriors and Hyderabad Nawabs.

Squad rules

All teams consist of 15-player squads that include those contracted in the diamond (3), platinum (2) and gold (2) categories, plus eight free to sign team members.

Tournament rules

The matches are of 25 over-a-side with an 8-over power play in which only two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle. Teams play in a single round robin league followed by the semi-finals and final. The league toppers will feature in the semi-final eliminator.