Turkey shelled a Kurdish-held region of northern Syria on Wednesday, a day after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to destroy Kurdish militias east of the Euphrates river.
The shells targeted the villages of Selim and Kor Ali west of Kobane, according to the Kurdish-run Hawar News Agency.
Turkey’s state broadcaster TRT said four Kurdish fighters were killed after Turkish forces fired howitzer shells from Turkey's southeastern province of Sanliurfa, along the Syrian border. Six others were reportedly wounded in the strikes, TRT said.
Hawar told The National that two Kurdish fighters belonging to the Self Defense Forces, an affiliate of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, were killed in the attack. The remaining casualties are reportedly civilian.
"We are going to destroy the terrorist structure in the east of the Euphrates," Mr Erdogan told parliamentarians from his ruling Justice and Development Party in parliament on Tuesday. "We have completed our preparations, plans, programmes regarding this issue."
The SDF said they responded to Wednesday's attack by destroying a Turkish military vehicle in Kobani. “We have the right to retaliate against any attack on our lands,” the group said in a statement.
A video released by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) on YouTube purported to show SDF fighters blasting the vehicle.
Wednesday's assault is the second time Turkey has targeted Kurdish positions east of the Euphrates River over the past three days. Turkey shelled YPG positions in Kobane on Sunday.
Turkey considers the YPG militia an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has led an insurgency in Turkey for more than three decades.
The YPG has worked closely with the United States in the fight against ISIS in Syria, straining relations between Washington and Ankara.
_________
Read more:
Turkey prepares new push against Syria's Kurds: Erdogan
Yazidi mothers of children by ISIS face heartbreaking choices
Turkey, Russia, France, Germany say Idlib ceasefire must be safeguarded
________
Further south, US coalition warplanes carried out strikes on ISIS positions near the Iraqi border overnight ahead of a final push to drive militants out of their last holdout east of the Euphrates river, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The SDF, meanwhile, continued to mass around the ISIS-held Hajin pocket in preparation for the assault. The SOHR says that 700 special forces from the YPG and its female affiliate the YPJ have deployed to front lines in the area in recent days.
Boosting their fighting power, local tribesmen from Deir Ezzor have also mobilised around the last ISIS pocket. At least 2000 members of the Al Shaitat tribe, one of Deir Ezzor’s most prominent, are aiding the SDF’s efforts, according to the monitoring group.
ISIS beheaded, crucified and shot more than 700 members of the Al Shaitat tribe in Deir Ezzor in 2014, creating a bitter rivalry between the clan and the militant group.
The preparations come after ISIS launched a fierce attack on Friday against the SDF, forcing them to retreat from the Hajin pocket. The SOHR said around 70 SDF fighters were killed in the assault, which ISIS launched under cover of a sandstorm using suicide bombers and female fighters. The SDF says it lost 14 fighters.
Iraq’s Shiite paramilitary groups on Wednesday said they killed two ISIS commanders who ordered last week’s attack on the SDF. Ahmed Nasrallah, a PMF operations commander for western Anbar, said in a statement on the umbrella group’s website that the Iraqi military had provided information on militant gathering locations near the Iraqi border.
Iraqi Shiite militias reinforced their side of the border area in response to Friday's attack on the SDF in Syria, and Iraq's military said it was ready to take on any militants who tried to cross.
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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FIGHT%20CARD
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The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%206.5-litre%20V12%20and%20three%20electric%20motors%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E1%2C015hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E1%2C500Nm%20(estimate)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Eight-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Early%202024%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh2%20million%20(estimate)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
Mina Cup winners
Under 12 – Minerva Academy
Under 14 – Unam Pumas
Under 16 – Fursan Hispania
Under 18 – Madenat
Results
6.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Dirt) 1,200m; Winner: Major Cinnamon, Fernando Jara, Mujeeb Rahman
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,900m; Winner: Al Mureib, Fernando Jara, Ahmad bin Harmash
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Remorse, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
8.15pm: Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Meshakel, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer
8.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Desert Peace, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m; Winner: Sharamm, Ryan Curatlo, Satish Seemar
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
The%20specs
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THE SPECS
Engine: AMG-enhanced 3.0L inline-6 turbo with EQ Boost and electric auxiliary compressor
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 429hp
Torque: 520Nm
Price: Dh360,200 (starting)
Results
%3Cp%3E%0D%3Cstrong%3EElite%20men%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E1.%20Amare%20Hailemichael%20Samson%20(ERI)%202%3A07%3A10%0D%3Cbr%3E2.%20Leornard%20Barsoton%20(KEN)%202%3A09%3A37%0D%3Cbr%3E3.%20Ilham%20Ozbilan%20(TUR)%202%3A10%3A16%0D%3Cbr%3E4.%20Gideon%20Chepkonga%20(KEN)%202%3A11%3A17%0D%3Cbr%3E5.%20Isaac%20Timoi%20(KEN)%202%3A11%3A34%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EElite%20women%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E1.%20Brigid%20Kosgei%20(KEN)%202%3A19%3A15%0D%3Cbr%3E2.%20Hawi%20Feysa%20Gejia%20(ETH)%202%3A24%3A03%0D%3Cbr%3E3.%20Sintayehu%20Dessi%20(ETH)%202%3A25%3A36%0D%3Cbr%3E4.%20Aurelia%20Kiptui%20(KEN)%202%3A28%3A59%0D%3Cbr%3E5.%20Emily%20Kipchumba%20(KEN)%202%3A29%3A52%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
SPECS
Mini John Cooper Works Clubman and Mini John Cooper Works Countryman
Engine: two-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 306hp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: JCW Clubman, Dh220,500; JCW Countryman, Dh225,500
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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More coverage from the Future Forum
Company%C2%A0profile
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The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
MATCH INFO
Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
MATCH INFO
Azerbaijan 0
Wales 2 (Moore 10', Wilson 34')
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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3.
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UAE
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4.
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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6.
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Canada
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7.
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Singapore
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8.
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
