The US military retracted on Thursday previous remarks about the US-led anti-ISIL coalition's plan to set up a new 30,000-strong border force in northern Syria after being contradicted by secretary of state Rex Tillerson.
The US army said in a statement that Operation Inherent Resolve — the military intervention against ISIL in Syria and Iraq — continues to train local security forces in Syria but is not forming a new army.
“This training enhances security for the displaced persons returning to their devastated communities and prevents the re-emergence of Daesh in liberated and ungoverned areas,” said the statement.
“This is not a new ‘army’ or conventional ‘border guard’ force.”
The coalition's initial announcement of a border force last week added to Turkish anger over Washington's support for Kurdish-dominated forces in Syria.
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to launch a military offensive against the Kurdish-controlled enclave of Afrin, which is controlled by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a militia that was instrumental in driving ISIL out of parts of northeastern Syria.
Turkey considers the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) — which is the backbone of the SDF — a terrorist organisation for its links to the PKK, a Kurdish separatist group that has fought the Turkish government since the 1980s.
Mr Erdogan has threatened military action against Syria's Kurds before, but in the past week Turkey has escalated by reinforcing troops on its border near Afrin and shelling the area. Mr Erdogan has suggested an assault is imminent.
“We are keenly aware of the legitimate security concerns of Turkey,” the US military's statement said.
Turkey’s foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday that his country was not convinced by America’s assurance.
“"Did this satisfy us in full? No, it did not," he told CNN-Turk television in an interview.
"The establishment of a so-called terror army would cause irreversible damage in our relations … it is a very serious situation.”
Read more: Tillerson calls Iran a 'strategic threat' in Syria
Earlier this week, Col Ryan Dillon, spokesman for the anti-ISIL US-led coalition, said the SDF was being transformed into a force to secure Syria’s borders in the areas under its control.
It was Col Dillon's statements that Mr Tillerson appeared to challenge on Wednesday.
"That entire situation has been mis-portrayed, mis-described, some people misspoke. We are not creating a border security force at all," Mr Tillerson said.
Col Dillon, who is based in Iraq, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.
Meanwhile, residents of Afrin were said to still be preparing for the possibility of a Turkish assault.
"There is no way to come in and out of Afrin except for a small passage towards Aleppo," said Shamseddine Hamo, a politician from Afrin who is now based in the southern Turkish city of Gaziantep.
“The Turks have even eliminated parts of the border wall in preparation for crossing in. All these things make us think that storming the area is very close.”
Mr Hamo, who is highly critical of the YPG, noted that while the group is popular among Syrian Kurds, it does not enjoy monolithic support.
The YPG has little tolerance for dissent and has largely driven opposition figures like Mr Hamo from the areas under its control.
Mr Hamo warned, however, that a Turkish invasion was likely to strengthen support for the YPG.
"The people of Afrin will not accept the Turkish army. They look at the Turkish army as an enemy and they will not receive it in Afrin the same way it was received in Idlib," he said, referring to the northern Syrian province to the west of Afrin where Turkey deployed soldiers late last year.
_____________________
Read more:
Erdogan says Turkish operations against Kurdish militias in Syria will be supported by rebels
Syrian Kurds mobilise civilians as Erdogan warns of attack 'at any moment'
_____________________
Turkey has long supported Syrian Arab rebel groups in Idlib and other parts of northern Syria in their fight to overthrow the government of Syrian president Bashar Al Assad. On Wednesday, members of some of those groups said they were preparing to assist the Turks in an assault on Afrin.
"The preparations are going on for an attack," said Muataz Raslan, an officer in Jaish Al Nukhba, a rebel group that is part of the Euphrates Shield, an umbrella of Turkish-supported Syrian rebel factions aligned with the Free Syrian Army (FSA).
"The FSA will spearhead this attack and Jaish Al Nukhba will be involved."
Other FSA commanders in northern Syria contacted by The National declined to discuss whether they might be involved in potential operations in Afrin or other Kurdish-controlled areas, but Mr Raslan said he believed military action was inevitable.
"The only way the problem in Afrin can be solved [without military action] is by the withdrawal of the YPG," Mr Raslan said. "The YPG wants to establish a Kurdish state that it leads."
Mr Hamo also accused the Kurdish group of forcibly recruiting young men to fight in Afrin.
"They don't care about Afrin. They care about the continuity of their rule," Mr Hamo said. "They collect taxes from the poor people. They trade with the blood of people."
Despite the military build-up, Mr Hamo said he also did not rule out the possibility that Mr Erdogan's threats were calculated to encourage the US to withdraw or at least reduce support for the SDF, rather than a prelude to a messy military adventure.
"There is a possibility that this pressure is part of an agreement with the Russians to return the city to Syrian government control," Mr Hamo said. "This makes sense to me."
The Russian government, which has intervened in Syria's civil war on behalf of the government, has previously helped negotiate deals between the Turks and Syrians regarding control of areas on the Turkish-Syrian border.
Tensions around Afrin also underscore how strained US-Turkey relations have become.
"What Turkey wants from Afrin and from the north of Syria in general is that this area be void of the mercenary terrorists who work for America," said Bakir Atajan, a Turkish political analyst based in Istanbul.
“The USA was an ally of Turkey. Now Turkish people think the USA has become an enemy.”
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
'THE WORST THING YOU CAN EAT'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 400hp
Torque: 560Nm
Price: Dh234,000 - Dh329,000
On sale: now
PROFILE OF CURE.FIT
Started: July 2016
Founders: Mukesh Bansal and Ankit Nagori
Based: Bangalore, India
Sector: Health & wellness
Size: 500 employees
Investment: $250 million
Investors: Accel, Oaktree Capital (US); Chiratae Ventures, Epiq Capital, Innoven Capital, Kalaari Capital, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Piramal Group’s Anand Piramal, Pratithi Investment Trust, Ratan Tata (India); and Unilever Ventures (Unilever’s global venture capital arm)
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
MATCH INFO
Tottenham Hotspur 3 (Son 1', Kane 8' & 16') West Ham United 3 (Balbuena 82', Sanchez og 85', Lanzini 90' 4)
Man of the match Harry Kane
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Gully Boy
Director: Zoya Akhtar
Producer: Excel Entertainment & Tiger Baby
Cast: Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Kalki Koechlin, Siddhant Chaturvedi
Rating: 4/5 stars
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz C200 Coupe
Price, base: Dh201,153
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 204hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 300Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
More from Neighbourhood Watch
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
FA CUP FINAL
Manchester City 6
(D Silva 26', Sterling 38', 81', 87', De Bruyne 61', Jesus 68')
Watford 0
Man of the match: Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
