The US called on Iraqi officials to take action against the perpetrators of an attack on US forces in Baghdad on Sunday.
The State Department said on Tuesday that it was outraged by the attack, which killed three Iraqi children and two women from the same family after a rocket aimed at Baghdad Airport – where US troops are stationed – hit their home.
The US has vowed to respond to threats against its interests in Iraq and is drafting sanctions targeting Iran-backed militias if attacks against US targets in the country continue.
Last week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told the Iraqi leadership that the US would close down its embassy in Baghdad and demanded decisive action against the armed groups responsible for violence.
"The United States will not tolerate threats to our men and women serving abroad and we will not hesitate to take any action we deem necessary to keep our personnel safe," the State Department said in a statement emailed to The National on Monday.
It refused to comment on Mr Pompeo’s calls to the Iraqis, but said: “We have made the point before that the actions of lawless Iran-backed militias remain the single biggest deterrent to stability in Iraq.”
Martin Huth, the EU ambassador to Iraq, condemned the latest attacks, saying "criminal terrorist attacks need to stop, perpetrators held accountable," in a tweet on Tuesday.
Rocket and bomb attacks have become an almost daily routine against the US embassy – a sprawling compound in the heavily fortified Green Zone – as well as military bases hosting US troops and logistics convoys destined for the US-led International Coalition forces.
At least nine hitherto unknown Shiite groups, believed to be linked to major Shiite militias, claimed responsibility for the attacks.
Lawmaker Dhafir Al Ani, who sits on the parliament’s foreign relations committee, said “punishing measures” were likely to follow any US embassy closure.
"Washington has prepared a list of 40 names of militia leaders who will be considered targets and will face sanctions," Mr Al Ani told The National.
The sanctions will also be imposed on the Popular Mobilisation Forces, a state-sponsored umbrella group for paramilitary groups, including some Iran-backed militias, targeting their arms and financing, Mr Al Ani said, adding that the US was likely treat the Iraqi government as it has the Iranian government.
He said that 12 European embassies had informed Baghdad that they will take the same step.
“The government has tried to assure the American side, but facts on the ground are different and trust is almost nonexistent,” he said.
Events started to unfold late last year, when the US accused Iran of masterminding missile attacks against US targets through Iraqi proxies.
Tensions soared in late December when the US accused the Kataib Hezbollah militia of attacking a military base north of Baghdad, killing one US contractor and wounding several US services members and Iraqi personnel.
A day later, the US forces conducted air strikes against five Kataib Hezbollah facilities in Iraq and Syria, killing 25 fighters and wounding dozens. During the funeral procession for the dead, angry mourners, including some in military fatigues, broke into Baghdad’s Green Zone and torched a reception building at the US embassy.
On January 3, the US responded with a drone attack that killed Iran’s Gen Qassim Soleimani after he landed at Baghdad airport, along with Kataib Hezbollah leader Abu Mahdi Al Muhandis and several others.
A few days later, Iraq’s Shiite political parties pushed for a decision inside parliament to expel US troops from Iraq without endorsement from Sunnis and Kurds.
Iran retaliated by firing nearly two dozen ballistic missiles at two Iraqi military bases hosting American troops. Since then, Iran and its allies have called for the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq.
"The presence of the American troops on Iraqi soil is illegal and illegitimate," the spokesman of Kataib Hezbollah, Mohammed Mohie, told The National. "It challenges the parliament decision and threatens to create crises."
He said the US warning psychological was warfare aimed at increasing pressure on the government to take action against the PMF.
“The US doesn’t want stumbling blocks in Iraq so that it can carry on with its schemes,” he said. “These stumbling blocks are the resistance factions.”
He suggested withdrawing all US troops and reconsidering the embassy size in order to redraw the relations between the two countries to reflect mutual interests.
Kataib Hezbollah in Iraq is separate from the Hezbollah movement in Lebanon.
Dr Munqith Dagher, founder of the Independent Institute of Administration and Civil Society Studies research group in Iraq and MENA director and board member of Gallup International, believed the US was serious with its warnings.
“The current Iraqi government and the previous one received many warnings before and at the same time Iraqis have given promises and nothing has happened,” Mr Dagher said.
He said he believed that there were two perspectives inside Iran – “Iran the state and Iran the revolution”.
The first, he said, does not want things to reach this limit in Iraq and wants Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi to play a role in mitigating tension with the US, while the latter believed that there was an opportunity to provoke US President Donald Trump to lead him to defeat in the presidential vote in November.
Dubai Rugby Sevens, December 5 -7
World Sevens Series Pools
A – Fiji, France, Argentina, Japan
B – United States, Australia, Scotland, Ireland
C – New Zealand, Samoa, Canada, Wales
D – South Africa, England, Spain, Kenya
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Have you been targeted?
Tuan Phan of SimplyFI.org lists five signs you have been mis-sold to:
1. Your pension fund has been placed inside an offshore insurance wrapper with a hefty upfront commission.
2. The money has been transferred into a structured note. These products have high upfront, recurring commission and should never be in a pension account.
3. You have also been sold investment funds with an upfront initial charge of around 5 per cent. ETFs, for example, have no upfront charges.
4. The adviser charges a 1 per cent charge for managing your assets. They are being paid for doing nothing. They have already claimed massive amounts in hidden upfront commission.
5. Total annual management cost for your pension account is 2 per cent or more, including platform, underlying fund and advice charges.
If you go
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.
The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.
About Takalam
Date started: early 2020
Founders: Khawla Hammad and Inas Abu Shashieh
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech and wellness
Number of staff: 4
Funding to date: Bootstrapped
Honeymoonish
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
The view from The National
Plan to boost public schools
A major shake-up of government-run schools was rolled out across the country in 2017. Known as the Emirati School Model, it placed more emphasis on maths and science while also adding practical skills to the curriculum.
It was accompanied by the promise of a Dh5 billion investment, over six years, to pay for state-of-the-art infrastructure improvements.
Aspects of the school model will be extended to international private schools, the education minister has previously suggested.
Recent developments have also included the introduction of moral education - which public and private schools both must teach - along with reform of the exams system and tougher teacher licensing requirements.
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THE BIO
Age: 30
Favourite book: The Power of Habit
Favourite quote: "The world is full of good people, if you cannot find one, be one"
Favourite exercise: The snatch
Favourite colour: Blue
THE 12 BREAKAWAY CLUBS
England
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur
Italy
AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus
Spain
Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
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
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
Financial considerations before buying a property
Buyers should try to pay as much in cash as possible for a property, limiting the mortgage value to as little as they can afford. This means they not only pay less in interest but their monthly costs are also reduced. Ideally, the monthly mortgage payment should not exceed 20 per cent of the purchaser’s total household income, says Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching.
“If it’s a rental property, plan for the property to have periods when it does not have a tenant. Ensure you have enough cash set aside to pay the mortgage and other costs during these periods, ideally at least six months,” she says.
Also, shop around for the best mortgage interest rate. Understand the terms and conditions, especially what happens after any introductory periods, Ms Glynn adds.
Using a good mortgage broker is worth the investment to obtain the best rate available for a buyer’s needs and circumstances. A good mortgage broker will help the buyer understand the terms and conditions of the mortgage and make the purchasing process efficient and easier.
