The US is considering its options and helping with investigations after a 14-rocket attack on a US airbase in the Kurdish region of Iraq killed a contractor and injured a services member.
The attack, which took place about 9.30pm local time on Monday, was claimed by a group calling itself Saraya Awliya Al Dam.
It pledged revenge against US forces for the killing of Iranian Quds Force leader Qassem Suleimani and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi Al Muhandis in January 2020.
The US-led coalition confirmed 10 casualties and said five US citizens suffered concussion in the attack.
The 107-millimetre rockets used in the attack are believed to have been made in Iran.
The strike bore similarities to other attacks on US interests in Iraq, including a salvo of 21 rockets into Baghdad's Green Zone in December.
Former US president Donald Trump blamed Iran for that attack and told Tehran there would be a harsh response if any American were killed.
But President Joe Biden's team is pursuing a different approach to the Erbil attack.
Mr Biden was briefed on the incident, a White House official said, and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken avoided assigning blame or naming a group responsible for the attack.
State Department spokesman Ned Price said it was “premature to talk about retaliation”.
Mr Price said the US was “supporting our Iraqi partners in their efforts to investigate … and reserves the right to respond at a time and place of our choosing".
On Tuesday, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin called his Iraqi equivalent, Jumaah Saadoon, to offer condemnation and condolences after the attack.
“The Iraqi people deserve a secure and stable Iraq, and the United States remains committed to supporting our Iraqi partners in their efforts to defend Iraq’s sovereignty,” the Pentagon said.
Mr Blinken also called Masrour Barzani, the head of the Kurdish Regional Government, and “agreed to co-ordinate closely in the investigation to identify the outlaws behind it”.
Analysts and a Pentagon official consider Iran to be responsible the attack.
They expect a more covert response from the Biden administration than that of Mr Trump, which would draw a line while securing US interests.
A US defence official said the attack had the “hallmark of Iranian tactics in Iraq”, with the use of Iranian-made rockets and “a front organisation” to carry out the operation.
Ranj Alaadin, a scholar on Iraq and a fellow at the Brookings Institution think tank in Washington, believed the Erbil attack was an attempt by Iran to test the Biden administration and increase influence in any negotiations.
"The Erbil attack and attacks in the Gulf since Mr Biden became president suggest Iran and its proxies will opt for escalation until they are presented with a credible threat of escalation from the Biden administration," Mr Alaadin told The National.
By doing so “it can hurt the US, its rivals in Iraq, and shape the contours of its forthcoming negotiations with Washington in one go, with no cost to the regime".
He said the assumption in Tehran was that the new Biden team “has a high tolerance for these attacks, even tolerance for attacks that directly or indirectly kill US citizens”.
“That's a perception the Biden team must quickly alter and it's one that Iran will continue to test with further rocket attacks, which will harm US strategic interests in Iraq, undermine US allies and result in further atrocities against civilians,” Mr Alaadin said.
Nicholas Heras, the director of government relations at US think tank the Institute of the Study of War, expected a covert response from the Biden administration.
“The attack against US forces in Erbil is a declaration from the Iran-linked Iraqi militias that US forces can be touched even in the Kurdistan region … that there is no stronghold for the Americans in Iraq,” Mr Heras said.
He considered the attack to be “the first real foreign policy test of the Biden administration” in the Middle East, but expected a measured response behind the scenes.
“We should expect the Biden administration to take a cautious, policy-action approach to this attack,” Mr Heras said.
Iran was eager for Washington to lift sanctions and return to the 2015 nuclear deal it signed with world powers, which Mr Trump abandoned in 2018.
The Biden administration has done neither and indicated that such a return could take a long time.
“The Biden team will likely send a strong signal to the Iranians behind the scenes that these attacks are unacceptable," Mr Heras said.
He said the US would begin quietly working to provide the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Iraqi administration of Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi with intelligence to arrest the perpetrators of the attack.
Mr Heras said Mr Blinken's response to the attack was a “perfect example of the Biden team's quiet but strategic approach to the Middle East”.
SERIES INFO
Afghanistan v Zimbabwe, Abu Dhabi Sunshine Series
All matches at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Test series
1st Test: Zimbabwe beat Afghanistan by 10 wickets
2nd Test: Wednesday, 10 March – Sunday, 14 March
Play starts at 9.30am
T20 series
1st T20I: Wednesday, 17 March
2nd T20I: Friday, 19 March
3rd T20I: Saturday, 20 March
TV
Supporters in the UAE can watch the matches on the Rabbithole channel on YouTube
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
WIDE%20VIEW
%3Cp%3EThe%20benefits%20of%20HoloLens%202%2C%20according%20to%20Microsoft%3A%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EManufacturing%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Reduces%20downtime%20and%20speeds%20up%20onboarding%20and%20upskilling%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngineering%20and%20construction%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Accelerates%20the%20pace%20of%20construction%20and%20mitigates%20risks%20earlier%20in%20the%20construction%20cycle%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EHealth%20care%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Enhances%20the%20delivery%20of%20patient%20treatment%20at%20the%20point%20of%20care%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEducation%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Improves%20student%20outcomes%20and%20teaches%20from%20anywhere%20with%20experiential%20learning%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- 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
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
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 582bhp
Torque: 730Nm
Price: Dh649,000
On sale: now
What is an ETF?
An exchange traded fund is a type of investment fund that can be traded quickly and easily, just like stocks and shares. They come with no upfront costs aside from your brokerage's dealing charges and annual fees, which are far lower than on traditional mutual investment funds. Charges are as low as 0.03 per cent on one of the very cheapest (and most popular), Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, with the maximum around 0.75 per cent.
There is no fund manager deciding which stocks and other assets to invest in, instead they passively track their chosen index, country, region or commodity, regardless of whether it goes up or down.
The first ETF was launched as recently as 1993, but the sector boasted $5.78 billion in assets under management at the end of September as inflows hit record highs, according to the latest figures from ETFGI, a leading independent research and consultancy firm.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five largest providers BlackRock’s iShares, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisers, Deutsche Bank X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
While the best-known track major indices such as MSCI World, the S&P 500 and FTSE 100, you can also invest in specific countries or regions, large, medium or small companies, government bonds, gold, crude oil, cocoa, water, carbon, cattle, corn futures, currency shifts or even a stock market crash.
How to donate
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
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
