Beirut // Turkish troops and Syrian rebels on Saturday entered the ISIL-held town of Al Bab in northern Syria, as government forces also moved closer to the extremist bastion.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Turkish forces and allied militias entered Al Bab from the west and then took full control of its western suburbs after fierce clashes with ISIL militants.
The clashes coincided with “Turkish shelling and intensive air strikes” on Al Bab, the Britain-based monitor said.
Al Bab is the extremist group’s last stronghold in the northern province of Aleppo and is also being targeted by regime forces.
While Turkish-led forces have been advancing from the north, east and west, Syrian government troops are attacking from the south.
One Turkish soldier was killed and another wounded in the clashes in Al Bab, Turkish state-run Anadolu news agency quoted military sources as saying.
Turkish forces and allied rebels have for weeks pressed an operation code-named Euphrates Shield to drive ISIL from the flashpoint town.
On Monday, Syrian troops severed a road leading into the town from the south and by Friday they were just 1.5 kilometres from the southern outskirts of Al Bab.
Turkey began an unprecedented campaign inside Syria in August, targeting both ISIL and Kurdish militia.
After initial rapid progress, the campaign has been mired since December in the deadly fight for Al Bab.
Turkey’s Dogan news agency says 66 Turkish soldiers have been killed in the campaign since it started, mostly in ISIL attacks.
And on Thursday, three Turkish soldiers were killed when a Russian air strike accidentally hit their position in a strike targeting ISIL fighters in Al Bab.
Moscow said the incident was an accident and is under investigation.
Despite backing opposite sides in Syria’s conflict — Moscow is a government ally while Turkey supports the opposition — the two countries have worked closely in recent months.
They helped broker a nationwide ceasefire in place since December 30, and sponsored a round of peace talks last month in the Kazakh capital, Astana.
Al Bab has been under IS control since 2014, when the group seized large swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq.
*Agence France-Presse
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Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
Honeymoonish
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Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
The specs: Macan Turbo
Engine: Dual synchronous electric motors
Power: 639hp
Torque: 1,130Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Touring range: 591km
Price: From Dh412,500
On sale: Deliveries start in October
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
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 Baghdad Clock
Shahad Al Rawi, Oneworld
More on animal trafficking
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
The bio
His favourite book - 1984 by George Orwell
His favourite quote - 'If you think education is expensive, try ignorance' by Derek Bok, Former President of Harvard
Favourite place to travel to - Peloponnese, Southern Greece
Favourite movie - The Last Emperor
Favourite personality from history - Alexander the Great
Role Model - My father, Yiannis Davos
How to improve Arabic reading in early years
One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient
The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers
Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades
Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic
First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations
Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades
Improve the appearance of textbooks
Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings
Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught
Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
WIDE%20VIEW
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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