Senior US officials have met Kurdish forces and Arab leaders in Syria's oil- and wheat-rich Deir Ezzor province, the State Department said on Tuesday, as tension threatens to undermine the Washington-backed anti-ISIS mission there.
Ethan Goldrich, deputy assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, and Maj Gen Joel Vowell, who heads the anti-ISIS mission, met Arab tribal leaders and Syrian Democratic Forces commanders, State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said.
They agreed to address local “grievances” and spoke of the “need for de-escalation” as well as the “need to avoid civilian deaths”, Mr Patel added.
An Arab tribal backlash against the rule of the Kurdish YPG militia has led to clashes, with more than 150 killed and dozens injured.
The militia forms the backbone of the US-backed SDF and the uprising is the biggest threat to their rule since they drove ISIS out of a large part of the country's north and east in 2019.
SDF members surrounded a stronghold of an Arab tribe in east Syria on Tuesday and demanded the surrender of its leader, sources on both sides told The National, as the militia sought to crush a nascent insurgency.
Mr “Goldrich and Maj Gen Vowell reiterated the importance of a strong US partnership with the SDF in the de-ISIS effort”, Mr Patel said.
Pentagon spokesman Brig Gen Pat Ryder said the US would continue working with the SDF and that defeating ISIS remained the only focus.
“We've had this conversation before on the critical role that the SDF has played, and continues to play, when it comes to the ISIS mission,” he told reporters.
“One only need look at their efforts as it relates to Al Hol and the detainee population there … We will continue to work with the SDF and other regional partners and the international community on the Defeat ISIS mission.”
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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%3Cp%3EFly%20with%20Etihad%20Airways%20from%20Abu%20Dhabi%20to%20New%20York%E2%80%99s%20JFK.%20There's%2011%20flights%20a%20week%20and%20economy%20fares%20start%20at%20around%20Dh5%2C000.%3Cbr%3EStay%20at%20The%20Mark%20Hotel%20on%20the%20city%E2%80%99s%20Upper%20East%20Side.%20Overnight%20stays%20start%20from%20%241395%20per%20night.%3Cbr%3EVisit%20NYC%20Go%2C%20the%20official%20destination%20resource%20for%20New%20York%20City%20for%20all%20the%20latest%20events%2C%20activites%20and%20openings.%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
WHEN TO GO:
September to November or March to May; this is when visitors are most likely to see what they’ve come for.
WHERE TO STAY:
Meghauli Serai, A Taj Safari - Chitwan National Park resort (tajhotels.com) is a one-hour drive from Bharatpur Airport with stays costing from Dh1,396 per night, including taxes and breakfast. Return airport transfers cost from Dh661.
HOW TO GET THERE:
Etihad Airways regularly flies from Abu Dhabi to Kathmandu from around Dh1,500 per person return, including taxes. Buddha Air (buddhaair.com) and Yeti Airlines (yetiairlines.com) fly from Kathmandu to Bharatpur several times a day from about Dh660 return and the flight takes just 20 minutes. Driving is possible but the roads are hilly which means it will take you five or six hours to travel 148 kilometres.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
Like a Fading Shadow
Antonio Muñoz Molina
Translated from the Spanish by Camilo A. Ramirez
Tuskar Rock Press (pp. 310)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
ASHES SCHEDULE
First Test
November 23-27 (The Gabba, Brisbane)
Second Test
December 2-6 (Adelaide Oval, Adelaide)
Third Test
December 14-18 (Waca Ground, Perth)
Fourth Test
December 26-30 (Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne)
Fifth Test
January 4-8, 2018 (Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney)
TICKETS
For tickets for the two-day Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) event, entitled Dubai Invasion 2019, on September 27 and 28 go to www.meraticket.com.
Kibsons%20Cares
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
