• Waleed wiping his mother's wounds. All photos: Abd-Almajed Alkarh/The National
    Waleed wiping his mother's wounds. All photos: Abd-Almajed Alkarh/The National
  • Scars and fragments can be seen on Fatima’s face after she was released from hospital.
    Scars and fragments can be seen on Fatima’s face after she was released from hospital.
  • A nurse in SAMS hospital observing Mahmoud’s state.
    A nurse in SAMS hospital observing Mahmoud’s state.
  • Ahmed Qasoum and his wife with their older daughter Batoul, who suffered a surface wound on her head.
    Ahmed Qasoum and his wife with their older daughter Batoul, who suffered a surface wound on her head.
  • Metal equipment installed on Fatima’s leg.
    Metal equipment installed on Fatima’s leg.
  • Mahmoud receives care in hospital.
    Mahmoud receives care in hospital.
  • Waleed helps his father to lift his wounded arm.
    Waleed helps his father to lift his wounded arm.
  • Mahmoud, connected to medical devices in SAMS hospital.
    Mahmoud, connected to medical devices in SAMS hospital.
  • Idlib-Arihah road, where the incident took place.
    Idlib-Arihah road, where the incident took place.
  • Mahmoud after he became conscious.
    Mahmoud after he became conscious.

Syrian family hit by US drone strike recalls tragedy: Joy turned into bloodshed


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  • Arabic

Ahmed Qasoum was filming the journey to his parents’ home to send a video to his daughter living in Turkey. She is one of 13 million Syrians displaced in the past 10 years who may never return home.

“I did not know that I was actually documenting a disaster that would change our lives,” he said.

I am a civilian not related to any military or political bodies. I am just a poor farmer who makes my living from different jobs I work in, after I lost my job previously
Ahmed Qasoum,
air strike victim

The video Mr Qasoum was shooting caught the moment a US drone strike – targeting the leader of the Al Qaeda-affiliated Guardians of Religion organisation – hit, injuring him and his family.

The car was almost completely destroyed in the attack, between Idlib and Arihah, which was intended to hit the militant on a motorbike.

Mahmoud,10, was among the wounded, sustaining serious injuries. He has been in intensive care since last Saturday.

Mahmoud Qasoum, a Syrian child injured by a US drone strike, in an intensive care unit at a hospital of the Syrian American Medical Society in Idlib on December 7, 2021. AFP
Mahmoud Qasoum, a Syrian child injured by a US drone strike, in an intensive care unit at a hospital of the Syrian American Medical Society in Idlib on December 7, 2021. AFP

Centcom, the general headquarters of US forces in the Middle East, said that the Al Qaeda commander had been killed in the strike.

Guardians of Religion has been the target of US drone operations since its formation in 2017. The US admitted that civilians were injured and said that investigations were under way.

Metres from a drone strike

“Joy has turned into bloodshed”, Mr Qasoum said of their journey.

They had not visited their grandparents' home in 10 months, in Al Rami village on the outskirts of Idlib city.

“We decided to visit them early in the winter, we were happily going back with the kids. Suddenly, we were surrounded by blood inside and outside the car, blood covering my eyes so I could no longer see.”

Mr Qasoum has lived with his family in Afrin, 80 kilometres from Idlib, since they were displaced from Kafr Battik, a small village that was heavily bombed by the Russian air force and retaken by government forces in 2019.

But almost nowhere can be considered safe in northern Syria, including the village of Al Rami.

Mr Qasoum's daughter in Turkey, who recently got married, suggested the video.

“When we told her we were going to visit her grandparents in Idlib she asked us to film the journey back and forth,” Mr Qasoum said.

There was a man on a motorbike trying to overtake them, he said.

“The motorbike suddenly turned into fragments. I could not hear the explosion sound but the fragments hit the left side of the car and devastated it. I was injured in my head,” he said.

People quickly gathered around and took them to the hospital.

“We were bleeding and could not wait for the ambulance and White Helmets to arrive," he said, referring to a local search and rescue organisation established by Syrians opposed to the government. "I didn’t lose consciousness before we arrived at the hospital. I did not know who rescued us and how.”

Ahmed’s wife Fatima Qarqaa, 48, recalls the incident.

“I was not conscious of what had happened. The car door opened ... while the car was moving very fast. My kids fell on the pavement while my husband was hit in his head and I was hit in my leg," she said.

"My younger boy got injured in his head. I saw him bleeding horribly. I did not realise how we got injured or when.”

She went on to say that her husband got up to check on his children despite being injured as people gathered around them.

No accountability

Mr Qasoum now faces great difficulty to meet the medical costs of surgery and drugs for his family, as well their material loss.

“I’ve lost my car, which is no longer useful for anything, it’s full of fragments. One pill of medicine costs around 400 Turkish pounds and I can’t provide all these expenses. Furthermore, my kids’ injuries will take a long time to heal.”

The family was rushed to the Syrian American Medical Society Hospital in Idlib.

“We have taken the required procedures, said Dr Ahmed Al Biosh, a pulmonologist and respiratory physician at the hospital’s intensive care ward.

He described Mahmoud's state after performing first aid and an initial operation as stable after being in a critical condition when he arrived.

“There was a cerebrospinal fluid leak plus trauma in the skull. He underwent a surgical operation and was connected to artificial respiration in intensive care for 48 hours,” Dr Al Biosh said.

Mahmoud was released from intensive care without displaying any neurological damage, but had a temperature so a cerebrospinal fluid sample was taken to make sure he was not infected with meningitis.

“It is necessary to keep monitoring him after his release to see if he [will] get back to normal,” Dr Al Bios said.

Mr Qasoum said: “I hold the responsibility of the damage to the international bodies that targeted me with my family. I am a civilian not related to any military or political bodies. I am just a poor farmer who makes my living from different jobs I work in, after I lost my job previously,” he said.

Ms Qarqaa said she fears for her children’s future, even if they recover from their injuries.

“I do not know who could relieve us of our loss. My leg that I could no longer walk on normally. My son Waleed and my daughter Batoul were injured in their limbs,” she said.

“I’m afraid the psychological effect could impact them. I am now afraid of getting in a car and hearing the sound of air strikes. It seems we won’t get back to normal,” she said.

A new relationship with the old country

Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates

The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:

ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.

ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.

ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.

ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.

DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.

Signed

Geoffrey Arthur  Sheikh Zayed

Gertrude Bell's life in focus

A feature film

At one point, two feature films were in the works, but only German director Werner Herzog’s project starring Nicole Kidman would be made. While there were high hopes he would do a worthy job of directing the biopic, when Queen of the Desert arrived in 2015 it was a disappointment. Critics panned the film, in which Herzog largely glossed over Bell’s political work in favour of her ill-fated romances.

A documentary

A project that did do justice to Bell arrived the next year: Sabine Krayenbuhl and Zeva Oelbaum’s Letters from Baghdad: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Gertrude Bell. Drawing on more than 1,000 pieces of archival footage, 1,700 documents and 1,600 letters, the filmmakers painstakingly pieced together a compelling narrative that managed to convey both the depth of Bell’s experience and her tortured love life.

Books, letters and archives

Two biographies have been written about Bell, and both are worth reading: Georgina Howell’s 2006 book Queen of the Desert and Janet Wallach’s 1996 effort Desert Queen. Bell published several books documenting her travels and there are also several volumes of her letters, although they are hard to find in print. Original documents are housed at the Gertrude Bell Archive at the University of Newcastle, which has an online catalogue.
 

De De Pyaar De

Produced: Luv Films, YRF Films
Directed: Akiv Ali
Cast: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Rakul Preet Singh, Jimmy Sheirgill, Jaaved Jaffrey
Rating: 3.5/5 stars

THE TWIN BIO

Their favourite city: Dubai

Their favourite food: Khaleeji

Their favourite past-time : walking on the beach

Their favorite quote: ‘we rise by lifting others’ by Robert Ingersoll

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Who's who in Yemen conflict

Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government

Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council

Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south

Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory

'The Ice Road'

Director: Jonathan Hensleigh
Stars: Liam Neeson, Amber Midthunder, Laurence Fishburne

2/5

Key findings of Jenkins report
  • Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
  • Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
  • Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
  • Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Lexus LX700h specs

Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor

Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh590,000

SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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The Greatest Royal Rumble card

50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias

Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match

WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipAJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura

Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe

United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal

SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos

Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt

Casket match The Undertaker v Rusev

Singles match John Cena v Triple H

Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v Kalisto

Getting there
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Tbilisi from Dh1,025 return including taxes

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg result:

Ajax 2-3 Tottenham

Tottenham advance on away goals rule after tie ends 3-3 on aggregate

Final: June 1, Madrid

Tips to avoid getting scammed

1) Beware of cheques presented late on Thursday

2) Visit an RTA centre to change registration only after receiving payment

3) Be aware of people asking to test drive the car alone

4) Try not to close the sale at night

5) Don't be rushed into a sale 

6) Call 901 if you see any suspicious behaviour

Updated: December 08, 2021, 12:57 PM